Chapter: 1

Prose: The Last Lesson

Author: Alphonse Daudet
Theme: Love for Mother Tongue

I. Hard words and their meanings:

1. A great bustle: a lot of noise created by many people
2. Apprentice: trainee
3. At one stroke: at once, in one go.
4. Beetles: a large-sized insect
5. Blushed: face turned red in colour due to shame
6. Bulletin-board: a notice board
7. Choked: became unable to speak due to strong emotions
8. Commotion: noise and confusion
9. Cooed: the sound made by the pigeons
10. Couldn’t give up: cannot leave
11. Counted on: depended upon
12. Cranky: strange, short – tempered
13. Dreadful: frightening
14. Drilling: exercising
15. Fix in his mind: store or keep forever
16. Gazing: looking intently
17. Gesture: a signal
18. Grave: serious
19. In great dread of: fear of
20. In unison: at the same time
21. Mixed up: confused
22. Not even the littlest ones: refers to the pigeons
23. Nuisance: problem, burden
24. Pale: used to describe a person’s face
25. Pretend: show
26. Primer: basic reader of any language
27. Rapping: striking
28. Resist: to stay away
29. Saar: a river which passes through France
30. Sawmill: a factory for cutting wood
31. Solemn: serious.
32. Sunday clothes: the best dress that a person has.
33. Tempting: attracting
34. Thumbed: torn and damaged
35. Thunderclap: used in comparison to refer to something startling or unexpected
36. To reproach: blame
37. Trumpets: a musical instrument.
38. Twined: twisted
39. Who worked right on tracing their fish-hooks: scratching with their claws
40. Wretches: here, it refers to an unfortunate happening
 II. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:
1. I started for school very late that morning and was in great dread of a scolding, especially
because M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles, and I did not know the
first word about them.
Questions
(i) Who is ‘I’ referred to in the above passage?
Ans. ‘I’ refers to Franz, the narrator.
(ii) Who is M. Hamel?
Ans. M. Hamel is the French teacher.
(iii) What was the narrator afraid of?
Ans. The narrator was afraid of being scolded by M. Hamel.
(iv) What did M. Hamel say?
(v) Ans. M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles.
III. Short Answer Questions:
1. Why was Franz reluctant to go to school?
Mr. M. Hamel, the French teacher had said that he would question the students on participles.
Franz did not know a word about it. Mr. M. Hamel was a very strict teacher.

2. What were the unusual things that happened when Franz reached the school?
When Franz reached the school, there was silence. No sound of opening and closing of the doors
and desks. Mr. M. Hamel was wearing a special suit which he wore on Inspection and Prize
distribution days.

3. Why was Franz tempted for not going to school?

The day was bright. The Sun was shining. The birds were chirping on the trees. The Prussian
soldiers were drilling in the fields.

4. Describe the role of notice board in the lesson.

All important news was displayed on the school notice board. Orders and updates about war were
also displayed. German will be taught in districts of Alsace and Lorraine.

5. Whom does Mr. M. Hamel blame for not learning a language?

1. Parents: They engage their children to work in farms, mills to earn money.
2. Students: They postpone everything for tomorrow.
3. Teachers: They engage their students in their own work like watering the plants and going for
holidays.

6. Why was Mr. M. Hamel wearing a special suit?

It was his last lesson of French. He had been teaching French for the last 40 years. He wore a black
coat with silk embroidery and a cap.
7. What did Mr. M. Hamel say about the French language?
French was the clearest language. It was logical and most beautiful language. No one can imprison
us mentally so long we hold on to our language.
8. How did the villagers pay their respect to Mr. M. Hamel?
They came to attend Mr. M. Hamel’s class. Villagers knew that from the next day German would
be taught in the districts of Alsace and Lorraine. Some of the villagers were in tears.

9. What did Mr. M. Hamel do in his last lesson?

He taught history and French grammar. He told the importance of French language. He wrote on
the board “Long Live France”.
IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:
1. Sketch the Character of Mr. M. Hamel, the French teacher.

OR

2. Narrate the story of The Last Lesson.

Mr. M. Hamel, the French teacher had said that he would question the students on participles. The
narrator boy Franz did not know a word about it. Mr. M. Hamel was a very strict teacher. When
Franz reached the school, there was silence. No sound of opening and closing of the doors and
desks. Mr. M. Hamel was wearing a special suit which he wore on Inspection and Prize-
distribution days. The day was bright. The Sun was shining. The birds were chirping on the trees.
The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the fields. All important news was displayed on the school
notice board. Orders and updates about war were also displayed. German will be taught in the
districts of Alsace and Lorraine. Villagers knew that from the next day German would be taught in
the districts of Alsace and Lorraine. Some of the villagers were in tears. Mr. M. Hamel taught
history and French grammar. He told the importance of French language. He wrote on the board
“Long Live France”.
 Chapter: 2
Prose: Lost Spring – Stories of Stolen Childhood
Author: Anees Jung
Theme: Child Labour
Story 1 – ‘Sometimes I find a Rupee in the garbage’

I. Hard words and their meanings:

1. Abound – exist in large numbers
2. Acquaintance – contact
3. Amidst – in the middle of
4. Barefoot – wearing nothing in the feet
5. Bleak – empty
6. Bother – worry
7. Content – satisfied
8. Desolation – the state of being empty
9. Discarded – thrown away
10. Embarrassed – feeling ashamed
11. Excuse – a reason to justify a fault
12. Hollow – meaningless
13. Lighting up – show joy and happiness
14. Metaphorically–symbolically
15. Mutters – to speak in a low voice
16. Panting – taking short and quick breathes
17. Periphery- outer area
18. Permits – legal documents
19. Scrounging – searching for
20. Shuffles – slides them over each other
21. Tarpaulin- heavy-duty waterproof cloth
22. Tattered – torn
23. Transit homes – a temporary home
24. Wilderness- a wasteland
Story 2 – “I want to drive a car”
1. Amidst – in the middle of
2. Apathy – lack of concern
3. Auspiciousness – good omen
4. Choked – blocked
5. Coexisting – present at the same time and place
6. Crumbling – falling down
7. Echo – repeat
8. Furnaces – a closed room or container where heat is produced
9. Glass-blowing industry – industry related to making glass
10. Greed – intense and selfish desire for something
11. Hauled up – dragged, taken away
12. Hovels – slums
13. Imposed – forced upon
 14. Labour – hard work
15. Lament – complaint
16. Mind – numbing – boring
17. Mounds – heaps
18. Piled – kept one on top of the other
19. Primeval – prehistoric
20. Reaped – received as a benefit
21. Renovate – repair
22. Rings – a sound which is repeated
23. Toil – physical hard work done to earn a living
24. Tongs – an instrument with two moveable arms joined at one end
25. Unkempt – not taken care of
26. Veil – a piece of fine material worn by women to protect or hide the face, cover or hide
27. Welding – joining
28. Withdraws – goes back
29. Wobbly – unsteady
30. Yard – the open area at the back of the house

II. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:
1. Saheb left his home long ago. Set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a
distant memory. There were many storms that swept away their fields and homes, his mother
tells him. That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city where he now lives.

(i) Where did Saheb come from??

Ans. Saheb came from Dhaka.
(ii) Why did he leave his home and come to the big city?
Ans. Many storms swept away their fields and homes.
(iii) Does Saheb remember his earlier home?
Ans. No, his earlier home is not even a distant memory for him.
(iv) Where does Saheb look for gold in the big city?
Ans. Saheb looks for gold in the garbage dumps of the big city.

III. Short Answer Questions:

1. What is the irony in the name of Saheb-e-Alam?

Ans. Saheb-e-Alam means Lord of the Universe. Saheb in the lesson was a rag-picker. He roamed
everywhere on barefoot. He lived in the slum of Seemapuri.

2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangle industry?

Ans. The slum dwellers of Firozabad work in the glass bangle industry in high temperature
condition. They work in the dingy cells without air and light. They work in dim light with weak
eyes and chances of becoming blind.
3. Compare and contrast the living of people at Seemapuri and Firozabad?
At Seemapuri At Firozabad
Migrants from Bangladesh. Living in Firozabad since generations.
10, 000 rag-pickers. 20, 000 bangle makers.
Walk on barefoot. Work in dingy cells without air and light.
Extreme poverty Extreme poverty

4. Can Mukesh realise his dream of becoming a motor mechanic?

Ans. Yes, Mukesh can become a motor mechanic. He has strong will power and determination to
do so. He does not want to spend life in bangle industry and live under poverty.

5. Why did Saheb feel that the canister of milk was heavier than the rag-picking bag?
Ans. Saheb missed freedom in the tea-stall. Though he got 2800 + two meals a day, still he was not
happy. He loved rag-picking more than working in a tea-stall.

IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

1. How do rag-pickers of Seemapuri survive?

OR
2. Give a brief account of the Bangladeshi trespassers.

Ans. Saheb-e-Alam came from Dhaka. Many storms swept away their fields and homes. Saheb
looks for gold in the garbage dumps of the big city. Saheb-e-Alam means Lord of the Universe.
Saheb in the lesson was a rag-picker. He roamed everywhere on barefoot. He lived in the slum of
Seemapuri. The slum dwellers of Firozabad work in the glass bangle industry in high temperature
condition. They work in the dingy cells without air and light. They work in dim light with weak
eyes and chances of becoming blind. Mukesh can become a motor mechanic. He has strong will
power and determination to do so. He does not want to spend life in bangle industry and live under
poverty. Saheb missed freedom in the tea-stall. Though he got 2800 + two meals a day, still he was
not happy. He loved rag-picking more than working in a tea-stall.
 Chapter (3)
Prose: Deep Water
Author: William Douglas
Theme: Overcoming Aqua phobia

I. Hard words and their meanings:

1. Ached – pained
2. Aping – copying
3. Aversion – dislike
4. Bob – jump
5. Bruiser – a person who is tough and aggressive and enjoys a fight or argument
6. Cable – thick rope
7. Canoes – small boats
8. Cascades – waterfall
9. Ceased – ended
10. Choked – unable to breathe
11. Command – order
12. Curtain of life fell – life came to an end
13. Dizzy – faint, unsteady
14. Drop – slope from the shallow area to the deep area
15. Ducked – push or plunge someone under water
16. Expending – losing, giving out
17. Flailed – waved his hands
18. Miniature – small size
19. Panic – fear
20. Pride – self-respect
21. Revived – brought back to mind
22. Rigid – hard
23. Ruined – destroyed
24. Shed – removed
25. Skinny – thin
26. Slack – to reduce
27. Specimen – example
28. Suffocating – unable to breathe due to lack of air
29. Summoned – gathered
30. Surf – wave of the sea
31. Thrash – hit with force
32. Throbbed – felt pain in a series of beats
33. To feel at ease – to feel comfortable
34. Tossed – threw
35. Treacherous – dangerous
36. Vestiges – trace
37. Y.M.C.A. – Young Men’s Christian Association
38. Yakima – a place in Washington, USA
39. Yell – scream

II. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:

2. It had happened when I was ten or eleven years old. I had decided to learn to swim. There
was a pool at the Y.M.C.A. in Yakima that offered exactly the opportunity. The Yakima
 River was treacherous. Mother continually warned against it, and kept fresh in my mind the
details of each drowning in the river.

(vi) How old was author when he decided to learn swimming?

Ans. The author was ten or eleven years old.

(vii) Where did the plan to learn swimming?

Ans. He planned to learn swimming in the YMCA pool in Yakima.

(viii) What did the author’s mother warn him against?

Ans. The author’s mother warned him against the treacherous Yakima River.

(ix) What did the author’s mother remind him often?

Ans. The author’s mother kept reminding him of each drowning in the river.

III. Short Answer Questions:

10. How did Douglas develop the fear for water?

Ans: When he was three or four years old, he went with his father to California beach. A strong
wave came and knocked him down. He was holding his father’s hand but he was very much
frightened. Secondly, he went to YMCA pool, when he was eleven years old. A strong boy threw
him into the pool and he was saved from drowning.

11. Which strategy did Douglas make when he was going deep down into the water?
Ans: When his feet would hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come to the surface, lie flat
on it, and swim to the edge of the pool. He was confident that this strategy would save him.

12. How did Douglas feel inside the water?

Ans: It was a night mare. He had lost his breath. His lungs ached. His head throbbed. He felt
paralyzed. He screamed but his voice was frozen. He was really afraid.

13. ‘The instructor was finished, but I was not’. Explain.

Ans: Douglas worked very hard to be good swimmer. The instructor tried a rope on his waist on a
belt. The rope went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held one end of the rope and
Douglas went back and forth across the pool day after day and week after week. He taught him to
put his face under the water and exhale and then to raise his nose and inhale. He taught him to kick
water with his legs. Thus he taught Douglas piece by piece. Then he said now his work was
finished. Douglas continued to practice to do away with his terror.
 IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

3. Comment on the appropriateness of the title ‘Deep Water’

OR

4. Do you think the title ‘Deep Water’ is apt?

When Douglas was three or four years old, he went with his father to California beach. A strong
wave came and knocked him down. He was holding his father’s hand but he was very much
frightened. Secondly, he went to YMCA pool, when he was eleven years old. A strong boy threw
him into the pool and he was saved from drowning. When his feet would hit the bottom, he would
make a big jump, come to the surface, lie flat on it, and swim to the edge of the pool. He was
confident that this strategy would save him. Douglas worked very hard to be good swimmer. The
instructor tried a rope on his waist on a belt. The rope went through a pulley that ran on an
overhead cable. He held one end of the rope and Douglas went back and forth across the pool day
after day and week after week. The instructor taught him to put his face under the water and exhale
and then to raise his nose and inhale. He taught him to kick water with his legs. Thus he taught
Douglas piece by piece. Then he said now his work was finished. Douglas continued to practice to
do away with his terror. As far as I my knowledge goes the title is apt.
Chapter (4)
Prose: The Rattrap
Author: Selma Lagerlof
Theme: The World is a Rattrap

I. Hard words and their meanings:

1. Acquaintance: associate
2. Alarmed: Frighten
3. Amazement: wonder
4. Anvil: a heavy iron block with a flat top and concave sides
5. Apprentice: learner
6. Astonished: greatly surprised
7. Bait: Food placed on a hook to trap a rat.
8. Barge: a long flat-bottomed boat for carrying freight on canals and rivers.
9. Bellows: air bag that emits a stream of air used for blowing air into a fire.
10. Bossy: Latin word ‘bos’ used for a cow
11. Boundless: limitless
12. Carved off: to divide something into parts
13. Cherished: to love, protect
14. Clatter: bang
15. Compassionately: showing sympathy for others
16. Comrade: A fellow soldier
17. Confidences: Secrets
18. Creamery: A factory that produces cheese and cream
19. Crofter: A person who works on a rented farm
20. Deigned: do something that one considers to be beneath one’s dignity
21. Despair: hopelessness
22. Dissimulate: pretend
23. Downhill: worst
24. Dreary: dull
25. Embarrassed: awkward, shy
26. Fist: A person’s hand bent
27. Forebodings: a foretelling
28. Forge: A shop where metal is heated
29. Generous: liberal
30. Gleamed: Shone
31. Gloom: dark
32. Groomed: ready
33. Haughty: arrogant
34. Hesitating: to be reluctant
35. Impenetrable: impassable
36. In a good season: early enough
37. Inconspicuously: invisible or which is not noticeable
38. Incredulous: unbelieving
39. Interceded: intervened
40. Kronor: Currency of Sweden
 II. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:
1. But even so, the business was not especially profitable, so he had to resort to both begging
and petty thievery to keep body and soul together. Even so, his clothes were in rags, his
cheeks were sunken, and hunger gleamed in his eyes.

(i) Who is ‘he’ in the above passage?

Ans: The Rattrap peddler.
(ii) What was his business?
Ans: Selling rattraps made of wire.
(iii) How did he keep both body and soul together?
Ans: By begging and petty thievery.
(iv) Describe the person mentioned in the above passage?
Ans: His clothes were in rags, his cheeks were sunken and hunger gleamed in his eyes.

III. Short Answer Questions:

1. What did the rattrap seller learn from Edla?

Ans: Elda Willmansson was the daughter of ironmaster. She showed understanding and love. She
forced the rattrap peddler to stay for Christmas. She even invited him for next Christmas. The
rattrap peddler was greatly influenced by Elada’s behaviour and reformed himself. At last the
peddler had left the place leaving a package to Elda containing a small rattrap as Christmas gift and
a request to hand over the thirty kronors to crofter.

2. How did the crofter welcome the Rattrap peddler?

Ans: One day the old crofter welcomed the Rattrap peddler to his roadside cottage. He did not have
wife and children. He gave porridge and supper. He also played cards with him. He showed a lot of
confidence in him and even showed thirty kronors to him.

3. What was the philosophy of rattrap peddler?

Ans: The whole world is a big rattrap. It gives baits to the people. It offers joys, shelter, food, heat
and clothing as rattrap offers cheese and pork. As soon as a man touches the bait, the man is
entrapped in it.

4. What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?
Ans: The peddler had stolen thirty kronors from the crofter. After that he did not take the public
highway and took the path of forest. He faced lot of difficulties due to this. At this point he thought
he was caught in a rattrap.

5. Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to him and invite him home?
Ans: The ironmaster thought that the peddler was his old friend, a captain who had resigned from
the army. Therefore he invited him home.
6. Who was Elda Willmansson? How did she reform the peddler?
Ans: Elda Willmansson was the daughter of ironmaster. She showed understanding and love. She
forced the rattrap peddler to stay for Christmas. She even invited him for next Christmas. The
rattrap peddler was greatly influenced by Elada’s behaviour and reformed himself. At last the
peddler had left the place leaving a package to Elda containing a small rattrap as Christmas gift and
a request to hand over the thirty kronors to crofter.

IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

(I) The peddler thinks that the whole world is a rattrap. Comment on this.

OR

(II) What is the theme of the story rattrap?

Ans: The rattrap peddler says that this whole world is a big rattrap. It gives baits to the people. It
offers joys, shelter, food, heat and clothing as rattrap offers cheese and pork. As soon as a man
touches the bait, the man is entrapped in it. One day the old crofter welcomed the Rattrap peddler
to his roadside cottage. He did not have wife and children. He gave porridge and supper. He also
played cards with him. He showed a lot of confidence in him and even showed thirty kronors to
him. The peddler had stolen thirty kronors from the crofter. After that he did not take the public
highway and took the path of forest. He faced lot of difficulties due to this. At this point he thought
he was caught in a rattrap. Elda Willmansson was the daughter of ironmaster. She showed
understanding and love. She forced the rattrap peddler to stay for Christmas. She even invited him
for next Christmas. The rattrap peddler was greatly influenced by Elada’s behaviour and reformed
himself. At last the peddler had left the place leaving a package to Elda containing a small rattrap
as Christmas gift and a request to hand over the thirty kronors to crofter.
Chapter (5) Indigo
I. Hard words and their meanings:

1. Abandoned: deserted, inhibited

2. Abstractions: something which exists only as an idea.
3. Accompanied: go along with someone
4. Adamant: firm
5. Advent: arrival
6. Advocate: supporter, protector
7. Alleviate: uplift
8. Amazement: surprise
9. Apparently: seemingly, evidently
10. Arable: land suitable for farming
11. Arrangement: Process
12. Assembled: gathered
13. Associates: supporters
14. Authorities: officials, power
15. Baffled: confused
16. Boarded: get on, enter
17. Bully: trying to harm others considering them to be weak
18. Cawnpore: British name for the city of Kanpur
19. Champaran: A place in Bihar
20. Chided: criticize, scold
21. Civil Disobedience: peaceful form of political protest
22. Committed: dedicated
23. Compelled: forced
24. Compensation: payments
25. Complied: followed or obeyed
26. Conclusion: result, end of something
27. Concrete: solid
28. Conferred: granted
29. Conflict: to be against someone
30. Conscience: sense of right and wrong
31. Consequence: result
32. Consultations: discussion
33. Contented: willing to accept something, satisfied
34. Contract: agreement
35. Convention: agreement
36. Conveyance: transportation
37. Deadlock: a situation in which no progress can be made
38. Deceitfully: dishonestly
39. Defenders: protector
40. Defiance: opposition
41. Delegates: Representatives
42. Demonstrations: protest
43. Depositions: a formal written statement
44. Desertion: action of leaving a place, organization etc
45. Distress: torture
46. Dreaded: regarded with great fear or apprehension
47. En route: on the way
48. Entreaty: an earnest or humble request
 49. Eruptions: here, a spot, rash, or other mark appearing suddenly on the skin.
50. Estate: property
51. Estates: property
52. Evidence: proof
53. Extorted: took forcibly
54. Extraordinary: exceptional, remarkable
55. Fear stricken: afraid
56. Forthwith: immediately, at once
57. Grievances: complaints
58. Guilty: at fault
59. Harbour: here, entertain
60. Haunches: thighs
61. Hitherto: Earlier, Previously
62. Humanitarian: Concerned with human welfare
63. Illiterate: uneducated
64. Imparting: pass on, giving
65. Indigo: plant that produces a blue color
66. Influential: powerful
67. Initial: at the start
68. Injustice: unfairness
69. Instructions: orders, commands
70. Intertwined: twisted, braided, knitted
71. Investigations: inquiries
72. Investigators: the inspectors
73. Irksome: irritating
74. Lieutenant-Governor: deputy governor
75. Magistrate: civil officer who administers law
76. Maltreated: ill treat
77. Merely: only
78. Miserable: unhappy, sad
79. Pacifist: Peace maker
80. Peasant: small farmer
81. Prosecutor: Lawyer or barrister
82. Sharecroppers: a tenant farmer who gives a part of each crop as rent.
83. Sympathy: support, pity
84. Thugs: cheats
85. Unanimously: without opposition
86. Wired: Telegraphed
87. Withdrew: left
88. Yeoman: a man who cultivates a small piece of land

I. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:

He was illiterate but resolute. He had come to the Congress session to complain about the
injustice of the landlord system in Bihar, and somebody had probably said, “Speak to
Gandhi.”

(i) Who is ‘he’ in the above lines?

Ans: Rajkumar Shukla.
 (ii) How is ‘he’ described?
Ans: As illiterate but resolute.
(iii) Whom had he come to see?
Ans: Gandhiji.
(iv) What was his complain?
Ans: About the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar.

III. Short Answer Questions:

1. Who was Rajkumar Shukula and why had he come to Gandhiji?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukula was a peasant from Champaran. He was illiterate but resolute. He was a
sharecropper. He had come to Gandhiji to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in
Bihar.
2. How did the servants of Rajendra Prasad treat Gandhiji?
Ans: The servants thought that Gnadhiji was another peasant. Gandhiji had come with Rajkumar
Shukula. They made Gandhi to stay on the ground and did not allow him to draw water from the
well. They thought him to be an untouchable.

3. What was the problem of the sharecroppers at Champaran?

Ans: Indigo was the commercial crop of Champaran. The arable land of Champaran district was
divided into large estates. These big pieces of land were owned by the English men and Indian
tenants worked on them. The English landlords compelled the tenants to plant 15% of their land
with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. Germany had developed synthetic
indigo. So landlords obtained agreements from the sharecroppers to pay them compensation for
releasing them 15% agreement. The sharecropping arrangement was troublesome to the peasants.

4. Which difficulties were faced by Gandhiji when he went to Champaran to solve the problems
of sharecroppers?
Ans: Gandhiji visited the secretary of British Landlord association. The secretary did not give any
information. He said Gandhi was an outsider. He called on the British Official Commissioner of
Tirhut. The Commissioner bullied him and asked him to leave Tirhut. Gandhi did not leave and
made headquarter in Motihari, the capital of Champaran. He received information that a peasant
was being beaten in nearby village. Gandhi started for the village but was stopped and ordered to
return. Gandhiji disobeyed and was summoned to the court.

5. What did Gandhiji do to improve the social and cultural backwardness of Champaran?
Ans: He appealed the teacher to volunteers their services. Primary schools were opened in six
villages. Mrs. Gandhi taught cleanliness and sanitation to the villagers. Health conditions were not
good. Gandhiji got a doctor to volunteer his services for six months. Kasturba Gandhi talked to
women about the filthy state of clothes.

6. How was Champaran a turning point for Gandhi’s life?

Ans: Gandhiji worked hard to help the farmers of Champaran. Gandhi looked into the problems of
farmers. He collected the documents of 10,000 farmers. Gandhi was summoned by the LG. A
committee was made of Gandhi, landlords and government officials. It was agreed that refunds
should be made to farmers. It was decided that only 25% money should be refunded and Gandhi
agreed. The sharecroppers of Champaran were very happy.

IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

(I) Give an account of Gandhi’s efforts to secure justice for the indigo sharecroppers of
Champaran.

OR

(II) Justify the appropriateness of the title ‘Indigo’?

Ans: Rajkumar Shukula was a peasant from Champaran. He was illiterate but resolute. He was a
sharecropper. He had come to Gandhiji to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in
Bihar. Indigo was the commercial crop of Champaran. The arable land of Champaran district was
divided into large estates. These big pieces of land were owned by the English men and Indian
tenants worked on them. The English landlords compelled the tenants to plant 15% of their land
with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. Germany had developed synthetic
indigo. So landlords obtained agreements from the sharecroppers to pay them compensation for
releasing them 15% agreement. The sharecropping arrangement was troublesome to the peasants.
Gandhiji worked hard to help the farmers of Champaran. Gandhi looked into the problems of
farmers. He collected the documents of 10,000 farmers. Gandhi was summoned by the LG. A
committee was made of Gandhi, landlords and government officials. It was agreed that refunds
should be made to farmers. It was decided that only 25% money should be refunded and Gandhi
agreed. The sharecroppers of Champaran were very happy.
SUPPLEMENTARY
Chapter 1
Prose: The Third Level
Author: Jack Finney
Theme: Science fiction (Time Travel)

I. Hard words and their Meanings:

1. Arched- curved
2. Bumping- knock or run into something
3. Ducked- lower the head or body quickly
4. Fussing- show unnecessary or excessive concern about something
5. Gabardine- a smooth, durable, twill-woven worsted or cotton cloth
6. Locomotive- a powered railway vehicle used for pulling trains
7. Snapped- break suddenly and completely
8. Spittoons- a metal or earthenware pot, used for spitting into
9. Stack- a pile of objects, typically one that is neatly arranged
10. Suburban- residential
11. Timetables- a schedule showing the departure and arrival times of trains, buses
12. Vest- a garment worn on the upper part of the body
13. Waking dream- an involuntary dream occuring while a person is awake
14. Wander- walk; roam

II. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Presidents of the New York Central and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads will
swear on a stack of timetables that there are only two. But I say there are three, because I’ve been
on the third level of the Grand Central Station. Yes, I’ve taken the obvious step: I talked to a
psychiatrist friend of mine, among others. I told him about the third level at Grand Central
Station, and he said it was a waking dream wish fulfilment.

1. Name the chapter.

A. The Last Lesson
B. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
C. On the Face of It
D. The third level
Ans. D.The third level

2. Name the author of this chapter.

A. Alphonse Daudet
B. Jack Finale
C. Jack Finney
D. John Updike
Ans. C. Jack Finney

3. Who is ‘l’ in the above extract?

A. Charley
B. Louisa
C. Sam
D. Coin Dealer
Ans. A. Charley

4. “There are only two” What is two in this statement?

A. Blocks
B. Platforms
C. Levels
D. Towers
Ans. C. Levels

III. Short Answer Questions:

1. What does the third level refer to?

Ans. Charley is a 31-year-old office goer who claims of visiting the third level of the Grand
Central Station, New York. In reality, the third level does not exist. Charley visits his psychiatrist
friend who calls it a ‘waking dream wish fulfillment’.

2. Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to
Galesburg for himself and his wife?

Ans. Charley went looking back for the third level that could take him and his wife to Galesburg
because he wanted to go back to his past. He wanted to go back to the world that has not seen two
of its deadliest wars that changed everything.

3. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?

Ans. Yes, the third level of the Grand Central Station is a medium of escape for Charley. Modern
world offers a lot of challenges and in order to take refuge from reality, one might resort to escape.

4. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?

Ans. Charley finds this letter among the first-day covers of his grandfather’s philatelic collection.
Secondly, the letter dates back to 18 July, 1894 when Sam (the writer of the letter) didn’t exist.
Both Sam and Charley exist in the present times. Sam is nobody else but Charley’s psychiatrist.

5. The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress. What are the ways in
which we attempt to overcome them?

Ans. We should be realists and pragmatics. We must accept the bitter truth, howsoever painful it
might be. We must mould the circumstances as best as we can. The story offers escapism as a route
to get away from the modern life.

6. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?

Ans. Yes, there are a lot of instances that tell us about the intersection of time and space in the
story. First intersection being the one between the first two levels of the Grand Central Station and
its third level which is based somewhere in the 1890s. Charley went to buy tickets for Galesburg
which existed in 1894 while he and his wife exist in the present times.
7. Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is done. What do you
think of the human tendency to constantly move between the past, the present and the
future?

Ans. Philately does indeed help in keeping the treasures of past alive. It gives one a chance to
revisit and embrace the past of one’s existence. Their tendency to connect with the past from time
to time helps them stay connected to the roots while helping them to face the present and future
challenges with more strength.

IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

5. How do you think, did Charley bump into the third level?
OR
6. What devices does Jack Finney use to portray Charley’s transition?

Charley is a 31-year-old office goer who claims of visiting the third level of the Grand Central
Station, New York. In reality, the third level does not exist. Charley visits his psychiatrist friend
who calls it a ‘waking dream wish fulfillment’. Charley went looking back for the third level that
could take him and his wife to Galesburg because he wanted to go back to his past. He wanted to
go back to the world that has not seen two of its deadliest wars that changed everything. The third
level of the Grand Central Station is a medium of escape for Charley. Modern world offers a lot of
challenges and in order to take refuge from reality, one might resort to escape. We should be
realists and pragmatics. We must accept the bitter truth, howsoever painful it might be. We must
mould the circumstances as best as we can. The story offers escapism as a route to get away from
the modern life. Philately does indeed help in keeping the treasures of past alive. It gives one a
chance to revisit and embrace the past of one’s existence. Their tendency to connect with the past
from time to time helps them stay connected to the roots while helping them to face the present and
future challenges with more strength.
Chapter 2
Prose: The Tiger King
Author: Kalki
Theme: Destiny has unlimited power and is unavoidable

I. Hard words and their Meanings:

1. Adorned: make more beautiful or attractive.

2. Alarmingly: in a worrying or disturbing way.
3. Ambition: a strong desire to do or achieve something.
4. Ascertained: make sure of.
5. Astonishing: extremely surprising or impressive
6. Astrologers: a person who predicts future.
7. Babble: talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way.
8. Bafflement: to confuse, bewilder
9. Banned: officially or legally prohibit
10. Bare: not clothed or covered.
11. Beware: be cautious and alert to risks or dangers.
12. Boundless: unlimited or immense.
13. Brandishing: wave or flourish something as a threat or in anger or excitement.
14. Carcass: the dead body of an animal.
15. Carved: cut or engraved to produce an object, design, or inscription.
16. Catastrophic: involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering.
17. Compelled: forced to do something.
18. Confiscated: taken or seized with authority.
19. Court of Wards: consisted of members to protect heirs and their estates when the heir was
deemed to be a minor and incapable of acting independently.
20. Crumpled: crushed to form creases and wrinkles.
21. Deliberations: long and careful consideration or discussion.
22. Demise: death
23. Dewan: governing body.
24. Dispelled: make a doubt, feeling, or belief disappear.
25. Drawled: speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds.
26. Durai: Chief leader (English officer)
27. Duraisaini: Wife of the English officer
28. Elation: great happiness and exhilaration.
29. Emerged: become apparent or prominent.
30. Enunciated: say or pronounce clearly
31. Erected: put together and set upright
32. Exemption: state of being free from an obligation
33. Flared: having a shape that widens progressively towards the end or bottom.
34. Fling: throw or hurl forcefully.
35. Flout: openly disregard a rule, law, or convention
36. Fonder: having affection or liking for.
37. Forthwith: immediately; without delay.
 38. Fury: wild or violent anger.
39. Growl: make a low guttural sound in the throat.
40. Hastened: be quick to do something.
41. Hasty: hurried.
42. Haul: pull or drag with effort or force.
43. Heap: an untidy collection of objects placed haphazardly on top of each other.
44. Humble: having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s importance.
45. Hurdle: a problem or difficulty that must be overcome.
46. Imperative: vital importance
47. Incoherent: expressed in an incomprehensible or confusing way
48. Indomitable: impossible to defeat.
49. Infant: a very young child
50. Inhabiting: live in or occupy a place or environment.
51. Innumerable: too many to be counted
52. Intention: an aim or plan.
53. Intently: with earnest and eager attention.
54. Majesty: royal power.
55. Miracle: or an outstanding example of something.
56. Mounted: riding an animal
57. Nanny: a person, typically a woman, employed to look after a child in its own home.
58. Native: associated with a place by birth
59. Obstinacy: stubbornness.
60. Phrase: put into a particular form of words.
61. Possessed: have as belonging to one
62. Prey: an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food
63. Procession: a number of people or vehicles moving forward in an orderly fashion,
especially as part of a ceremony.
64. Proclamation: a public or official announcement dealing with a matter of great
importance.
65. Pronounced: very noticeable
66. Prophets: proclaimer of the will of God.
67. Quake: shake or tremble.
68. Unforeseen: not anticipated or predicted.
69. Vital: essential.
70. Vowed: solemnly promise to do a specified thing.
71. Wantonly: in a deliberate and unprovoked way.

II. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:

Crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew taller and stronger day by day. No other miracle marked
his childhood days apart from the event already described. The boy drank the milk of an English
cow, was brought up by an English nanny, tutored in English by an Englishman, saw nothing but
English films exactly as the crown princes of all the other Indian states did. When he came of age
at twenty, the State, which had been with the Court of Wards until then, came into his hands.
1. How was the tiger king brought up?
A By royalty
B In penury
C Beggarly
D None of these
Ans. A By royalty

2. Who is a nanny?
A Nurse
B Nursemaid
C Custodian of a child
D None of these
Ans. C Custodian of a child
3. At what age was he handed in the throne?
A 10 Years
B 15 Years
C 20 Years
D 25 Years
Ans. C 20 Years
4. What is the court of wards?
A. A legal body created by East India Company
B An illegal body created by East India Company
C A neutral body created by East India Company
D None of these

Ans. A. A legal body created by East India Company

III. Short Answer Questions:

1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was called the Tiger King. At the time of his birth the chief
astrologer said that his death would come from a tiger. The young prince decided to kill one
hundred tigers.

2. What did the royal infant grow up to be?

Crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew taller and stronger day-by-day. He was brought up by an
English nanny and tutored in English by an Englishman.

3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?

The dewan found the right girl for the Maharaja to marry from a state which possessed a large
number of tigers. The Maharaja killed five or six tigers each time he visited his father-in-law. Thus,
he was able to find the required number of tigers to kill. He shot ninety-nine tigers.
4. How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was supposed to
decide his fate?

The villagers of a hillside informed the Maharaja that a tiger killed a sheep. The Maharaja set out
on the hunt at once for the hundredth tiger. But the tiger was not easily found. The Maharaja
continued camping in the forest and waiting for the tiger.

5. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably
disproved?

In order to save his skin, the dewan got an old tiger brought from the People’s Park in Madras. The
dewan hauled the beast out of his car and pushed it down to the ground. Next day, the same old
tiger wandered into the Maharaja’s presence. The Maharaja was overjoyed. He took careful aim at
the beast. The tiger fell down in a crumpled heap. The Maharaja was extremely happy that he had
killed the hundredth tiger. The hunters found that the old tiger was not dead. It had only fainted on
hearing the sound of the bullet. So one of them shot at it and killed it. The Tiger King could not kill
the hundredth tiger is the irony of this story. The prophecy was not disproved as the king met his
death with the infection caused by the sliver of a wooden tiger.

IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

1. Narrate the story of the tiger king?

OR
2. Describe the efforts made by the Tiger king to achieve his target of killing a hundred
tigers.

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was called the Tiger King. At the time of his birth the chief
astrologer said that his death would come from a tiger. The young prince decided to kill one
hundred tigers. Crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew taller and stronger day-by-day. He was
brought up by an English nanny and tutored in English by an Englishman. The dewan found the
right girl for the Maharaja to marry from a state which possessed a large number of tigers. The
Maharaja killed five or six tigers each time he visited his father-in-law. Thus, he was able to find
the required number of tigers to kill. He shot ninety-nine tigers. The villagers of a hillside informed
the Maharaja that a tiger killed a sheep. The Maharaja set out on the hunt at once for the hundredth
tiger. But the tiger was not easily found. The Maharaja continued camping in the forest and waiting
for the tiger.

In order to save his skin, the dewan got an old tiger brought from the People’s Park in Madras. The
dewan hauled the beast out of his car and pushed it down to the ground. Next day, the same old
tiger wandered into the Maharaja’s presence. The Maharaja was overjoyed. He took careful aim at
the beast. The tiger fell down in a crumpled heap. The Maharaja was extremely happy that he had
killed the hundredth tiger. The hunters found that the old tiger was not dead. It had only fainted on
hearing the sound of the bullet. So one of them shot at it and killed it. The Tiger King could not kill
the hundredth tiger is the irony of this story. The prophecy was not disproved as the king met his
death with the infection caused by the sliver of a wooden tiger.
Chapter 3
Prose: Journey to the End of the Earth
Author: Tishani Doshi
Theme: Environmental Issues (Travelogue)

I. Hard words and their Meanings:

1. Austral: relating to the Southern Hemisphere

2. Avalanche: snow slide
3. Blasé: unimpressed with or indifferent to something
4. Calving: split and shed
5. Consecrates: make or declare sacred
6. Cordilleran folds: an extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges
7. Desolate: (of a place) uninhabited and giving an impression of bleak emptiness
8. Ecospheres: parts of the universe habitable by living organisms
9. Etching: engraved
10. Expansive: covering wide area in terms of space or scope; extensive
11. Frigid: very cold in temperature
12. Immersion: submerge
13. Isolation: separation
14. Landmass: a continent or other large body of land
15. Mind-boggling: overwhelming; startling
16. Paltry: petty; insignificant
17. Precambrian granite shields: large areas of relatively low elevation
18. Pristine: in its original condition
19. Profound: very great or intense
20. Prognosis: a forecast of the likely outcome of a situation
21. Ruckus: a row or commotion
22. Supercontinent: a former large continent from which other continents have broken off
23. Surreal: unusual
24. Thrived: prosper; flourish
25. Ubiquitous: everywhere; pervasive
26. Unmitigated: unconditional

II. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:

EARLY this year, I found myself aboard a Russian research vessel – the Akademik Shokalskiy –
heading towards the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the world: Antarctica. My journey began
13.09 degrees north of the Equator in Madras, and involved crossing nine time zones, six chech-
points, three bodies of water, and at least as many ecospheres.

1. Name the chapter from which the following extract has been taken.
Ans: Journey to the end of the Earth.
 2. Who is 'I' in the above lines?
Ans: The Author, Tishani Doshi.

3. What was Akademik Shokalskiy?

Ans: A Russian research vessel.

4. Where was the narrator going on her journey?

Ans: To Antarctica.

III. Short Answer Questions:

1. How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of mankind?

Geologists say about 650 million years ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super continent, Gondwana
existed in the South. At that time India and Antarctica were parts of the same landmass.

2. How can a visit to the Antarctica be an enlightening experience?

By visiting the Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and future. A visit there can
teach the next generation to understand the effects that global warming.

3. How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate on climate change?

Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is the only place in the
world which has never sustained a human population and thus remains relatively pristine.

4. What was the objective of the ‘Students on Ice Programme’?

The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take High School students to the limits of
the world and provide them not only with inspiring opportunities in education but also enable them
to understand and respect our planet.

5. What are the indications for the future of humankind?

Melting of glaciers, depletion of ozone layer and global warming are endangering man’s existence
on earth. This is bound to adversely affect marine life, birds and mankind.

6. Why does the author of Journey to the End of the Earth state that in 12000 years man has
managed to create a ruckus on this earth?
Humans have been on this Earth for about 12,000 years and have created a havoc and ruckus on
this Earth. Their increasing population has depleted natural resources and a rise in global
temperature.

IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

1. Why does Tishani Doshi call her trip to Antarctica a “Journey to the end of the Earth? OR
2. What are the indications for the future of humankind according to Tishani Doshi?
Geologists say about 650 million years ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super continent, Gondwana
existed in the South. At that time India and Antarctica were parts of the same landmass. By visiting
the Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and future. A visit there can teach the
next generation to understand the effects that global warming. Antarctica is a crucial element in the
debate on climate change because it is the only place in the world which has never sustained a
human population and thus remains relatively pristine. The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’
programme was to take High School students to the limits of the world and provide them not only
with inspiring opportunities in education but also enable them to understand and respect our planet.
Melting of glaciers, depletion of ozone layer and global warming are endangering man’s existence
on earth. This is bound to adversely affect marine life, birds and mankind. Humans have been on
this Earth for about 12,000 years and have created a havoc and ruckus on this Earth. Their
increasing population has depleted natural resources and a rise in global temperature.

Chapter 4
Prose: The Enemy
Author: Pearl S. Buck
Theme: PEACE, LOVE, AND HUMANISM

I. Hard words and their Meanings:

1. A stain of red: blood stain
2. Absolute state: a state run by kings having total powers
3. Amazement: surprise
4. Anatomy: the branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals,
and other living organisms, especially as revealed by dissection and the separation of parts.
5. Anesthetic: a substance that induces insensitivity to pain
6. Apologize: feel sorry
7. Assassins: professional killers
8. Assuage: decrease, reduce
9. Blond: light – coloured, yellowish colour
10. Burden: here, it refers to a dead body.
11. Chilled: freeze due to cold weather
12. Chrysanthemum: a flower
13. Compelled: forced
14. Comprehending: understanding
15. Courteously: politely
16. Crept: crawled
17. Crimson: bright red colour
18. Cross: angry, disappointed
19. Crouched: sit in a squatting position
20. Dereliction: failure to perform one’s duty
21. Despised: hated
22. Dignity: respect
23. Distress: sadness
24. Dragged: pulled
25. Dusk: the time of sunset
26. Execution: legal punishment
27. Feeble: weak
28. Fierce: dangerous
29. Flashlight: torch
30. Fluttered: trembled
31. Fortifying: putting security at a place
32. Fowl: cock, hen
33. Hesitated: paused in indecision before saying or doing something.
34. Horizon: the line at which the earth’s surface and the sky appear to meet, skyline
35. Hypodermic: needle, syringe, injection
36. Infected: affected
37. Influenza: a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory passages causing fever
38. Knelt: sat on her knees
 39. Leaned: bent forward
40. Leaped: jumped
41. Marred: spoiled
42. Moaned: made low, soft sounds due to pain
43. Modern: relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past.
44. Moss: a very small soft green plant
45. Muttered: spoke
46. Patriotism: love for one’s country
47. Pine needles: very thin, sharp leaves that grow on pine trees
48. Pulse: heartbeat
49. Quivered: shivered, trembled
50. Runs out: finishes
51. Rustling: the sound made by footsteps
52. Ruthless: harsh, merciless
53. Saturate: wet
54. Scars: marks
55. Staggered: walk unsteadily as if about to fall
56. Sterilized: disinfected
57. Stoop: bend forward
58. Stout: fat, big
59. Strain: stress
60. Thrust: pushed
61. Timid: showing lack of courage or confidence
62. Vial: a small container, typically cylindrical and made of glass, used especially for holding
liquid medicines.
63. Yonder: at some distance in the direction pointed at
64. Zeal: great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective

II. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:

Sadao had taken this into his mind as he did everything his father said, his father who never joked
or played with him but who spent infinite pains upon him who was his only son. Sadao knew that
his education was his father’s chief concern. For this reason he had been sent at twenty-two to
America to learn all that could be learned of surgery and medicine. He had come back at thirty,
and before his father died he had seen Sadao become famous not only as a surgeon but as a
scientist. Because he was perfecting a discovery which would render wounds entirely clean, he had
not been sent abroad with the troops. Also, he knew, there was some slight danger that the old
General might need an operation for a condition for which he was now being treated medically,
and for this possibility Sadao was being kept in Japan.

1. What does the word ‘infinite’ mean?

A Calculable
 B Sempiternal
C Never ending
D Both B and C
Ans: D Both B and C

2. What does the speaker mean by “Perfecting a discovery”?

A Honing the discovery
B Making the discovery perfect
C Making himself perfect for Hana
D Both A and B
Ans: D Both A and B

3. Why was Dr. Sadao never sent abroad with the troops?
A For he remained ill
B For the General remained ill
C For the was perfecting a discovery
D Both B and C
Ans: D Both B and C

4. What does the word ‘troops’ mean?

A Group of soldiers
B Group of generals
C Group of commanders
D Group of brigadiers
Ans: A Group of soldiers

III. Short Answer Questions:

1. Who was Dr. Sadao? Where was his house?

Dr Sadao Hoki was an eminent Japanese surgeon and scientist. Dr Sadao’s house was built on
rocks well above a narrow beach that was outlined with bent pines on the Japanese coast.

2. Will Dr. Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?

Dr Sadao was treating a wounded man who was a prisoner of war with a bullet on his back. Since
Japan was at war with America, harbouring an enemy meant being a traitor to Japan. Dr Sadao
could be arrested if anyone complained against him.

3. Will Hana help the wounded man and wash him herself?
The gardener and the cook were frightened that their master was going to heal the wound of a
white man—an enemy. Hana rebuked the maid who had refused to wash a wounded helpless man.
She kept on washing him until his upper body was quite clean.

4. What will Dr. Sadao and his wife do with the man?
Dr Sadao was against handing over a wounded man to the police. He operated upon him and
extracted the bullet from his body. He kept the white man in his house. Dr Sadao and his wife,
Hana, looked after him and fed him till he was strong enough to walk on his legs.
5. Will Dr. Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
In the afternoon, a messenger came there in official uniform. Dr Sadao told the General about the
white man he had operated upon. The General promised to send his private assassins to kill the
man silently and secretly at night and remove his body.

6. What will Dr. Sadao do to get rid of the man?

His wife Hana had to cook, clean the house and serve the wounded man. Dr Sadao told Tom, the
white man, that he was quite well then. He offered to put his boat on the shore that night. It would
have food and extra clothing in it. Tom might be able to row to the little island which was not far
from the coast. In short, Dr Sadao helped the man to escape from Japan. At the same time Dr.
Sadao and his wife also wanted to get rid of the man.

IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

1. How did Dr. Sadao succeed as a doctor as well as a patriot?

OR
2. Do you think the title ‘The Enemy’ is appropriate? List out your arguments.

Dr Sadao Hoki was an eminent Japanese surgeon and scientist. Dr Sadao’s house was built on
rocks well above a narrow beach that was outlined with bent pines on the Japanese coast. Dr Sadao
was treating a wounded man who was a prisoner of war with a bullet on his back. Since Japan was
at war with America, harbouring an enemy meant being a traitor to Japan. Dr Sadao could be
arrested if anyone complained against him. The gardener and the cook were frightened that their
master was going to heal the wound of a white man—an enemy. Hana rebuked the maid who had
refused to wash a wounded helpless man. She kept on washing him until his upper body was quite
clean. Dr Sadao was against handing over a wounded man to the police. He operated upon him and
extracted the bullet from his body. He kept the white man in his house. Dr Sadao and his wife,
Hana, looked after him and fed him till he was strong enough to walk on his legs.

In the afternoon, a messenger came there in official uniform. Dr Sadao told the General about the
white man he had operated upon. The General promised to send his private assassins to kill the
man silently and secretly at night and remove his body. His wife Hana had to cook, clean the house
and serve the wounded man. Dr Sadao told Tom, the white man, that he was quite well then. He
offered to put his boat on the shore that night. It would have food and extra clothing in it. Tom
might be able to row to the little island which was not far from the coast. In short, Dr Sadao helped
the man to escape from Japan.

Chapter-5
Prose: On the Face of It
Author: Susan Hill
 Theme: PEACE, LOVE, AND HUMANISM

I. Hard words and their Meanings:

Crab apples: a small sour apple
Creak: a harsh sound of wood
Daft: silly, foolish
Dribble: to fall slowly
Fuss: show of anger, worry
Hive: dome shaped structure in which bees live
Monstrous: horrible
Occasional: sometimes
Panting: quick breaths
Peculiar: strange, unusual
Pretend: fake, make as if
Rustling: whisper, low sound
Scrump: steal from garden
Signify: be a sign of
Stare: to look at
Startled: feeling a sudden shock
Steady: stable
Strike; hit
Swish: a hissing sound
Tentatively: hesitant
Tresspassing: enter without permission
Underneath: directly below
Weed: unwanted plant
Whispered: To say something very slow
Windfalls: unexpected gain, jackpot

II. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:

DERRY: You think…. ‘Here’s a boy. You look at me…and then you see my face and you think.
That’s bad. That’s a terrible thing. That’s the ugliest thing I ever saw.’ You think, ‘Poor boy. But
I’m not. Not poor. Underneath, you are afraid. Anybody would be. I am. When I look in the mirror,
and see it, I’m afraid of me.

1. Why does Derry not want to be called ‘Poor’?

A For he was rich
B For he was well off
C For he had ample resources to earn
D None of these
Ans: D None of these
2. Name the chapter.
A Indigo
B On the face of It
C Evans Tries an O Level
D The Rattrap
Ans: B On the Face of It
3. Why is everyone afraid of Derry, according to him?
A For he was physically disabled
B For he had burnt body
C For he had tin leg
D For he had half-burnt face
Ans: D For he had half-burnt face
4. Who is the author of this chapter?
A Selma Lagerlof
B Susan Hill
C Colin Dexter
D None of these
Ans: B Susan Hill

III. Short Answer Questions:

1. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself?

Ans: Both Derry and Mr. Lamb are disabled. Derry has a burnt face and Mr. Lamb has a tin leg.
Derry is depressed because of his ugly face. People (including his parents) don’t like him. Mr.
Lamb gives him his own example that people tease him for his tin leg but he doesn’t care about
this. Such positive things draw Derry towards Mr. Lamb.

2. In which section of the play does Mr. Lamb display signs of loneliness and
disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?
Ans: In the middle part of the first scene, we observe that Mr. Lamb is lonely. He tells Derry that
when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick, and pull down those crab apples. He
makes jelly with them. Derry also tells him that he is interested in anybody or anything that God
has created. Derry also tells him that he sits in the sun and reads books. These all are the signs of
his loneliness and also his ways of overcoming it.
3. The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than
the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behaviour that
the person expects from others?
Ans: The story reveals the bitter truth of a life led by a disabled person. They not only suffer
physical pain but also mental pain due to the absurd behavior of people. They are teased and
disliked by others. They do not want sympathy but just reasonable behavior just like normal people
get from their counterparts.

4. Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr Lamb’s brief association effect a change
in the kind of life he will lead in the future?
Ans: Derry will not get back to his old seclusion because Mr. Lamb had changed his way of
thinking. He told him that hating people and living alone is more harmful then what acid did to
him. Derry decided to face it and live without fear of being disliked by anyone and therefore runs
back to the garden in order to live those moments again which he liked when he was in the
company of Mr. Lamb.

IV. Long Answer Paragraph Questions:

1. Draw the character sketch of old Mr. Lamb?

OR
2. Compare and contrast the characters of Mr. Lamb and Derry.

Both Derry and Mr. Lamb are disabled. Derry has a burnt face and Mr. Lamb has a tin leg. Derry is
depressed because of his ugly face. People (including his parents) don’t like him. Mr. Lamb gives
him his own example that people tease him for his tin leg but he doesn’t care about this. Such
positive things draw Derry towards Mr. Lamb. In the middle part of the first scene, we observe that
Mr. Lamb is lonely. He tells Derry that when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick,
and pull down those crab apples. He makes jelly with them. Derry also tells him that he is
interested in anybody or anything that God has created. Derry also tells him that he sits in the sun
and reads books.

These all are the signs of his loneliness and also his ways of overcoming it. The story reveals the
bitter truth of a life led by a disabled person. They not only suffer physical pain but also mental
pain due to the absurd behavior of people. They are teased and disliked by others. They do not
want sympathy but just reasonable behavior just like normal people get from their counterparts.
Derry will not get back to his old seclusion because Mr. Lamb had changed his way of thinking. He
told him that hating people and living alone is more harmful then what acid did to him. Derry
decided to face it and live without fear of being disliked by anyone and therefore runs back to the
garden in order to live those moments again which he liked when he was in the company of Mr.
Lamb.

POEM: (I) MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX

POET: KAMALA DAS
THEME: LOSS AND SEPERATION
 I. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
"Driving from my parent's home to Cochin last Friday morning,
I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain that she thought away"

(a) Where was the poet coming from? Where was she going?
Ans. The poet had gone to her parent's home. N o w , she was going to Cochin.
(b) Where was the poet's mother?
Ans. The poet's mother was sitting beside her in the car.
(c) How the poet does describe her mother?
Ans. The poet describes her mother as old, pale and almost like a corpse.
(d) Who does 'she' refer to in the last line? What thoughts had she driven away?
Ans. 'She' refers to the poet's mother. She suffered from separation.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
"but after the airport's security check, standing a few yards away,
I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter's moon."

(a) Where was the poet standing?

Ans. The poet was standing at the Cochin airport-the security check.
(b) Who does 'her' refer to here? How did she look like?
Ans. 'Her' refers to the poet's mother. She was aged and pale.
(c) Why does the narrator 'look at her again'?
Ans. The narrator looked at her again to wish goodbye.
(d) Explain: “wan, pale as a late winter's moon."
Ans. The poet compares her mother's aged and pale face with the winter's moon.

III.Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

“but soon put that thought away,

and looked out at young trees sprinting,
the merry children spilling out of their homes”
(a) Who looked at the young trees?
Ans. The poetess Kamala Das looked at the young trees.
(b) Which thought did she put away?
Ans. She put away from her mind was that of her ageing mother's decaying condition.
(c) What do young people sprinting trees signify?
Ans. The sprinting trees signify the youth.
(d) Identify the figure of speech used in line no. 4.
Ans. Personification

III. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each:

Q.1 How does the poet's mother look like? What kind of images has the poet used to signify
 her ageing and decay?
Ans. The poet’s mother is sitting beside her. She is dozing as old people usually do during the
journey.

Q.2 Why does the poet feel her old familiar ache and what is her childhood fear?
Ans. The sight of her mother's corpse-like face arouses ‘that old familiar ache’ in her heart. Her
childhood fear returns.

Q.3 Describe the contrast of the scene inside the car with the activities going on outside.
Describe the use of images that poet employs to strike that contrast.
Ans. Inside the car sits an old mother beside the poet. Her 'ashen' face is pale and lifeless like a
corpse.

Q.4 What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?
Ans. The aged and pale face of her mother brought an image of decay and death. But she
immediately hid her feelings.

Q.5 Describe the poetic devices used by Kamala Das in 'My Mother at Sixty-Six'.
Ans. The ashen face is 'like that of a corpse'. Again the 'wan, pale' face of a mother is compared to
‘a late winter's moon'.

POEM: (II) KEEPING QUIET

POET: PABLO NERUDA
THEME: SILENCE AND INTROSPECTION
 I. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
"What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
If we were not so single-minded about keeping our lives moving, and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves and of threatening ourselves with death."

(a) What does the poet not want himself to be?

Ans. The poet doesn't want himself to be confused with advocating total inactivity.
(b) Explain: 'I want no truck with death'.
Ans. Total inactivity brings death. The poet has no association with death.
(c) What were we not focusing on?
Ans. We should have given ourselves rest for some time.
(d) When can a huge silence do us good?
Ans. When we were threatening ourselves with death, a silence can do us good.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
"Perhaps the Earth can teach us as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go."

(a) What can earth teach us?

Ans. The earth can teach a lesson to mankind how to live on it.
(b) What lives alive when everything seems dead?
Ans. The earth alone lives alive when everything else appears to be dead.
(c) What does the poet ask us while he counts up to twelve?
Ans. The poet asks us to keep quiet while he is counting up to twelve.

(d) Name the poem and the poet of these lines.

Ans. The name of the poem is 'Keeping Quiet' and the poet is Pablo Neruda.

III. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each:

Q.1 Why does Pablo Neruda urge us to keep still?
Ans. He urges us to keep still enjoying a few moments of peace, rest and tranquility.

Q.2 How can suspension of activities help?

Ans. Suspension of human activities can help in restoring the environment and health of this world.

Q.3 How will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us?
Ans. Keeping still can help him for a positive approach and thinking.

Q.4 How can there be life under apparent stillness? How does the poet prove it?
Ans. We can learn it from the earth. When everything seems dead, the earth remains still alive.
 Q.5 How is 'stillness' not equal to total inactivity? Why does Neruda say: 'I want no truck
with death’?
Ans. The earth is never dead. When everything seems to be dead, it remains still alive.

Q.6 Which sadness is Pablo Neruda worried about in his poem?

Ans. The sadness of isolation has made man self-centered and uncaring to the needs of others.

Q.7 Do you think the poet; Pablo Neruda advocates total inactivity and death? Why/Why
not?
Ans. The poet wants to give mankind an opportunity of quiet introspection to know and realize
how he has been harming himself and others.
 POEM: (III) A THING OF BEAUTY
POET: JOHN KEATS
THEME: THE BEAUTY OF SIMPLE AND COMMON THINGS
I. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and heath, and quiet breathing. "

(a) "A thing of beauty is joy forever." Explain.

Ans. A thing of beauty is constant and everlasting source of joy and pleasure.
(b) Why does not a beautiful thing pass into nothingness?
Ans. A thing of beauty never passes into nothingness as its beauty is constant and eternal.
(c) What does the poet mean by "A bower quiet for us"?
Ans. A thing of beauty provides peace and pleasure. It is like a 'quiet' bower.
(d) Name the poem and the poet.
Ans. The name of the poem is ‘A Think of Beauty’ and the poet is John Keats.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits."

(a) What are we doing every day?

Ans. We are weaving a flowery wreath every day.
(b) Describe bad and evil things that we possess in us.
Ans. We possess inhuman attitude and lack of nobleness.
(c) 'In spite of all'. Explain.
Ans. It means in spite of all these evil things mentioned above.
(d) What removes the pall from our dark spirits?
Ans. A thing of beauty removes the pall of sadness from our hearts.

III. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each:

Q.1 How is a thing of beauty a joy forever?
Ans. John Keats, a great romantic poet, considers that a thing of beauty is a joy forever. Its
loveliness increases every moment.

Q.2 How do we bind us to the earth every morning?

Ans. Every day we are weaving a wreath through these beautiful things. This flowery band binds
us with the earth.
Q.3 Why does Keats associate 'grandeur' with 'the mighty dead'?
Ans. The 'mighty dead ' are dead in their grave but their grandeur and glory survives.

Q.4 How is the pall of despondence moved away from our dark spirits?
Ans. A thing of beauty works wonders. It removes the pall of despondence and sadness from our
'dark spirits'.

Q.5 What is the message that John Keats wants to give through 'A thing of
Beauty'?
Ans. The very first line of the poem conveys the message of the poet. A thing of beauty is a joy
forever. Beauty never fades.

Q.6 Mention any two things which, according to Keats, give us pain and suffering.
Ans. Inhuman attitude and lack of nobleness give us pain and sufferings.
 POEM: (IV) A ROADSIDE STAND
POET: ROBERT FROST
THEME: THE LIFE OF UNDERPRIVILEGED PEOPLE
I. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“The little old house was out with a little new shed
In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped,
A roadside stand that too pathetically pled,
It would not be fair to say for a dole of bread,
But for some of the money, the cash, whose flow supports
The flower of cities from sinking and withering faint.”

1. Where was the stand located? How had it been made?

Ans. The roadside stand was located at one side of the road. A little old house was extended and
a new shed was constructed in front to open it.
2. What was the real aim of running this roadside shed?
Ans. The real aim of running this shed was earn some money.
3. Who are referred to as ‘the flower of cities’?
Ans. ‘The flower of cities’ refers to the rich and wealthy city-people.
4. Explain: ‘too pathetically pled’
Ans. It pleaded/begged in the most humble way.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts
At having the landscape marred with the artless paint
Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong
Offered for sale wild berries in wooden quarts,”

1. What does the poet mean by ‘with a mind ahead?

Ans. The people who travel in the car go straight with a single mind without seeing the roadside
stand.
2. What are N and S signs?
Ans. The N and S signs stand for the North and the South direction.
3. Why have these signs turned wrong?
Ans. These signs have turned wrong because they have been painted in the wrong way.

III. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene,
You have the money, but if you want to be mean,
Why keep your money (this crossly) and go along.
The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint
So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid”

1. What attraction does the place offer?

Ans. The place offers a scenic view of the beautiful mountains.
2. What should one do if one wants to be mean?
Ans. If one wants to be mean he can keep his money and move on ahead.

3. What does the poet not complain about?

Ans. The poet does not complain about the landscape which has been spoilt because of the
artless painting done on the building.
4. What do you think is the real worry of the poet?
Ans. The poet’s real worry is the unexpressed sorrow of the people who have put up the
roadside stand.
IV. Answer each of the following questions in about 30-40 words:

1. Why do the people who run the roadside stand wait for the squeal of brakes so eagerly?
Ans. The “squealing of brakes” raises their hopes that the city-folk buy something from their
roadside stand and some city money will come into their hands.
2. Explain: “soothe them out of them wits” with reference to the poem The Roadside
Stand’.
Ans. The powerful men approach the country folk with false promises of providing them with
better living conditions and a better life.
3. Why does Robert Frost sympathize with the rural poor?
Ans. Robert Frost feels an unbearable agony at the plight of the rural poor who are ignored and
neglected by the rich politicians.
4. What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand?
Ans. The folk who had put up the roadside stand pleaded to the city dwellers to stop and buy
their wares so as to enable them to earn some extra money.
5. What is the ‘childish longing’ of the folk who had put up the roadside stand? Why is it
‘in vain’?
Ans. The ‘childish longing’, is the dreams and desires of the rural folk for a better life. The city
folk are not willing to help them.
6. Why didn’t the ‘polished traffic’ stop at the roadside stand?
Ans. The ‘polished traffic’ conveniently overlooks the roadside stand and do not stop there as
their mind is focused only on their destination.
7. What news in the poem ‘A Roadside Stand’ is making its round in the village?
Ans. The news making its round is about the resettlement of the poor, rural people who will be
resettled in the villages, next to the theatre and the store.
8. Why do people at the roadside stand ask for city money?
Ans. The rural people running the roadside stand are poor and deprived. They expect for city
money so that they too can lead a life of happiness and prosperity.
 POEM: (V) AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS
POET: ADRIENNE RICH
THEME: OPPRESSION AND THE DESIRE FOR FREEDOM

I. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
"Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty."

(a) How are Aunt Jennifer's tigers described?

Ans. Aunt Jennifer's tigers are dynamic, sleek, and full of strength and chivalric grace.
(b) Why are they described as denizens of a world of green?
Ans. The tigers are the animals that live in forests. They live in the world of green
surrounded by green trees and thick green vegetation.
(c) Why are they not afraid of the men?
Ans. They are not afraid of the men because they are not real.
(d) Name the poem and the poet.
Ans. ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ by ‘Adrienne Rich’.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
"When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid. "

(a) Why are Aunt Jennifer's hands terrified?

Ans. Aunt Jennifer's hands are 'terrified' due to unhappy wedded life.
(b) What are the ordeals that Aunt Jennifer faced in her life?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer didn't seem to have led a pleasant married life.
(c) How are the tigers different from her?
Ans. The old lady is weak and can't even move her terrified 'fingers'. On the other hand, her
tigers symbolise strength, power and speed.
(d) What will happen to her tigers after her death?
Ans. The tigers will continue running unafraid in 'sleek' chivalry.

III. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each:

Q.1 Describe the tigers created by Aunt Jennifer?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer weaves and creates tigers in the panel. Her tigers symbolise strength, speed
and splendour.
Q.2 How does the poet describe Aunt Jennifer's tigers?
Ans. The poet describes Aunt Jennifer's tigers as 'bright topaz denizens' of the forest. They are
fearless.
 Q.3 What is the weight that lies heavy on her hand and how is it associated with her
husband?
Ans. The memories of her married life with her husband have been quite unpleasant. She finds it
difficult even to pull the ivory needle easily with her weak fingers.

Q.4 What kind of ordeals is Aunt Jennifer surrounded by?

Ans. Aunt Jennifer is haunted and surrounded by the ordeals of her married life. The old
memories of her married life don't give her any happiness.

Q.5 What will happen to Aunt Jennifer's tigers when she is dead?
Ans. The tigers that Aunt Jennifer has created will not die when she is dead. Art always survives
death.

Q.6 Describe the contrast between Aunt Jennifer and her creation, the tigers.
Ans. Aunt Jennifer is totally victimized and suffered from oppression by her husband. The tigers
she creates go on prancing menacingly, exhibiting their pride and fearlessness.