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Question
This play, written in the 1950s, is a humorous and satirical depiction of the status of the mother in the family.
What are the issues it raises?
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Solution
Mother's Day is a comical satire. The story is a simple one, yet it strongly condemns the position of women in society. Our mothers and wives work hard daily, turning our houses into homes. They receive no wages and have no weekends off and work all day long, round the clock. Little do we realise the hard work they put in to make it all perfect. We take them for granted and never appreciate them or stop by to drop a word of 'thanks'. The story very clearly states that our mothers and wives have equal right to relax, enjoy their lives and deserve acknowledgement and appreciation. They sacrifice their whole lives building ours'. Husbands stay busy at work and kids are occupied in their own lives. Amidst all this women lose their self trying to contain our world.
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Read the extract and do the activities that follow:
The duke senior and his follower were sitting down to a meal one day when Orlando rushed out from among the trees, his sword in his hand. ‘Stop, and cat no more!’ he cried. The Duke and his friends asked him what he wanted.
‘Food,’ said Orlando. ‘I am almost dying of hunger’. They asked him to sit down and eat, but he would not do so. He told them that his old servant was in the woods, dying of hunger. ‘I will not eat a bite until he has been fed,’ Orlando said.
So the good Duke and his followers helped him to bring Adam to their hiding-place, and Orlando and the old man were fed and taken care of. When the Duke learned that Orlando was a son of his old friend sir Rowland de Boys, he welcomed him gladly to his forest court.
Orlando lived happily with the Duke and his friends, but he had not forgotten the lovely Rosalind. She was always in his thoughts andevery day he wrote poetry about her pinning it on the trees in the forest. ‘These trees shall be my books,’ he said, ‘so that everyone who looks in the forest will be able to read how sweet and good Rosalind is’.
Rosalind and Celia found some of these poems pinned on the trees. At first they were puzzled, wondering who could have written them; but one day Celia came in from a walk with the news that she had seen Orlando sleeping under a tree, and she and Rosalind guessed that he must be the poet. Rosalind was happy to think that Orlando had not forggoten her, because she loved him as much as he loved her.
A1. Complete - (2)
Complete the following sentences:
(i) Rosalind was happy to think _______
(ii) The Duke and his followers helped Orlando to bring _________
(iii) Orlando pinned the poems written about Rosalind on ______
(iv) When the Duke cam to know that Orlando was a son of his old friend, he _________
A2. Write a gist: (2)
Write a gist of the above given extract in about 50 words.
Read the following extract and complete the activities given below :
A1 Compare the old and new house and complete the table :
| Points | Old House | New House |
| Surrounding | razzle-dazzle | – |
| Size of the house | – | big |
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.
“Is a slightly smaller house not available?” she asked father, “We do not have enough curtains for this place. And the furniture seems a little inadequate. Why did they have to plan the kitchen at such a distance from the dining-room? It is like doing a route march. And who is going to help me keep this place clean and dusted?”
Her misgivings and objections were undoubtedly valid. But, seeing our crestfallen faces, she sighed and gave in. We made extravagant promises to help in the household chores. Keep our rooms tidy. Put away our toys and books. She smiled with amused disbelief, her mind already working out how many meters of curtain-cloth would be needed and so on.
A2 Complete :
Complete the following list of objections that the mother had with the new house :
(i) Inadequate _______
(ii) Do not have _______
(iii) Kitchen at a distance from _______
(iv) A very big _______
A3 Personal response:
Do you agree with the objections raised by the mother? Explain.
Notice these expression in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
cairn of rocks
Examine the communication channels in the story between Paul's mother and his uncle.
What, according to Russell, is the importance of love in life?
The peacock is a colourful bird. How does the poem capture the various colours that its plumage displays?
Explain the significance of the lines ‘I tie this Ridin creeper To fasten your soul to your body.’
The title, 'Refugee Blues' encapsulates the theme of the poem. Comment.
How is the essence of the poem captured in the lines 'two tickets to Happiness'?
Identify the words that help you understand the nature of the poet's father.
What are the unpleasant aspects of the human condition that the poet wants to escape from?
Why did Ajamil refuse to meet the sheepdog's eyes?
The poem is a satire against the present political class. How effectively does it convey the anger and anguish of the common man trapped in the system?
complete the following sentence.
Ajoy reported about ________________.
Discuss the activities carried out by a farmer.
Correct the following statement.
Johnsy was eager to recover from her illness.
Correct the following statement.
The real ivy leaf did not fall off at all.
Answer the following question in one sentence.
Who misses all the fun?
Add ten more words to the list on your own. Each of the component words must be meaningful.
What did Mr. Gizare appreciate the most?
To whom is the poem addressed?
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.
Imagine you are watching a scene. For example, someone learning to ride a bicycle; or a cricket match. Give a running commentary on what you see.
‘Monu is sitting on the bicycle. It has side wheels. Monu tries to push the pedal down - No - he stops. His uncle holds the seat in one hand and the handle in the other hand. He says, ‘Come on, Monu’... etc.
Write a short note on the following:
Prince Siddharth’s protected life.
Prepare a short note on sea turtles with the help of the information given in the passage.
What message does the poet wish to convey through this narrative poem, ‘Tansen’?
Write other meaningful words that begin/end with stepmother.
Write how the travellers crossed the second gulf.
Identify the character or speaker.
Now pray tell me, sir, your reason for raising this sea-storm?
What made the reporter gaze at the author?
Why did Chulong catch the bird?
Find a sentence/word from the text which express the following.
One of the qualities of the teacher.
Look at the number pattern. Fill the blank in the middle of the series or end of the series.
SCD, TEF, UGH, ______, WKL
The captain presented a gift to Vasantha because ______
The hatchlings use a tiny egg-tooth to come out of the eggs.
What made Grandfather plant saplings on the rocky island?
The villagers, built a _______ on his memory.
Look at the picture and Choose the correct word.
Look at the picture and Choose the correct word.
His father wanted him to do well in ______.
Match the rhyming words.
| mars | crime |
| bed | cars |
| time | head |
Who is the hero of this story?
Choose the correct picture for the passage.
There is a table under a tree. A man with a big hat and a hare with long ears are sitting. A young girl is sitting between them. There are many cups on the table. The girl has a cup in her hand, and the man has a pot in his hand. It seems like they are having tea. Yes, they are having tea at the tea party in Wonderland. The girl is Alice, and she is in Wonderland.
When do you feel proud?
Match the rhyming words.
| Say | grow |
| All | time |
| Go | day |
| Rhyme | fall |
How does she move the brush?
Bihar people saved trees by______ painting.
Recite the poem Never give up with correct intonation.
Name a few things that sink.
Who fell down and down and down?
How did the tree help the boy earn money?
Choose the right word.
The tamarind tree grows over Tansen’s ______.
What did the books in the library look like ?
Find words from the passage which are antonyms of the following.
- artificially (para 1)
- strength (para 2)
How should teenagers guard against cyber crimes?
Pick out word which mean the same as
not protected (para 2)
Read the extract and complete the activities given below:
|
The call of the seas has always found an echo in me. Not being rich enough to roam in a private yacht, I have taken the poor man's way out. I swim across them. I have always been fascinated by the Indian ocean, whether at Mumbai, at Puri or at Gopalpur. I have swam in all these places and have felt the thrill. But the idea of swimming the Palk Strait did not occur to me until after I swam in the English channel. Steeped in the history and tradition of this nation, practically unconquered. teaming with hair-raising hazards, the sea between India and Sri Lanka had all the elements of challenge, danger and difficulty that tempted me. By the way, for preparation, I continued a strict and rigorous course of training which began in 1960. I also had to collect a comprehensive range of facts and information about this sea. Neither of these was easy. Despite all the information I had gathered, I soon found that very little was known about the Palk Strait, especially about the tides and currents. Everything about the English channel is known-there is the Channel Swimming Association, there are trained pilots there are wants to be hired, accurate weather forecasts, dependable tide tables and every other form of assistance was readily available. All that one needed was money. Here in the Palk Strait one has to find out firstly from where information could be obtained and then decide how much of it could be incorrect or misleading! |
A1. Rewrite the following as per their sequence in the extract: (2)
- I also had to collect a comprehensive range of facts and information about this sea.
- I have swam in all these places and have felt the thrill.
- All that one needed was money.
- Despite all the information I had gathered, I soon found that very little was known about the Palk Strait.
A2. Explain: (2)
What does the writer man by saving, "Steeped in the history and tradition of this nation, practically unconquered, teeming with hair-raising hazards, the sea between India and Sri Lanka had all the elements of challenge, danger and difficulty that tempted me"?
A3. Give reason: (2)
The narrator had an intense desire to swim in the Palk Strait. Explain the reasons for it.
A4. Personal Response: (2)
Do you like to have an adventurous life? Express your opinion.
A5. Grammar:
Do as directed: (2)
- Very little was known about the Palk Strait. (Rewrite as a negative sentence)
- I had to collect a comprehensive range of facts. (Rewrite the sentence beginning with 'A comprehensive ........)
A6. Vocabulary: (2)
Give the synonyms of the following words:
- rigorous - ______
- thrill - ______
