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Question
There are intervals of silence in the interaction between the landlady and the prospective tenant. What are the reasons for this?
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Solution
There are intervals of silence in the interaction between the landlady and the prospective tenant. The main reason behind this was the fact that the landlady felt inferior in the face of the poet and realised her lack of knowledge as compared to the erudite intellect of the poet. The sudden silences are prominent in the poem emphasizing the impact of the African’s race being revealed to the landlady. The ignorance of the landlady is also portrayed with humour on a very subtle level.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
B1. Select
Fill in the blanks choosing the correct alternatives from those given in the bracket:
(i) The author was inspired and motivated to read ............................................ by the time she was eleven.
[Shakespeare, Chaucer, G.B. Shaw]
(ii) Every lesson .......................... ......... took was spiced with half a dozen or more anecdotes.
[Mrs. Rowlands, Sister Monica, Mr. A.N. Patil]
(iii) The teachers helped the narrator to become ..................................... . .
[confident, happy, independent]
(iv) Mrs. Cynthia Nesamani and Sister Monica gave .......................................... to the narrator.
[freedom to do what he wanted, advice to do something, instructions to produce better results]
In a way, one of the greatest gifts any teacher can give a student, I think, is to inculcate a curiosity to learn.
I've been incredibly lucky to have at least one such teacher at every stage in my life. The first was Mrs. Rowlands who taught me in primary school. She taught me to read without ever pushing me. She made me want to read more by giving 'me some of the most interesting children's books available. And although I still love to go back to those books from time to time, it was only because of her that I was able to read Shakespeare by the time I was ten, and Chaucer a year later.
In later years, it was Mr. A.N. Patil, my Marathi and Hindi Teacher who made a huge impression on me. Every lesson he took, was spiced with half a dozen or more anecdotes from a wide variety of subjects: among them history, politics, religion and sociology. I was, and still am in awe of his knowledge, which despite rather desperate attempts, I doubt I'll ever be able to match.
There have also been other teachers who helped me to try to become independent: to think and act for myself using my own judgement, which to my mind has been just as, if not more important, than actually learning anything.
After all, it's much too easy to become a completely useless repository of facts and little else.
Two teachers whom I remember in particular are Mrs. Cynthia Nesamani and Sister Monica, both taught me in school. The former, by and large, gave me a free rein to do what I wanted to do. I, being one of those people who dislike instructions, she helped me to produce much better results than I'd have otherwise done.
B2.Complete
Read the extract and complete the following:
The teacher can
(i) .............
(ii) ..............
(iii )..............
(iv).................
B3. Similar word
Look at the following sentences arid pick the word having similar meaning to the given word and rewrite:
(i) Spiced His conversation is always with a lot of humour. (made interesting, garnished, flavoured)
(ii) Repository
The library should not merely be a ................ of books. (store-house, reservoir, tank)
(iii) Inculcate
It is the responsibility of the parents and teachers to .......values in the child's formative years. (imbibe, give, show)
(iv) Incredibly
I have been .. lucky to have at least one such teacher at every stage in my life. (importantly, unbelievably, beautifully)
B4. Language study
(i) There have also been other teachers. They have helped me to try to become
independent. (Combine using 'who')
(ii) It was only because of her that I was able-to read Shakespeare.
(Rewrite beginning with: If it was not for her, ).
B.5 Out motivators
Look at the following table and complete it by presenting your own views
| Personalities | Influence on your life |
| (i) Teachers | |
| (ii) Parents | |
| (iii) Relatives | |
| (iv) Friends |
Read the passage and complete the activities given below
B1 Complete the table :
A few facts about the Mehendi rituals during marriage ceremonies are given below :
Write them into appropriate columns :
(i) A simple family affair.
(ii) Song and dance performances accompanied by lavish food and entertainment.
(iii) Creative family members, apply Mehendi to the bride.
(iv) Beauticians are appointed to apply Mehendi to the bride.
Fill in the table as :
| Yesteryears | Present times |
| (i) | (i) |
| (ii) | (ii) |
Mehendi enjoys special attention during the wedding. In India, the day before the wedding is devoted exclusively to the elaborate ritual of applying Mehendi on the hands and feet of the bride. This practice is followed in Arab countries as well, except that it is held a few days prior to the wedding day. Songs are woven around the healing properties and lucky omens associated with mehndi are sung by the bride’s family and friends. An age-old belief handed down to generations lays great emphasis on the color of the bride’s Mehendi – a darker color suggests bountiful love and affection from the future in-laws and husband, and for this reason, brides take the pain to ensure that only the best quality henna is used for her wedding day.
The ritual of adorning the bride with henna is a sacred one and in some communities requires the initiation by the mother-in-law. A popular game during marriage function is the search for their names, by the bride and groom hidden within the elaborate pattern on the bride’s hands.
In certain parts of India, the bridegroom has his hands decorated with henna. The Mehendi function during marriages has evolved from simple family affairs of yesteryears to elaborate events of today. A lavish spread of food and entertainment in the form of song and dance performances have transformed it from a small function to a gala prelude. In earlier days, the task of applying Mehendi on the bride was the sole prerogative of creative family members. The demand for intricate and different style now, sees this job outsourced to beauticians skilled in this art. Beauty salons charge according to the style and complexity of pattern desired by the clients.
B2 What is the age-old belief related to the bride’s Mehendi color and its significance?
B3 Find the words :
Find the words from the passage :
| Noun | Verd | Adjectives |
| (i) attention | attend | _______________ |
| (ii) creation | _________________ | creative |
A lot of money is spent nowadays on marriage ceremonies. What is your opinion about it?
Discuss the following statement in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.
The story is called ‘The Adventure’. Compare it with the adventure described in ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die...’
Look at the words given in the box below
|
snigger |
wriggle |
sneak |
squeak |
|
squawk |
titter |
pant |
chuckle |
|
giggle |
jeer |
chortle |
guffaw |
|
sigh |
sidle |
boo |
shriek |
|
scramble |
croak |
straggle |
plod |
|
gasp |
|
|
|
Now classify them according to their closeness in meaning to the words given below
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
|
snigger |
wriggle |
squeak |
jeer |
sigh |
What are the cues that signal the presence of the peacock in the vicinity?
What is the poetic technique used by the poet to convey the plaintive theme of the poem?
Read the poem and write 3 qualities of the following.
Read the poem and fill in the table.
| Time of the day | Location | Poet’s Activity | Hawker’s Activities | Gardener’s Activities | Watchman’s Activities |
| Morning | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Afternoon | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Night | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
Think and answer in your own words.
How do parents react when they see children soil their clothes in dust and heat?
Think and answer in your own words in your notebook.
Why do you think God created worms? What is their ecological importance?
Using a dictionary/internet note down the main difference between a developing nation and a developed nation.
Pick out a word from the poem to complete the sentence meaningfully.
Handicapped people should never be ______. (ignored and avoided)
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Go through the poem and state whether the following statement is true or false.
Planners paint beautiful pictures of the upcoming changes in the city that charm the citizens.
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Explain the use of the following property in the development of the play.
Stick
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Read the story and write about the following in short.
Yonamine Chiru of Okinawa
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I agree.
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If you saw someone abusing an animal, what would you do? Write about it in 5 lines.
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Answer in your own words.
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Answer in your own words.
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After I took the medicine, I ______ ______ the pain.
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- ‘Life is a journey- keep going ahead’.
Discuss and write down a few such metaphorical lines about ‘life’. You can make them up yourselves.
- ____________________________
- ____________________________
- ____________________________
- ____________________________
- ____________________________
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What common qualities did the three brothers have?
Who used the zither and how?
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What is the humour element in the above incident?
Write the name of the toys against each picture.
Hamid’s friends enjoyed the ride in the merry-go-round. But Hamid didn’t go on it. Why?
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- vain
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Name the character or speaker.
"You want me to strain my back?"
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Take out the correct rhyming pair from the poem and match with the given word.
| 1. | tall | |
| 2. | light | |
| 3. | might |
What was their new hobby?
Choose the correct answer.
Fill in the blank
Do you like apple______ orange?
Read the advertisement and answer the question given below.
What is the advertisement about?
Kani took Teddy out for a ____.
Leafcutter ants drink______.
The squirrel ran to the _________ tree.
Rani thought of herself as a _______ engineer.
The king looked for a______.
The king shouted at Ani.
The merchant paid______ to the boatman.
Bala's home doesn't have ______.
What is the poem about?
Are these sentence TRUE or FALSE
The poet says that stars will always shine at night.
Although Helen could not hear or see, what kind of girl was she?
How can we identify insecure websites?
Activity: Live English: Packs, packets, pouches, wrappers
Given above is the picture of an imaginary food item’s packet. Let us see how to ‘read’ the matter on the packet as a vigilant consumer.
- Look at the wrapper and complete the sentences.
- The name of the food item is ______.
- It is made by ______.
- It is a ______ food item. (Veg/Non-veg)
- The ______ sign indicates whether it is a Veg or Non-veg food item.
- The ingredients are ______, ______, ______, ______.
- The date of packing is ______ and the expiry date is ______.
- It should be consumed before ______ from the date of manufacturing.
- Try and obtain more information about the various symbols printed on the packet.
- Discuss the following -
- Why the ‘recipe’ is given on the packet.
- Why the packet tells us to visit the website of the company.
- What ideas are used to make the packet attractive?
- How you will verify whether something is good for you to eat.
