Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
The quill is the central element of the poem – what does it symbolise?
Advertisements
Solution
The quill symbolises a new script. It is symbolic of the transition of a script, the characteristics that a script delivers to its successive script in legacy. Let us have a clearer idea of it by taking the evolution of Dogri's scripts into account. Around the time when the Dogri language developed, it used its native script Sharade, which evolved from the original Brahmi script. Sharade then came to be replaced by Devanagari, used presently. In the poem Mother Tongue, Padma Sachdev bemoans the depreciation of Sharade script. She explains a script's evolution by citing an example of a reed plant.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
A1. True or False
State whether the following statements are true or false:
(1) The author's new house was situated at Bangalore.
(2) The writer was delighted because their new house, was the biggest they ever lived.
One of the advantages of growing up in an Army household was the frequency with which we moved. 'Postings' came with predictable regularity every three years. What was unpredictable and therefore exciting was the suspense. Where would we go this time? Ambala, Pune, Dehradun, Allahabad, Tejpur, Bangalore, Yo! ............ In my short span of thirteen years we had moved lock. stock and barrel eleven times!
Every move meant change. New journeys, new places, new schools, my new books, new uniforms, new friends and new houses. We lived in tents, bashas, Nissen huts, flats and bungalows. No matter what the shape and size of the dwelling, mother soon put her own special stamp on it and transformed it into a familiar place - our home - complete with bright yellow-curtains, coffee-brown carpet, assorted pictures, hanging ferns and potted palms - providing a comforting sense of continuity in our essentially nomadic life.
I was thirteen, the year we moved to the Cantonment at Allahabad. In stark contrast to the razzle-dazzle of the city's commercial areas like Katra and Chowk, the Cantonment was a quiet, orderly place with broad tree-lined roads that still carried the names of long-dead Britishers. Our bungalow was on a sleepy by-lane called MacPherson Road. When we first saw it, my brothers and I were delighted. It was by far the biggest house we had ever lived in. The task of furnishing those huge, echoing rooms daunted Mother.
A2. Complete
a. The broad tree-lined roads were named after.............................
b. Katra and Chowk are .............................
c. Mother was daunted with the task of................................. .
d. The suspense was exciting because the posting was.........................
A3. Personal response
What do you think are the problems faced by those who change households frequently.
Attempt a character sketch of Mr Gilman as a teacher.
Notice the kind of English Tsetan uses while talking to the author. How do you think he picked it up?
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.
Identify the lines that reveal the critical tone of the poet towards the felling of the tree.
Give a brief account of the interaction between Grandpa and Jo.
Read the poem and write 3 qualities of the following.
Answer in your own words.
Why did she decide to keep her new knowledge ‘a secret’?
Who said to whom and when / why?
| Who said | To whom? | When / why? | |
| ......the world is full of inequalities. | |||
| I want to do something interesting. | |||
| It is against the will of God. | |||
| Our home is full of love....... | |||
| ...... we can affirm along with United Nations that men and women are equal. |
Make a list of archaic words from the poem and give their modern equivalents.
Answer the following question in short.
On what condition did Tenali Raman agree to take up the challenge?
With the help of the internet and other sources, obtain more information about the critically endangered birds and animals in India. Find the names of their sanctuaries.
Read the following sentence carefully and choose the correct meaning.
The Peacock had a gorgeous tail like no other bird.
Find a suitable object for each comparison.
Describe the following with the help of the story.
The fabric is woven by Thiruvalluvar
Find 2/4 expressions of humour from the extract.
Look at the following words carefully for one minute. Now close your book and try to write down as many of the words as you can remember.
| crust, tremendous, lava, crater, volcanic, tsunami, island, extinct, disaster, dormant, eruption, plume, inland, molten, active, coast |
Form pairs. Discuss and prepare a list of things that can be and will be done in future. (5 things) Spot the modal verbs in your answer.
An activity:
Speak fast, think faster! Form groups of 4-6. Discuss each of the following topics. Then each person in the group should choose a topic and speak about it for one minute. Try to say as many sentences as you can in that time
What is not likely to happen or will never happen...
‘It won’t rain in the classroom... I won’t ever see a live dinosaur... The sun will never set in the east...’ etc.
Imagine that there is a Mr Somebody who has to correct all the wrongs that are done by Mr Nobody. Write in the following table, what Mr Somebody will have to do.
| Mr Nobody’s Actions | Tasks for Mr Somebody |
| 1. The plate is broken / cracked | Mend the plate. / Throw it away carefully. |
| 2. The book is torn | ____________ |
| 3. The door is ajar. | ____________ |
| 4. The buttons are pulled from the shirt | ____________ |
| 5. The pins are scattered. | ____________ |
| 6. The door is still squeaking. | ____________ |
| 7. There are finger marks upon the door. | ____________ |
| 8. The ink has spilled over. | ____________ |
| 9. Boots are lying around. | ____________ |
| 10. ____________ | ____________ |
| 11. ____________ | ____________ |
Add a few more things to the list in the above table, using your own ideas and experience.
What do the following event/action tell us about the characters? Discuss.
The Archbishop announced that everyone was free to try his hand at the sword and called all the Lords to a Tournament.
There were no human settlements on the moon.
Think of a play/skit which you have seen enacted on the stage and which has impressed you. Write the following details about it.
| Name of the play/skit: | ______________ |
| Important characters: | ______________ |
| Any famous actors/actresses: | ______________ |
| Theme: | ______________ |
| Climax: | ______________ |
| Ending: | ______________ |
| Use of lights and special effects if any: | ______________ |
| Use of background music and sound effects if any: | ______________ |
| Use of sets: | ______________ |
| The costumes, make up, etc. of the characters: | ______________ |
| How well the actors present the play and behave on the stage: | ______________ |
| Your own opinion about the play: | ______________ |
Choose the appropriate phrase to insert in the gap, to make the sentence meaningful. Use the appropriate form of the verb.
Before we do the experiment in the Laboratory, let me ______ you all about it.
Read the remaining part of the original story.
Write in your own words.
What message does the poem convey?
Say whether you agree or disagree.
The wolf could not trace Bertha because she was behind a myrtle bush.
Read the poem and answer the following.
How would you like to eat your strawberries?
An announcement can be made in every class, orally. Or, it can be put up on the school notice-board. Discuss and decide what method should be used for the announcement given here.
Oral aanouncement
Guess the meaning of the following word.
water-logged
Think of other funny names for imaginary creatures. Write any 3 of them.
Write other meaningful words that begin/end with gentle-hearted.
Write other meaningful words that begin/end with anywhere.
Discuss how you will measure the worth of a sports event.
Write what you can do to welcome birds in your surroundings.
What methods did Anshuman's parents use to warn Anshuman about his bad habits?
What is meant by being ‘online’?
Read the following line from the poem and answer the question given below.
The worst thing is that if anyone stays
Among them too long, he will learn their ways;
- What is the worst thing that can happen if anyone stays with them?
- What are the ways of the Grumble family?
Answer the following question in about 80-120 word.
If you were to live in the Complaining Street, how would you deal with the people who grumble?
Read the story again and write how these character reacted in these situation:
It’s Somu’s thoughtless ways that reduce me to tears. Mrs. Krishnan …………………....…..
Dr. Krishnan ……………..…......…….
Why does the writer think that the peepul tree is a great show off?
What is as sharp as a blade?
Work in pair, find answer for the question and share in the class.
What does the summer bring?
Did Santhosh enjoy his morning walk? How do you know?
We don’t use _________ in the soil.
When did the battle of Nauranang start? How long did it continue?
Whom did Vicky want to do all his work?
Vicky decided to ______ the robot at the end.
Look at the picture and Choose the correct word.
Who is the guest?
______are the real wealth.
Does the poet want diversity? why?
Where do the moles save their food?
The monster tree was protecting the ______.
Why did Jana’s friends stop her from going near the tree?
Who made the tree become a monster?
Do you think Ani will be a good leader? Why?
Does the brush bend to her will?
What did Pinocchio say in the end?
Circle the words where you get a zzzzz sound. One is done for you.
| honeybees | |||
| price | prize | maze | face |
| rice | rise | blaze | fizz |
| lazy | lacy | busy | racy |
| raise | rays | race | ace |
| chase | this | these | frosty |
