MINIMUM LEVEL OF LEARNING MATERIAL
Sub : English Core Class XI
THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
by Khushwant Singh
(Q.1)
Everybody including the sparrows mourned grandmother’s death. Elaborate.
Ans) The day the grandmother died, thousands of
sparrows came and sat silently around the corpse of the grandmother as if they
too, had come to mourn the death of the old woman. They did not even eat the
breadcrumbs scattered by the author’s mother.
(Q.2) Give a description of Khushwant Singh’s grandmother according to his
earliest memory of her?
Ans)
The author felt that his grandmother had always looked the same for the twenty
years that he had known her. He felt she was always old, short, fat and bent.
Her face was covered with wrinkles. She wore only white and walked with a
stoop.
(Q.3) What did Khushwant Singh’s grandmother think of education in the city
school?
Ans)
She disapproved of city schools as they taught only English and Science. There
was no religious teaching and the worst was when she learnt that they taught
music in the city school. Music was meant for harlots and beggars according to
her. This distressed her.
(Q.4) The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they?
Ans) The three stanzas
depict the first phase, i.e. the mother’s childhood, the second phase is the
mother’s adulthood and the third phase is the poet’s own adulthood where he is
nostalgically remembering his mother who is no longer alive.
(Q.5) What details in the story create the impression that the grandmother was
religious minded?
Ans) The grandmother’s lips
constantly mumbled some silent prayers. Her fingers would also keep moving the
beads of a rosary. She would recite prayers while getting the author ready for
school. While the author would be studying in school, she would be in the
temple reading religious scriptures.
(Q.6) The grandmother was a kind-hearted woman. Give
examples in support of your answer.
Ans) The grandmother was
very kind hearted and compassionate. She would feed stale chapattis to the
village dogs everyday while leaving her grandson to school. In the city, she
continues this practice but would feed sparrows with breadcrumbs, in the
courtyard of the house.
(Q.7) Draw a comparison between village school education and city school
education.
Ans) In the village school
the author learnt his native language and the morning prayer. In the city
school there was only English alphabet, no religious teachings. There was more
emphasis on Science, English, Maths and also music. Grandmother did not approve
of his learning music at school.
(Q.8) Which activity did the grandmother find most
relaxing when she lived in the city?
Ans) The grandmother would feed the sparrows daily
in the verandah of the house. She used to let them perch on her shoulders and
would talk to them. She had made it a
daily ritual and she found it very relaxing.
WE ARE
NOT AFRAID TO DIE… IF WE CAN ALL BE TOGETHER
By Gordon
Cook and Alan East
1.
We
are not afraid to die, Who speaks these
words and when?
Ans
: The children said these words to the father and the captain of the ship when
he was trying hard to save the ship from an impending disaster.
2]
Who were the two crew members taken by the narrator?
Ans
: The crew members taken by the narrator were American Larry Vigil and Swiss
3]
What did the narrator know of the Southern Indian Ocean?
Ans
: The narrator knew that the Southern Indian Ocean was the roughest and might
take a devastative form at any time.
4]
What information did Mary give about their problem?
5]
When did the narrator’s adventurous family start their expedition?
Ans
: In July, 1976 from Plymouth, England.
DISCOVERING TUT:
the saga continues by A R Williams
(Q.) Why was King Tut’s body subjected to repeated scrutiny?
Ans)King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny
for the riches it was buried with. There has also been a lot of speculation
about the manner of his death and the time of his death.
(Q.) Why was Howard Carter’s investigation resented?
Ans)Howard Carter’s investigation was
resented because he used unscientific methods to cut the body away from the
wooden base. He also focused more on the discovery of gold than on the fascinating
details of Tut's life and the mysteries of his death.
(Q.) Why did Carter have to chisel away the solidified resins
to raise the king’s remains?
Ans)Carter found that the ritual resin
that was used as a polish hashardened. The result was that the mummy was
cemented to the bottom of the solid gold coffin.Neither the strongestforce
could move the mummynor the burning sun could loosen the remains of the king.
(Q.) Why was Tut’s body buried along with gilded treasures?
Ans)The people of Ancient Egypt believed that the soul of the
dead person will return to the same body. Their kings were extremely rich and
they were buried along with their treasure. The eternal brilliance of the gold
was meant to guarantee resurrection. Tut was also buried with everyday objects
that he would want in hisafter life. Some of the things that were found were
board games, a bronze razor, linen undergarments and cases of food and wine.
(Q.) The boy king changed his name from Tutankhaten to
Tutankhamun. What was the reason?
Ans) Tutankhamun
means ‘Living image of Amun’. He was a major god in ancient Egypt. King Amennotep
smashed the images of Amun and closed his temples. Tut oversaw a restoration of
the old ways. He also changed his name to express his belief on Amun.
Q.) Why is January 5, 2005 significant in Tutankhamun’s Saga?
Ans) January 5, 2005 is a significant
date in Tutankhamun’s saga because on this day, the world’s most famous mummy
glided head first went into a C.T scanner in order to probe the lingering
medical mysteries around the young ruler who had died 3300 years ago.
Q.) How was the atmosphere when Tut’s body was taken for C.T
scan?
Ans) As King Tut’s body was taken
from his resting place in the ancient Egyptian cemetery known as the Valley of
the Kings, an angry wind stirred up ghostly dust devils. Dark-bellied clouds
had moved across the desert sky all day and covered the stars in grey colour.
Q.) How did the visitors to Tut’s grave pay their respects to
him?
Ans) The visitors to Tut’s
grave gazed at the murals on the walls of the burial chamber and peered at
Tut’s gilded face. Some visitors read from guidebooks in a whisper.
(Q.) What according to A.R Williams were the thoughts of the
visitors who stood silently near Tut’s Grave?
Ans)The visitors stood silently perhaps
pondering over Tut’s untimely death. Perhaps they wondered if the pharaoh’s curse
– death or misfortune falling on those who disturbed him – was really true.
(Q.) The mummy is in a very bad condition because of what
Carter did in the 1920s.’ Who is Carter? What did he do to the mummy?
Ans)Howard Carter was the British
archaeologist who in 1922, discovered Tut’s tomb after years of futile
searching. He and his team, had searched the tomb trying to look for objects of
royalty from the rich collection of the pharaoh’s legend. They ended up
spoiling and destroying the carefully kept mummy.
(Q.) What problem did Carter face when he reached the mummy?
How did he find a way out?
Ans)Carter, on investigating, opened the
three nested coffins. When he finally reached the mummy, he saw that the ritual
resins had hardened, cementing Tut to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. It
was difficult to remove it. He had to chisel away the consolidated material
from beneath the limbs and trunk.
Q.) How did Carter defend his action of cutting the mummy
free?
Ans) Carter in his defense wrote
later that if he hadn’t cut the mummy free, thieves would have avoided the
guards and ripped it apart to remove all the gold. The mummy had been kept with
a lot of wealth, in the form of gold ornaments, etc.
(Q.) List some of the ornaments and golden objects on Tut’s body.
Ans) Tut’s body had been
adorned with precious collars, inlaid necklaces and bracelets, rings, amulets,
a ceremonial apron, sandals, sheaths for his fingers and toes. The inner coffin
and mask were all made of pure gold.
(Q.) Why do you think the royals carried so much gold to the
grave?
Ans) The royals carried a lot of
wealth to the grave because the stunning artifacts in gold and their eternal
brilliance meant to guarantee resurrection for the dead royal person.
Q.) What is so special about the contents of Tut’s tomb?
Ans) Tut’s tomb not only
contained a number of adornments of pure gold on his body but also he had been
buried with everyday things he would want in the after life: board games, a
bronze razor, linen undergarments, cases of food and wine.
Q.) Which evidence proves the burial of Tut in March or
April?
Ans) The first coffin, on being
opened, revealed a shroud adorned with garlands of willow and olive leaves,
wild celery, lotus petals and cornflowers, the faded evidence of a burial in
March or April.
The
Ailing Planet: Green Movement’s Role
-Nani Palkivala
1.
How
has the human view about the earth changed?
Ans.
Human beings who had earlier considered earth to be a non-living thing is now
of the opinion that earth is a living organism with metabolic needs and
processes like other living organisms.
2.
What
duty does man have towards the earth?
Ans.
It is man’s duty to be a good steward of the earth and responsible trustee of
the natural resources of the earth and preserve them for the future generations.
3. What is sustainable development?
Ans.
Sustainable development is defined as the use of resources for the development
without depriving the future generations of their rightful share of the natural
resources.
4. What question does Brandt Report raise?
Ans.
The first Brandt Report raises the question- Are we to leave our successors a
scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing
environment.
5.
What
are the Principle Biological Systems? What is their significance?
Ans.
Forests, Fisheries, Grasslands and Croplands are the Principle Biological
Systems and they are significant because they form the foundation of global
economic system.
6.
What
does Article 48 A of Indian Constitution say?
Ans.
Article 48 A of Indian Constitution says that the State shall endeavor to
protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife.
7.
How
is development the best contraceptive?
Ans.
As incomes rise, the quality of education improves and health conditions become
better and fertility rates drop. So development is the best contraceptive.
8.
What
has the UN study of the environment revealed?
Ans.
The United Nations study of the environment has revealed that environment has
deteriorated so badly that it is critical in many of the 88 countries
investigated.
9.
What
is Margaret Thatcher’s view of man’s relationship with the earth?
Ans.
Margaret Thatcher, the British prime Minister feels that No generation has the
ownership of the earth. They have life tenancy with full repair responsibility.
THE BROWNING
VERSION
1.What is Taplow’s
opinion of Mr.Crocker Harris?
Ans:
Taplow believes Mr.Crocker Harris is unlike other teachers. He hates to be
liked by students. He is a stickler for punctuality and acts according to the
rules. He feels that he should not deprive the head master’s privilege from declaring the
results.
2.Why did Milli send
Taplow out?
Ans:
As Mr.Crocker Harris had called Taplow for some extra work, he had been waiting
for him till past 6.30. Still Mr.Crocker Harris did not turn up. At that
time Millie his wife came there. She sent him on an errand to the chemist.
3.Why did Taplow not
like to come to school on the last day?
Ans:
Taplow was not interested to come to school on the last day because the weather
was fine and he felt that he was deprived of playing golf.
4.Why was Taplow called
by Crocker Harris Called on the last day of school?
Ans:Taplow
was called by Mr.Crocker Harris on the last day of school because he had missed
the school for a day. So he had to do some extra work for Crocker Harris. He knew that it would not
help him but he still he didn’t disobey him.
5.Why doesn’t Taplow
consider Crocker Harris a sadist?
Ans:
Taplow doesn’t consider Crocker Harris a sadist, because he always is a
considerate person. He doesn’t derive any pleasure from giving pain to others
which is the trait of the sadist.
POETRY
SECTION
A PHOTOGRAPH
by Shirley Toulson
(Q.1)
Who
were the three girls in the photograph?
Ans
: The three girls in the photograph were the poetess’ mother, her cousins Betty
and Dolly Who together had gone out for a sea holiday.
(Q.2)
Why
did the three girls stand still?
Ans
: The three girls stood still because they were being photographed by their
uncle in the Sea.
(Q.3)
What
did the poetess say about her mother?
Ans
: The poetess said that her mother had a sweet face and she was very beautiful
before the poetess was born.
(Q.4)
Whose
feet were transient and who was intransient according to the poem?
Ans
: The Poetess’ mother, her cousins being human beings were transient and the is
referred to as intransient.
(Q.5)
Why
did the poetess and her cousins go to the sea beach?
a)They
went to the sea beach for celebrating the holiday by paddling in the sea.
(Q.6) The
cardboard shows me how it was,
When the two girl cousins went paddling,
Each one holding one of my mother’s hands.
And she the big girl – some twelve years or so.
a) Name the poem and the poet.
b) What does the ‘cardboard show’?
What occasion does it portray?
c) Who was the ‘big girl’? What do
you learn about her?
(Ans)
a) The poem is ‘A Photograph’ and the poet is Shirley Toulson.
b) The ‘cardboard’ shows the picture of three girls, the poet’s mother and her
two cousins, Betty and Dolly. The occasion was when they had gone for a beach
holiday.
c)
The ‘big girl’ was the poet’s mother. We learn that she was a joyful, bubbly
girl of twelve who had been excited about her beach holiday.
(Q.7) All
three stood still to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera. A sweet face,
My mother’s, that was before I was born.
And the sea, which appears to have changed less,
Washed their terrible transient feet.
a) Who were the ‘three’?
b) Why did they stand still and
smile?
c) Why has the poet referred to
the sea?
d) What do you understand by
‘terribly transient feet’?
(Ans)
a) The three were, the poet’s mother and her two cousins,
Betty and Dolly.
b) They stood still and smiled because they were posing
together for a photograph clicked by the uncle from his camera.
c)
The sea referred to by the poet suggests that the sea has not changed, but
change comes in the lives of people.
d)
'Terribly transient feet' refers to the ever changing imprints of feet on the
seashore. The sea does not change but the human life is transient.
(Q.8) Some
twenty – thirty –years later;
She’d laugh at the snapshot, “See
Betty
And Dolly”, she’d say, “and look how they
Dressed us for the beach”. The sea holiday
Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With her laboured ease of loss.
a) Who is ‘she’? When would she
laugh and why?
b) Which event does she refer to?
c) What does the poet compare ‘her
laughter’ to and why?
d) Explain “Both wry with the
laboured ease of loss’.
(Ans)
a) ‘She’ is the poet’s mother. She would laugh when she
would look at the snapshot years later.
b) She would refer to the incident of the beach holiday when
she had gone with her cousins, Betty and Dolly. Her uncle had taken a
photograph.
c)
The poet compares ‘her laughter’ to her own past when she remembers her
mother’s laughter. Mother’s sea holiday was her past and the poet’s past is the
mother’s holiday.
d)
Both, the mother and daughter remember some pleasant incidents of the past. For
the mother it is the holiday, while for the poet it is her mother’s laughter.
It is with a sense of loss that she remembers her mother and the expression on
the face is that of grief and helplessness.
(Q.9) Now she’s been dead nearly as many years
As
that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There
is nothing to say at all.
Its
silence silences.
a)
How long do you think has she been dead?
b)
What does ‘this circumstance’ refer to? What does the poet say about it?
c)
Explain ‘its silence silences’.
(Ans)
a)
The poet’s mother seems to have been dead for twelve years.
b)
The circumstance is the death of the mother and the poet’s loss.
c)
The death of the poet’s mother brings a sense of grief within her and she has
no words to express her grief. The death’s silence silences. It is final. One
is helpless before it.
THE
VOICE OF THE RAIN By
- WALT WHITMAN
LINES-
“And who --- the rain”
Q.1.
Name of the poem and poet.
Ans:
Poem – ‘Voice of the rain’
Poet – Walt Whitman
Q.2.
Who is ‘I’ ?
Ans:
The Poet.
Q.3.
Who is the other ‘I’?
Ans:
The soft falling shower or the rain.
Q.4.
What is rain?
A.4.
The poem of the earth.
Q.5. Those two voices belong to which two character?
Ans;
One voice is of the Poet and the other voice is of the Rain.
Q.6.
Who is asking the question?
Ans:
The poet.
Q.7.
Who is answering the poet’s question?
Ans:
The soft falling shower or the rain.
LINES- “Eternal --- unborn.”
Q.1.
How does it rise?
A.1.
It rises impalpable or untouchable.
Q.2.
Where is it going?
A.2.
Upward to heaven.
Q.3.
How is it?
Ans:
Vaguely formed, altogether changed, but still the same .
Q.4.
Why does it come down?
Ans:
To lave the droughts, atomies and the dust layers of the globe.
Q.5.
How was everything before it came down?
Ans:
Latent and unborn.
LINES-
“And --- beautify it”
(For---returns)
Q.1.
Who is working day and night?
Ans:
Water of the water bodies of the earth is working day and night .
Q.2.
How is the movement of the rain?
Ans:
Cyclic.
Q.3.
What does the rain do to the earth?
Ans:
The rain beautifies and purifies the earth.
Q.4.
Who gives life to its own origin?
Ans:
The rain alone.
Short Questions (Answer in 30 to 40 words only )
Q.1.
What is the question asked by the poet? What answer does he get?
Ans: The poet wants to know who or what these
softly falling drops of water called rain is . As if the rain had been waiting
for this moment. It immediately answers in a voice only the poet could
understand that it is the “Poem of the earth”.
Q.2.
What does the phrase “strange to tell” mean?
Ans:
The poet had not expected an answer of the question that he had asked of the
rain. It sounds
like a note or exclamation of surprise
.
Q.3.
Why does the rain call herself the poem of the earth?
Ans:
The birthplace of the rain is the water body of the earth. It considers itself
a lovely and
musical child of the earth.
Q.4. What impression do you form of the one
answering the question?
Ans:
That the poem is talkative and readily answers to the poet’s question. It is
also proud and intelligent and descriptive.
Q.5.
Narrate the story of its birth and its functions.
Ans:
It rises from the waterbodies of the earth in the form of vapour and takes the
form of dark dense clouds. These clouds come back to the earth in the form of
rain and give back life and greenery to the earth.
Q.6.
What is the significance of the word ‘song’ here?
Ans:
‘Song’ is the repetition of the word ‘Poem’ used in the Ist Stanza of the poem
. Water is enjoying its joyride and pleasure trip from the land to the sky and
back again .
CHILDHOOD by Marcus Natten
1. What does the first stanza talk about?
Ans : The first stanza talks about rationalism.
2.Which are the two occasions which come to
his mind when the child poet realises he has lost his childhood in the first
stanza?
Ans : The
first occasion is when he stopped to be eleven years old and the second
occasion is when he realised that hell and Heaven could not be found in
Geography
3.What does the second stanza describe?
Ans : The
second stanza describes the hypocrisy of the adults.
4. What is the contradiction that the child
poet sees in the behaviour of the adults?
Ans : The adults talk of love, but they do not behave in a
loving manner. This is the contradiction that the child poet sees in the
behaviour of the adults.
5. What does the third stanza speak about?
Ans : The third stanza speaks about individuality.
6.
“That’s all I know” Explain
Ans : The child poet realises that loss of childhood is
compensated by many gains and that childhood is followed by adolescence.
6.FATHER TO SON
–Elizabeth Jennings.
1.
What does the poet mean by ‘I do not
understand’?
Ans
: With the expression, father expresses his helplessness in understanding the
cause of gap in his relationship with his son and why his son behaves against his expectation.
2.
Why does the father want his son to be
‘prodigal’?
Ans
: He wants so that he would realize his mistake and correct himself to start a
new relationship that the father expects from his son.
3.
How does the poet show that the father
and the son do not understand each other?
Ans
: The poet does it saying that they shared the same house and lived together,
but never spoke to each other. They never tried to understand each other and
thus an increasing silence destroyed their relationship.
4.
What effort did the father and the son take to rebuild the
relationship? Why didn’t they succeed?
Ans
: Both father and son tried to forgive each other . But their
efforts did not come out fruitfully because they have lost warmth and feelings
and could not shed their ego.
5.
What
is the theme of the poem ‘Father to Son’?
Ans
: I is all about the estrangement between a father and a son due to their
uncompromising egos and generation gap.
Supplementary
Reader – Snapshot
THE SUMMER
OF A BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE
by William Saroyan
(Q.1) Why did Aram and Mourad return the horse?
Ans
: Aram and Mourad realized that the
master of the horse had come to know that his horse was with them. Moreover as
their tribe was popular for trust and honesty they did not want to bring bad
name to their tribe. So they finally returned the horse to its original owner.
(Q.2) What
conflicting thoughts passed through the narrator’s mind on seeing Mourad on a
beautiful white horse early one morning?
Ans) The
narrator was surprised. He knew that his cousin Mourad couldn’t have bought the
horse. He obviously must have stolen it. However, family pride came in the way.
He refused to believe that Mourad was a thief.
(Q.3) What
traits of the Garoghlanian family are highlighted in the story?
Ans) The
Garoghlanian family though now poor was famous for their honesty even when they
were wealthy. They were proud first, honest next and after that they believed
in right and wrong. None of them would take advantage of anybody in the world.
They would not steal. No member of this family could be a thief.
(Q.4) What two
character traits of Mourad are mentioned by the narrator in the initial part of
the story?
Ans) Mourad
was considered crazy by everybody who knew him except the narrator. He was
impulsive, daring and reckless. He followed his heart more than his mind. He
was quite crazy about horses and had a way with animals. Secondly, he enjoyed
being alive more than anybody else.
(Q.5) Why had
Mourad and Aram taken the horse? Why did they return it?
Ans) They
had taken the horse with the intention of riding it and also they were too poor
to buy it. They loved riding but since they were not thieves, they had no
desire to sell it. They returned the horse because they became conscious of
their reputation of honesty and realised their mistake.
(Q.6) Do you think John Byro recognized his horse?
Why did he not accuse the boys of stealing the horse?
Ans) Yes,
John Byro did recognize his horse. He examined his teeth and knew for sure that
the horse was his own. He did not accuse the boys and indirectly told them that
it was wrong to steal. He talked about the family’s reputation for honesty and
said that he would never suspect them of stealing.
The Address
by Marga Minco
Short
Answer Questions(30-40 words)
1.
How
did the narrator realize that she had come to the right address?
Ans:-When Mrs. Dorling opened her
door, the narrator saw that she was wearing her mother's old cardigan. This made her
realize that she had come to the right address.
2.
Why
did Mrs. Dorling visit Mrs. S’s house frequently?
Ans
: Mrs. Dorling visited Mrs. S’s house and suggested to her that she might have
to leave her house in a hurry since the World War II was going on and to
suggest her that she should leave her antiques and precious belongings in her
care.
3.
Why did Mrs. S ask her daughter to remember
the address of Mrs. Dorling?
Ans
: Mrs. S asked her daughter to remember the address of Mrs. Dorling for the
reason that all her precious possessions and antiques had been shifted to Mrs.
Dorling’s house and Mrs. S was not sure whether she would be able to survive
the World War.
4.
Why
did the narrator not wait for Mrs. Dorling on her second visit?
Ans
: When the narrator saw her family’s precious belongings arranged in a tasteless fashion in an
unfamiliar environment, she no longer wanted to have them back and hence
decided not to wait for Mrs. Dorling on her second visit.
5.
Why
did the narrator want to forget the address?
Ans
: When the narrator went to collect her mother’s precious belongings from Mrs.
Dorling’s House, she could see them arranged in the house in such a deplorable
manner that she did not desire to have them back.
RANGA’S MARRIAGE by Masti venkatesh Iyer
1. Why were the people of
the village curious to see Ranga?
Ans : Ranga was the village
accountant’s son who left their village six months back. The study at Bangalore
and English education were rare happenings at their place. They wanted to see
whether he changed or not.
2. “ There is greater truth
in Sastra than we imagine”. Explain.
Ans : The village
astrologer, Sastri, believes in his science. The narrator thought the
astrologer told a lie to Ranga as per his instructions. Then the astroger
informs that he didn’t say lie but there is greater truth in sastra than we
imagine.
3. What kind of a bride was
Ranga looking for? Why?
Ans : Ranga wanted to marry
a girl he admires. He needed a matured girl who will be able to undersand his
jokes and serious comment. In other case, he was ready to remain unmarried.
4. Explain. “ The fellow
said he would leave but did not make a move”.
Ans : Ranga entered
narrator’s house while Ratna was singing inside. He was fascinated by both the
song and the singer. He said that he would leave as the song stopped after his
arrival. The narrator says that in kaliyuga words will never match the deeds as
ranga didn’t make a move.
5. Give a short description
of the village Hosahalli.
Ans : There is no mention
of Hosahalli in any geography book. No one knows about its existence. This is a
very important place in Mysore. Everything about the place is excellent and
exciting. The people, the mango the plants all seems to be different from
others.
ALBERT EINSTEIN AT SCHOOL by Patrick Pringle
1.
Why
was Albert’s history teacher resent [angry] with him?
Ans
: Mr. Braun, the history teacher feels that Albert was not obeying his
instructions. He firmly believes that a learner should learn the facts by rote
from the text & repeat the same like a parrot. He dislikes the querying
[questioning] nature of Albert.
2.
Why
did Albert want to quit the school & consider it as a hateful place?
Ans
: Albert strongly believes that learning should happen based on the ideas or
concepts, but not merely on the facts. Moreover in that school subjects like
Maths & Science were not given importance. So he wanted to quit the school.
3.
Why
Albert could not quit the school even though he did not want to continue?
Ans
: Albert’s father wanted him to continue
in that school till he takes his diploma. Moreover, his father could not afford
him good schooling & comfortable lodgings. So he could not quit the school
though he hated it.
4.
Which
was the more hateful thing at Albert’s lodgings than bad food & discomfort?
Ans
: Albert did not bother the bad food,
lack of comfort, dirt & squalor at his lodgings. But he hated the
atmosphere of slum violence and the irritating cranky nature of the land lady.
5.
What
reasons did the Head teacher give to expel Albert from the school?
Ans
: The head teacher accuses that Albert’s
presence in the class makes it impossible for the teacher to teach as he
constantly interrupts the teacher with his arguments.
Mother’s Day
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS :- (2 marks each)
1.
Who
was Mrs. Fitzerald? Why did she offer to help Mrs. Pearson?
Ans
: Mrs. Fitzerald was Mrs. Pearson’s elderly neighbour. She offered to help Mrs.
Pearson because Mrs. Pearson was being treated like a slave by her family
members and she was meekly bearing all
the ill-treatment without any complaints.
2.
What
had Mrs. Fitzerald learnt from her
husband? How did she want to make use of it?
Ans
: Mrs. Fitzerald had learnt to perform magic from her husband. She wants to make use of it to exchange her
personality with Mrs. Pearson so that she could teach the Pearson family a
lesson.
3.
How
did Mrs. Pearson tease her daughter
Doris Pearson?
Ans
: Mrs. Pearson teased her daughter by making fun of her boyfriend , Charlie
Spence, by calling him buck-teeth and half- witted and also her yellow dress.
4.
How
did Mrs. Pearson make Cyril Pearson realise his mistakes?
Ans
: Mrs. Pearson told Cyril Pearson that his tea was not ready, his dress is not
ironed and also that he should stop spending money on greyhound races and dirt tracks and ice
shows.
5.
How
did Mrs.Pearson make her husband feel miserable?
Ans
: Mrs. Pearson taunted her husband by telling him what the the people at the
club think of him and also telling him that they call him ‘pompy ompy
Pearson
6.
What was unusual about Mrs. Pearson’s
behaviour as noticed by her children?
Ans
: Mrs. Pearson’s children noticed that she
spoke in a very bold tone , did not prepare tea, did not iron the dress
for Doris, did not mend Cyril’s dress and she also wanted to and started
drinking stout during the day.
7.
What lessons did Mrs. Pearson teach her family
members in her changed personality?
Ans
: Mrs. Pearson taught her family members that it is not right to take one’s
mother for granted, a mother also needs her own time, entertainment and respect
in the family, a guest should be treated properly and every member of the
family should have some basic manners.
8.
When
does Mr. George Pearson come to know that something is wrong in the house? Is
he able to find out the reason for it?
Ans
: During their talk , when Mrs. Fitzerald calls Mr. George Pearson by his first
name, ‘George’, he comes to know that there is something wrong in the house.
No, he is not able to find out the reason for it.
9.
How did Mrs. Pearson test if the magic of Mrs.
Fitzerald had worked?
Ans
: Mrs. Pearson tested if the magic of Mrs. Fitzerald had worked by making her
family members do what she wanted them to do. She asked them to play a game of
cards with her, before she could have a talk with her husband while the
children would prepare the dinner.
Birth by A J Cronin
1.
Why
was Joe Morgan waiting for Andrew before his closed surgery?
Ans
: Joe Morgan’s wife was expecting a baby and so he wanted Andrew to help in the
delivery.
2.
Why
did the old lady want to prepare a cup of tea for Andrew?
Ans
: When Andrew reached Joe Morgan’s house to attend to his wife, there was some
time in the delivery. The old lady thought that Andrew might go back saying
that he would come later. So, she very cleverly offered to make a cup of tea
for him.
3.
What
problem did the newborn have?
Ans
: The baby was born lifeless with no cry and breath. The body was white and
pale. (Suffering with asphyxia, a situation when there is no breath and it
could result in death)
4.
Just after the birth, both the mother and the baby needed Andrew’s
immediate attention.
What choice did he make?
Ans : He attended to the mother first.
Once, he found that she was out of danger, he turned to the baby.
5. What method of treatment did Andrew
use/follow to save the baby?
Ans
: He followed a special method of respiration.
He alternately dipped the baby into cold and hot water. He also rubbed the baby
with a rough towel.
6. How did Andrew feel after both the mother and the baby were out of
danger?
Ans : He had a great sense of satisfaction and
felt that he had done something real at last
by handling such a difficult
case.
THE TALE OF MELON
CITY
by VIKRAM SETH
1.
What did the king announce one day and
why?
Ans : The king announced one day that
an arch should be constructed across the public road to edify the onlookers.
2.
Why did a frown appear on the calm face of the king?
Ans
: A frown appeared on the calm face of the king as the arch was built too low
and he lost his crown while riding under it.
3.
Who were the people blamed for the
arch being built too low?
Ans
: Builders, workmen, mason and architect were the people blamed for the arch
being built too low.
4.
‘This is a tricky thing’. What made
the king say so?
Ans
: When the king ordered the architect to be hanged, the latter defended himself
by saying that it was the king who made some changes in the plan and he should
be spared from hanging.
5.
Why was the wisest man in the country
carried to the royal court?
Ans
: The King believed the wisest man was the oldest one in his kingdom. So the
oldest man in the country was carried to the royal court to advise the
king to find solutions to the tricky
problem.
6.
What was the confusion that followed
the wisest man’s advice?
Ans
: The wisest man advised that the arch that hit the king’s crown off had to be
hanged. Then a councilor pointed out that it was a shame to hang the arch that
touched the king’s head.
7.
How did the foolish king meet his end?
Ans
: The king failed miserably to find the guilty person. So finally a noose was
set high and each man was measured. Unfortunately no one fitted the noose,
except the king.
8.
Whom did the people of the Melon city
choose for their king and why?
Ans
: The people of Melon city chose a Melon to be their king as the first man who
passed by the city gate said so. The identity of the king was not important as
they wanted a non-interfering authority.
9.
What is the element of irony in the
poem?
Ans
: The king was neither just nor placid (calm). The king who has to punish the
culprit becomes the victim of his own exaggerated sense of justice.
10.
What
was the strange way in which king was
selected in the Melon city?
Ans
: The custom was that the first one
passing the city gate had the right to select the king.
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