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Question
What impressions of Shahid do you gather from the piece?
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Solution
A model answer has been provided for students' reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
As the text is a very brief description of Agha Shahid Ali, we can never judge his character completely. However, it can be said from the text that, even after he realised that he was dying, Shahid remained an extremely lucid person and didn't lack enthusiasm of life. Just like any other normal man, he was afraid of dying. He ignored reassurances given by people and lived his life fully till his last breath. He was a man who wanted to stay alive in people's memories not through spoken recitatives of friendship but of written word. Even when he reached a very serious stage of his illness, Shahid did not let his illness impede the progress of the friendship between him and the author. He had the extra-ordinary ability to transmute the mundane into the magical. He was very fond of company. His social live included festivity at home every day. He could be awarded for his prowess in the kitchen. He was a believer of exactitude and authenticity and thus, could not tolerate any deviation from the traditional methods of cooking. Shahid worked his way through poetry in almost all spheres of his life.
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Read the following passage and do the activities:
A1 True or False:
Rewrite the following statements and state whether they are ‘true’ or ‘false’.
(i) Mashelkar’s mother did menial work to bring him up.
(ii) Mashelkar’s father died when he was twelve.
(iii) Mashelkar was born in a very rich family.
(iv) Tatas added much value to Mashelkar’s life.
I start with my greatest guru-my mother. I was born in a very poor family and my father died when I was six. We moved to Mumbai and my mother did menial work to bring me up. Two meals a day was a tough challenge. I studied under street lights and I walked barefoot until, I think, I was twelve. I remember when I passed the seventh standard and I wanted to go into the eighth standard, our poverty was such that even to secure 21 rupees for secondary school admission became a big challenge. We had to borrow from a lady, who was a housemaid in Chaupati in Mumbai. That was the tough life I had.
In fact, I remember, my passing the SSC Examination-i.e. 11th standard. Those days it used to be not 10th standard or 12th standard but 11th standard. I stood 11th among 1,35,000 but I was about to leave higher education and find a job. What helped me was the scholarship by Sir Dorab Tata Trust. It was just 60 rupees per month and would you believe that 60 rupees per month from Tatas added so much value to my life that I have been able to stand here today before you to speak to you.
I am on the Board of Tatas now and it is very interesting that the same Bombay House where I used to go to collect that 60 rupees per month now one goes and sits there like a Director on the Board of Tata Motors. The turn that these 40 years have taken is very interesting. It has all been possible because of the chance I got to do higher studies at the insistence of my mother. She gave me the values of my life. She was one of the noblest parents I have met in my life.
So, my greatest guru was my mother. My second guru was Principal Bhave, about whom I made a mention earlier. He taught us Physics. Because it was a poor school, I remember, it had to innovate to convey to the young students the message of Science.
A2 Complete:
Complete the following sentences and write:
(i) Mashelkar was inspired by his greatest guru _______
(ii) Mashelkar studied under _______
(iii) Principal Bhave taught _______
(iv) The scholarship by _______ Trust helped him in higher education.
A3 Find the meaning:
Choose the appropriate meaning of the underlined words from the given alternatives:
(i) We moved to Mumbai and my mother did menial work.
(a) skilled
(b) hard
(c) unskilled
(d) of low status
(ii) Because it was a poor school, it had to innovate to convey to the young students the message of science.
(a) do a cheap experiment
(b) introduce new things
(c) avoid
(d) try hard
(iii) I got to do higher studies at the insistence of my mother.
(a) firm saying
(b) being inspired
(c) being inspected
(d) being instigated
(iv) That was the tough life I had.
(a) difficult
(b) soft
(c) cheap
(d) simple
A4 Match:
Match the following sentences with their tags:
| 'A' | 'B' | ||
| (i) | I stood 11th among 1,35,000 |
(a) | aren’t I? |
| (ii) | I am on the Board of Tatas | (b) | didn’t we? |
| (iii) | It was a poor school | (c) | didn’t I? |
| (iv) | We moved to Mumbai | (d) | wasn’t it? |
A5 Personal Response:
“Mother is the greatest Guru.” Discuss.
The narrative has many phrases to describe the scenic beauty of the mountainside like:
A flawless half-moon flated in a perfect blue sky.
Scan the text to locate other such picturesque phrases.
Briefly explain the following statement from the text.
“You need some interaction to cause a transition.”
What do you think are the reasons for the references made to the English people and the British monarchy?
Why did the author finally give up on his watch?
Explain the line:
'I seemed to detect in myself a sort of sneaking fellow-feeling for the mummy in the museum, and a desire to swap news with him.
Read the extract and state whether the following statement is true or false. Correct the false statement.
The aroma of the ‘desi’ rice would spread around the village.
Imagine that you are the peasant. Compose a short prayer to God, after having received the plate of gold. Write it using stylish handwriting.
Using points from the lesson, give the details of the following in a short paragraph.
The kite Bazar of Ahmedabad.
Say where . . . . . . .
______ does Beauty’s smile begin?
Read the lesson and name the following.
The world’s most advanced surgical robot ______
Match the terms in ‘A’ with their explanation in ‘B’.
| 'A' | 'B' | ||
| (1) | tooth- extraction | (a) | a cut made for surgery |
| (2) | cardiac | (b) | having length, breadth, and depth |
| (3) | sedative | (c) | plastic surgery |
| (4) | tumor | (d) | related to the heart |
| (5) | incision | (e) | a control unit for a robotic surgery |
| (6) | a console | (f) | removing a decayed tooth |
| (7) | 3-D | (g) | a substance that makes a person sleep |
| (8) | Cushing clip | (h) | an extra growth in the body |
| (i) | a device to stop blood loss in neurosurgery |
Fill in the gap, choosing a word from the bracket to make an appropriate comparison.
(tall / quiet / humble / merry / busy / slippery / fast / sly / slow / big)
as ______ as a lark
Pick out three lines that create an image in your mind of bees busy at work.
Say WHY. . . . . .
Hardy and Ramanujan could not talk freely with each other.
Match the columns :
| A | B |
| (1) Theseus | (1) Robin Goodfellow |
| (2) Titania | (2) Queen of the Amazons |
| (3) Puck | (3) Duke of Athens |
| (4) Hippolyta | (4) Faeries |
| (5) Cobweb, Moth | (5) Queen of the Faeries |
Shakespeare’s poetry has come to be valued for its own sake on the stage. Comment with reference to the play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’
Discuss and write 1-2 lines about the following.
How Bushi defeated Yonamine in the wrestling match.
How was the committee formed?
How did the students prepare for their stalls/presentations?
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 may happen...
I may study... A bird may fly into the classroom. The Principal may call me... It may rain... A dog may chase a cat... A king may lose his kingdom... My friend may give me a storybook to read... Mother may make idlis today...’ etc.
Write a short note on the following:
Sujata’s offering
Read the passage and answer the following:
Which book is introduced in the passage?
Form groups of five and discuss:
There are many things that seem small, minor, or insignificant to some people but the same may be the cause of great pain, suffering for others. Can you list such things? What can you do to provide help on those occasions?
Read the following sentence aloud. Write who said it and to whom.
“You have nothing else?”
Form groups. Discuss the first two paragraphs. Try to present their content in the form of a series of conversations among the volunteers.
Using your imagination, write more sentences in the same pattern:
- But the more the lion had, the more he wanted.
- Whenever he took a walk, they followed him.
- To be king is good. But to be kind is better.
Answer the following question and write in short, why the parody sounds funny.
What does the crocodile stand for?
What did the husband want to do with the extra milk?
Form groups. Discuss how one can be a 'good reader'. Use the points in the above passage in your discussion. Write down the points that show what makes a 'good reader'.
What did the important-looking man tell Gulliver?
List the characters in the story and write a few lines about each of them.
What was Ariel ordered to do with the people on the ship?
Were the policemen willing to leave the house?
Complete the given tabular column with the suitable plural forms.
| chair | - | |
| box | - | |
| Eskimo | - | |
| lady | - | |
| radius | - | |
| formula | - | |
| child | - | |
| deer | - | |
| loaf | - | |
| hero | - |
Departure was delayed because of the author.
What did Hamid buy at the fair? And for whom?
What did Usha see while walking to the bazaar?
How did the children react when they met each other at the ruins?
What are the disadvantages of speaking harshly?
Work in pairs and answer the following.
Pick out the rhyming words.
Read these lines and answer the question given below.
How cheerful he seems to grin
Who does ‘he’ refer to?
Complete the mind map given below
What is the difference between this toy train and a normal train?
The horses were four and a half inches tall.
Identify the speaker/character.
He felt something moving along his body almost up to his chin.
Identify the speaker/character.
"Don't let us down now, Gulliver; we need your help."
The wild boar got up from its daybed because it was disturbed by another boar.
Try your own.
What is the use of mechanical parts?
Vicky's dad bought a ______ robot.
Look at the picture and Choose the correct word.
Write the rhyming word.
face - ______.
Some words sound the same but their spelling and meaning are different. Such words are called homophones. There are many homophones.
How does a friend support us?
Fill in the blank with rhyming word.
tree- ______
Who made the tree become a monster?
Name the animal and sound it makes.
