Prasanna

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares.

JAC Class 10th English The Sermon at Benares Textbook Questions and Answers

Before You Read (Page – 133)

Activity

Use a dictionary or ask for your teacher’s help as you discuss the following questions in groups.

Question 1.
What is a sermon? Is it different from a lecture or a talk? Can this word also be used in a negative way or as a joke (as in “my mother’s sermon about getting my work done on time…”)?
Answer:
Sermon is mainly a talk or a speech given by a priest on religious or moral subject. It is totally different from a lecture or a talk. No, this word can’t be used in a negative way or as a joke.

Question 2.
Find out the meanings of the words and phrases given in the box.
alllicted with be composed desolation
lamentation procure be subject to
Answer:

1. afflicted with – cause pain or suffering
2. desolation – sorrow, sadness
3. be composed – calm
4. procure – to obtain
5. lamentation – mourning
6. be subject to – determined to, liable to

Question 3.
Have you heard of the Sermon on the Mount? Who delivered it? Who do you think delivered a sermon at Benares?
Answer:
Yes, I have heard about the, ‘Sermon on the Mount’. Jesus Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Gautam Buddha delivered a Sermon at Benares.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Answer:
When Kisa Gotami’s son dies, she goes from house to house to get some medicine that would cure her child. No, she does not get it. Because her child died and no medicine can cure a dead person.

Question 2.
Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami goes from house to house to get a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent, or friend. But, she does not get it. Because there was not a single house where no one had died in the family.

Question 3.
What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami understands the second time that death is common to all. It is bound to happen. It is inevitable. Nobody can deny this fact. There is no house where someone has not died. This was what the Buddha wanted her to understand.

Question 4.
Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami understood that death is common to all. She understood this only the second time because it was then that she found that there was not a single house where some beloved had not died. Firstly, she was only thinking about her grief. That is why she was asking for a medicine that would cure her son. When she met the Buddha, he asked her to get a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died.

He did this intentionally to make her realize that there was not a single house where no body had died. Death is inevitable. Second time, when she went to all the houses she felt depressed that she could not gather the mustard seeds. Ultimately, she realized that the fate of men is such that they live and die. It is the natural course of life. Death is common to all. This is what the Buddha had intended her to understand.

Question 5.
How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief’?
Answer:
‘Selfishness’ means being concerned only about one’s own interests without caring for others. Yes, it can be said that Kisa Gotami is ‘selfish in her grief’. She was so grieved at her son’s death that she was not able to understand that death is something that strikes all beings. If we take the usual sense of the word ‘selfish’, then calling Kisa Gotami selfish would be inappropriate, because every person becomes selfish in his/her grief.

Thinking about Language

I. This text is written in an old-fashioned style, for it reports an incident more than two millennia old. Look for the following words and phrases in the text, and try to rephrase them in more current language, based on how you understand them.
1. give thee medicine for thy child
2. Pray tell me
3. Kisa repaired to the Buddha
4. there was no house but someone had died in it
5. kinsmen
6. Mark!
Answer:

1. give you medicine for your child
2. Please tell me
3. Kisa went to the Buddha
4. there was no house where no one had died
5. relatives
6. Listen!

II. You know that we can combine sentences using words like and, or, but, yet and then. But sometimes no such word seems appropriate. In such a case we can use a semicolon (;) or a dash (—) to combine two clauses.

She has no interest in music; I doubt she will become a singer like her mother. The second clause here gives the speaker’s opinion on the first clause. Here is a sentence from the text that uses semicolons to combine clauses. Break up the sentence into three simple sentences. Can you then say which has a better rhythm when you read it, the single sentence using semicolons, or the three simple sentences? For there is not any means by which those who have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings.
Answer:
The single sentence using semicolons has a better rhythm. This is because the three parts of the sentence are connected to each other in their meanings. The second clause gives further information on the first clause. The third clause is directly related to both the first and the second. Their meanings are better conveyed when they are joined by semicolons.

Speaking

The Buddha’s sermon is over 2500 years old. Given below are two recent texts on the topic of grief. Read the texts, comparing them with each other and with the Buddha’s sermon. Do you think the Buddha’s ideas and way of teaching continue to hold meaning for us? Or have we found better ways to deal with grief? Discuss this in groups or in class.

I. A Guide to Coping with the Death of a Loved One

Martha is having difficulty sleeping lately and no longer enjoys doing things with her friends. Martha lost her husband of 26 years to cancer a month ago. Anya, age 17, doesn’t feel like eating and spends the days in her room crying. Her grandmother recently died. Both of these individuals are experiencing grief. Grief is an emotion natural to all types of loss or significant change.

Feelings of Grief

Although grief is unique and personal, a broad range of feelings and behaviours are commonly experienced after the death of a loved one.

1. Sadness. This is the most common, and it is not necessarily manifested by crying.
2. Anger. This is one of the most confusing feelings for a survivor. There may be frustration at not being able to prevent the death, and a sense of not being able to exist without the loved one.
3. Guilt and Self – reproach. People may believe that they were not kind enough or caring enough to the person who died, or that the person should have seen the doctor sooner.
4. Anxiety. An individual may fear that she/he won’t be able to care for herself/himself.
5. Loneliness. There are reminders throughout the day that a partner, family member or friend is gone. For example, meals are no longer prepared the same way, phone calls to share a special moment don’t happen.
6. Fatigue. There is an overall sense of feeling tired.
7. Disbelief. This occurs particularly if it was a sudden death.

Helping Others Who Are Experiencing Grief

When a friend, loved one, or co – worker is experiencing grief how can we help? It helps to understand that grief is expressed through a variety of behaviours. Reach out to others in their grief, but  understand that some may not want to accept help and will not share their grief. Others will want to talk about their thoughts and feelings or reminisce. Be patient and let the grieving person know that you care and are there to support him or her.

II. Good Grief Amitai Etzioni

Soon after my wife died her car slid off an icy road in 1985 a school psychologist warned me that my children and I were not mourning in the right way. We felt angry; the proper first stage, he said, is denial. In late August this year, my 38-year-old son, Michael, died suddenly in his sleep, leaving behind a 2 – year – old son and a wife expecting their next child. There is no set form for grief, and no ‘right’ way to express it. There seems to be an expectation that, after a great loss, we will progress systematically through the well-known stages of grief. It is wrong, we are told, to jump to anger or to wallow too long in this stage before moving towards acceptance. But I was, and am, angry.

To make parents bury their children is wrong; to have both my wife and son taken from me, for forever and a day, is cruel beyond words. A relative from Jerusalem, who is a psychiatrist, brought some solace by citing the maxim: ‘We are not to ask why, but what.’ The ‘what’ is that which survivors in grief are bound to do for one another. Following that advice, my family, close friends and I keep busy, calling each other and giving long answers to simple questions like, “How did your day go today?” We try to avoid thinking about either the immediate past or the bereft future. We take turns playing with Max, Michael’s two – year – old son. Friends spend nights with the young widow, and will be among those holding her hand when the baby is born. Focusing on what we do for one another is the only consolation we can find.
Answer:
The paragraphs mentioned above deal with grief. It is mainly felt after the loss of the near and dear ones. So far Buddha’s ideas and way of teaching are concerned they have meaning for us.

Writing

Write a page (about three paragraphs) on one of the following topics. You can think about the ideas in the text that are relevant to these topics, and add your own ideas and experiences to them.
Question 1.
Teaching someone to understand a new or difficult idea.
Answer:
To teach someone a new or difficult idea is really a tedious task. Because people are preoccupied with preconceived notions. To do this, the new concept should be simplified to keep into their mind. The concept should be repeated in their mind. Because the more they hear it, the better they understand it. Only teachers should not be delivered to students. But they should be taught through problem – solving or discussion among teachers and students. It should be elaborately explained so that new ideas can be taught. This way teaching someone to understand a new or difficult idea will become more easier.

Question 2.
Helping each other to get over difficult times.
Answer:
Being human beings, it is our moral duty to help others in difficult times. If someone is in difficulty, he must be helped. Human life is full of problems and difficulties. If we have to live in society, we also need the cooperation of others. If we seek other’s help then we should also help them in adverse circumstances. Human beings can’t live alone. Difficulty may be of any kind. It might be difficulty of money, health related, study, marriage, etc. At each and every stage of life, it should be solved through cooperation.

Question 3.
Thinking about oneself as unique, or as one among billions of others.
Answer:
Each individual considers himself to be unique. He always tries to differentiate himself from others. In the crowd of millions, he always tries to think about himself unique. It is a common phenomenon of human being. But, it shows his arrogant nature and feeling of pride. But it also varies from person to person. If someone is a very important person even then he mixes up with common people. But if someone has a unique idea then that will certainly create an effect on the people. It will mould his understanding.

JAC Class 10th English The Sermon at Benares Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
Who was Gautam Buddha? Write in few lines about his early life.
Answer:
Gautam Buddha was a prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautam by his parents. He was bom in 563 B.C. in North India. He was sent away for schooling when he was twelve years old but four years later he got married to a princess.

Question 2.
Which people did the Buddha call ‘wise’ in his sermons?
Answer:
Buddha said that everyone is subject to death. The world is afflicted with death and decay. But the ones who do no lament and grieve knowing the terms of the world, are wise.

Question 3.
Which two values are depicted in the statement, ‘To seek peace one has to draw out the arrow of lamentation’?
Answer:
The above statement depicts that no lamentation can bring back someone dear to life. Lamenting tells upon one’s health. One becomes sick and pale and may lose appetite and interest in life.

Question 4.
Why was Kisa Gotami sad? What did she do in her hour of grief?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami w as sad because her only son had died. In her hour of grief, she went from house to house in search of medicine to cure her son.

Question 5.
What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand?
Answer:
Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to understand that death is common to all. Death is permanent. It is bound to happen. No one can avoid dying. No one can save their kith and kin. So, this reality must be accepted at all costs.

Question 6.
What does the Buddha say about the world?
Answer:
The Buddha says that everything in this world is subject to death. He further says that the world is deeply affected by suffering, disease or pain. Death is inevitable. Nobody can escape from it.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
Which inanimate object did Kisa Gotami compare human life? Why?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami compared human life to the lights of the city, which flickered up and extinguished again and at last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. Similarly the life and fate of humans flicker up and are extinguished again. She did so because she realised that death was common to all and she was being selfish in her own grief.

Question 2.
How did Siddhartha become the Buddha?
Answer:
Siddhartha at the age of 25 confronted a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights moved him so much that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he gained enlightenment. After seven days of enlightenment, he renamed the tree to Bodhi Tree and began to teach and share his new understanding. At that point he became known as Buddha.

Question 3.
Why did Prince Siddhartha leave the palace and become a beggar?
Answer:
One day while hunting, Prince Siddhartha saw a sick man, an aged man, then a funeral procession and a monk begging for alms. These sights of humans’ suffering moved him so much that he left the palace to seek enlightenment.

Question 4.
Which incidents prompted Prince Siddhartha to become a monk?
Answer:
Once Prince Siddhartha had gone for hunting where he came across a sick man, an aged man, a monk asking for alms and also saw a funeral procession. He was unable to understand these sufferings. Seeing this, he got perturbed. After wandering hither and thither, he went in search of spiritual knowledge.

Question 5.
What did Kisa Gotami learn in the end?
Answer:
In the end, Kisa Gotami learnt that death is common to all. No one can deny this fact. People weep over their dead ones but it is only the wise who do not grieve as they have accepted the truth. A person should only try to seek inner peace.

Question 6.
How did Buddha teach Kisa Gotami the truth of life?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami was totally dejected by the death of her only son. She wandered from door to door to save the life of her son. She ultimately went to the Buddha, who asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds. This raised a hope in Gotami’s heart that her son could be revived. But the Buddha imposed a condition. He told that the seeds should be from a house where people had not lost a loved one to death. It made Kisa Gotami realize the bitter truth of life. Sorrows are a part and parcel of life. It can never be denied.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Life is full of trials and tribulations. Kisa Gotami also passes through a period of grief in her life. How does she behave in those circumstances?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami was very sad losing her only child. She carried her dead child to her neighbours in order to get medicine to bring him back to life. Her neighbours thought that she had gone insane as she was not able to accept the fact. It was at that time when someone suggested her to go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. When she asked the Buddha to give her the medicine to cure her boy, the Buddha told her to fetch a handful of mustard-seed from a house where no one had lost a child, a husband, parent or friend. She went from door to door of people’s houses but didn’t find a single house where no one had died. Observing this, she chanced upon a realisation that death is an inevitable part of life and anyone who is bom is bound to die one day. Thus, the Buddha changed her understanding of death by this exercise.

Question 2.
“The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain .” With this statement of the Buddha, find out the moral values that Kisa Gotami learnt after the death of her child.
Answer:
After the death of her only son, Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha. Firstly, she went to every neighbour, asking for medicine for her dead son. She had lost all her senses. She forgot that no medicine could bring back the dead. Then she went to Buddha for making his son alive. Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no death had occurred. But she couldn’t find such a house. The Buddha made her realise that death is common to all. It also shows the detachment from mundane life. Only grieving cannot bring peace of mind.

Question 3.
At about the age of twenty-five, the prince there shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting, chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.
On the basis of the above passage, explain why Buddha was so moved that he went out to seek enlightenment.
Answer:
Gautam Budha belonged to a princely state. He was sent for schooling by his parents at the age of twelve. After returning from there, he married a princess and was blessed with a son. But he was not meant for the worldly affairs. At the age of twenty-five, he went out for hunting. He saw a sick man, then an old man, funeral procession and finally a monk begging for alms, seeing such things, he was moved. These sights frustrated.

He was much thrilled seeing such a situation. He got frustrated and went out into the world to seek enlightenment. It was his opinion that all things are worthless in this world. Through this, we come to the conclusion that such sufferings are the part and parcel of this world. If someone is bom, he will certainly die one day. If someone is healthy, he will certainly be sick one day. If someone is young, he will certainly be old one day. These are the bare truths of life. One must accept these realities.

Question 4.
The Buddha answered, “I want a handful of mustard seed.” And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added. “The mustard – seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child – husband, parent or friend.” On the basis of the passage, discuss the context in which the following has been written.
Answer:
Kisa Gotami had lost her child. But she did not want to accept this reality. So, taking her son, she went out from her home in her neighbourhood to find medicine that could cure her son. Although their neighbours tried to convince her a lot, she did not get convinced. At this she was advised to go to the Buddha who would tell her about the medicine to cure her son. When she reached to the Buddha, he told her to bring a handful of mustard seed. She considered it an easy task.

She was very happy. The Buddha told her to do so but with the condition that the mustard seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, parent, husband or a friend. Hearing this, she became awestruck because there is no family in this world where not even a single man has not died. It is a universal truth that if someone has come on this earth, he will certainly die. Nobody can deny this phenomenon. Birth and death are the part and parcel of this world and everyone should accept this reality.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
GAUTAMA Buddha (563 B.C.- 483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where did Gautama Buddha begin his life as a prince?
(i) In southern India
(ii) In western India
(iii) In northern India
(iv) In eastern India
Answer:
(iii) In northern India

(b) At what age was Gautama sent away for schooling?
(i) Ten
(ii) Twelve
(iii) Thirteen
(iv) Fifteen
Answer:
(ii) Twelve

(e) After four years, Gautama returned to marry a princess.
(i) home
(ii) Patliputra
(iii) Kathmandu
(iv) nowhere
Answer:
(i) home

(d) What did move Gautama when he went out hunting?
(i) A sick and aged man
(ii) A funeral procession
(iii) A monk begging for alms
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iv) All of these

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘protected’.
(i) exposed
(ii) shielded
(iii) vulnerable
(iv) unsecured
Answer:
(ii) shielded

Question 2.
He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened). The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges; that sermon has been preserved and is given here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What does ‘Buddha’ mean?
(i) The Enlightened
(ii) Illiterate
(iii) Uncivilised
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) The Enlightened

(b) Where did Buddha preach his first sermon?
(i) Gaya
(ii) Allahabad
(iii) Benares
(iv) Patna
Answer:
(iii) Benares

(c) Gatam Buddha sat down under the …………. enlightenment. tree until he attained
(i) Mango
(ii) Peepal
(iii) Banyan
(iv) Eucalyptus
Answer:
(ii) Peepal

(d) For how many years did Gautam Buddha wander?
(i) Three years
(ii) Four years
(iii) Five years
(iv) Seven years
Answer:
(iv) Seven years

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘conserved.’
(i) ignored
(ii) hurt
(iii) preserved
(iv) skip
Answer:
(iii) preserved

Question 3.
Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is mustard seed; take it!” But
when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?” they answered her, “Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who went from house to house?
(i) Kisa Gotami
(ii) Gautama Buddha
(iii) Buddha’s son
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Kisa Gotami

(b) What did Kisa Gotami demand from the people?
(i) Water
(ii) Mustard seed
(iii) Lemon
(iv) Grains
Answer:
(ii) Mustard seed

(c) The living are few, but the are many.
(i) alive
(ii) worst
(iii) dead
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) dead

(d) What did the people tell Kisa Gotami?
(i) Not to remind of their deepest grief
(ii) Only to remind of their deepest grief
(iii) Not to remind of their childhood days
(iv) Not to remind of their old days
Answer:
(i) Not to remind of their deepest grief

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘remind’.
(i) recall
(ii) caution
(iii) cite
(iv) forget
Answer:
(iv) forget

Question 4.
Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again. And she thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief. Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.”

Choose the correct option:
(a) What did Kisa Gotami watch at the wayside?
(i) The movement of the people
(ii) The lights of the city
(iii) The activities of small children
(iv) The working style of people
Answer:
(ii) The lights of the city

(b) What is common to all, according to the passage?
(i) Death
(ii) Life
(iii) Education
(iv) Habits
Answer:
(i) Death

(c) Kisa Gotami became and
(i) tired, sad
(ii) weary, hopeless
(iii) shy, unhappy
(iv) happy, hopeful
Answer:
(ii) weary, hopeless

(d) What reigned everywhere?
(i) Darkness of the night
(ii) Light of the day
(iii) Disappointment of life
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Darkness of the night

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘hopeful.’
(i) happy
(ii) eager
(iii) content
(iv) hopeless
Answer:
(iv) hopeless

The Sermon at Benares Summary

The Sermon at Benares About the Author

Betty Renshaw was bom on October 2, 1921 in Shannon, Mississippi. “ Values and Voices: A College Reader” is her important work.

The Sermon at Benares Gist of the Lesson
In the story, ‘ The Sermon at Benares’, the author has presented an account of the journey of Gautam Buddha. While on hunting, Buddha saw a sickman, an old man, a funeral procession and a man begging for alms. These sights moved him much. He was so moved that he went into the world to seek enlightenment.

He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. The Buddha preached his first sermon at Benares. A lady named, Kisa Gotami, was grieving over the death of her son. She carried the dead child to all her neighbours asking them for medicine. She needed the medicine that could cure her. Then a man advised her to go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. The Buddha told her to bring a handful of mustard seed.

But it must be taken from that house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend. Kisa Gotami went from house to house. But she could not find the house where no one had died. She got tired and helpless. This way she knew that the lives of mortals in this world are troubled and grieved. Mortals are always in danger of death. It is inevitable. The world is full of pain and suffering. It is afflicted with death and decay.

The Sermon at Benares Summary

1. Early life of Gautam Buddha: Siddhartha Gautama was a prince of north India. When he was twelve years-old, he was sent away for schooling. After four years, he was married to a princess. He was blessed with a son. Moved by the sufferings of the world: Gautam Buddha was moved by the sufferings of the world. While on hunting, he saw a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk begging for alms. These sights moved him.

2. To seek enlightenment: He was so much moved by these sufferings that he went out into the world to seek enlightenment. After wandering for seven years, he sat under a peepal tree and stayed there until he got enlightenment. He got enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and shared his teachings among the people. Now, he was known as the Buddha. He preached his first sermon in Benares on the bank of the River Ganges.

3. The story of Kisa Gotami: Kisa Gotami had only one son. He died. After his death, she took her son to her neighbours and asked them for medicine that could cure him. Although they told her that the boy was dead even then she did not adhere to.

4. A handful of mustard seed: Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha and told him to give medicine to cure her son. The Buddha told her to bring a handful of mustard seed. But the seed must be taken from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend. She went from house to house but did not get such house where no one had died.

5. Gotami became hopeless: After this, Gotami became weary and hopeless. She sat down at the wayside and watched the lights of the city. The light flickered up and extinguished again. This thing gave her a good lesson. Now she understood the fact that Death is common to all.

6. Buddha’s spirituality: The Buddha told that the life of mortals in this world is troubled and painful. No body can deny death. All are subject to death whether they are young or adult, fool or wise.

7. Terms of the world: The world is afflicted with death and decay. The wise people know the terms of the world. So, they do not grieve on the death of anyone. We can’t obtain the peace of mind by weeping or grieving. Those who have become composed will obtain peace of mind.

The Sermon at Benares Lesson at a Glance

1. This lesson gives a vivid account of the life of Gautam Buddha.
2. Gautam Buddha (563 BC – 483 BC) was bom in a royal family as Siddhartha Gautama in northern India.
3. He was sent for schooling when he was twelve-years old.
4. After four years, he was married to a princess.
5. At the age of twenty-five, he was deeply shaken by the sufferings of the world.
6. While he was hunting, he saw a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk begging for alms. He was completely moved by these sights.
7. He was so much moved with this that he went out into the world to seek enlightenment.
8. After wandering for seven years, he sat down under a peepal tree to seek enlightenment.
9. This tree was named as the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom).
10. He also came to be known as the Buddha (the Enlightened).
11. He preached his first sermon at Benares.
12. Once a woman, named Kisa Gotami came to him requesting to bring her dead son to life.
13. She went from house to house to get medicine to cure her child. But nobody could give her the
    medicine.
14. On the advise of people, she met Buddha and told her misery.
15. The Buddha told her to bring a handful of mustard seed but with the condition that the mustard seed must be taken from a house where no one had lost his near and dear ones, child, husband, parent or friend.
16. Kisa Gotami went from house to house but did not get the family like that where no one had died. At this she became weary and hopeless.
17. After this she could be able to understand that death is common to all.
18. According to Buddha, the life of mortals in this world is troubled, brief and combined with pain.
19. Mortals when bom are always in danger of death.
20. All people whether fool or wise are subject to death.
21. This world is affliced with death and decay. The wise people do not grieve knowing the terms of the world.

The Sermon at Benares Character Sketch

Gautam Buddha: Gautam Buddha was a prince. He was bom is 563 B.C. He studied Hindu sacred scriptures. When he was 25 years old, he saw a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession, and a monk begging for alms. Seeing this, he was totally moved. He left the luxuries of the world and wandered hither to thether. After seven years, he meditated under a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya and got enlightenment. It was the Tree of Wisdom. He preached his first sermon at Benares.

The Sermon at Benares Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
sermon	religious or moral talk	sacred	holy, spiritual
scriptures	sacred text	befitted	appropriate
royalty	nobility	shielded	covered
funeral	burial, last rites	alms	charity
enlightenment	high spiritual knowledge	witnessed	observed
vow	promise	preached	delivered a sermon
inscrutable	difficult to understand	repaired	(here) went to
procure	to obtain	flickered up	a faint or wavering light
extinguished	put out	desolation	sorrow, grief
immortality	endlessness	kinsmen	relatives
depart	to leave, to go	afflicted with	troubled with
slaughter	the killing of animal	lamentation	expression of sorrow
mortals	those bound to die

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 7(i) A Baker From Goa

JAC Class 10th English A Baker From Goa Textbook Questions and Answers

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 86)

Question 1.
What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?
Answer:
The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the good old Portuguese days, and their famous loaves of bread.

Question 2.
Is bread – making still popular in Goa? How do you know?
Answer:
Bread – making is still popular in Goa. The author says that the mixers, moulders, and those who bake the loaves are still present in Goa. The age – old, time – tested furnaces still exist. The ‘thud’ and ‘jingle’ of the traditional baker’s bamboo, marking his arrival in the morning, could still be heard in some places.

Question 3.
What is the baker called?
Answer:
The baker is known as pader in Goa.

Question 4.
When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?
Answer:
The baker would come twice a day. Once when he set out in the morning on his selling round, and then again, when he returned after emptying his huge basket. The children ran to meet him not because of their love of the loaves which were bought by the maid – servant of the house. They actually longed for the bread-bangles, which they chose carefully. Sometimes, it was a sweet bread of special make.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 87)

Question 1.
Match the following. What is a must

(i) as marriage gifts?	cakes and bolinhas
(ii) for a party or a feast?	sweet bread called bol
(iii) for a daughter s engagement? – bread	bread
(iv) for Christmas?	sandwiches

Answer:

(i) as marriage gifts?	sweet bread called bol
(ii) for a party or a feast?	bread
(iii) for a daughter s engagement? – bread	sandwiches
(iv) for Christmas?	cakes and bolinhas

Question 2.
What did the bakers wear:
1. in the Portuguese days?
2. when the author was young?
Answer:

1. In the Portuguese days, the bakers wore a peculiar dress known as kabai. It was a singlepiece long frock reaching down to the knees.
2. When the author was young, he saw the bakers wearing a shirt and trousers, which were shorter than full – length ones and longer than half pants.

Question 3.
Who invites the comment – “he is dressed like a pader”? Why?
Answer:
Anyone who wears a half – pant which reaches just below the knees invites the comment that “he is dressed like a pader”. This was so because the bakers were known as pader and they wore such half pants.

Question 4.
Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?
Answer:
The monthly accounts of the baker were recorded on the walls in pencil.

Question 5.
What does a ‘jackfruit – like physical appearance’ mean?
Answer:
A ‘jackfruit – like physical appearance’ means a plump physique. Such a physique was linked to the bakers because they never starved. Baking was a profitable profession

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
Which of these statements are correct?
1. The pader was an important person in the village in old times.
2. Paders still exist in Goan villages.
3. The paders went away with the Portuguese.
4. The paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock.
5. Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days.
6. Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business.
7. Paders and their families starve in the present times.
Answer:

1. Correct,
2. Correct,
3. Incorrect,
4. Incorrect,
5. Correct,
6. Correct,
7. Incorrect

Question 2.
Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this?
Answer:
Bread is an important part of Goan life, because on all the auspicious occasions, bol and sweet bread are used. For a party, bread is a must, while for Christmas, cakes and bolinhas are a must. Sandwiches must be prepared by the lady of the house on her daughter’s engagement. The author says that everybody loves the fragrance of loaves.

Question 3.
Tick the right answer. What is the tone of the author when he says the following?
1. The thud and the jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo can still be heard in some places, (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)
2. Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession, (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)
3. I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves, (nostalgic, hopeful, naughty)
4. The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (naughty, angry, funny)
5. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals, (sad, hopeful, matter-of-fact)
6. The baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous, (matter-of-fact, hopeful, sad)
Answer:

1. nostalgic
2. hopeful
3. nostalgic
4. funny
5. matter – of – fact
6. matter – of – fact

Writing

Question 1.
In this extract, the author talks about traditional bread-baking during his childhood days. Complete the following table with the help of the clues on the left. Then write a paragraph about the author’s childhood days.

Clues	Author’s childhood days
the way bread was baked	–
the way the pader sold bread	–
what the pader wore	–
when the pader was paid	–
how the pader looked	–

Answer:

Clues	Author’s childhood days
the way bread was baked	in the furnace
the way the pader sold bread	wandering in the streets having the basket on the head
what the pader wore	shirt and trousers
when the pader was paid	at the end of the month
how the pader looked	happy and prosperous

Author’s Childhood Days
When the author was young, the bakers of Goa loved to make and sell the loaves of bread. They baked them in the furnaces. A baker came daily to the author’s house twice a day. He came there with the jingling of sound. The author and the other children longed for bread – bangles. The children peeped through the basket climbing on railing and benches. On the auspicious occasions like marriage, bols were prepared. The bakers used a unique dress called kabai. They collected their amounts at the end of the month. It was in reality, a profitable profession.

Question 2.
Compare the piece from the text (on the left below) with the other piece on Goan bakers (on the right). What makes the two texts so different? Are the facts the same? Do both writers give you a picture of the baker?
Our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread. Those eaters of loaves might have vanished hut the makers are still there. We still have amongst us the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves. Those age- old. lime – tested furnaces still exist. The lire in the furnaces has not vet been extinguished. The thud and jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo, heralding his arrival in the morning, can still be heard in some places.

Maybe the lather is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession. After (ioa’s liberation, people used to say nostalgically that the Portuguese bread vanished with the paders. But the paders hav e managed to surv iv e because they have perfected the art of door – to – door delivery serv ice. The paders pick up the knowledge of bread-making from traditions in the family. The leavened, oven-baked bread is a gilt ol’ihe Portuguese to India. [Adapted from Nandakumar Kamat’s The unsung Lives of Goan Paders’]
Answer:
The topics of both texts are the same but their description varies. The first text gives more extensive history of baking. It is well-knitted. The second text gives short description about the bakers of Goa and their contribution. This text also tells about their profession in detail. Both the writers give a picture of the baker. In the first text, source has not been mentioned, but in the second text, it is mentioned.

Question 3.
Now find a travel brochure about a place you have visited. Look at the description in the brochure. Then write your own account, adding details from your own experience, to give the reader a picture of the place, rather than an impersonal, factual description.
Answer:
I visited the Taj Mahal, Agra, recently. It is one of the seven wonders of the world. It was built between 1631 and 1648 by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Agra is well connected by road to Delhi. From Delhi it is 210km. Hotel Sidhartha – Western Gate, Taj Mahal 600800. Several restaurants in Agra serve awesome Mughal, Indian and Chinese cuisines. Angoori Petha is famous in this city. Handicraft items, Chilean embroidery, Pietra Dura are also famous.

Group Discussion

Question 1.
In groups, collect information on how bakeries bake bread now and how the process has changed over time.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

Question 2.
There are a number of craft-based professions which are dying out. Pick one of the crafts below. Make a group presentation to the class about the skills required, and the possible reasons for the decline of the craft. Can you think of ways to revive these crafts?
(i) Pottery
(ii) Batik work
(iii) Dhurri (rug) weaving
(iv) Embroidery
(v) Carpentry
(vi) Bamboo weaving
(vii) Making jute products
(viii) Handloom
Answer:
Do it yourself.

JAC Class 10th English A Baker From Goa Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
Elucidate the statement ‘Baking was, indeed, a profitable profession’.
Answer:
In old days, baking used to be a profitable profession. The baker and his family lived happily and prosperously. Their plump physique was a testimony to it.

Question 2.
What shows the existence of Portuguese impact still in Goa?
Answer:
Goa was once occupied by the Portuguese. They were very skilled in baking bread loaves. Though they left Goa long ago, their traditional work of baking is still pervasive. The age- old, time-tested furnaces are still used.

Question 3.
What do the narrator and the people of his time still have among them?
Answer:
The narrator and the people of his time still have the mixture, the moulders and those who bake the loaves among them.

Question 4.
How did the baker attract the children?
Answer:
The baker attracted the children not by his jingle or by the loaves of bread he sold but by the bread bangles or the special sweet bread he sold.

Question 5.
Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?
Answer:
The baker maintained his monthly accounts on the walls. He usually collected his bills at the end of the month.

Question 6.
What did the children do after coming of the baker?
Answer:
After coming of the baker, the children got excited. After hearing the jhang-jhang sound of the baker, they ran towards them. They peeped into the basket climbing on the railings and benches.

Question 7.
What was the importance of a baker among the villagers?
Answer:
The baker has great importance among the villagers. The baker made sweet bread. It was known as bol. It was very popular among the villagers.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
How was the baker a friend, companion and guide to the children?
Answer:
The jingling thud of the baker’s bamboo used to wake the children up during his morning round. They all would run to meet and greet him. The narrator said that it was not because of the bread loaves but for the bread bangles which would sometimes be sweet bread with special make that they longed for.

Question 2.
Why did the children not care to brush their teeth or wash their mouths properly?
Answer:
The children would wake up on listening the jingling thud of the pader in the morning. Then
they used to run to meet and greet him. In the process, they did not even care to brush their teeth or wash their mouths. To support this act, the narrator made the point that a tiger never brushed his teeth and a cup of hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely.

Question 3.
Baking was considered essential in a traditional Goan village. What reasons does the writer give to support his point?
Answer:
In Goa, no festival is complete without bakery products. It is used in marriages, engagements and other ceremonies. Traditional sweet bread, known as ‘boV is to be given with marriage gifts. At Christmas ‘bolinhcts’ and cakes are a must.

Question 4.
Even today any person with a jackfruit-like physical appearance is easily compared to a baker. Explain.
Answer:
Bread – making is a prosperous business in Goa. The physique of the baker, i.e., his plump and round body are testimony to that. Therefore, anyone who is fat and plump just like a jackfruit is easily compared to a baker.

Question 5.
Comment on the significance of a bread baker in a traditional Goan village.
Answer:
Bread is a permanent item of a Goan meal and the baker is an important member of the Goan community. Sweet bread ‘bol’ is a special delicacy. It is served at festivals. Cakes and bolinhas are special items served at Christmas. A baker’s furnace is therefore indispensable in a traditional Goan village.

Question 6.
What was the peculiar dress of the bakers during the Portuguese days?
Answer:
During the Portuguese days, the bakers wore a peculiar dress called the ‘kabai’. It was a frock in a single piece, reaching upto the knees. During his childhood, the author had seen the bakers wearing shirts with trousers that were longer than half pants, but shorter than a full length one

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Describe the childhood memories of the author’s time in Goa and his fondness for loaves of bread and cakes.
Answer:
The author tells us that bread has been an indispensable part of the life of the Goan people since the time of the Portuguese. It is a part not only of everyday life but also of festive occasions and events. For each occasion there was a special kind of bread. The baker has a leading role in the society. It is so important in the life of the Goans that they got up with the jingling sound of his bamboo. He also tells us that in the author’s childhood, the baker wore a shirt and trousers. The author seems to be very observant. He says that in those days, the baker was very prosperous and never starved. He also knew that they maintained monthly bills on the walls. Such strong observation powers would definitely be beneficial for children as they would become aware of citizens of their neighbourhood.

Question 2.
Should we learn from the history that has passed on to us from generations?
Answer:
History is the mirror through which we can remember our past. It actually provides a path that our ancestors have laid for us. The various battles and wars, that were fought and won, show us the strength and valour our people had. The traditions and customs make us a better human being. ‘A Baker from Goa’ is a pen-portrait of a traditional Goan village baker who still has an important place in the society. The paders pick up the knowledge of bread baking from traditions in the family. The leavened, oven-baked bread is a gift of the Portuguese to India. These traditions have strengthened our present.

Question 3.
After reading the story ‘A Baker from Goa’, do you think our traditions, heritage, values and practices are the roots that nourish us? Why/Why not?
Answer:
‘A Baker from Goa’ highlights the importance of the traditional practice of making loaves of bread for every occasion and festival of the Goan people. This tradition continues even today. This shows how our traditional practices can keep us to our past and heritage. Traditional values shape our personality and also provide us emotional support. They enable us to face difficult situations and make us mentally strong. Traditional practices also have an impact on our behavioral pattern towards the other people in society.

Question 4.
During our childhood in Goa, the baker used to be our friend, companion and guide. He used to come at least twice a day. Once when he set out in the morning on his round and then again, when he returned after emptying his huge basket. The jingling thud of his bomboo woke us up from sleep and we ran to meet and greet him. On the basis of the given passage write how was the baker a friend, companion and a guide to the narrator?
Answer:
Through this passage the author wants to highlight the importance of baker in his childhood days. The thud and jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo heralds his arrival in the morning. The baker came at least twice a day, in the morning they came for selling and then they returned after emptying his huge basket. They ran all around to meet and greet the people. The narrator said that it was not because of the bread loaves but for the bread bangles which would sometimes be sweet bread with special make that they longed for.

Bakers were mainly the friends of children especially the narrator. The narrator enjoyed his childhood days with the bakers. The activities of the village started with their arrival. They sold bread from door – to – door. The children woke up hearing the jingling thud of the bamboo of bakers. All these things signalled their arrival in the village. They were just not only the friend and companion of the narrator but also guide too. They showed them the path to glory.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread. Those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there. We still have amongst us the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who is the author of the given extract?
(i) Lokesh Abrol
(ii) Arup Kumar Dutta
(iii) Lucio Rodrigues
(iv) Katherine Mansfield
Answer:
(iii) Lucio Rodrigues

(b) What are the elders nostalgic about?
(i) Their style of living
(ii) Old Portuguese days and their loaves of bread
(iii) Their dress sense
(iv) Their way of talking
Answer:
(ii) Old Portuguese days and their loaves of bread

(c) The eaters of loaves might have …………………. but the makers are still there.
(i) vanished
(ii) appeared
(iii) come
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) vanished

(d) Which things are still amongst us?
(i) The mixers
(ii) The moulders
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘longing for the past.’
(i) memory
(ii) nostalgic
(iii) remembrance
(iv) forgetfulness
Answer:
(ii) nostalgic

Question 2.
During our childhood in Goa, the baker used to be our friend, companion and guide. He used to come at least twice a day. Once, when he set out in the morning on his selling round, and then again, when he returned after emptying his huge basket. The jingling thud of his bamboo woke us up from sleep and we ran to meet and greet him.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Who used to be the author’s friend, companion and guide during his childhood in Goa?
(i) The baker
(ii) The shopkeeper
(iii) The teacher
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) The baker

(b) What woke the children up from their sleep?
(i) The jingling thud of bamboo
(ii) The ringing of bell
(iii) The chirping of birds
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) The jingling thud of bamboo

(c) The baker used to come …………………… twice a day.
(i) at least
(ii) frequently
(iii) at interval
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) at least

(d) When did the backer set out on his selling round?
(i) Evening
(ii) Morning
(iii) Night
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Morning

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘vacant.’
(i) full
(ii) load
(iii) empty
(iv) worthwhile
Answer:
(iii) empty

Question 3.
The baker made his musical entry on the scene with the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound of his specially made bamboo staff. One hand supported the basket on his head and the other banged the bamboo on the ground. He would greet the lady of the house with “Good morning” and then place his basket on the vertical bamboo. We kids would be pushed aside with a mild rebuke and the loaves would be delivered to the servant. But we would not give up. We would climb a bench or the parapet and peep into the basket, somehow. I can still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. Loaves for the elders and the bangles for the children.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who made his musical entry on the scene with the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound?
(i) The children
(ii) The elders of the village
(iii) The baker
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) The baker

(b) How did the baker greet the lady of the house?
(i) Saying ‘Good morning’
(ii) Saying ‘How are you’
(iii) Saying ‘Good bye’
(iv) Both (ii) and (iii)
Answer:
(i) Saying ‘Good morning’

(c) Pushing aside the kids, the loaves were delivered to the ……………………
(i) house owner
(ii) women of the hosue
(iii) servant
(iv) old men
Answer:
(iii) servant

(d) For whom were the loaves and the bangles made?
(i) Loaves for children and bangles for the ladies
(ii) Loaves for the elders and bangles for the children
(iii) Loaves for the ladies only
(iv) Both (i) and (iii)
Answer:
(ii) Loaves for the elders and bangles for the children

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘scold’.
(i) praise
(ii) acquaint
(iii) repent
(iv) rebuke
Answer:
(iv) rebuke

Question 4.
The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. Monthly accounts used to be recorded on some wall in pencil. Baking was indeed a profitable profession in the old days. The baker and his family never starved. He, his family and his servants always looked happy and prosperous. Their plump physique was an open testimony to this. Even today any person with a jackfruit – like physical appearance is easily compared to a baker.

Choose the correct option:
(a) When did the baker usually collect his bills?
(i) In the starting of the month
(ii) In the mid of the month
(iii) At the end of the month
(iv) At the end of the year
Answer:
(iii) At the end of the month

(b) Where were monthly accounts recorded?
(i) On some wall in pencil
(ii) On plain paper
(iii) In notebooks
(iv) In diaries
Answer:
(ii) On plain paper

(c) ……………………… was indeed a profitable profession in the old days?
(i) Cooking
(ii) Serving
(iii) Writing
(iv) Baking
Answer:
(iv) Baking

(d) Who always looked happy and prosperous?
(i) The baker
(ii) The baker, his family and servants
(iii) The relatives of the baker
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) The baker, his family and servants

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘evidence’.
(i) disproof
(ii) contradiction
(iii) contravention
(iv) testimony
Answer:
(iv) testimony

A Baker From Goa Summary

A Baker From Goa About the Author

• Lucio Rodrigues (1916 – 73) was one of the literary geniuses of Goa.
• He was an authority on Goan folklores and wrote a number of articles on the same.
• He wrote in both English and Konkani languages.
• The element of humour is prevalent in his writing. His writing had been more effective.
• His essays and translation were published under the title ‘Soil and Soul ’ and ‘Konkani Folktales

A Baker From Goa Gist of the Lesson

In the lesson ‘A Baker from Goa the author has presented a pen – portrait of the bakers of Goa. He reminisces about his childhood days in Goa when a baker used to visit their houses. The Portuguese who live in Goa are famous for preparing the loaves of bread. This business is still in practice in Goa. Those who carry on this business are known as ‘Pader’. The children ran either to meet or to look into his basket climbing on railing and benches. The loaves were purchased by the manservant of the house. The villagers were much fond of the sweet bread known as ‘bob. Bol is used even in marriages. It wras used on all auspicious occasions. The bakers’ furnace in the village was the most essential thing. The lady of the house prepared sandwiches on the occasion of her daughter’s engagement. In those days, the bread sellers wore a particular dress known as ‘Kabai’. It was a single piece long frock up to the knees. The dress code made them distinct and different personalities. In the old days, baking was a profitable profession. The bakers took care of their families in a proper way.

A Baker From Goa Summary

portrait of Goan village: The story ‘A Baker from Goa’ is a pen-portrait of a traditional village baker of Goa. They still hold an important place in the society. The elders still remember about the good old Portuguese days and the loaves of bread of Goa. The time – tested furnaces still exist. The thud and jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo heralds his arrival in the morning. This sound can still be heard in some places. The son still carries on the family profession in the absence of their father. These bakers are known as pader in Goa.

1. Childhood days of the author: During the childhood of the author, the baker was considered to be his friend, companion and guide. He used to come to his house at least twice a day. The jing-jing thud of the bamboo of baker woke up all the people in the morning. The children ran to meet and greet him.

2. Entry of the baker: The baker made his musical entry on the scene with the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound of the bamboo. The baker used to greet the lady of the house saying ‘Good Morning’. Children were pushed aside and the loaves were delivered to the servant. The children started eating loaves of bread with tea without caring for their toothbrush.

3. Important occasions: Without bol, (the sweet bread) marriage gifts were meaningless. On each occasion, bread was considered to be important. On the occasion of the engagement of daughter, the lady of the house prepared sandwiches. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas and other festivals.

4. Dress of the baker: The baker used to wear a peculiar dress. It was known as the kabai. It was a single – piece long frock upto the knees. The bakers wore a shirt and trousers which were shorter than full – length and longer than half pants. Even now the people who wear half pants below the knees are called pader.

5. Profitable profession and happy life: Baking was a profitable profession. Monthly accounts were maintained on the wall with a pencil. They led a happy and contented life. Their prosperity and happy life can be seen from their plump physique.

A Baker From Goa Lesson at a Glance

1. ‘A Baker from Goa’’ is a pen – portrait of a traditional Goan village baker.
2. They still hold an important place in the society.
3. The elders of Goa are nostalgic about those good old Portuguese days, and the loaves of bread.
4. The eaters of Goa might have vanished but the bakers still persist.
5. The thud and jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo heralds his arrival in the morning.
6. After the death of father, the son carries on the family profession.
7. These bakers are known as pader in Goa.
8. The baker of Goa would greet the lady of the house with ‘Good morning’.
9. Loaves are for the elders and the bangles are for the children.
10. Without bol, (the sweet bread) marriage gifts are meaningless.
11. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals.
12. The baker of those days had a peculiar dress known as the Kabai, a single-piece long frock down to the knees.
13. Baking was really a lucrative profession in the old days.

A Baker From Goa Character Sketch

The Baker of Goa: The baker of Goa occupies an important place in Goan’s life. They wore a peculiar dress during the Portuguese days known as ‘Kabai.’ Early morning, the baker made his musical entry on the scene with the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound. In due course of time, the baker started wearing a shirt and trousers. Their family led a happy and prosperous life in the old days. They were financially sound. The sweet bread, i.e., bols are still used on the occasion of marriages, Christmas festival etc.

A Baker From Goa Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
pen – portrait	an informal description of a person	reminiscing	recollecting past events
nostalgically	longing for the past	vanished	disappeared
furnace	an enclosed structure in which material can be heated	extinguished	destroyed
thud	a low dull sound	jingle	a kind of sound
heralding	announcing, indicating	greet	sign of welcome
vertical	upright	fragrance	a pleasant smell
parapet	wall, railing	rebuke	scold
profitable	beneficial	prosperous	flourishing
Plump physique	full rounded shape	testimony	evidence
bolinhas	a kind of sweet	baker	who bakes bread
companion	friend	moulders	wasters
open testimony	public statement about character or quality	meaningless	which has no meaning

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 7(ii) Coorg

JAC Class 10th English Coorg Textbook Questions and Answers

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
Where is Coorg?
Answer:
Coorg is a small district of Karnataka. It is located midway between Mysore and Mangalore.

Question 2.
What is the story about the Kodavu people’s descent?
Answer:
There is a story behind it. The fiercely independent people of Coorg are possibly of Greek or Arabic descent. A group of Alexander’s army moved south along the coast. They settled there because it was quite impossible for them to return. So these people married amongst the locals. Their culture is evident in the martial traditions. The Kodavus wear a long, black coat, with an embroidered waist-belt. It is known as kuppia. It resembles the kuffia worn by the Arabs and the Kurds.

Question 3.
What are some of the things you now know about
1. the people of Coorg?
2. the main crop of Coorg?
3. the sports it offers to tourists?
4. the animals you are likely to see in Coorg?
5. its distance from Bangalore, and how to get there?
Answer:

1. The people of Coorg are fiercely independent. They love and enjoy hospitality. They feel proud in telling numerous stories of valour relating to their sons and fathers.
2. Coffee is the main cash crop of Coorg.
3. Coorg offers to tourists many sports like river rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing, mountain biking, and trekking.
4. The animals that are likely to be seen in Coorg are birds, bees, butterflies, macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs, slender loris and wild elephants.
5. The distance between Coorg and Bangalore is around 250 – 260 km. There are two routes to Coorg from Bangalore and both are of the same distance. We can get there by rail, air and road.

Question 4.
Here are six sentences with some words in italics. Find phrases from the text that have
the same meaning. (Look in the paragraphs indicated)
1. During monsoons it rains so heavily that tourists do not visit Coorg. (para 2)
2. Some people say that Alexander’s army moved south along the coast and settled there, (para 3)
3. The Coorg people are always ready to tell stories of their sons’ and fathers’ valour, (para 4)
4. Even people who normally lead an easy and slow life get smitten by the high-energy adventure sports of Coorg. (para 6)
5. The theory of the Arab origin is supported by the long coat with embroidered waist-belt they wear, (para 3)
6. Macaques, Malabar squirrels observe you carefully from the tree canopy, (para 7)
Ans.

1. keep away
2. as one story goes
3. more than willing to recount
4. the most laidback individuals become converts
5. draws support from
6. keep a watchful eye

Thinking about Language

Collocations Certain words ‘go together’. Such ‘word friends’ are called collocations. The collocation of a word is ‘the company it keeps’. For example, look at the paired sentences and phrases below. Which is a common collocation, and which one is odd? Strike out the odd sentence or phrase.
(a)

• ‘How old are you?’
• ‘How young are you?’

(b)

• a pleasant person
• a pleasant pillow

1. Here are some nouns from the text.

culture

monks

surprise

experience

weather

tradition

Work with a partner and discuss which of the nouns can collocate with which of the adjectives given below. The first one has been done for you.

unique

terrible

unforgettable

serious

ancient

wide

sudden

1. culture : unique culture, ancient culture
2. monks: ……………………………..
3. surprise : …………………………..
4. experience : ……………………….
5. weather : ……………………………
6. tradition : ………………………….
Answer:

1. culture : unique culture, ancient culture
2. monks : serious monks, ancient monks
3. surprise : sudden surprise, terrible surprise, unforgettable surprise
4. experience : unique experience, wide experience
5. weather : terrible weather, unique weather
6. tradition : unique tradition, ancient tradition

Question 2.
Complete the following phrases from the text. For each phrase, can you find at least one other word that would fit into the blank?
1. tales of …………..
2. coastal ………….
3. a piece of
4. evergreen
5. plantations
6. bridge
7. wild
You may add your own examples to this list.
Answer:
From the text

1. tales of valour
2. coastal town
3. a piece of heaven
4. evergreen rainforests
5. coffee plantations
6. rope bridge
7. wild elephants

JAC Class 10th English Coorg Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
Elucidate that Coorgis are hospitable by nature.
Answer:
Coorgis homes have a tradition of hospitality. They keep their guests entertained and energetic by telling them numerous tales of valour related to their sons and fathers.

Question 2.
According to the chapter, which two descents to which people of Coorg belong to are talked about?
Answer:
The fiercely independent people of Coorg are possibly of Greek or Arabic descent.

Question 3.
How can a person get panoramic view of the misty landscape of Coorg?
Answer:
To get a panoramic view of the misty landscape of Coorg, tourists are advised to climb to the Brahamagiri hills.

Question 4.
What type of place is Coorg?
Answer:
Coorg is a very beautiful place. It appears as if it were drifted from the kingdom of God. It is famous for evergreen rainforests, coffee plantation and spices.

Question 5.
Why is Coorg called the ‘land of rolling hills’?
Answer:
Coorg is called the ‘land of rolling hills’ because the city is situated on the gentle sloping hills. The entire area is covered with these hills.

Question 6.
What sort of adventures tourists enjoy at the Coorg?
Answer:
Tourists over there enjoy river rafting, canoeing, rock climbing, biking etc. Elephant riding also lures the tourists.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
Write in brief about the wildlife of Coorg.
Answer:
Mahaseer – a large freshwater fish – abound in the waters from the hills and forests of Coorg. Kingfishers dive for their catch. Squirrels and langurs drop partially eaten fruit for the mischief of enjoying the splash and the ripple effect in the clear water. Elephants enjoy being bathed and scrubbed in the river by their mahouts. Macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs and slender loris keep a watchful eye from the tree canopy.

Question 2.
Why are the people of Coorg known as the descendants of the Arabs?
Answer:
The people of Coorg are also known as the descendants of Arabs because of the long black coat worn by them with an embroidered waist band. This is called kuppia in Coorg. It resembles the kuffia worn by the Arabs and Kurds.

Question 3.
The people of Coorg have a tradition of courage and bravery. How has it been depicted in the lesson?
Answer:
The Coorg people are highly energetic, enthusiastic and courageous. The tales of valour are related to their sons and fathers. The Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army. The first Chief of Indian Army, General K.M. Cariappa, was a Coorgi. Even now Kodavus are the only people in India permitted to carry firearms without a license..

Question 4.
Why has Coorg been referred to as ‘a piece of heaven drifted from the kingdom of God’?
Answer:
Coorg is often referred to as a small piece of heaven. It is only because of its natural beauty, its evergreen forest, rolling hills, coffee plantations and spice trees. The freshness of the natural surroundings is further enhanced by the aroma of coffee.

Question 5.
Throw some light on the vast biodiversity of Coorg.
Answer:
The evergreen forests of Coorg enclose vast treasures of flora and fauna. It is a home to squirrels, langurs, kingfishers, elephants, slender loris, bees and butterflies. The spice and coffee plantations, further add to its vast biodiversity.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Describe the evergreen rainforests, the river Kaveri and coffee plantation in Coorg.
Answer:
Coorg or Kodagu is a land of rolling hills and evergreen rainforests. The rainforests cover
thirty per cent of this district. Here, it rains a lot during the monsoons. The hills and the rainforests are the sources of water for the river Kaveri. Mahaseer, a large freshwater fish, abounds in these waters. The forests of Coorg have a rich flora and fauna. Birds, bees, butterflies, Malabar squirrels, langurs and wild elephants find their shelter in these rainforests. The air breathes of invigorating coffee. Coffee estates and colonial bungalows stand tucked under tree canopies in prime comers.

Question 2.
How has the author depicted the natural beauty of Coorg in the lesson?
Answer:
Coorg is a small state in Karnataka. It lies between Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore. The author has depicted the natural beauty of Coorg in the lesson in a very beautiful manner. It looks like a piece of heaven that must have been drifted from the kingdom of God. It is a home of evergreen rainforests, coffee plantations and spices. The Kaveri river flows through the land of Coorg. This place lures the tourists. They enjoy the bounty of nature. Birds, butterflies, Malabar squirrels, langurs and slender loris do recreation of the visitors. The climb to the Brahmagiri hills brings a panoramic view of the entire landscape. It really seems to be a piece of heaven.

Question 3.
Coorg seems to share a lot of historical perspectives. Is such kind of historical knowledge important for us? Also write the values related with it.
Answer:
It is important for us to know about the history and deep-rooted cultural background of our country and cultural heritage. We become aware of the fact that our culture has always welcomed people from other cultures and absorbed them into its own. It spreads the message of tolerance which is very important in today’s world. The elements of bravery and unity are prevalent in Coorg people. The Coorg people are outsiders even then they accepted our culture and history in proper way.

Question 4.
Coorgi homes have a tradition of hospitality and they are more than willing to recount numerous tales of valour related to their sons and fathers. What general tradition does Coorgi homes have? Discuss it with reference to the passage.
Answer:
Coorgi people are famous for their tradition of hospitality. They give due respect to their guests. They help them with the core of their heart. The people of Coorg are fiercely independent. They love and enjoy hospitality. They feel proud in telling numerous stories of valour relating to their sons and fathers. The Coorgi people are highly energetic, enthusiastic and courageous. Their culture is very rich.

They keep their guests entertained and energetic by telling them the stories of their valour. The first Army Chief of Independent India, General K.M. Cariappa was also a Coorgi. He was also very bold and courageous. The Coorgi people recount the stories of valour and courage to their new generation to acquaint them with achievements of their ancestors. This inculcates good values in their children and teaches them how to deal with the difficult situation in difficult times.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Coorg, or Kodagu, the smallest district of Karnataka, is home to evergreen rainforests, spices and coffee plantations. Evergreen rainforests cover thirty per cent of this district. During the monsoons, it pours enough to keep many visitors away. The season of joy commences from September and continues till March. The weather is perfect, with some showers thrown in for good measure. The air breathes of invigorating coffee. Coffee estates and colonial bungalows stand tucked under tree canopies in prime comers.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Coorg, or Kodagu is the smallest district of
(i) Madhya Pradesh
(ii) Karnataka
(iii) West Bengal
(iv) Tamil Nadu
Answer:
(ii) Karnataka

(b) How much area of the evergreen rainforests does this district cover?
(i) 30%
(ii) 40%
(iii) 45%
(iv) 50%
Answer:
(i) 30%

(c) The best season for visiting Coorg begins from and continues till March.
(i) August
(ii) September
(iii) October
(iv) November
Answer:
(ii) September

(d) What does the air breathe of?
(i) Tea
(ii) Invigorating coffee
(iii) Milk
(iv) Curd
Answer:
(ii) Invigorating coffee

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘begins’.
(i) finish
(ii) late
(iii) end
(iv) commences
Answer:
(iv) commences

Question 2.
The fiercely independent people of Coorg are possibly of Greek or Arabic descent. As one story goes, a part of Alexander’s army moved south along the coast and settled here when return became impractical. These people married amongst the locals and their culture is apparent in the martial traditions, marriage and religious rites, which are distinct from the Hindu mainstream.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Whom do the Coorg people marry?
(i) Locals
(ii) Foreigners
(iii) People of other states
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Locals

(b) The culture of Coorg is apparent in the martial traditions, marriage and
(i) social rites
(ii) religious rites
(iii) both (i) and (ii)
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) religious rites

(c) The people of Coorg are of or descent.
(i) Greek, Arabic
(ii) French, Portuguese
(iii) British, Indian
(iv) Russian, British
Answer:
(iii) British, Indian

(d) According to the passage, whose a part of army settled here?
(i) Porus
(ii) Alexander
(iii) Napolean
(iv) Louis – XIV
Answer:
(ii) Alexander

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘uncommon.’
(i) rational
(ii) rescue
(iii) mainstream
(iv) unique
Answer:
(iii) mainstream

Question 3.
Coorgi homes have a tradition of hospitality, and they are more than willing to recount numerous tales of valour related to their sons and fathers. The Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army, and the first Chief of the Indian Army, General Cariappa, was a Coorgi. Even now, Kodavus are the only people in India permitted to cany firearms without a licence.
Choose the correct option:
(a) What general tradition does Coorgi people have?
(i) Hospitality
(ii) Cordiality
(iii) Loneliness
(iv) Loveliness
Answer:
(i) Hospitality

(b) What do the Coorgi people recount?
(i) Tales of valour related to their sons and fathers
(ii) Tales of discipline
(iii) Tales of honesty and justice
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Tales of valour related to their sons and fathers

(c) The Coorg Regiment is one of the most in the Indian Army.
(i) quoted
(ii) directed
(iii) decorated
(iv) highlighted
Answer:
(iii) decorated

(d) What is the specialty of the Kodavus, according to the passage?
(i) They can attack their enemies violently.
(ii) They are the only people in India who are permitted to carry firearms without a licence.
(iii) They are very weak.
(iv) They do nothing for anybody.
Answer:
(ii) They are the only people in India who are permitted to carry firearms without a licence.

(c) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘recap’.
(i) hide
(ii) withhold
(iii) confuse
(iv) recount
Answer:
(iv) recount

Question 4.
The river, Kaveri, obtains its water from the hills and forests of Coorg. Mahaseer — a large freshwater fish — abound in these waters. Kingfishers dive for their catch, while squirrels and langurs drop partially eaten fruit for the mischief of enjoying the splash and the ripple effect in the clear water. Elephants enjoy being bathed and scrubbed in the river by their mahouts.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Which river obtains its water from the hills and forests of Coorg?
(i) Krishna
(ii) Bcas
(iii) Kaveri
(iv) Godavari
Answer:
(iii) Kaveri

(b) Which freshwater fish abounds in these waters?
(i) Mahaseer
(ii) Catfish
(iii) Cichid
(iv) Loaches
Answer:
(i) Mahaseer

(c) Elephants are scrubbcd in the river by their .
(i) boss
(ii) mahouts
(iii) master
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) mahouts

(d) Which fish dives for their catch?
(i) Hilas
(ii) Gold fish
(iii) Common carp
(iv) Kingfisher
Answer:
(iv) Kingfisher

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘to get in.’
(i) disdain
(ii) contain
(iii) obtain
(iv) ascertain
Answer:
(iii) obtain

Coorg About the Author

Lokesh Abrol is a prolific writer. He is also a consultant of Internal Medicine and a social entrepreneur. In 1991, he established Gurgaon’s first multispeciality hospital and emergency team. He is the Director of Hult Prize India. He is also the Founder Director of Aravindam Foundation and Aster. Abrol also established Gurukul Kalpataru for non-formal education of slum children in Indian arts, crafts, etc. He has contributed a number of articles in ‘Outlook Traveller’, ‘Discover India’’ and ‘Incredible India’. He has written a lot on tourism and travelling also “Coorg” is considered to be his best work.

Coorg Gist of the Lesson

In this lesson, the narrator has given a vivid description of Coorg, a heavenly place which lies between Mysore and Mangalore. It is a rural district in Karnataka. It has evergreen forests, spices and coffee plantations. Different kinds of animals are also found here. The best season is between September and March when the weather is perfect for a visit to Coorg.

The Coorg people are of Greek or Arabic descent. It is rumoured that a part of Alexander’s army drifted here and found it impossible to return. They married the locals. That is why their traditions and rites are different from other Indians. The Coorgis are known for their hospitality and recount many tales of bravery. General K.M. Cariappa, the first Army Chief was a Coorgi. The Kodavus are the only people in India to carry firearms without a license.

A variety of wildlife like the Mahaseer – a large freshwater fish, kingfishers, squirrels, langurs and elephants, etc., are found there. Coorgis are highly energetic. They do adventures like river rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock-climbing, etc. The Brahmagiri hills give the climber a panoramic view of Coorg. A walk across the rope bridge leads to the sixty-four acre island of Nisargadhama. Bylakuppe in Coorg is India’s largest settlement of Buddhist monks. These Buddhist monks can be seen here. They are dressed in red, ochre and yellow robes. Narration

Coorg Summary

1. Description of Coorg: Coorg or Kodagu is the smallest district of Karnataka. It lies between Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore. This land is abound with evergreen rainforests, spices and coffee plantations. On this land, the season of joy begins from September and continues upto March. During the monsoons, it rains heavily. That is why so many visitors keep away from this place.

2. The origin of Coorg: The people of Coorg belonged to Greek or Arabic descent. There is a story behind it. When a part of Alexander’s army moved towards south coast and settled there, they could not return to their native place. These people married amongst the locals. Their culture is reflected in the martial traditions, marriages and religious rites. The black long coat worn with waist-belt is worn by the Kodavus. It is also known as Kuppia. It is like Kuffia worn by the Arabs and the Kurds. Tradition of

3. hospitality: Coorgi people are famous for their tradition of hospitality. A number of tales of bravery are related to their sons and fathers.

4. Famous Coorgi Regiment: In the Indian Army, the Coorg Regiment is very famous. General Cariappa, the first chief of the Indian Army was also a Coorgi. In our country, only Kodavus are permitted to carry firearms without a licence.

5. Activities around the Coorg area: There are hectic activities around the Coorg area. Mahasheer, kingfishers, squirrels and langurs are found in abundance. Elephants are being bathed in the river by the mahouts. River rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing and mountain biking are the main activities of the Coorg area. Birds, bees and butterflies are also there to give company. Macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs etc. keep a watchful eye from the tree.

6. Panoramic view: The Brahmagiri hills gives a panoramic view of the landscape of Coorg. There is a rope bridge that leads to the island of Nisaragadhama. Near Bylakuppe, the monks in red, ochre and yellow robes give more surprise to the visitors.

Coorg Lesson at a Glance

1. Coorg or Kodagu, the smallest district of Karnataka is famous for evergreen rainforests, spices and coffee plantations.
2. It is located between Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore.
3. This land is inhabited by a proud race of martial men, beautiful women etc.
4. 30% area of the district is covered with evergreen forests.
5. September to March is the season of joy there.
6. The independent people of Coorg are of Greek or Arabic descent.
7. The Kodavus wear kuppia (kuffia) which were earlier worn by the Arabs and the Kurds.
8. They have a tradition of hospitality. Numerous stories of valour are related to their sons and daughters.
9. The Coorg Regiment is the most prestigious and decorated in the Indian Army.
10. General Cariappa, the first chief of the Indian Army was a Coorgi.
11. In India, Kodavus are the only people who are permitted to carry firearms without a licence.
12. Macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs and slender loris are mainly found there.
13. The Brahmagiri hills gives us a panoramic view of the entire landscape of Coorg.

Coorg Character Sketch

The Coorgi People: The Coorgi people are entirely different. Coorg, or Kodagu, the smallest district of Karnataka is their home. Their traditions, marriages and rituals are entirely different from the Hindu customs. According to some, they are considered to be of Arabic descent. But some others think that they are of Greek origin. The Coorgis wear a long, black coat with an embroidered waist – best. It resembles Kuffia which was worn by the Arabs.

Coorg Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
midway	in the midpath, halfway	coastal	near the coast
drifted from	carried along by air	kingdom	country
martial	relating with war	inhabited	occupied
evergreen	always green	plantation	an estate where crops such as coffee,spices etc. are grown
pours	rains	commences	starts
invigorating	enlivening, full of energy	colonial	pertaining to a colony
tucked	with complete nearness	canopies	roof-like coverings
fiercely	in a powerful way	mainstream	the way of life or set of beliefs that most people accept
panoramic view	a view of wide area of land	robes	dress
descent	ancestry, dropping or falling	ochre	a pale brownish yellow colour
embroidered	decorated	loris	a kind of lemur
rappelling	going down a rock by sliding down a rope	canoeing	travelling in a river in a light, narrow boat (a large one)
raft	a platform made by tying planks together	recount	describe, depict
splash	dashing	hospitality	custom of welcoming
valour	bravery	laidback	relaxed, casual
scrubbed	mbbed	mahouts	who take care of elephants

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 7(iii) Tea From Assam

JAC Class 10th English Tea From Assam Textbook Questions and Answers

I. Thinking About Language

Question 1.
Look at these words: upkeep, downpour, undergo, dropout, walk – ui. They are built up from a verb (keep, pour, go, drop, walk) and an adverb or a particle (up, down, under, out, in). Use these words appropriately in the sentences below. You may consult a dictionary.
1. A heavy …………… has been forecast due to low pressure in the Bay of Bengal.
2. Rakesh will ………….. major surgery tornotTow morning.
3. My brother is responsible for the …………….. of our family property.
4. The …………… rate for this accountancy course is very high.
5. She went to the Enterprise Company to attend a …………………. interview.
Answer:

1. A heavy downpour has been forecast due to low pressure in the Bay of Bengal.
2. Rakesh will undergo major surgery tomorrow morning.
3. My brother is responsible for the upkeep of our family property.
4. The dropout rate for this accountancy course is very high.
5. She went to the Enterprise Company to attend a walk – in interview.

Question 2.
Now fill in the blanks in the sentences given below by combining the verb given in brackets with one of the words from the box as appropriate.
over In through out up down
1. The Army attempted unsuccessfully to the Government, (throw)
2. Scientists are on the brink of a major in cancer research, (break)
3. The State Government plans to build a for Bhubaneswar to speed up traffic on the main highway, (pass)
4. Gautama’s on life changed when he realised that the world is full of sorrow, (look)
5. Rakesh seemed unusually after the game, (cast)
Answer:

1. The Army attempted unsuccessfully to overthrow the Government.
2. Scientists are on the brink of a major breakthrough in cancer research.
3. The State Government plans to build a bypass for Bhubaneswar to speed up traffic on the main highway.
4. Gautama’s outlook on life changed when he realized that the world is full of sorrow.
5. Rakesh seemed unusually downcast after the game.

II. Notice how these – ing anded adjectives are used.

(a) Chess is an interesting game. I am very interested in chess.
(b) Going trekking in the Himalayas We are very excited about the trek this summer is an exciting idea.
(c) Are all your school books this boring? He was bored as he had no friends there. The – ing adjectives show the qualities that chess, trekking, or these books have they cause interest, excitement, or boredom in you. The – eden adjectives show your mental state, or your physical state: how you feel in response to ideas, events or things.

Question 1.
Think of suitable – ing or – ed adjectives to answer the following questions. You may also use words from those given above.
How would you describe
1. a good detective serial on television?
2. a debate on your favourite topic ‘Homework Should Be Banned’?
3. how you feel when you stay indoors due to incessant rain?
4. how you feel when you open a present?
5. how you feel when you watchyour favourite programme on television?
6. the look on your mother’s face as you waited in a queue?
7. how you feel when tracking a tiger in a tiger reserve forest?
8. the story you have recently read, or a film you have seen?
Answer:

1. a good detective serial on television? Interesting
2. a debate on your favourite topic ‘Homework Should Be Banned’? Exciting
3. how you feel when you stay indoors due to incessant rain? Bored
4. how you feel when you open a present? Excited
5. how you feel when you watch your favourite programme on television? Interested
6. the look on your mother’s face as you waited in a queue? Tired
7. how you feel when tracking a tiger in a tiger reserve forest? Thrilled
8. the story you have recently read, or a film you have seen? Boring

Question 2.
Now use the adjectives in the exercise above, as appropriate, to write a paragraph about Coorg.
Answer:
The author Lokesh Abrol has given a vivid description of Coorg. It is an exciting and interesting chapter. The scenic beauty of the place enchants and thrills us. The legends related with Coorg people thrill us. The adventures like river rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing, etc., give more excitement to the tourists. The valour of Coorg and the story related with it give more thrill and excitement to the readers.

Speaking and Writing

I. Read the following passage about tea.
India and tea are so intertwined together that life without the brew is unimaginable. Tea entered our life only in the mid – nineteenth century when the British started plantations in Assam and Darjeeling In the beginning though, Indians shunned the drink as they thought it was a poison that led to umpteen diseases. Ironically, tea colonised Britain where it became a part of their social diary and also led to the establishment of numerous tea houses. Today, scientific research across the world has attempted to establish the beneficial qualities of tea – a fact the Japanese and the Chinese knew anyway from ancient times, attributing to it numerous medicinal properties.

Collect information about tea, e.g. its evolution as a drink, its beneficial qualities. You can consult an encyclopedia or visit Internet websites. Then form groups of five and play the following roles: Imagine a meeting of a tea planter, a sales agent, a tea lover (consumer), a physician and a tea-shop owner. Each person in the group has to put forward his/her views about tea. You may use the following words and phrases.
1. I feel …
2. I disagree with you …
3. I would like you to know It is my feeling …
4. May I know why you …
5. It is important to know …
6. I think that tea …
7. I agree with …
8. I suggest…
9. I am afraid…
Answer:
I think that tea is a beverage that stimulates and refreshes us. It is important to know that tea originated in China. I agree with this that tea is used at a large scale around the world. It overcomes our tiredness. People usually take it twice or thrice a day.

Question 2.
You are the sales executive of a famous tea company and you have been asked to draft an advertisement for the product. Draft the advertisement using the information you collected for the role play. You can draw pictures or add photographs and make your
Answer:

JAC Class 10th English Tea From Assam Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
How long does the second sprouting period of tea last?
Answer:
There are two flushes or sprouting periods of tea plantation. The second sprouting period lasts from May to July and it yields the best tea.

Question 2.
When did tea come to Europe?
Answer:
Tea came to Europe only in the 16th century. In Europe, tea was treated more like a medicine than a beverage.

Question 3.
How does Rajvir describe the view from the train?
Answer:
Rajvir describes the magnificent view of the landscape from the train window. It is a sea of tea bushes. At odd intervals, there are tall shade-tree and one can see women tea-pluckers picking tea leaves. They appear to be doll-like figures.

Question 4.
What Indian legend is associated with the origin of tea?
Answer:
The Indian legend behind the origin of tea is that Bodhidharma, an ancient Buddhist ascetic cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditation. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. The leaves of these plants boiled in water and drunk banished sleep.

Question 5.
What is the Chinese legend regarding tea?
Answer:
The Chinese legend about tea is that there was a Chinese emperor who had the habit of boiling water before drinking it. Once, a few twigs of the leaves burning under the pot fell into the water and gave it a delicious flavour. Those leaves were tea leaves.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
In what way has the tea become a popular beverage?
Answer:
More than eighty crore cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world. The vendors selling tea can be seen at railway platforms, markets and tourist spots, crying “Chai gar am The people can’t resist buying and relishing a hot cup of tea. Tea, indeed, has become a popular beverage worldwide.

Question 2.
While travelling in the train, why did Pranjol not share the same excitement as Rajvir when Rajvir saw tea gardens outside?
Answer:
Rajvir was Pranjol’s classmate in Delhi. While travelling in the train, Rajvir was looking at the beautiful scenery from the window. It wras green everywhere. He had never seen this much greenery in his life before. On the other hand, Pranjol had grown up on plantation, so he was quite accustomed to this kind of greenery. That’s why when Rajvir showed his excitement to Pranjol, he didn’t respond with the same energy.

Question 3.
Why did Pranjol’s father, Mr Barua say to Rajvir that he had done his homework?
Answer:
Pranjol’s parents picked Rajvir and Pranjol from the station. While travelling through the Dhekiabari Tea Estate, on seeing a tractor, pulling a trailor – load of tea leaves, Rajvir confirmed with Mr Barua if that was the second – flush or sprouting period. Mr Barua replied affirmatively and was quite surprised by his knowledge of tea. Therefore, Pranjol’s father said that Rajvir had done his homework.

Question 4.
Elucidate the statement ‘This is tea country now.’
Answer:
Pranjol said the above line when Rajvir showed his excitement of the greenery outside the train while travelling to Assam. He meant to say that Assam has the world’s largest concentration of tea plantation in the world. A large number of trees can be found there. Most of the tea grown in Assam is supplied all over the world.

Question 5.
Why was Rajvir excited to see the tea gardens?
Answer:
Rajvir found the view outside the train splendid and eye catching. It was full of greenery. It was Rajvir’s first visit to Assam. He was fascinated and enchanted by the sprawling tea gardens, spreading like a green sea of neatly pruned bushes. He found it more interesting to watch, than reading his book on detectives.

Question 6.
How did Rajvir describe the tea garden at Dhekiabari Tea Estate?
Answer:
Rajvir’s visit to Dhekiabari Tea Estate where Pranjol’s father worked as a manager, was a novel experience for him. He found it extremely fascinating. He saw groups of tea-workers, wearing plastic aprons and baskets of bamboo sticks on their back, picking newly sprouted tea leaves.

Question 7.
How are the tea – pluckers different from the other farm labourers?
Answer:
Tea pluckers are different from the other farm labourers in many ways. Tea pluckers are hired labourers whereas the farm labou
rers can be hired or can be the owners of the land. Tea pluckers only pluck leaves whereas farm labourers go through the whole process, i.e., from sowing to harvesting.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
What information did Rajvir share with Pranjol and his father?
Answer:
Rajvir had gathered a lot of information about tea. He told Pranjol that though there were numerous legends about it but no one actually knew about the origin of it. Chinese legend says that it was discovered by a Chinese Emperor. The Indian legend says that it was discovered by Bodhidharma, who cut off his eyelids as he felt sleepiness during meditation and tea plants grew out of them to banish sleep. He also knew that tea was first drunk in China in 2700 B.C. and it reached Europe in the sixteenth century as a medicine. He also informed Pranjol that the words tea, chai and chini are Chinese. He had even the knowledge about the sprouting season on the second-flush which is the best in the world.

Question 2.
What details do you gather about tea from the lesson, ‘Tea from Assam’?
Answer:
Tea was first drunk in China. Even the words ‘Chai’ and ‘Chini’ are Chinese. It goes back to 2700 B.C. In the 16th century, tea came to Europe. There are a number of tea fields in Assam. Unlike the other farm labourers, who might never carry the harvest on their backs, the tea pluckers, i.e., the groups of women were there hanging bamboo baskets on their backs. They pluck the newly grown fresh tea leaves from the plants and store them in their baskets. They also wear plastic apron.

Question 3.
Rajvir had a lot of information about tea. What all does he tell? What character trait about him is revealed in the lesson?
Answer:
Rajvir had been invited to spend his vacations with his classmate Pranjol, whose father was the manager of a tea estate in Assam. He was quite enthusiastic and excited about the trip. He had gathered considerable amount of information about tea like where the tea originated and how it became such a popular beverage. He informed that about 80 crore cups of tea are consumed daily in the world. The name tea itself has originated from Chinese. He narrates two popular legends about the origin of tea.

Rajvir exhibits two important value traits, that are pre-requisite to gain knowledge, viz., curiosity and eagerness. He is active in collecting information prior to any real experience. He likes to do his homework thoroughly before going to a place. This is something very appreciable. Children should develop this habit of finding out the information. These are extremely desirable traits for all learners.

Question 4.
“Tea was first drunk in China, Rajvir added” as far back as 2700 B.C.! In fact words such as tea, ‘Chai’ and ‘Chini’ are from Chinese. Tea came to Europe only in the sixteenth century and was drunk more as medicine than as beverage.” What does the author want to say through this about the origin of tea?
Answer:
Through this passage, the author wants to highlight the origin of tea. Actually, tea was at first drunk in China as far back as 2700 BC. From this angle, it seems that the main originator of the word ‘tea’ was China. The words like ‘Chai’ and ‘Chini’ also belonged to China. Tea came to Europe in the 16th century. It was used as medicine in Europe than as beverage. This is actually the information that comes out after a discussion between Pranjol and Rajvir during the train journey to Assam. After going through the entire passage we come to the conclusion that in ancient times, tea was used more as medicine than as beverage. The author has really given a detailed description of tea, its origin, its popularity and how to use even in the form of medicine.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
“CHAI-GARAM… garam chaia vendor called out in a high – pitched voice. He came up to their window and asked, “Chai, sa’ab?”
“Give us two cups,” Pranjol said. They sipped the steaming hot liquid. Almost everyone in their compartment was drinking tea too.
“Do you know that over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world?” Rajvir said.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What was every one drinking in the compartment?
(i) Coffee
(ii) Tea
(iii) Cold drink
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Tea

(b) How many cups of tea are drunk everyday throughout the world?
(i) Seventy crore
(ii) Eighty crore
(iii) Ninety crore
(iv) Ninety – five crore
Answer:
(ii) Eighty crore

(c) A tea vendor was speaking in a high – pitched voice to attract …………… of the train to buy hot tea.
(i) customers
(ii) guard
(iii) driver
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) customers

(d) Who demanded two cups of tea?
(i) Rajvir
(ii) Pranjol
(iii) PranjoTs father
(iv) Rajvir’s brother
Answer:
(ii) Pranjol

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘drink.’
(i) swallow
(ii) taste
(iii) sip
(iv) imbibe
Answer:
(iii) sip

Question 2.
The train pulled out of the station. Pranjol buried his nose in his detective book again. Rajvir too was an ardent fan of detective stories, but at the moment he was keener on looking at the beautiful scenery. It was green, green everywhere. Rajvir had never seen so much greenery before. Then the soft green paddy fields gave way to tea bushes.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Who buried his nose in his detective book?
(i) Rajvir
(ii) Pranjol
(iii) PranjoTs father
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Pranjol

(b)What did Rajvir look at keenly?
(i) The beautiful scenery
(ii) The running train
(iii) The college going students
(iv) The passengers on train
Answer:
(i) The beautiful scenery

(c) The soft green ……….. fields gave way to tea bushes.
(i) maize
(ii) wheat
(iii) paddy
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) paddy

(d) What had Rajvir never seen so much before?
(i) Passengers
(ii) Greenery
(iii) Shops
(iv) Trains
Answer:
(ii) Greenery

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘ugly’.
(i) awkward
(ii) uncouth
(iii) horrible
(iv) beautiful
Answer:
(iv) beautiful

Question 3.
It was a magnificent view. Against the backdrop of densely wooded hills a sea of tea bushes stretched as far as the eye could see. Dwarfing the tiny tea plants were tall sturdy shade-trees and amidst the orderly rows of bushes busily moved doll-like figures. In the distance was an ugly building with smoke billowing out of tall chimneys.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What were the tiny tea plants?
(i) Palm trees
(ii) Banyan trees
(iii) Shade – trees
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Shade – trees

(b) In the distance, there was an ugly building with smoke
(i) emitting
(ii) billowing out of chimneys
(iii) whirling
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) billowing out of chimneys

(c) Tea plantations have been compared to a sea of ………………
(i) palm leaves
(ii) coriander leaves
(iii) mango leaves
(iv) tea bushes
Answer:
(iv) tea bushes

(d) How was the view of the tea garden?
(i) unimpressive
(ii) common
(iii) ordinary
(iv) magnificent
Answer:
(iv) magnificent

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘thickly.’
(i) gently
(ii) densely
(iii) easily
(iv) lightly
Answer:
(ii) densely

Question 4.
“Tea was first drunk in China,” Rajvir added, “as far back as 2700 B.C.! In fact words such as tea, ‘chaf and ‘chinV are from Chinese. Tea came to Europe only in the sixteenth century and was drunk more as medicine than as beverage.” The train clattered into Mariani junction. The boys collected their luggage and pushed their way to the crowded platform.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Where was tea first drunk in 2700 B.C.?
(i) Malaysia
(ii) India
(iii) China
(iv) Britain
Answer:
(iii) China

(b) When did tea come to Europe?
(i) Thirteenth century
(ii) Sixteenth century
(iii) Eighteenth century
(iv) Nineteenth century
Answer:
(ii) Sixteenth century

(c) Tea was drunk more as than as beverage.
(i) medicine
(ii) liquid
(iii) both (i) and (ii)
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) medicine

(d) What did the boys do at Mariani junction?
(i) They remained there as spectators.
(ii) They collected their luggage and pushed to their way to the crowded platform.
(iii) They were busy in talking only.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) They collected their luggage and pushed to their way to the crowded platform.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘rattled’.
(i) fix
(ii) gaze
(iii) mend
(iv) clattered
Answer:
(iv) clattered

Tea From Assam Summary

Tea From Assam About the Author

Amp Kumar Datta is an Indian writer and journalist. He was bom on 2 July 1946 at Jorhat in Assam. After completing his senior secondary in Himachal Pradesh he did his graduation and post¬graduation in English literature from Delhi University. His writings featured in ‘ The Illustrated Weekly of India’, ‘ Caravan ’, ‘Femina’, etc. He has authored 16 books for adults, 13 of which are non-fiction wrhile 3 are fiction. Kaziranga Trail. The Blind Witness. Revenge. The Crystal Cave. Toot Trim in she Sand. etc., are some of his important works. The Brahmaputra w as published in 2001. He was awarded Shankar award and the civilian award.

Tea From Assam Gist of the Lesson
“Tea from Assam’ is an interesting story about tea, its history and significance. In this story, we get a glimpse of the tea plantation of Assam. Two boys Rajvir and Pranjol are travelling to Assam. Pranjol’s father is a manager in a tea garden of Assam. He invites Rajvir to Assam. Rajvir tells Pranjol that over 8,00,000,000 cups of tea are dmnk everyday throughout the w’orld. The train passes through green hills. Rajvir is very excited about his journey. Rajvir then tells him about the various legends Indian and Chinese behind tea. He tells him that tea was discovered by a Chinese emperor in 2700 BC. Another Indian story about tea was how ten tea plants grew out of eyelids of Bodhidharma, a Buddhist ascetic. The ’Char and ‘Chini’ are Chinese words. It was only in the sixteenth century that tea came to Europe. By now they had reached Marian Junction where they got down and set off for Dhekiabari Tea Estate. On both sides of the road, there were tea bushes with women plucking tea leaves. Pranjol’s father told Rajvir that he would tell them many more things about tea plantation.

Tea From Assam Summary

Journey to Assam: Pranjol and Rajvir are two close friends. They study in Delhi. Pranjol hails from Assam and his parents live there. Pranjol’s father is the manager of a tea-garden in Upper Assam. Both the friends start their journey from Delhi to Assam by train. Activities inside the train: Both the friends talk to each other. The tea vendor came upto the window of the train and started shouting ‘ Chai-Garam garam chai They take two cups of tea and start sipping. Rajvir tells that more than eighty crore cups of tea are drunk daily throughout the world. Tea is very popular. Both the friends also start reading detective stories.

Wonderful greenery: They take outside view of the fields. It was really a magnificent view. There were tea bushes and the tea plants outside. There was also a building with smoke coming out of old chimneys. It was a tea garden. Assam is called a tea country. It has the largest concentration of plantations in the world. Chinese legend about tea: There is a Chinese legend about tea. There was a Chinese emperor who used to boil water before drinking it. A few leaves of the twigs were burnt under the pot. And then they fell into the water that gave a delicious flavour to it.

Actually, they were tea leaves. Indian legend about tea: There is an Indian legend about tea too. Bodhidharma was a Buddhist ascetic. During meditations, he used to cut off his eyelids because of his sleepiness. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. Then, the leaves of these plants were put in hot water and drunk. First drunk in China: Tea was first drank in China as far back as 2700 BC. The words like ‘chaf and ‘chinP originated from China. In the 16th century, tea came to Europe. It was used there as medicine. Train reached at its destination: At last, the train reached at its destination.

Both the friends deboarded the train at Mariani junction. PranjoTs father received and took them to Dhekiabari Tea Estate where he was deputed. There were tea bushes on both sides of the road. Numerous tea pluckers keeping baskets on their bags were plucking the new leaves. Rajvir was appreciated: Rajvir told Mr. Barua (PranjoTs father) that May to July are the best months for tea plantation. At this, PranjoTs father told him that you have good knowledge about tea and it seems that you have done your homework properly well. At this, Rajvir told that he wanted to seek more information about it.

Tea From Assam Lesson at a Glance

1. Pranjol, a native from Assam is the school classmate of Rajvir in Delhi.
2. The father of Pranjol is the manager of tea-garden in Upper Assam.
3. Pranjol invited Rajvir to visit his home during the summer vacation.
4. During the journey, they were busy in reading detective stories. Rajvir often looked out of the train window to have a panoramic view of the scenery.
5. They were also sharing information with each other.
6. According to Rajvir, more than eighty crore cups of tea are drunk daily throughout the world.
7. There was greenery outside. So Rajvir enjoyed it very much.
8. Rajvir found the tea garden very beautiful with tiny tea plants, tall trees and doll-like tea pluckers.
9. Assam has the largest concentration of plantations in the world.
10. There are many legends related with tea.
11. It is said that tea was discovered in China by the Chinese emperor who always boiled water before drinking it.
12. A few leaves of the twigs burnt under the pot and fell into the water. It added delicious flavour to it. These were tea leaves.
13. An Indian legend is also associated with it. Bodhidharma, a Buddhist ascetic cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditations.
14. The leaves of these plants were put in hot water and drunk.
15. Tea was first drunk in China in 2700 BC.
16. The words like ‘chaV and ‘chini’ are Chinese words.
17. Tea came to Europe in the 16th century and was drunk as medicine.
18. The train reached upto its destination and they were taken towards Dhekiabari Tea Estate.

Tea From Assam Character Sketch

Pranjol: Pranjol was a youngster from Assam. He was bom and brought up on a tea plantation. His father was the manager of Dhekiabari Tea Estate. Pranjol studied with Rajvir in Delhi. Pranjol invited Rajvir to visit his home during the summer vacation.

Rajvir: Rajvir and Pranjol were classmates. They studied in Delhi. Rajvir was excited to see the Tea Estate. His classmate, Pranjol invited him to visit his home during summer vacation. He had very good knowledge of tea. He was also interested in detective stories. Pranjol’s father was also surprised to know his detailed knowledge about the subject.

Tea From Assam Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Ward	Meaning
vendor	seller	High – pitched	high voice, loud voice
exclaimed	said in wonder	detective	spy
ardent	avid, passionate	magnificent	attractive, impressive
excitement	elation	keener	eager
concentration	attentiveness	billowing	moving mass of cloud
meditations	deep thought	ascetic	holy man
clattered	rattling sound	beverage	drink
pmned	trimmed	veered	changed direction suddenly
sprouted	grown	aprons	scarfs
admitted	accepted	twigs	branches
sturdy	powerful	whew	to express surprise
dwarfing	small	densely	deep

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 9 Madam Rides the Bus

JAC Class 10th English Madam Rides the Bus Textbook Questions and Answers

Activity (Page – 116)

Question 1.
Look at the words and phrases given below. Then put a tick against the ones you think you will find in the text.
1. a set of passengers
2. get off the bus
3. Tickets, please
4. a row of seats
5. blowing a whistle
6. get on the bus
7. platform
8. a roar and a rattle
9. slowing down to a crawl
Answer:

1. a set of passengers (✓)
2. get off the bus (✓)
3. Tickets, please (✓)
4. a row of seats (✓)
5. blowing a whistle (✓)
6. get on the bus (✓)
7. platform (x)
8. a roar and a rattle (✓)
9. slowing down to a crawl (✓)

Question 2.
You must have travelled by bus more than once. What can you see from a fast-moving bus? Given below are some suggestions. Speak briefly about some of these scenes, or about other such scenes that you have seen; or write a sentence or two about them.

rivers	green fields	hills
roadside shops	market places	railway tracks
moving trains	vehicles on the road	trees
a crowd	clothes in shops	animals

Answer:
While we travel by a fast – moving bus, we see all the things given under the box. Some of the descriptions are given below.

1. A crowd: While going by the bus from Delhi to Agra, we saw a large crowd at few places.
2. Roadside shops: We find a number of shops at the roadside while travelling by the bus. We also purchase some eatable items there.
3. Vehicles on the road: A number of vehicles ply on the road. These vehicles take people and luggage from one place to another.
4. Hills: While we travel by the bus, we see hills at the outside. These hills really look beautiful.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 119)

Question 1.
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Answer:
Valli’s favourite pastime was to stand in the front doorway of her house and watch all the happenings around the street outside.

Question 2.
What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Answer:
A source of unending joy for Valli was the sight of the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. Her strongest desire was to ride on that bus.

Question 3.
What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Answer:
Valli found out that the town was six miles from her village. The fare was thirty paise for one way. The trip to the town took forty – five minutes. On reaching the town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return home on the same bus. She found out these details by listening carefully to the conversations between her neighbours and the people who regularly used the bus. She also gained information by asking them a few questions.

Question 4.
What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Answer:
Valli was planning to travel on the bus.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 122)

Question 1.
Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Answer:
When the conductor stretched out his hand to help her get on the bus, Valli said confidently that she could get on by herself. She did not require anybody’s help. She did not act like a child, but as a grown – up girl. That is why the conductor called her ‘madam’.

Question 2.
Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Answer:
Valli stood up on the seat because her view was cut off by the lower part of the window. She saw the narrow road and beyond it there were trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue sky.

Question 3.
What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Answer:
When the elderly man called her a child, Valli told him that there was no child on the bus. She had paid her full fare of thirty paise like everyone else.

Question 4.
Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Answer:
Valli did not want to make friends with the elderly woman because she found her absolutely repulsive. She saw that the woman had big holes in her ear lobes and very ugly earrings in them. She was chewing betel nut and the betel juice was coming out on her lips.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 125)

Question 1.
How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Valli had carefully saved her money. She resisted every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, and the like. This way she had saved sixty paise. When she went to the village fair, she was tempted to ride the merry-go-round because she had the money. But she suppressed her desire and saved the money for the bus ride.

Question 2.
What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Answer:
Valli saw a young cow, whose tail was high in the air. When the bus came, the cow came on the middle of the road. The bus slowed down and the driver sounded his horn loudly. Even then it kept running faster in front of the bus. Valli found it so amusing that she laughed heartily. She had tears in her eyes.

Question 3.
Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
She did not get off the bus at the bus station because she had to go back on the same bus. She took out another thirty paise from her pocket and demanded ticket from the conductor. She just wanted to ride on the bus.

Question 4.
Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?
Answer:
Valli did not want to go to the stall and have a drink because she did not have any money for that. Even when the conductor offered her a drink free of charge, she refused it. She only wanted her ticket. This shows that Valli had self-respect and control over her.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Answer:
The deepest desire of Valli was to ride on the bus. The words and phrases that tell us this are:

• the sight of the bus
• a tiny wish crept into her head
• small details about the bus journey
• a source of unending joy, etc.

Question 2.
How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Answer:
Valli wanted to ride on the bus. So, she planned that she would take the one o’clock afternoon bus, reach the town at one forty – five, and will be back home by about two forty-five. The town was at the distance of six miles from her village. The fare of one side was thirty paise. It took forty-five minutes to reach there. After reaching the town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return home by the same bus. She had carefully saved the coins. To save this, she resisted her temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, etc. This way she had saved sixty paise.

Question 3.
WWhat kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your answer.
1. “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised …………..
2.  “Yes, I ………. go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
3. “There’s nobody here ………..” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
4. “Never mind,” she said, “I can …………… You don’t have to help me.” “I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, .
5. You needn’t bother about me. I…………..,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
6. Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope.”
Answer:

1. “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.
2. “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
3. “There’s nobody here who s a child,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
4. “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself.” “You don’t have to help me.” “I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, irritably.
5. “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face towards the window and staring out.
6. Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.” Valli is a quite confident girl. She takes decision at her own. She has great sense of self respect but gets quite irritated when anyone treats her as a child. She replies every thing in a convincing way.

Question 4.
Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Answer:
The bus conductor called Valli ‘madam’ because she behaved in a matured and commanding way. She gave proper reply to conductor’s query. When the conductor stretched out his hand to help her on the bus, she said that she could get on by herself. She did not require anybody’s help. She always laid emphasis on the fact that she had paid her full fare, so she should not be treated in a different way.

Question 5.
Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
Answer:
The following lines in the text show that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus:

1. “Valli devoured everything with her eyes.”
2. “On one side there was the canal and, beyond it, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue, blue sky. On the other side was a deep ditch and then acres and acres of green fields – green, green, green, as far as the eye could see. Oh, it was all so wonderful!”
3. “Everyone laughed, and gradually Valli too joined in the laughter.
4. Suddenly, Valli clapped her hands with glee.”
5. “Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.”
6. “Valli wasn’t bored in the slightest and greeted everything with the same excitement she’d felt the first time.”

Question 6.
Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Answer:
Valli refused to look out of the window on her way back because she saw a young cow lying dead by the roadside. It had been struck by some fast – moving vehicle. It was the same cow that was running in front of their bus, during their trip to the town. She was overcome with sadness. The memory of the dead cow haunted her again and again.

Question 7.
What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”
Answer:
Valli’s mother was talking to an aunt. They were discussing that many things happened around them, but they were usually unaware of them. Valli had gone on a bus ride to town, all alone. She did all this without the knowledge of her mother. Hence, she agreed with what her mother said.

Question 8.
The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?
Answer:
The author has described the things that Valli saw from an eight-year-old’s point of view. She was fascinated by a bus. Her strongest desire was to ride the bus. She saved money by resisting her temptation to ride the merry-go-round at the fair. She did not even take peppermints, toys and balloons. When the author describes the bus, the points he stresses on are the colour and look of the bus. It was a newly painted bus.

The seats were ‘soft and luxurious’. She was happy to see the green fields. Valli clapped her hands in glee on watching a cow run right in front of the bus. She found it very funny. On the other hand, she was quite sad while returning from the town. She saw the same cow lying dead. The memory of the dead cow haunted her so much that she refused to look outside the window. All these things have been described from the author’s point of view.

Speaking

This story has a lot of people talking in it. The conductor jokes and laughs with Valli, some passengers try to show their concern for her, and her mother and her aunt spend time chatting. Read the conversations carefully. Then think of similar people, or similar situations that you have experienced. Mimic a person or persons who spoke to you, saying what they said, along with your replies.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

Writing

Write a page – about three paragraphs – on one of the following topics.
1. Have you ever planned something entirely on your own, without taking grown-ups into your confidence? What did you plan, and how? Did you carry out your plan?
2. Have you made a journey that was unforgettable in some way? What made it memorable?
3. Are you concerned about traffic and road safety? What are your concerns? How would you make road travel safer and more enjoyable?
Answer:
(1) Yes, I have planned something entirely on my own. I along with my classmates planned a visit to see the ‘Hawa Mahal’ in Jaipur. We took bus tickets two days in advance. We along with our friends took bus on Saturday night from Delhi. We reached Jaipur early morning to visit the ‘Hawa Mahal’. We had actually saved some money from daily expenditures. We even did not take money from our parents. ‘Hawa Mahal’ or ‘Palace of the Winds’ is really a marvellous and beautiful place in Jaipur.

It is constructed of red and pink sandstone. It was built up by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799. It is a beautiful blend of Hindu Rajput architecture and Islamic Mughal architecture. It was built for the royal women to enjoy the events and festivals in the street. It is also one of the famous tourist attractions. We visited this palace for the whole day and enjoyed a lot. We took a good lunch there and took the bus of 6 p.m. We reached Delhi at night. It was really an enjoyable journey.

JAC Class 10th English Madam Rides the Bus Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
What advice did the conductor give to Valli?
Answer:
The conductor referring to Valli as child, told her that it would be comfortable for her to sit down rather than standing up and she would not get hurt when the bus would take sharp turns.

Question 2.
What kind of girl was Valli? What was her deepest desire?
Answer:
Valli was an eight – year – old girl. She was wise and intelligent. She always watched everything carefully outside her house. Her deepest desire was to undertake a bus ride.

Question 3.
What details did Valli pick up about the bus journey? How did she pick up these details? Answer:Valli picked up details about the bus journey. She knew about the distance from her village to town, the duration and fare. She gathered this information by hearing the conversations of others and by asking a discreet or two.

Question 4.
Why didn’t Valli get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer:
Valli did not get off from the bus at the bus stand because she had come in the bus just for a ride and would go back in the same bus.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
How did Valli manage to leave the house?
Answer:
Valli was a meticulous planner. She knew that everyday her mother would take a nap from about one to four or so. She used these hours for her ‘excursions’ as she stood looking from the doorway of her house. In these hours, Valli decided to leave the house for her first excursion outside the village

Question 2.
Why was Valli overcome with shyness?
Answer:
While boarding the bus, Valli refused to take help of the conductor to get on to the bus and said to board the bus herself. The conductor being a jolly person, announced to make way for madam (Valli). All the six or seven passengers on the bus started laughing with the conductor, looking at Valli. This made Valli to overcome with shyness and avoiding everyone’s eyes, she quickly walked to an empty seat and sat down there.

Question 3.
Why did Valli not want to look at the sights in town alone?
Answer:
The conductor had asked Valli if she did not want to see the town. She replied that she was too afraid to go and see the sights alone in the town. The conductor reminded her that she was travelling alone too by bus. Valli told him that there was nothing to be afraid of in the bus.

Question 4.
How can you say that Valli was a meticulous planner?
Answer:
Valli desired to undertake a bus ride. She fulfilled her desire by systematic and organised planning. She gathered information about the time of the bus, the duration of the journey as well as the fare. She could do all this by saving money. She went to a bus ride and fulfilled her desire. So, it can be said that Valli was a meticulous planner.

Question 5.
How can you say that the conductor was a good natured jolly fellow? Substantiate your answer with examples.
Answer:
The conductor was a man of humour. He was concerned that a small girl was travelling to town alone and took care that she was comfortably seated. When Valli objected to being treated as a child, he took it in light spirit and jokingly addressed her ‘Madam’. These things show that the conductor was a jolly fellow.

Question 6.
How did Valli react when she saw the dead cow lying by the roadside?
Answer:
When Valli saw the dead cow lying by the roadside, she became very sad. She was now in a pensive mood. It was shocking to her that the animal she’d been laughing at a while ago, was lying dead. Because while she was going by bus, she saw the same cow roaming on the road.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
The bus ride introduces Valli to the mystery of life and death. Explain.
Answer:
Valli was excited about her first bus ride to the town. It was a dream come true for her. On this journey, she was introduced to the mystery of life and death. She was awestruck by the beauty of the outside world. She clapped, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the sight of a young cow running in the middle of the road in front of the bus. The driver honked to warn it but the more he honked the horn, the faster it galloped.

Valli found it amusing and laughed till the tears came into her eyes. While returning, she saw the same cow lying dead on the road. Some fast speeding vehicle must have hit it. It was a horrible sight and the scene looked frightening and depressed to Valli. The above two opposite situations in which one character was alive at first and dead in the second time, present themselves as a reflection of life and death.

Question 2.
‘Age is not a barrier when it conies to doing something different and great’. Which characteristics of Valli help her achieve the wonder of visiting the town at such a tender age?
Answer:
In modem world, children are doing wonders at a very young age. So far Valli is concerned, she was determined enough to pursue her dream all alone by travelling in the bus to town. She was no different than others but some characteristics made her fulfil her dreams. She was a very confident and bold girl. Before executing her plan of bus ride, she had meticulously planned everything, like bus fare and the way to get out of home.

This shows her intelligence of proper planning and execution. She resisted her temptation to save money for the bus ride. Also, she was a good observer and learner. All these qualities made her realise the dream of visiting the town. Therefore, one must never surrender to one’s inhibitions and must remember that there is no age barrier to leam and experience new things.

Question 3.
What made Valli sad in her bus journey?
Answer:
While going by bus, Valli saw a playful cow on the road. When the driver blew the hom the cow started mnning faster. It made her laugh. But while she was returning, she saw that the cow was hit by a fast moving vehicle. The cow looked frightening with legs spread and eyes lifeless. It really disturbed Valli a lot. This incident really made Valli sad in her bus journey. It was a rude shock that the animal that she’d been laughing at a while ago, was lying in the stillness of death.

Question 4.
The behaviour of the conductor in ‘Madam Rides the Bus’ is an example of good manners. Mentioning the instances of good manners shown by the conductor in the story, write how you can make your life happy by observing good manners.
Answer:
The bus conductor in ‘Madam Rides the Bus’ presents himself as an amiable person. He is a man of jolly nature. He shows genuine concern for a young girl. She is travelling alone. He makes sure that she is comfortably seated and also offers to buy her something to drink. He takes it in a good spirit. Valli demands respect and does not wish to be treated as a child, because she has paid him for her ticket like everyone else.

Such people are not just happy and pleased with themselves but also radiate positive energy. The words like ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ should be a frequent part of our conversation. They are not only basic etiquettes, but they have a magical effect on the listeners too. The conductor is practical as well as enthusiastic.

Question 5.
“The most fascinating thing of all was the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour, once going to the town and once coming back. The sight of the bus, filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli. On the basis of the given passage discuss what did the author want to express?
Answer:
The author wants to express the feeling of Valli, an eight – year – old girl for her bus journey. In it, he has given a detailed description of the bus journey which Valli usually used to see in day time. It was a source of unending joy for Valli. It was the sight of the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. Her strongest yearning was to ride on that bus. The bus usually passed at the interval of an hour through her street. It usually made to and fro journey subsequently.

Each time, the bus travelled, it consisted of new passengers. While going towards the town and while returning towards the village. To ride on the bus, she observed all the things minutely and gathered all the details pertaining to it. She wanted to take the enjoyment of its journey. Her wish became stronger. It was really the most fascinating thing for her. Through this, the author wants to highlight the curiosity and desire of an eight – year old girl. It shows her curiousty and inquisitive mind.

Question 6.
“Her first journey what careful, painstaking, elaborate plans she had to make for it! she had thriftily saved whatever stray coins came her way, resisting every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons come the like, and finally she had saved a total of sixty paise.” On the basis of the given passage, write why did Valli resist her every temptation?
Answer:
Actually, Valli had carefully saved her money for a maiden journey to town by the bus. She had made adequate and elaborate arrangements. She had saved each paise very carefully. Whatever coins came her way, she saved it meticulously. Even during her visit to a fair, she resisted all her temptations of buying peppermints, toys, balloons and a ride of merry – go – round. She did not spend even a single penny like other children.

This way, she saved sixty paise to make journey by bus. It was really an appreciable effort by an eight-year old girl. All these things really show how calculative and intelligent she was. To fulfil her desire she did not spend money like other children did. As other children would have spent all the amount on peppermints, toys, balloons, etc. But she restricted her temptations and ultimately did what an intelligent girl should do.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
THERE was a girl named Valliammai who was called Valli for short. She was eight years old and very curious about things. Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the street outside. There were no playmates of her own age on her street, and this was about all she had to do.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What was the short name of Valliammai?
(i) Balli
(ii) Kalli
(iii) Malli
(iv) Valli
Answer:
(iv) Valli

(b) How old was the girl?
(i) Six-years old
(ii) Seven-years old
(iii) Eight-years old
(iv) Nine-years old
Answer:
(iii) Eight – years old

(c) Valli was very …………. about things.
(i) indifferent
(ii) embarrassed
(iii) curious
(iv) disappointed
Answer:
(iii) curious

(d) What was her favourite pastime?
(i) To play games with her friends
(ii) To watch all the activities in the street standing in front of her doorway
(iii) To cook in the kitchen
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) To watch all the activities in the street standing in front of her doorway

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘inquisitive’.
(i) average
(ii) indifferent
(iii) ordinary
(iv) curious
Answer:
(iv) curious

Question 2.
But for Valli, standing at the front door was every bit as enjoyable as any of the elaborate games other children played. Watching the street gave her many new unusual experiences. The most fascinating thing of all was the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour, once going to the town and once coming back. The sight of the bus, filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where did Valli want to stand?
(i) Back door
(ii) Front door
(iii) Floor
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Front door

(b) How was the sight of the bus for Valli?
(i) Unending joy
(ii) Sorrow
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Unending joy

(c) Watching the street gave Valli many new unusual .
(i) thoughts
(ii) feelings
(iii) emotions
(iv) experiences
Answer:
(iv) experiences

(d) What was the most fascinating thing for Valli?
(i) The bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town.
(ii) The friends who came to play with Valli.
(iii) The teacher who came to Valli’s house for tuition.
(iv) The relatives who came to meet Valli.
Answer:
(i) The bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘infinite.’
(i) limited
(ii) perennial
(iii) unending
(iv) unusual
Answer:
(iii) unending

Question 3.
Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once. This wish became stronger and stronger, until it was an overwhelming desire. Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus when it stopped at the street comer. Their faces would kindle in her longings, dreams, and hopes. If one of her friends happened to ride the bus and tried to describe the sights of the town to her, Valli would be too jealous to listen and would shout, in English: “Proud! proud!” Neither she nor her friends really understood the meaning of the word, but they used it often as a slang expression of disapproval.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What tiny wish crept into Valli’s head?
(i) That she wanted to go to the market.
(ii) That she wanted to ride on the bus.
(iii) That she wanted to eat ice cream.
(iv) That she wanted to talk to her neighbours.
Answer:
(ii) That she wanted to ride on the bus.

(b) What slang expression of disapproval did Valli and her friends use?
(i) Bravo! Bravo!
(ii) Wow! Wow!
(iii) No! No!
(iv) Proud! Proud!
Answer:
(iv) Proud! Proud!

(c) Valli used to see the people getting on and off the bus when it stopped at the
(i) tea comer
(ii) street comer
(iii) school comer
(iv) bus stop
Answer:
(ii) street comer

(d) Whose wish became stronger and stronger, until it was an overwhelming desire?
(i) Valli
(ii) Valli’s mother
(iii) Valli’s friend
(iv) Valli’s aunt
Answer:
(i) Valli

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘approval.’
(i) compliment
(ii) disapproval
(iii) overwhelming
(iv) content
Answer:
(ii) disapproval

Question 4.
Over many days and months Valli listened carefully to conversations between her neighbours and people who regularly used the bus, and she also asked a few discreet questions here and there. This way she picked up various small details about the bus journey. The town was six miles from her village. The fare was thirty paise one way “which is almost nothing at all,” she heard one well-dressed man say, but to Valli, who scarcely saw that much money from one month to the next, it seemed a fortune. The trip to the town took forty – five minutes. On reaching town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return home on the same bus. This meant that she could take the one-o’clock afternoon bus, reach the town at one forty-five, and be back home by about two forty – five……..

Choose the correct option:
(a) How did Valli pick up various small details about the bus journey?
(i) Listening to the conversations of people
(ii) Reading a manual book ’
(iii) Learning from the elders
(iv) From her friends
Answer:
(i) Listening to the conversations of people

(b) What was the distance between Valli’s village and the town?
(i) Five miles
(ii) Six miles
(iii) Ten miles
(iv) Nine miles
Answer:
(ii) Six miles

(c) Thirty paise seemed a ……….. to Valli.
(i) fortune
(ii) misfortune
(iii) new thing
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) fortune

(d) How much time did the bus take to make a trip to the town?
(i) Forty minutes
(ii) Forty – five minutes
(iii) Fifty minutes
(iv) Fifty – five minutes
(ii) Forty – five minutes

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘abundantly.’
(i) scarcely
(ii) amply
(iii) handsomely
(iv) sufficiently
Answer:
(i) scarcely

Question 5.
It was the slack time of day, and there were only six or seven passengers on the bus. They were all looking at Valli and laughing with the conductor. Valli was overcome with shyness. Avoiding everyone’s eyes, she walked quickly to an empty seat and sat down. “May we start now, madam?” the conductor asked, smiling. Then he blew his whistle twice, and the bus moved forward with a roar. It was a new bus, its outside painted a gleaming white with some green stripes along the sides. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver.

Choose the correct option:
(a) For how many times did the conductor blow his whistle?
(i) Once
(ii) Twice
(iii) Thrice
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Twice

(b) How were the inside overhead bars shown like?
(i) Gold
(ii) Copper
(iii) Silver
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Silver

(c) The bus moved forward with a ………..
(i) roar
(ii) silence
(iii) fast speed
(iv) slow speed
Answer:
(i) roar

(d) How was the bus?
(i) Old
(ii) New
(iii) Neither old nor new
(iv) Broken
Answer:
(ii) New

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘hastily.’
(i) quickly
(ii) shortly
(iii) intermittently
(iv) frequently
Answer:
(i) quickly

Question 6.
Valli devoured everything with her eyes. But when she started to look outside, she found her view cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window. So she stood up on the seat and peered over the blind. The bus was now going along the bank of a canal. The road was very narrow. On one side there was the canal and, beyond it, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue, blue sky. On the other side was a deep ditch and then acres and acres of green fields green, green, green, as far as the eye could see.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Why did Valli stand up on the seat?
(i) To look outside the window over the blind
(ii) To shout at the passengers
(iii) To call the conductor of the bus
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) To look outside the window over the blind

(b) How was the road along the bank of the canal?
(i) Wide
(ii) Busy
(iii) Empty
(iv) Narrow
Answer:
(iv) Narrow

(c) On one side of the road, there was a .
(i) canal
(ii) bridge
(iii) river
(iv) farm house
Answer:
(i) canal

(d) Who devoured everything with her eyes?
(i) The bus driver
(ii) The bus conductor
(iii) Valli
(iv) Valli’s mother
Answer:
(iii) Valli

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘near.’
(i) adjacent
(ii) around
(iii) beside
(iv) distant
Answer:
(iv) distant

Question 7.
After she had enough money saved, her next problem was how to slip out of the house without her mother’s knowledge. But she managed this without too much difficulty. Every day after lunch her mother would nap from about one to four or so. Valli always used these hours for her ‘excursions’ as she stood looking from the doorway of her house or sometimes even ventured out into the village; today, these same hours could be used for her first excursion outside the village.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What did Valli do to make a bus ride?
(i) She consulted the conductor.
(ii) She consulted the driver.
(iii) She consulted her mother.
(iv) She saved enough money.
Answer:
(iv) She saved enough money.

(b) What was Valli’s next problem?
(i) To play with other friends
(ii) To slip out of the house without her mother’s knowledge
(iii) To manage everything
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) To slip out of the house without her mother’s knowledge

(c) Valli’s mother would from about one to four daily.
(i) nap
(ii) read
(iii) write
(iv) watch television
Answer:
(i) nap

(d) For which purpose did Valli use these hours?
(i) Playing card
(ii) Watching children playing on the roads
(iii) Concentrated on studies
(iv) For first excursion
Answer:
(iv) For first excursion

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘undertook’.
(i) assured
(ii) ventured
(iii) idleness
(iv) protected
Answer:
(ii) ventured

Question 8.
The bus rolled on now cutting across a bare landscape, now rushing through a tiny hamlet or past an odd wayside shop. Sometimes the bus seemed on a point of gobbling up another vehicle that was coming towards them or a pedestrian crossing the road. But lo! somehow it passed on smoothly, leaving all obstacles safely behind. Trees came running towards them but then stopped as the bus reached them and simply stood there helpless for a moment by the side of the road before rushing in other direction.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where did the bus roll on new cutting?
(i) Landscape
(ii) Field
(iii) Road
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Landscape

(b) Where did the bus rush through?
(i) Village
(ii) Hamlet
(iii) City
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Hamlet

(c) The bus passed on smoothly, leaving all safely behind.
(i) obstacles
(ii) things
(iii) miseries
(iv) incidents
Answer:
(i) obstacles

(d) What did Valli notice about the bus on the road?
(i) The bus remained motionless on the earth.
(ii) The bus seemed on a point of gobbling up another vehicle.
(iii) The bus seemed to be running out of road.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) The bus seemed on a point of gobbling up another vehicle.

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘roughly.’
(i) smoothly
(ii) practically
(iii) approximately
(iv) visibly
Answer:
(i) smoothly

Question 9.
Suddenly Valli clapped her hands with glee. A young cow, tail high in the air, was running very fast, right in the middle of the road, right in front of the bus. The bus slowed to a crawl, and the driver sounded his horn loudly again and again. But the more he honked, the more frightened the animal became and the faster it galloped always right in front of the bus.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Why did Valli clap her hands with glee?
(i) Seeing the bus
(ii) Seeing the passengers
(iii) Seeing the cow in the middle of the road
(iv) Seeing the roadside market
Answer:
(iii) Seeing the cow in the middle of the road

(b) What did the driver do?
(i) He stopped the bus.
(ii) He de – boarded the passengers from bus.
(iii) He chided Valli.
(iv) He sounded his horn loudly again and again.
Answer:
(iv) He sounded his horn loudly again and again.

(c) As the driver honked, the more the animal become.
(i) frightened
(ii) scared
(iii) rigid
(iv) fearless
Answer:
(i) frightened

(d) What did the cow do?
(i) The cow always came in front of the bus.
(ii) The cow never came in front of the bus.
(iii) The cow annoyed the passengers.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) The cow always came in front of the bus.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘noisily’.
(i) inaudibly
(ii) silently
(iii) fruitfully
(iv) loudly
Answer:
(iv) loudly

Madam Rides the Bus Summary

Madam Rides the Bus About the Author

• Vallikkannan is the pseudonym of R. S. Krishnasamy. He was a writer, journalist, critic, and translator from Tamil Nadu.
• Krishnasamy was bom on November 12, 1920 in Rajavallipuram near Tirunelveli.
• He worked for magazines like Cinema Ulagam, Navasakthi, Grama Oozhiyan and Hanuman.
• He wrote a number of books including novels, novellas, poetry collections, plays and essay anthologies. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his critical work on modem Tamil poetry Pudukavithaiyin Thottramum Valarchiyum in 1978.
• He died on November 9, 2006.

Madam Rides the Bus Gist of the Lesson

In the story, 1 Madam Rides the Bus the author has written a sensitive story of an eight-year-old girl, Valli. She is curious to know about the outside world, which is charming and fascinating. She wants to experience it by herself. She watches everything standing on her doorway. She watches the people of the village and town daily who come there. She takes all the details about the journey, fare and time duration. She decides to go to the town all by herself without anybody’s support. To ride the bus, she had collected money by crushing her wishes.

She did not even take peppermints, toys, etc. She did all this to ride the bus. She wanted to devour everything with her eyes. She asked the bus conductor to take her to the town. She herself paid her fare. She saw the canal, palm tree, grassland, distant mountain and the blue sky. She was too overjoyed when she saw a cow running with her raised tail on the road ahead of the bus. While returning, she noticed that the same cow was crushed and bled. She was totally disturbed. She returned home in time. None of the family members could know about her adventurous journey.

Madam Rides the Bus Summary

1. Brief introduction of Valli: Valliammai, (short name Valli) was an eight-year-old girl. She was very curious. She always wanted to know something about the outer world. Her favourite pastime was to stand in the front doorway of her house and watch the outside activities. She had also no playmates.

2. The most fascinating thing: To her, the most fascinating thing was the bus that travelled between the village and town. The bus passed through her street at an interval of one hour. She always watched a new set of passengers. It gave her much joy.

3. A wish crept into her head: After watching the bus for the whole day, a wish crept into her mind. She wanted to ride the bus and take its enjoyment. Her wish became stronger and it turned into desire. She always stared at the people who came down from the bus at the street comer. Even if one of her friends used to ride the bus and tried to describe the sights of the town, Valli felt jealous towards her. She often started shouting “proud! proud!. But nobody could understand its meaning. It was considered to be an expression of disapproval.

4. Details about the bus journey: Valli gathered all the details about the bus journey from her neighbours. She knew that the town was at the distance of six miles from her village and the fare was thirty paise. But, it was really a big amount for Valli. She planned about her journey again and again.

5. Boarded the bus: On a fine spring afternoon, Valli left the village. She reached at the bus stop and stood outside the bus. She also showed him some coins. The conductor was a man of jovial nature. He told her to board the bus first and take a seat. Being afternoon, there were hardly six to seven passengers in the bus.

6. The bus started: The conductor blew the whistle and the bus started. The seats were comfortable and there was a beautiful clock in front of Valli. She also started looking outside. There was a canal and around it there were palm trees, grasslands, mountains, etc.

7. Curiosity of Valli: Valli heard the conversation of every passenger in the bus. An elderly man had much concern for this little child. But she was annoyed by her attention. She told that nobody is a child in the bus. And she had also paid thirty paise like other passengers. The conductor called her ‘Madam’.

8. The entry of an elderly woman: When the bus stopped, an elderly woman entered and sat beside her. She was repulsive. She told that it was not proper for a young person to travel again. At this, Valli expressed her anger and told that she could take proper care of herself.

9. Saved money restricting her temptations: Valli had saved money with great difficulty. She restricted all her temptations. She did not buy peppermints, toys, balloons, and not even rode merry-go-round. This way she could be able to save sixty paise.

10. Cow episode: While the bus was returning from town to village, a cow was mnning on the road. The driver sounded the hom loudly but it made no effect on the cow. It was really a funny thing for Valli. The cow moved off the road. The bus came to a railroad crossing soon.

11. Returning of Valli: While returning from the town, Valli boarded the same bus and took ticket. All of a sudden, she saw that the same cow was lying dead on the road. It really frightened her. She became very sad at this.

12. Valli reached home safely: Valli reached home well within time. When she entered her home her mother was talking to one of her aunts. When her aunt asked anything from Valli, she just smiled and spoke nothing.

Madam Rides the Bus Lesson at a Glance

Valli was an eight – year old girl who was fascinated by the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town.

1. She gathered more information about the bus from the conversations of her neighbours.
2. She wanted to travel in the bus and therefore, planned her trip and saved sixty paise for the fare.
3. One day, she got onto the bus and the conductor jokingly addressed her ‘Madam’.
4. She paid for the fare and sat on a seat beside an elderly lady.
5. The old lady was chewing betel and Valli was not liking its smell. Moreover, the lady asked her why she was travelling alone.
6. Valli wanted to travel alone, so she told her not to bother about her.
7. Out of nowhere, a cow came running in the middle of the road. It got more frightened when the driver honked.
8. Valli enjoyed this scenario a lot and laughed over it until tears came in her eyes.
9. After sometime, the conductor asked her to get down as the bus had reached the town.
10. Valli told him to take her to the village from where she had boarded the bus and gave him another thirty paise.
11. The conductor, surprised at her, offered her a free cold drink but she denied firmly.
12. While returning, she saw the same cow, lying dead by the side of the road.
13. The gory scene seared her and she did not look outside the window anymore.
14. She reached her village and hoped to see the conductor of the bus again.
15. Her aunt and her mother were talking and her aunt asked her casually where she had been all day, without expecting any reply.

Madam Rides the Bus Character Sketch

Valli: Valli was an eight – year – old girl. She was very clever, sensitive and fun loving. She was of inquisitive nature. She was curious to know about things. Her favourite pastime was to stand in the front doorway of her house. To ride on the bus, she collected all the information pertaining to the journey and also resisted her temptation. She even calculated time. The bus conductor called her ‘Madam’ at which she reacted harshly. She was a girl beyond her years.

Madam Rides the Bus Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
sensitive	full of feeling	gleaming	shining
crawl	move slowly	slang expression	using informal words
haughtily	proudly	ditch	a narrow trench
bump	push against	punched	made a hole
Overwhelming desire	a keen desire	concerned	caring
glance	stare	on and on	further and further
wistfully	regretful longing	curtain	a piece of cloth to cover a door or a window
crept	came, entered	induction	entry
mystery	surprise	disapproval	unacceptable disagreement
fascinating	attractive	annoyed	angry
mere	small	lobes	soft hanging part of ear
peered over	seeing through	repulsive	causing strong dislike
chimmed	to be in rhyme	startled	surprised
resisting	controlling, opposing	struck dumb with wonder	kept mum due to wonder
chatterbox	who talks too much	firmly	with belief
a chit of a girl	a small girl	dampening	wetting
stifled	controlling	tremendous	violent
glew	with happiness	traversed	lying across
elaborate	complicated	unusual	not common
fascinating	captivating, charming	overwhelming	fantastic
wistful	pensive	kindle	ignite
longing	desire	disapproval	dislike
discreet	careful, tactful	pastime	hobby, craze
commandingly	powerfully	stretched out	in relaxed manner
peer over	to look over something	devour	to eat quickly
chimed in	to interrupt in conversation	startled	surprised
repulsive	disgusting	mimicking	copying
drivel	rubbish, silly, nonsense	curtly	rudely
thriftily	spending money carefully	painstaking	meticulous, careful
resolutely stifled	suppressed	temptation	urge, desire
ventured out	went cautiously	excursion	trip, journey
glee	happiness, joy	gobbling up	hurriedly and noisily
thoroughfare	roadway, passage	gallop	go at fast speed
spreadeagled	spread out	shrugged	dismiss, ignore

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 4 From the Diary of Anne Frank

JAC Class 10th English From the Diary of Anne Frank Textbook Questions and Answers

Activity (Page – 49)

Question 1.
Do you keep a diary? Given below under ‘A’ are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under ‘B’? (You may look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)

(i) journal	A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your thoughts and feelings or what has happened on that day
(ii) Diary	A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every
(iii) log	A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person) day
(iv) Memoirs	A written record of events with times and dates, usually official

Answer:

(i) journal	A written record of events with times and dates, usually official
(ii) Diary	A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your thoughts and feelings or what has happened on that day
(iii) log	A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every
(iv) Memoirs	A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person) day

Question 2.
Here are some entries from personal records. Use the definitions above to decide which of the entries might be from a diary, a journal, a log or a memoir.
(i) I woke up very late today and promptly got a scolding from Mum! I can’t help it – how can I miss the FIFA World Cup matches?
Answer:
Diary

(ii) 10 : 30 a.m. Went to the office of the Director 01 : 00p.m. Had lunch with Chairman 05 : 45 p.m. Received Rahul at the airport 09 : 30p.m. Dinner at home
Answer:
Log

(iii) The ride to Ooty was uneventful. We rested for a while every 50 km or so, and used the time to capture the magnificent landscape with my HandyCam. From Ooty we went on to Bangalore. What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once-beautiful city really broke my heart.
Answer:
Journal

(iv) This is how Raj Kapoor found me all wet and ragged outside R. K. Studios. He was then looking for just someone like this for a small role in Mera Naam Joker, and he cast me on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history!
Answer:
Memoir

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 51)

Question 1.
What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?
Answer:
Writing in a diary was really a strange experience for Anne Frank. This was only because she had never written anything before. She also thought that nobody would be interested in the musings of a thirteen – year – old schoolgirl.

Question 2.
Why does Anne want to keep a diary?
Answer:
Anne wanted to keep a diary because she did not have a real friend. Although she had loving parents, a sixteen – year – old sister and about thirty people whom she could call her friends. She thought that paper had more patience than people. However, she did not have that one true friend. That is why she decided to keep a diary.

Question 3.
Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?
Answer:
Anne did not have a true friend. Although she had many friends, but she only talked to them about day – to – day things. She did not seem to get any closer to them. She felt that maybe it was her fault that she could not confide in them. She knew that paper had more patience than people. So she decided to write and confide in a diary.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 51)

Question 1.
Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?
Answer:
Anne provides a brief sketch of her life because no one would understand a word of her musings without knowing her whereabouts.

Question 2.
What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?
Answer:
Anne’s grandmother had fallen seriously ill. Therefore, Anne’s birthday was not celebrated with much enthusiasm. Her grandmother died the next year. She missed her a lot. Anne wrote in her diary that no one knew how often she thought of her grandmother and still loved her.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 54)

Question 1.
Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?
Answer:
Mr Keesing was annoyed with Anne because she talked too much in the class. He assigned her an extra homework and also asked her to write an essay on the subject, ‘A Chatterbox’.

Question 2.
How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?
Answer:
In her essay, Anne wanted to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She argued that talking was a student’s trait. She had inherited this trait from her mother. She would do her best to keep it under control. She further wrote that she would never be able to cure herself of this habit. This was how she justified her being a chatterbox in the essay.

Question 3.
Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
Answer:
Mr Keesing was a strict teacher. He maintained discipline and silence in the class. He did not allow students to talk. He punished Anne by asking her to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox However, when Anne continued with her talking, he punished her again by asking her to write another essay. This time the topic was ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox ’. Even after this, when she continued talking, he asked her to write on the topic “Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox”. He was trying to play a joke on her. However, she came up with a poem acknowledging its content. Therefore, Mr Keesing cannot be entirely called a strict teacher. He was fun – loving too.

Question 4.
What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in the class?
Answer:
Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr Keesing. As a punishment, the teacher gave her topics to write essays on three occasions. However, on each occasion, he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments. Finally, Mr Keesing accepted the fact that Anne would always be that way. Hence, she was allowed to talk in the class.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year – old girl?
Answer:
Anne was not absolutely right in her approach at this point. Her diary was published under the name ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’. In due course of time, it became one of the world’s most widely read books. It also gained more popularity.

Question 2.
There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s diary different?
Answer:
Anne’s diary was originally written in the Dutch language. Her diary is different from the others in many aspects. She thought her diary, Kitty, as her only true friend whom she could confide in. She wrote all her stories and day – to – day experiences in it. She started by writing ‘Dearest Kitty’ and ended the account by writing, ‘Yours, Anne’. It might be called a memoir.

Question 3.
Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?
Answer:
Anne gave a brief sketch about her family because no one would understand a word of her stories to her diary. She, therefore, wrote a brief sketch of her life, even though she disliked doing so. She treated ‘Kitty’ as an insider because she called it her best friend.

Question 4.
How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs. Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?
Answer:
Anne gave due respect to her father, grandmother, Mrs. Kuperus and Mr Keesing. She had much affection to her grandmother. She also remembered her after her death. She wrote in her diary that no one knew how often she thought of her grandmother and still loved her. While she was in her sixth standard at Montessori Nursery School, her teacher was Mrs. Kuperus, who was also the headmistress.

While giving heartbreaking farewell to Mrs. Kuperus, both were in tears. Mr Keesing was her Maths teacher. He was annoyed with her because she talked too much in the class. However, Anne justified her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr Keesing. On each occasion, he was too much impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments.
All these incidents show how lovable and smart Anne was. Everybody was attached to her.

Question 5.
What does Anne write in her first essay?
Answer:
In her first essay, titled ‘A Chatterbox’ Anne laid more emphasis on the trait of talking. She started thinking about the subject. She wrote three pages and was satisfied. She argued that talking was a student’s trait. She would not be able to control it because she had inherited this quality from her mother. It is beyond her capacity to overcome this problem. Mr Keesing too had a good laugh reading her arguments.

Question 6.
Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
Answer:
Anne felt that teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on the earth. Anne was very
talkative. The way Anne talked continuously while the class was in progress, any teacher would naturally lose his temper. However, after several warnings, Mr Keesing assigned her extra homework. She was told to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’.

In this manner, he tried to play a joke on her. While he asked her to write such essays, she wrote very well. She kept countering his jokes. One could not have predicted that he would take all the jokes in the right spirit. Ultimately, he accepted her talkative nature and also allowed her to talk in the class. In this way, it can be said that Mr Keesing was unpredictable.

Question 7.
What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?
1. We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other.
2. I don’t want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend.
3. Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.
4. If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.
5. Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking.
Answer:

1. Anne had no true friend whom she could confide in. She even did not feel hesitation in taking fault on hers.
2. Anne considered her diary as her true and trusted friend. She did not just want a diary in which she could write down the facts like other fellows.
3. It shows her witticism and sense of humour.
4. Teachers are the most unpredictable creature on the earth. Nobody could say which students they would fail and which students would be promoted to the next class.
5. Anne knew a lot about writing. While she was given a topic for writing, she took it seriously and attempted with full vigour. She did not want to write like others who merely left big spaces between the words to make the essay look voluminous. Her trick was to come up with a convincing argument to prove the necessity of talking. She was different in her approach from everybody else.

Thinking about Language

I. Look at the following words. headmistress long – awaited homework notebook stilf – baeked outbursts These words are compound words. They are made up of two or more words.
Compound words can be:

• nouns: headmistress, homework, notebook, outbursts
• adjectives: long – awaited, stiff – backed
• verbs: sleep – walk, baby-sit

Match the compound words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’ Use each in a sentence.

A	B
1. Heartbreaking	– obeying and respecting the law
2. Homesick	– think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
3. Blockhead	– something produced by a person, machine or organisation
4. Law-abiding	– producing great sadness
5. Overdo	– an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working
6. Daydream	– an informal word which means a very stupid person
7. Breakdown	– missing home and family very much
8. Output	– do something to an excessive degree

Answer:

1. Heartbreaking	– producing great sadness
2. Homesick	– missing home and family very much
3. Blockhead	– an informal word which means a very stupid person
4. Law-abiding	– obeying and respecting the law
5. Overdo	– do something to an excessive degree
6. Daydream	– think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
7. Breakdown	– an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working

II. Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an adverb. Its meaning is often different from the meaning of its parts. Compare the meanings of the verbs get on and run away in (a) and (b) below. You can easily guess their meanings in (a) but in (b) they have special meanings.
(a)

• She got on at Agra when the bus stopped for breakfast.
• Dev Anand ran away from home when he was a teenager.

(b)

• She’s eager to get on in life, (succeed)
• The visitors ran away with the match, (won easily)

Some phrasal verbs have three parts: a verb followed by an adverb and a preposition.
(c) Our car ran out of petrol just outside the city limits.
(d) The government wants to reach out to the people with this new campaign.

Question 1.
The text you’ve just read has a number of phrasal verbs commonly used in English. Look up the following in a dictionary for their meanings (under the entry for the italicised word).
1. plunge (right) in
2. ramble on
3. kept back
4. get along with
Answer:

1. plunge (right) in – dive into
2. kept back – to not allow (someone) to go near something
3. ramble on – talking for a long time in a boring way
4. get along with – have a good understanding with others

Question 2.
Now find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings. (You have already found out the meanings of some of them.) Are their meanings the same as that of their parts?
(Note that two parts of a phrasal verb may occur separated in the text.)
(i) plunge in – speak or write without tõcus
(ii) kept back – stay indoors
(iii) move up – make (them) remain quiet
(iv) ramble on – have a good relationship with
(y) get along with – give an assignment (homework) to a person authority (the teacher)
(vi) calm down – compensate
(vii) stay in – go straight to the topic
(viii) make up for – go to the next grade
(ix) hand in – not promoted
Answer:
(i) plunge in – go straight to the topic Since no one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to plunge right in, I’d better provide a brief sketch of my life, much as I dislike doing so.

(ii) kept back – not promoted The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers decide who’ll move up to the next form and who’ll be kept back,

(iii) move up – go to the next grade The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers decide who’ll move up to the next form and who’ll be kept back,

(iv) ramble on – speak or write without focus Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking,

(v) get along with – have a good relationship with I get along pretty well with all my teachers,

(vi) calm down – make (them) remain quiet Even G.’s pleading glances and my angry outbursts can’t calm them down.

(vii) stay in – stay indoors I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands, bored and listless, wondering whether to stay in or go out.

(viii) make up for – compensate This birthday celebration in 1942 was intended to make up for the other.

(ix) hand in – give an assignment (homework) to a person in authority (the teacher) I handed it in, and Mr Keesing had nothing to complain about for two whole lessons.

III. Idioms

Idioms are groups of words with a fixed order, and a particular meaning, different from the meanings of each of their words put together. (Phrasal verbs can also be idioms; they are said to be ‘idiomatic’ when their meaning is unpredictable.) For example, do you know what it means to ‘meet one’s match’ in English? It means to meet someone who is as good as
oneself, or even better, in some skill or quality. Do you know what it means to ‘let the cat out of the bag’? Can you guess?

Question 1.
Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means? (You might want to consult a dictionary first.)
1. Our entire class is quaking in its boots………………..
2. Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart ……………..
3. Mr Keesing was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much ………………
4. Mr Keesing was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him………………
Answer:

1. Shaking with fear and nervousness
2. Not to lose hope
3. For a long time
4. He was outwitted by her.

Question 2.
Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own.
1. caught my eye
2. he’d had enough
3. laugh ourselves silly
4. can’t bring myself to
Answer:

1. caught my eye: The beautiful diamond necklace in the shop caught my eye.
2. he’d had enough: He’d had enough of the bullying that he faced everyday.
3. laugh ourselves silly: John and I laugh ourselves silly at the new cartoon show.
4. can’t bring myself to: I can’t bring myself to eat anything but sweets.

IV. Do you know how to use a dictionary to find out the meanings of idiomatic expressions? Take, for example, the expression caught my eye in the story. Where under which word would you look for it in the dictionary? Look for it under the first word. But if the first word is a ‘grammatical’ word like a, the, for, etc., then take the next word. That is, look for the first ‘meaningful’ word in the expression. In our example, it is the word caught.

But you won’t find caught in the dictionary, because it is the past tense of catch. You’ll find caught listed under catch. So you must look under catch for the expression caught my eye. Which other expressions with catch are listed in your dictionary? Note that a dictionary entry usually first gives the meanings of the word itself, and then gives a list of idiomatic expressions using that word. For example, study this partial entry for the noun ‘eye’ from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2005.
Eye

• Noun
• Part of Body 1 [C] either of the two organs on the face that you see with: The suspect has
  dark hair and green eyes.
• Ability to See 3 [sing.] the ability to see: A surgeon needs a good eve anda steady hand.
• Way of Seeing 4 [C] usually sing a particular way of seeing sth: He looked at the design
  with the eve of an engineer
• Of Needle 5 [C] the hole in the end of a needle that you put the thread through.

IDM be all eyes to be watching sb/sth carefully and with a lot of interest before/in front of sb’s (veiy) eyes in sb’s presence; in front of sb: He had seen his life work destroyed before his very eyes. Be up to your eyes In sth to have a lot of sth to deal with: We ‘re up to our eyes in work.

You have read the expression ‘not to lose heart’ in this text. Now find out the meanings of the following expressions using the word ‘heart’. Use each of them in a sentence of your own.
1. break somebody’s heart
2. close/dear to heart
3. from the (bottom of your) heart
4. have a heart
5. have a heart of stone
6. your heart goes out to somebody
Answer:

1. break somebody’s heart – to upset somebody deeply It has unfortunately become very easy these days to break somebody’s heart.
2. close/dear to heart – something or someone who is near and close The drawing given to me by my little daughter is very close to my heart.
3. from the (bottom of your) heart – sincere and deep feeling He loved his son from the bottom of his heart.
4. have a heart – to show pity The poor beggar asked the rich man to have a heart and give him something to eat.
5. have a heart of stone – cruel nature The landlady has a heart of stone as she beats up her children.
6. your heart goes out to somebody – to sympathise with someone My heart goes out to the little girl who lost both her parents in a car accident.

V. Contracted Forms
When we speak, we use ‘contracted forms’ or short forms such as these: can’t (for can not or cannot) I’d (for I would or I had) she’s (for she is) Notice that contracted forms are also written with an apostrophe to show a shortening of the spelling of not, would, or is as in the above example. Writing a diary is like speaking to oneself. Plays (and often, novels) also have speech in written form. So we usually come across contracted forms in diaries, plays and novels.

Question 1.
Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words.
For example:
I’ve = I have
(i) I’ve = I have
(ii) Doesn’t = does not
(iii) Won’t = would not
(iv) I’m =Iam
(v) Don’t =donot
(vi) Can’t = cannot
(vii) it’s = it is
(viii) That’s = that is
(ix) I’d = I would
(x) Didn’t = did not
(xi) Who’ll = who will
(xii)You’re = You are
(xiii) We’ll = We will
(xiv)There’s = there is
(xv) He’d = he had
(xvi) Who’s = who is
(xvii) Haven ‘t = have not

Question 2.
We have seen that some contracted forms can stand for two different full forms:
I’d = I had or I would
Find in the text the contracted forms that stand for two different full forms, and say what these are.
Answer:
(i) I’d = I had or I would
(ii) He’d = He had or he would

Speaking

Here is an extract adapted from a one-act play. In this extract, angry neighbours Who think Joe the Inventor’s new spinning machine will make them lose their jobs come Joe’s model of the machine. You’ve just seen how contracted forms can make a written text sound like actual speech. try to make this extract sound more like a real conversation by changing some of the verbs
into contracted forms. Then speak out the lines.
[The door is flung open, and several men tramp in. They carry sticks, and one of them, HOB, has a hammer]
HOB : Now where is your husband, mistress’?
MARY : In his bed. He is sick, and weary. You would not harm him!
HOB : We are going to smash his evil work to pieces. Where is the machine?
SECOND MAN : On the table yonder.
HOB : Then here is the end of it! [HOB smashes the model. MARY screams.]
HOB : And now for your husband!
MARY : Neighbours, he is a sick man and almost a cripple. You would not hur
HOB : He is planning to take away our daily bread… We will show him what of him and his ways!
Answer:
MARY : You have broken his machine… You have done enough
HOB : Now where’s your husband, mistress’?
MARY : In his bed. He’s sick, and weary. You won’t harm him!
HOB : We’re going to smash his evil work to pieces. Where’s the machine?
SECOND MAN : On the table yonder.
HOB : Then here’s the end of it; [HOB smashes the model. MARY screams.]
HOB : And now for your husband!
MARY : Neighbours, he’s a sick man and almost a cripple. You won’t hurt him!
HOB : He’s planning to take away our daily bread.., we’ll show him what we think of him and his ways!
MARY : You’ve broken his machine… You’ve done enough…

Writing

Now you know what a diary is and how to keep one. Can you keep a diary for a week recording the events that occur? You may share your diary with your class, if you wish to. Use the following hints to write your diary.

• Though your diary is very private, write as if you are writing for someone else.
• Present your thoughts in a convincing manner.
• Use words that convey your feelings, and words that ‘paint pictures’ for the reader. Be brief.

‘Diary language’ has some typical features such as subjectless sentences (Got up late in the morning), sentence fragments without subjects or verbs (…too bad, boring, not good), contracted forms (they’re, I’ve, can’t, didn’t, etc.), and everyday expressions which people use in speech. Remember not to use such language in more formal kinds of writing.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

Listening

Your teacher will read out an extract from The Diary of Samuel Pepys (given on the next page) about the great fire of London. As you listen complete this summary of the happenings.
Answer:
Summary
This entry in the diary has been made on 2nd September by Samuel Pepys. The person who told Pepys about the fire was called Jane. She called at three in the morning. Pepys went back to sleep because the fire was on the backside of the Marke – Lane. Pepys rose again at seven in the morning. By then about three hundred houses had been burned down. The fire had spread to Fish street by London Bridge. Pepys then walked to the Tower along with Sir J. Robinson’s little son.

JAC Class 10th English From the Diary of Anne Frank Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
How was Mr Keesing a kind but strict teacher?
Answer:
Mr Keesing was a kind but strict teacher. He was annoyed with Anne as she used to talk a lot. He had warned her many times but she refused to comply. Hence, he punished her by giving her an essay to write.

Question 2.
Where did Anne live after her parents had left for Holland?
Answer:
After Anne’s parents had migrated to Holland, she lived with her grandmother for some months.

Question 3.
Why was Anne in tears when she left the Montessori school?
Answer:
In her sixth form in Montessori school, Mrs Kiiperus was the headmistress. Anne loved her profoundly. Mrs Kuperus also showed great affection towards Anne. That’s why she was in tears while leaving the Montessori school.

Question 4.
‘Grandma had a significant place in Anne’s heart’. Explain.
Answer:
Anne loved her grandma very much. She died in January 1942. Her death was all the more troublesome to Anne. Grandma played a significant role in shaping the life of Anne Frank. At Anne’s birthday, a separate candle was lit for grandma.

Question 5.
Why were the classmates of Anne Frank shaking with fear and nervousness?
Answer:
The classmates of Anne Frank were shaking with fear and nervousness because it was time to move to the next class. The students were quite ignorant who would be kept back and who would be promoted.

Question 6.
What did Anne write in her first essay?
Answer:
Anne wrote that talking is a student’s trait. So, she would not stop talking because her mother talked a lot. She had inherited this trait from her mother.

Question 7.
How did Sanne help Anne Frank in writing the third essay?
Answer:
Sanne was one of Anne Frank’s friends. She suggested Anne to write the essay in verse form. She also advised her to put up the example of a duck and a swan and their ducklings in it.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
How did Anne feel about her father, grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing?
Answer:
Anne loved her father very much. He was adorable to her. She also loved her grandmother
and often remembered her with reverence after her death. She was deeply attached to her teacher, Mrs Kuperus and was in tears when she left her. Anne did not have a good impression of Mr Keesing, her maths teacher and often called him ‘old fogey’.

Question 2.
In what manner did Anne want her diary to be different?
Answer:
Anne did not want to follow the conventional use of a diary like people jotting down the facts in their diaries. She wished the diary to be her friend. She called it a Kitty. She would write about her feelings and experiences in it. It was a mature piece of work, reflecting profound insight.

Question 3.
‘Teachers are the most unpredictable creature on the earth’. What does it mean?
Answer:
Anne and her classmates thought that teachers were the most unpredictable creature the on
earth as it was hard to know or even guess what was going in their minds and what kind of step they would take regarding something.

Question 4.
Why did Anne feel alone?
Answer:
Anne had loving parents, her sixteen-year-old sister and around thirty-people whom she could call her friends. She had a loving aunt, family and a good home. Notwithstanding, she felt kind of hollow deep inside as she did not have a friend to whom she could confide herself. And she found such friend in the form of a diary.

Question 5.
Why did Anne Frank feel suffocated?
Answer:
Anne Frank was a very sensitive girl. She was cut off from the mainstream of life, her friends and her people. She was living in a hiding to escape being arrested by the Nazis. Moreover, she could not share her intimate and personal feelings with so-called friends. In this way, she felt suffocated. And to cope up with this, she resolved to write in a diary. She had named her diary ‘Kitty’.

Question 6.
‘Paper has more patience than people’. Elucidate this on the basis of the lesson.
Answer:
People are not always interested in listening to what you tell them. They get bored, feel monotonous and lose patience. But this does not happen with paper. You can write whatever you like and how long as you like. Sometimes people do not want to share their personal feelings with anyone. They just jot down their feelings on paper. That is why Anne also kept her feelings on pages and told that paper has more patience than people.

Question 7.
Who taught Anne Frank maths? Why did the maths teacher always get annoyed with her?
Answer:
Mr Keesing taught her maths. He always got annoyed with her because she talked too much in the class. To stop this practice, he also gave her to write an essay on ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’ as punishment. Even then she did not stop talking. That is why Mr Keesing always got irritated.

Question 8.
Why was the whole class quacking in boots?
Answer:
There was much tension in the class. All the students were waiting for the examination results and the teachers were busy in preparing their results. Students were quite apprehensive about their result. That is why the whole class was quacking in boots.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Give an account of Anne’s life.
Answer:
Anne Frank lived with her parents in Germany. She was a Jewish girl. Hitler’s Nazi party was against the Jews. The Nazis used to either kill them or force them to work in the concentration camps. The Frank family emigrated from Germany in 1933 and took shelter in the Netherlands. But, Germany attacked Netherlands and captured it in 1940. Then the Nazis started to arrest the Jews and send them to concentration camps.

To avoid the Nazis, Frank family went into a hiding secretly. They hid there for twenty – five months. Anne had started writing diary before going to hiding. Eater they were arrested and sent to the concentration camps. Soon, Anne, her sister Margot and her mother died there. Her father survived and published a part of Anne’s diary. In this diary, Anne had given a moving and tragic account of the difficulties faced by her family and the other Jews.

Question 2.
Was Anne Frank far more intelligent, mature and witty than her age? Explain.
Answer:
Anne Frank was far more intelligent, mature and witty than her age. She started writing diary when she was thirteen. She also knew that not many people would be interested in her musings. Being a sensitive girl, she knew the difference between a true friend and so – called crowd of friends. Her diary was not about facts and figures, instead she opened out her suppressed self. Being an intelligent girl, she knew that paper has more patience than people.

Being aware of the difference between true friend and crowd of friends, she confided herself in ‘Kitty’, her diary. She considered it her true friend. Anne knew how to defeat people in their own games. This is evident from the argument she gave in support of talking in her first essay. Mr Keesing’s prank on Anne to write an essay on a ridiculous subject was reciprocated well by her. He acknowledged the message of Anne in the right spirit and her writing changed him. Mr Keesing then allowed her to talk and didn’t give her extra work anymore.

Question 3.
Why did Anne Frank think that she could confide more in her diary than in the people?
Answer:
Anne felt alone, bored and depressed. Although she had loving parents, a sister and thirty ‘ other people with whom she could share her feelings. She was a shy, introvert type of girl. She did not have any friend. She had a happy family but somehow, she could not confide in them. She wanted someone with whom she could share her secrets. She found a real friend ‘ in her diary ‘Kitty’. Moreover, she realized the truth lying in the fact that paper had more patience than people. So, she could confide more ideas in her diary than in people because people were not always interested in listening to us.

Question 4.
How did Anne respond to the punishment by Mr Keesing? What light does it throw on her nature?
Answer:
Anne Frank was of talkative nature. When Mr Keesing punished Anne for her talkativeness again and again and asked her to write essay, one after the other, she composed a poem on ‘The Incorrigible Chatterbox’ and gave a message through it to the teacher. The teacher was so impressed by her little poem that he decided not to punish her again. It shows that she was capable of writing good essays and poems and to win the heart of Mr Keesing and make him realize his mistake. It also reflects her fearlessness, critical thinking, unbiased approach as well as her creativity and humorous approach to deal with her strict teacher.

Question 5.
“No one will take interest in the musings of a thirteen-year-old child”. Is it right? Elaborate this statement in the light of Anne’s Diary and also write the values related with it.
Answer:
According to Anne, it is the common perception of people that the elders do not take much interest in the thought or musings of youngsters. People think that the teenagers are hardly mature. They have little exposure to the practical aspects of the world. Teenagers are taken seriously because of their wisdom and practical knowledge or if they are prodigy. When we see it in the light of Anne’s opinion and her life we find that the perception and her statement do not hold true.

Though Anne had not been taken seriously by any grown ups including her parents during their stay in the Secret Annexe yet, we cannot doubt her maturity and intelligence when we read her diary. She kept on writing in her diary in the beginning. Later, with the passage of time, her views were accepted by elders, particularly by her father. Hence, we can say that Anne might have her own experience while saying about this but the whole world has appreciated the musings of the same girl, Anne Frank.

Question 6.
“Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I’ve never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year old school girl.”
On the basis of the passage given above write why the author gives so much importance to diary.
Answer:
In diary, one writes down one’s thoughts and feelings. He/She jots down his/her day – to – day activities in diary. It is really the remembrance of one’s life long journey. A person grows old with the passing of each year and when he takes a glance at his past journey, at that moment a diary plays an important role. It makes him aware about his past life. So far the importance of dairy in the case of Anne Frank is concerned, it really played a significant role in her life. Since her childhood, she developed the habit of diary writing. It was really a strange experience for her.

This thing was always prevalent in her mind that if she spoke to anybody about anything, nobody would take interest in it. Either people will not agree with his views or they will ignore it. She will have to convince all the people. Even if a thirteen – year old girl says something, no body will take interest in her musings. So, diary is the best way or medium to jot down one’s thoughts, memories, experiences, etc. It is such a thing through which everybody can be convinced. That is why the author gives so much importance to diary. It makes not only the narrator but also the reader convinced about one’s happenings in life.

Question 7.
Yes, paper does have more patience and since I’m not planning to let anyone else read this stiff – backed notebook grandly referred to as a ‘diary’, unless I should ever find a real friend, it probably won’t make a bit of difference. Why does the author give much importance to paper than a friend? Discuss.
Answer:
According to Anne Frank, paper has more patience than people. She was adamant on this view. She really found a real friend in the form of dairy whose name was ‘kitty’. She gave it more importance than to any of her friends. She considered it her real friend with whom she could talk to, share her feelings, happiness, misery, and all the day to day activities pertaining to her life. In it, she could jot down her feelings with pen and pencil. Anne also did not have a true friend. Although she had many friends, she only talked to them about day – to – day things, she was not closer to them.

It might be her fault that she could not confide in them. She knew that paper had more patience than people. So, she decided to write and confide in a diary. Because people are not always interested in listening to what you tell them. They get bored, feel monotonous and lose patience. But this does not happen with paper. Sometimes people do not want to share their personal feelings with anyone. They just jot down their feelings on paper. That is why Anne kept her feelings on paper as it has more patience than people.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
WRITING in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I’ve never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen – year – old schoolgirl. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What is really a strange experience for Anne?
(i) Reading a novel
(ii) Writing in a diary
(iii) Work on project
(iv) Gossipping with friends
Answer:
(ii) Writing in a diary

(b) What is the age of the girl?
(i) Twelve – year – old
(ii) Ten – year – old
(iii) Thirteen – year – old
(iv) Fourteen – year – old
Answer:
(iii) Thirteen – year – old

(c) Nobody will be interested in the girl.
(i) alertness
(ii) musings
(iii) naughtiness
(iv) both (i) and (ii)
Answer:
(ii) musings

(d) Did the narrator write anything before?
(i) No
(ii) Yes
(iii) Perhaps
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) No

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘thought.’
(i) fallacy
(ii) thoughtless
(iii) musings
(iv) attentive
Answer:
(iii) musings

Question 2.
‘Paper has more patience than people.’ I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands, bored and listless, wondering whether to stay in or go out. I finally stayed where 1 was, brooding Yes, paper does have more patience, and since I’m not planning to let anyone else read this stiff – backed notebook grandly referred to as a ‘diary’, unless I should ever find a real friend, it probably won’t make a bit of difference.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What has more patience than people?
(i) Writing
(ii) Reading
(iii) Paper
(iv) Pen
Answer:
(iii) Paper

(b) Who was feeling a little depressed?
(i) Anne
(ii) Margo
(iii) Anne’s father
(iv) Anne’s mother
Answer:
(i) Anne

(e) Anne finally stayed where she was .
(i) talking
(ii) brooding
(iii) writing
(iv) walking
Answer:
(ii) brooding

(d) The stiff – backed notebook has been referred to as a
(i) Log
(ii) Diary
(iii) Memoir
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Diary

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘unenthusiastic.’
(i) listless
(ii) enthusiastic
(iii) powerful
(iv) anxious
Answer:
(i) listless

Question 3.
I have loving parents and a sixteen-year-old sister, and there are about thirty people I can call friends. I have a family, loving aunts and a good home. No, on the surface I seem to have everything, except my one true friend. All I think about when I’m with friends is having a good time. I can’t bring myself to talk about anything but ordinary everyday things. We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other. In any case, that’s just how things are, and unfortunately they’re not liable to change. This is why I’ve started the diary.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Whom did Anne call her friends?
(i) Her parents
(ii) Sixteen – year old sister
(iii) About thirty people
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iv) All of these

(b) What did Anne find on the surface?
(i) Anne found everything on the surface.
(ii) Anne did not find anything on the surface.
(iii) Anne found everything on the surface except her true friend.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) Anne found everything on the surface except her true friend.

(c) Anne can’t bring herself to talk about anything but ………… everyday things.
(i) extraordinary
(ii) unique
(iii) ordinary
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) ordinary

(d) What was the good time for her?
(i) When she was busy in gossiping.
(ii) When she was busy in cooking.
(iii) When she was busy in painting.
(iv) When she was with her friends.
Answer:
(iv) When she was with her friends.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘reveal’.
(i) hide
(ii) confide
(iii) liable
(iv) change
Answer:
(ii) confide

Question 4.
That evening, after I’d finished the rest of my homework, the note about the essay caught my eye. I began thinking about the subject while chewing the tip of my fountain pen. Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. I thought and thought, and suddenly I had an idea. I wrote the three pages Mr Keesing had assigned me and was satisfied. I argued that talking is a student’s trait and that I would do my best to keep it under control, but that I would never be able to cure myself of the habit since my mother talked as much as I did if not more, and that there’s not much you can do about inherited traits.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What had Anne finished that evening?
(i) The rest of her homework
(ii) The rest of her household chores
(iii) The rest of her painting
(iv) She did not finish anything
Answer:
(i) The rest of her homework

(b) About whom did Anne think while chewing the tip of her fountain pen?
(i) About morning breakfast
(ii) About her friends
(iii) About the subject of the essay
(iv) About playing games
Answer:
(iii) About the subject of the essay

(c) Anne argued that …………… is a student’s trait.
(i) talking
(ii) walking
(iii) writing
(iv) running
Answer:
(i) talking

(d) What did Anne want to prove?
(i) Anne wanted to prove her talent.
(ii) Anne wanted to prove the necessity of talking.
(iii) Anne wanted to prove her credentials.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Anne wanted to prove the necessity of talking.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘logic’.
(i) argument
(ii) philosophy
(iii) ramble
(iv) wit
Answer:
(i) argument

Question 5.
Mr Keesing had a good laugh at my arguments, but when I proceeded to talk my way through the next lesson, he assigned me a second essay. This time it was supposed to be on ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox. ’ I handed it in, and Mr Keesing had nothing to complain about for two whole lessons. However, during the third lesson he’d finally had enough. “Anne Frank, as punishment for talking in class, write an essay entitled ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox’.”
Choose the correct option:
(a) Who made a good laugh at Anne’s arguments?
(i) Mr Keesing
(ii) Sanne
(iii) Margot
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Mr Keesing

(b) What did Mr Keesing assign to Anne?
(i) To write a poem
(ii) To write the second essay
(iii) To solve the maths problem
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) To write the second essay

(c) Anne was given to write an essay as punishment on the topic in the class.
(i) A Chatterbox
(ii) An Incorrigible Chatterbox
(iii) Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox

(d) For how many lessons did Keesing not complain?
(i) One lesson
(ii) Two lessons
(iii) Three lessons
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Two lessons

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘logic.’
(i) arguments
(ii) reason
(iii) admiration
(iv) pretension
Answer:
(i) arguments

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary

From the Diary of Anne Frank About the Author

• Anne Frank was bom on 12 June, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany.
  She was a German bom diarist.
• Otto Frank and Edith Frank were her father and mother respectively.
  Margot Frank was her sister.
• She moved to Aachen with her elder sister at the age of four and half to stay with their grandmother when the Nazis gained control over Germany.
• She lost her German citizenship in 1941 and became stateless.
• She got acclaim and popularity with the publication of “The Diary of a Young Girl’’ in which she narrated about her life in hiding from 1942 to 1944.
• She died in February 1945.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Gist of the Lesson

This is the story of a young girl, Anne Frank. Anne Frank wrote her diary in hiding with her family. The diary was written at the ime of World War II. It was really a unique experience for her while writing a diary. In the initial stage while she started writing diary, she was quite depressed and , dej ected. She was thinking about her family, parents and sister. In spite of all these, she wanted a true friend which she found in the form of a diary. There were thirty people around her whom she could consider as friends. In 1933, her parents went to Holland.

She only stayed with their grandmother at Aachen. Anne was sent to Montessori School where she studied till six years of her age. While she was in sixth standard, the examinations were held. On the day of declaration of result, the entire class was in tense mood and all students were nervous. Mr Keesing was her maths teacher. Anne was very talkative. As a punishment, the teacher gave her to write a topic on “A Chatterbox” which she could not write properly. She thought that talking was a student’s trait. Seeing this, Mr Keesing laughed loudly.

Now he gave another topic to her to write on, i.e., “An Incorrigible Chatterbox”. For the third time, she was given a topic “Question uack, Question uack, Question uack”, said Mistress Chatterbox. At this topic, not only Anne but also the entire class laughed loudly. Now with the help of her friend Sanne, she wrote in verse. The poem was about a mother duck, father swan along with three baby ducklings. The baby ducklings quacked too much so the father swan took them to death. It was a joke on Mr Keesing’s part. Thus, the story provides a vivid description of day – to – day life under Nazi occupation. Most importantly, it depicts the truth as described by Anne Frank – ‘Paper has more patience than people’.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary

1. Diary writing-a strange experience: Diary writing is really a strange experience for the author. It was her perception that nobody would take interest in the musings of a thirteen – year – old school girl. But it hardly matters. Apart from all these things, she jotted down all her personal experiences in a diary.

2. Family details of Anne: Anne had loving parents and a sixteen-year-old sister. She made diary her personal friend and named it ‘Kitty’. Her father was most adorable. Her sister, Margot was bom in Frankfurt (Germany) in 1926. Anne was bom on 12 June 1929. Her father emigrated to Holland in 1933 along with mother. Anne’s grandmother took her care at Aachen. Her grandmother died in January 1942.

3. Anne’s education: She was admitted to Montessori nursery school and stayed there until six. Mrs Kuperus was her headmistress at the school.

4. The atmosphere of class: There was the atmosphere of fear and nervousness in the class. All the students were in fear whether they would move to the next class or would remain in the same. Each one was guessing about each other. They were in the apprehension that about a quarter of the class should be kept back. But teachers are the most unpredictable creature on the earth.

5. Punished by the teacher: Mr Keesing, the maths teacher was annoyed with Anne because she talked too much in the class. Getting irritated from her, he assigned her extra work. And she was told to write an essay on the subject, ‘A Chatterbox’. After thinking a lot about the topic, convincing thoughts came into her mind. She argued that talking is a student’s trait and she would do her best to keep it under control.

6. Reaction of Mr Keesing: After going through the essay, Mr Keesing laughed a lot and assigned her the second topic, ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’ to write. Anne completed this essay also. She was given another essay entitled ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, said mistress chatterbox.

7. The class laughed loudly: The entire class roared loudly. Her friend, Sanne who was good at poetry helped her a lot in writing the essay in verse form. In was really a beautiful poem about a mother duck and a father swan with three ducklings who were bitten to death by the father because they quaked too much. It really made the class happy.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Lesson at a Glance

1. Writing in a diary is a strange experience for Anne Frank.
2. Anne, a young girl of thirteen wanted to have a very close friend. But she could not make one.
3. ‘Kitty,’ the diary was her true friend.
4. Paper has more patience than people.
5. In diary, she writes about all her memories and happenings around her.
6. Anne was bom on 12 June 1929 in Frankfurt.
7. Anne’s father emigrated to Holland in 1933.
8. She stayed at the Montessori nursery school till she was six.
9. The entire class was quaking in its boot.
10. Mr Keesing, the old fogey taught her maths.
11. Anne talked too much. So, as a punishment, she was given to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’.
12. According to her, talking is a student’s trait.
13. Mr Keesing laughed at the arguments given in favour of talking.
14. During the third lesson, she was given to write an essay entitled “Quack, Quack, Quack, said chatterbox.”
15. Her friend, Sanne helped her to write the essay from beginning to end in verse form.
16. The poem was about a mother duck, a father swan with three baby ducklings who were bitten to death by the father because they quacked too much.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Character Sketch

Anne Frank: Anne Frank was a very sensitive girl. She was bom on 12 June 1929. She belonged to Jew family. So her family was tortured by the Nazis. To escape persecution, she and her family migrated to Amsterdam. Anne wanted a true friend. So, she started writing in diary named ‘Kitty’ and made it her true friend. She was very talkative in nature. So her teacher Mr Keesing gave her one topic after another as a punishment. Her joke pleased Mr Keesing very much.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
hiding	concealing	gained	got
trapped	confined	extended	increased, enlarged
persecutions	oppression, ill-treatment	betrayed	cheated
typhus	a disease with red marks on the body	eventually	in the end
opera.	dramatic performance with music	intimate	close
unique	special	chronicles	written account
proceeded	moved on	holocaust	destmction
strange	peculiar	musings	thinking
confide	disclose, entrust	old fogey	an old fashioned man
emigrated	went and lived in another country	listless	without energy
solemn	serious	plunked down	put down in a casual way
inherited	derived from one’s parents	dedication	diligence
quacking in its boot	shaking with fear	exhausted	tired
ducklings	the young ones of a duck	assigned	entrusted
incorrigible	that can’t be corrected	ramble on	talk or write aimlessly for long
ridiculous	comical funny	ingenuity	creativity, skill

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses Part 1

JAC Class 10th English The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Textbook Questions and Answers

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 65)

Question 1.
Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
Answer:
Wanda sits in the seat next to the last seat, in the last row, in Room Thirteen. She sits in the comer of the room where the rough boys who do not get good marks sit. She sits there quietly.

Question 2.
Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?
Answer:
Wanda lives at Boggins Heights. This place is far away from the school. There is also a lot of dirt and mud there.

Question 3.
When and why do Peggy and Maddie notice Wanda’s absence?
Answer:
Peggie and Maddie notice Wanda’s absence after three days, on Wednesday. They wait for her in order to have some fun, but she does not turn up.

Question 4.
What do you think “to have fun with her” means?
Answer:
It means that Peggy and Maddie would have made fun of Wanda and teased her for their own pleasure.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 67)

Question 1.
In what way was Wanda different from the other children?
Answer:
Wanda was different from the other children in many ways. She did not have any friend. She
came to school alone and went home alone. She always wore a faded blue dress that did not fit her properly. She did not talk to anybody.

Question 2.
Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why do you think she said she did?
Answer:
Wanda did not have a hundred dresses because she was poor. She only wore the same faded blue dress to school everyday. That’s why girls always made fun of her. The other children used to make fun of her poverty and laughed at her whatever she might have said.

Question 3.
Why is Maddie embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda? Is she also like Wanda, or she is different?
Answer:
Maddie is embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda because she is very poor. She usually wears old clothes, which were handed down by someone else. She does not feel sorry for Wanda. She is worried that perhaps later, everyone will start teasing her too. She is different from Wanda in the sense that she will never claim that she has a hundred dresses. She is not as poor as Wanda. Even then she does not mock at anybody.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 70)

Question 1.
Why didn’t Maddie ask Peggy to stop teasing Wanda? What was she afraid of?
Answer:
Maddie tried to tell Peggy to stop teasing Wanda by writing a note to her. Maddie herself was very poor. She did not have the courage to speak to Peggy about this matter. She thought Peggy might ask her where she got the dress she had and she would have to say that it was one of Peggy’s old ones. That is why she was afraid of.

Question 2.
Who did Maddie think Peggy would win the drawing contest? Why?
Answer:
Maddie thought that Peggy would win the drawing contest because Peggy drew better than anyone else. She could copy a picture in a magazine, or some film star’s face in a beautiful manner.

Question 3.
Who won the drawing contest? What had the winner drawn?
Answer:
Wanda won the drawing contest. She had drawn a hundred dresses, which were dazzling with colours. They had beautiful designs too. Drawings were drawn on sheets of wrapping paper. All the boys and girls of the class applauded her.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
How is Wanda seen as different by the other girls? How do they treat her?
Answer:
Wanda is different from other girls. She does not have any friends. She comes to school alone and goes home alone. She always wears a faded blue dress that does not fit her properly. She does not talk to anybody. The other girls tease her and also make fun of her. They surround her. Peggy asks how many dresses she has. Wanda replies that she has a hundred dresses and they will continue teasing her. Before she could go very far, they would burst into laughter. All of them mock her and make fun of her.

Question 2.
How does Wanda feel about the dresses game? Why does she say that she has a hundred dresses?
Answer:
Wanda does not feel good about the dresses game. She gets hurt if somebody discusses regarding her dresses. The children of the class make fun about her dresses. To counter their remark, she says that she has a hundred dresses.

Question 3.
Why does Maddie stand by and not do anything? How is she different from Peggy? (Was Peggy’s friendship important to Maddie? Why? Which lines in the text tell you this?)
Answer:
Maddie always stands by but cannot muster up courage to say anything against Peggy. She is poor. She feels that if she speaks against the others, they will target her next. Unlike her, Peggy is a rich girl. This is why Maddie could think from Wanda’s point of view, but Peggy could not. Maddie was Peggy’s best friend. It seemed as if she were in awe of Peggy. She admired her quite a lot as she said that Peggy was the most liked girl in the room and that she drew better than anyone else. Following lines from the text show that Peggy’s friendship was important to Maddie:

1. Peggy, who had thought up this game, and Maddie, her inseparable friend, were always the last to leave.
2. She was Peggy’s best friend, and Peggy was the best-liked girl in the whole room.
3. Peggy could not possibly do anything that was really wrong, she thought.
4. Oh, Maddie was sure Peggy would win.

Question 4.
What does Miss Mason think of Wanda’s drawings? What do the children think of them? How do you know?
Answer:
Miss Mason said that Room Thirteen should be proud of Wanda’s drawings as she had drawn one hundred designs of dresses. They were too beautiful and different. In the opinion of the judges, any one of the drawings was worthy of winning the prize. She was very happy to announce Wanda as the winner. Wanda was absent that day.

Miss Mason hoped that she would be back the next day. She then asked the entire class to look at Wanda’s beautiful drawings. Boys and girls of the class appreciated the drawings. They whistled and clapped. Peggy and Maddie entered the room. They stopped there and gasped. Later they recognized the designs as those which Wanda had described to them.

Thinking about Language

I. Look at these sentences.
(a) She sat in the comer of the room where the rough boys who did not make good marks sat, the comer of the room where there was most scuffling of feet,…
(b) The time when they thought about Wanda was outside of school hours ……. These italicised clauses help us to identify a set of boys, a place, and a time. They are answers to the questions ‘What kind of rough boys?’ ‘Which comer did she sit in?’ and ‘What particular time outside of school hours?’ They are ‘defining’ or ‘restrictive’ relative clauses. (Compare them with the ‘non-defining’ relative clauses discussed in Unit 1.)

Combine the following to make sentences like those above.
1. This is the bus (what kind of bus?). It goes to Agra, (use which or that)
2. I would like to buy (a) shirt (which shirt?). (The) shirt is in the shop window, (use which or that)
3. You must break your fast at a particular time (when?). You see the moon in the sky. (usewhen).
4. Find a word (what kind of word?). It begins with the letter Z. (use which or that).
5. Now find a person (what kind of person?). His or her name begins with the letter Z. (use whose)
6. Then go to a place (what place?). There are no people whose name begins with Z in that place, (use where)
Answer:

1. This is the bus which goes to Agra.
2. I would like to buy the shirt that is in the shop window.
3. You must break your fast when you see the moon in the sky.
4. Find a word that begins with the letter Z.
5. Now find a person whose name begins with the letter Z.
6. Then go to a place where there are no people whose name begins with Z.

II. The Narrative Voice

This story is in the ‘third person’ that is, the narrator is not a participant in the story. But the narrator often seems to tell the story from the point of view of one of the characters in the story. For example, look at the italicised words in this sentence Thank goodness, she did not live up on Boggins Fleights or have a funny name.  Whose thoughts do the words ‘Thank goodness’ express? Maddie’s, who is grateful that although she is poor, she is yet not as poor as Wanda, or as ‘different’. (So she does not get teased; she is thankful about that.)

Question 1.
Here are two other sentences from the story. Can you say whose point of view the italicised words express?
1. But on Wednesday, Peggy and Maddie, who sat down front with other children who got good marks and who didn’t track in a whole lot of mud, did notice that Wanda wasn’t there.
2. Wanda Petronski. Most of the children in Room Thirteen didn’t have names like that. They had names easy to say, like Thomas, Smith or Allen.
Answer:

• It expresses the point of view of Peggy and Maddie.
• It expresses the point of view of the narrator.

Question 2.
Can you find other such sentences in the story? You can do this after you read the second part of the story as well.
Answer:
Goodness! Wasn’t there anything she could do? If only she could tell Wanda she hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings.

III. Look at this sentence.

The italicised adverb expresses an opinion or point of view. Obviously, the only dress Wanda had was the blue one she wore every day. (This was obvious to the speaker.) Other such adverbs are apparently, evidently, surprisingly,possibly, hopefully, incredibly, luckily. Use these words appropriately in the blanks in the sentences below. (You may use a word more than once, and more than one word may be appropriate for a given blank.)
1. ……………. , he finished his work on time.
2. ……………. , it will not rain on the day of the match.
3. ……………. , he had been stealing money from his employer.
4. Television is …………. to blame for the increase in violence in society.
5. The children will ………… learn from their mistakes.
6. I can’t ………….. lend you that much money.
7. The thief had ………… been watching the house for many days.
8. The thief …………. escaped by bribing the jailor.
9. ……………, no one had suggested this before.
10. The water was …………… hot.
Answer:

1. Surprisingly, he finished his work on time.
2. Hopefully, it will not rain on the day of the match.
3. Evidently, he had been stealing money from his employer.
4. Television is evidently to blame for the increase in violence in society.
5. The children will hopefully learn from their mistakes.
6. I can’t possibly lend you that much money.
7. The thief had apparently been watching the house for many days.
8. The thief possibly escaped by bribing the jailor.
9. Surprisingly, no one had suggested this before.
10. The water was incredibly hot.

JAC Class 10th English The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
Write in brief about the two dresses of Wanda Petronski.
Answer:
Each dress designed by Wanda was distinct. One of the hundred dresses was in a brilliant jungle green colour and the other one was red sash. Every dress was beautiful enough to win a prize separately.

Question 2.
Who were the winners in each category?
Answer:
In boys’ category, Jack Beggles who drew a motorboat won the prize. In girls’ category, Wanda Petronski who drew hundred dresses won the girls’ medal.

Question 3.
What was unusual about the dress of Wanda?
Answer:
Wanda always wore a faded blue dress that didn’t fit her well. It was neat but was wrinkled all over and required a good ironing. She always wore the same dress.

Question 4.
What shows that Peggy was not really cruel?
Answer:
Peggy was not really cruel. She protected small children from bullies. Not only this, she cried fof hours if she saw an animal being mistreated.

Question 5.
Why was Maddie sure Peggy would win the dress designing contest?
Answer:
Peggy drew very attractive designs. These designs were better than anyone else and could copy a picture of film star’s head with such precision that no one could recognize it.

Question 6.
How can you say that Maddie was different from Peggy?
Answer:
Maddie belonged to a poor family. She always wore old clothes. She also had sympathy with Wanda. Maddie did not like Peggy when she made fun of Wanda.

Question 7.
What moral lesson does the story convey to us?
Answer:
The story teaches that no one is recognised by his/her appearance or dress. But the quality of the person matters more.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
In what way did Peggy and Maddie try to amend their behaviour towards Wanda?
Answer:
Both Peggy and Maddie felt guilty for their behaviour towards Wanda. Maddie was very
sad to know that Wanda and her family were leaving the town. They both wrote a letter to her conveying that she had won the contest. They asked her if she liked her new place and wanted to apologise for their past behaviour.

Question 2.
How did Peggy make fun of Wanda?
Answer:
Peggy used to wait for Wanda at school to ask her how many dresses she had in her closet. Then she would deliberately ask her of which material her dresses were made to make fun of her in a sarcastic way. Wanda would run away out of shame and Peggy used to laugh at her.

Question 3.
What opinion did the judges make about Wanda?
Answer:
Wanda had drawn one hundred dresses which had different designs and each of the dresses was beautiful. In judges’ opinion, every dress was worth winning a prize. Hence, she was declared the winner of the drawing competition.

Question 4.
In what way was Wanda different from other children?
Answer:
Wanda was an immigrant. She did not talk too much. She was quiet, calm and laughed rarely. She was a talented and skilled girl. She used to wear dull and faded dress. In this way, she was entirely different from other children.
Question 5.
Why did Wanda sit in the corner of the room?
Answer:
Wanda used to go to school with American children daily. She sat daily in the last row in Room Thirteen. She did not talk too much, so she sat in the seat next to the last seat. She always wore muddy shoes and faded blue dress because she belonged to the poor locality.

Question 6.
What kind of a girl was Peggy?
Answer:Peggy was the most popular and pretty looking girl. She always made fun of other girls. But she was kind also. She was a good artist. She protected other children from bullies, cried when animals were ill-treated, but made fun of Wanda.

Question 7.
How did Wanda win the drawing competition? Did anyone expect her victory?
Answer:
Wanda won the drawing competition as she had drawn hundred dresses. They were of different colours and quite exquisite. All of them deserved a prize though nobody expected her victory because in routine, she used to wear the same wrinkled dress.

Question 8.
Why did Maddie feel guilty of herself?
Answer:
Maddie felt guilty of herself because she always supported Peggy for fun. She never stopped Peggy for making fun of Wanda. Later, she was quite ashamed to see the beautiful dresses gifted by Wanda.

Question 9.
Why did Wanda’s house remind Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress?
Answer:
Maddie was reminded of Wanda’s blue dress after looking at her house. Her house and the sparse little yard looked shabby but it was clean like Wanda’s blue dress. The dress Wanda wore was always clean but not ironed, simple and humble.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Describe the character of Wanda Petronski.
Answer:
Wanda Petronski was a Polish girl who had shifted to America from Poland with her parents. She was a poor girl who lived at Boggins Heights. She was very shy and quiet. She did not like to talk to anyone. She used to sit in the last row of the class so that nobody would notice her. She wore the same faded blue dress which was not ironed but clean everyday.

All other students teased her in the class making fun of her. in anger, she would also say that she had one hundred dresses and sixty pair of shoes at home. She was very determined and showed her determination in the drawing competition by showcasing her hundred designs of dresses that she claimed to own. Each one of them was so beautiful that she won the girls’ medal in the drawing competition. Even the judges opined that each design was worth winning a prize separately.

Question 2.
It disturbs you that Peggy and Maddie make fun of Wanda. You don’t like it. You decide to speak about this as weak, ugly or poor. Write a speech to express your thoughts.
Answer:
My dear friends, I would like to opine my notions about the issue of making fun of the students who are weak, ugly or poor by those who are rich and dominating. I want to assert that being poor or ugly is not a personal choice. God has created all of us with different qualities and special purposes. We must see these qualities in everyone. One may be poor or physically less attractive but he/she may have better qualities and skills than others, like Wanda Petronski in the story. I believe everyone should be treated with love and respect without considering their caste, monetary and social status. Let each one of us strive towards the upliftment of humanity and make this world a lovely place to be at.

Question 3.
Describe the scene in which Peggy made fun of Wanda.
Answer:
Peggy often mocked at Wanda due to her only one dress that she always wore. It was never ironed properly. It was a faded blue dress. She often made fun of her by asking her questions about the number of dresses Wanda had. Wanda, though a quiet girl, spoke a lot about her 100 dresses. She told the girls that her dresses were made of velvet or silk. At this remark all the girls burst into laughter.

Question 4.
Wanda had no friends. Children did not like her. Nobody liked to talk to her. Do you think that such attitude of children is justified?
Answer:
Wanda belonged to poor background. She was quite, calm and serene. She did not have any friend. She always came and went school alone. She had a funny name. That is why all the children made fun of her. She always wore faded blue dress. She did not have the actual dresses. She had the drawings of the dresses on papers. All were of different colours and designs. She submitted a hundred drawings of dresses in the drawing and painting competition of her school. As far as school is concerned, nobody should be judged on social or economic background but by his/her inner quality. Children should not have such sort of feeling. This type of feeling is quite unjustified.

Question 5.
‘Appearance could be misleading’. Support this statement with reference to the story ‘The Hundred Dresses-I’.
Answer:
Wanda was a poor Polish girl. She used to sit in a lonely comer of the Room No. Thirteen where the noisy rough boys sat. She always wore pale blue dress that was never ironed properly. She did not take cognizance of anybody’s remark. Despite all that, she was too intelligent and dignified. She was a talented artist and had drawn a hundred dresses for the drawing competition which she ultimately won. She won the heart of her classmates, when she gave those drawing pieces to them.

Question 6.
“Wanda did not have any friends. She came to school alone and went home alone. She always wore a faded blue dress that didn’t hang right. It was clean, but it looked as thought it had never been ironed properly. She didn’t have any friends, but a lot of girls talked to her.” What type of character traits of Wanda have been reflected here?
Answer:
Wanda was entirely different from the other children in many ways. She did not have any tme friend. She came to school alone and went home alone. Because the locality of Boggins Heights in which she lived was a muddy place. She had no neighbourhood friends with whom she could talk or express her feelings. She always remained mum. She only spoke whenever the need arose. Her economic condition was very poor. She did not have much dresses.

That is why she always wore a faded blue dress. Although it was clean but it had never been ironed properly. That is why girls always made fun of her. All these things show that Wanda was a shy girl. She was well-behaved girl and never let her poverty come in her way. She was friendly, hardworking and honest girl. She did like to talk to anyone. She was also a determined girl. Through this, we come to the conclusion that Wanda was a gentle girl and she did not care much for the criticism of other. All the traits of a good natured girl were prevalent in her.

Question 7.
“The children burst into applause, and even the boys were glad to have a chance to stamp on the floor, put their fingers in their mouths and whistle, though they were not interested in dresses.” On the basis of the passage, discuss why did the children burst into applause?
Answer:
Wanda belonged to a very poor family. She did not talk too much. She was quiet, calm and laughed rarely. But she was a talented girl. She used to wear dull and faded blue dress. It did not fit her well. It was never ironed properly. She always wore the same dress. But whenever anybody asked how many dresses she had, she replied that she had hundred dresses. A competition was organised in the school for girls and boys separately. Girls participated in the drawing competition and boys participated in motorboats competition. Wanda was a hardworking and determined girl.

She participated in the competition by showcasing her hundred designs of dresses that she claimed her own. Each one of them was beautifully prepared. That is why she won the girls medal in the drawing competition. Her drawing was appreciated even by the judges. The day when the result was declared wanda was not present in the school. When the judges declared her winner, all the children burst into applause, put their fingers in their mouths and whistled. It was done by them to show their respect to Wanda. From this sort of admiration it seems that she was quite popular even among girls.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
TODAY, Monday, Wanda Petronski was not in her seat. But nobody, not even Peggy and Madeline, the girls who started all the fun, noticed her absence. Usually Wanda sat in the seat next to the last seat in the last row in Room Thirteen. She sat in the comer of the room where the rough boys who did not make good marks sat, the comer of the room where there was most scuffling of feet, most roars of laughter when anything funny was said, and most mud and dirt on the floor.

Choose the correct option:
(a) On which day, was Wanda not in her seat?
(i) Tuesday
(ii) Sunday
(iii) Monday
(iv) Saturday
Answer:
(iii) Monday

(b) In which room did Wanda use to sit?
(i) Room Thirty
(ii) Room Forty
(iii) Room Ten
(iv) Room Thirteen
Answer:
(iv) Room Thirteen

(c) She sat in the corner of the room where the ……….. boys sat.
(i) rough
(ii) studious
(iii) naughty
(iv) peace – loving
Answer:
(i) rough

(d) What was audible in the corner of the room?
(i) The roaring of boys
(ii) The sound of loud speaker
(iii) The scuffling of feet
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) The scuffling of feet

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘loud noise.’
(i) roar
(ii) silence
(iii) peace
(iv) pain
Answer:
(i) roar

Question 2.
Wanda did not sit there because she was rough and noisy. On the contrary, she was very quiet and rarely said anything at all. And nobody had ever heard her laugh out loud. Sometimes she twisted her mouth into a crooked sort of smile, but that was all.
Nobody knew exactly why Wanda sat in that seat, unless it was because she came all the way from Boggins Heights and her feet were usually caked with dry mud. But no one really thought much about Wanda Petronski, once she sat in the comer of the room.

Choose the correct option:
(a) How was the nature of Wanda?
(i) Irritating
(ii) Cruel
(iii) Question uiet and calm
(iv) Aggressive

(b) What had nobody ever heard about Wanda?
(i) Wanda never laughed out loudly.
(ii) Wanda never talked to anybody.
(iii) Wanda never played with anybody.
(iv) All of these

(c) Wanda’s feet were usually caked with …………..
(i) Cow dung
(ii) wet mud
(iii) dry mud
(iv) rotten clothes

(d) Where did Wanda come from?
(i) Paris
(ii) Boggins Heights
(iii) Sweden
(iv) China

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘generally’.
(i) rarely
(ii) seldom
(iii) usually
(iv) unusually

Question 3.
Wanda didn’t have any friends. She came to school alone and went home alone. She always wore a faded blue dress that didn’t hang right. It was clean, but it looked as though it had never been ironed properly. She didn’t have any friends, but a lot of girls talked to her. Sometimes, they surrounded her in the school yard as she stood watching the little girls play hopscotch on the worn hard ground.

Choose the correct option:
(a) With whom did Wanda go to school?
(i) With friends
(ii) With brother
(iii) With parents
(iv) Alone
Answer:
(iv) Alone

(b) What kind of dress did Wanda wear?
(i) Yellow dress
(ii) Black dress
(iii) Red dress
(iv) Faded blue dress
Answer:
(iv) Faded blue dress

(c) Wanda did not have any …………
(i) brothers
(ii) sisters
(iii) friends
(iv) relatives
Answer:
(iii) friends

(d) Which game did the little girls play?
(i) Football
(ii) Kabaddi
(iii) Snake & ladder
(iv) Hopscotch
Answer:
(iv) Hopscotch

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘bright’
(i) shiny
(ii) faded
(iii) glowing
(iv) attractive
Answer:
(ii) faded

Question 4.
Sometimes, when Peggy was asking Wanda those questions in that mocking polite voice, Maddie felt embarrassed and studied the marbles in the palm of her hand, rolling them around and saying nothing herself. Not that she felt sorry for Wanda, exactly. She would never have paid any attention to Wanda if Peggy hadn’t invented the dresses game. But suppose Peggy and all the others started in on her next? She wasn’t as poor as Wanda, perhaps, but she was poor. Of course, she would have more sense than to say she had a hundred dresses. Still she would not like for them to begin on her. She wished Peggy would stop teasing Wanda Petronski.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who was not as poor as Wanda?
(i) Maddie
(ii) James
(iii) Peggy
(iv) Thomas
Answer:
(i) Maddie

(b) How did Peggy use to ask questions from Wanda?
(i) In a polite manner
(ii) In a harsh manner
(iii) In a commanding voice
(iv) In a mocking polite voice
Answer:
(iv) In a mocking polite voice

(c) Maddie wished Peggy should stop ………… Wanda.
(i) harassing
(ii) teasing
(iii) taunting
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) teasing

(d) How many dresses did Wanda have?
(i) Ten dresses
(ii) Fifty dresses
(iii) Sixty dresses
(iv) Hundred dresses
Answer:
(iv) Hundred dresses

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘harassed.’
(i) irritated
(ii) embarrassed
(iii) annoyed
(iv) rough
Answer:
(ii) embarrassed

Question 5.
As for Wanda, she was just some girl who lived up on Boggins Heights and stood alone in the school yard. She scarcely ever said anything to anybody. The only time she talked was in the school yard about her hundred dresses. Maddie remembered her telling about one of her dresses, pale blue with coloured trimmings. And she remembered another that was brilliant jungle green with a red sash. “You’d look like a Christmas tree in that,” the girls had said in pretended admiration.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where did Wanda stand alone?
(i) In the courtyard
(ii) At the bus stand
(iii) In the school yard
(iv) In the playground
Answer:
(iii) In the school yard

(b) What did she talk about in the school yard?
(i) About her hundred dresses
(ii) About her lessons
(iii) About her attitudes
(iv) About her style
Answer:
(i) About her hundred dresses

(c) Wanda scarcely said anything to………….
(i) Maddie
(ii) her father
(iii) her sister
(iv) anybody
Answer:
(iv) anybody

(d) What had the girls said wanda in pretended admiration?
(i) You’d look like a Christmas tree.
(ii) You’d look like a fairy.
(iii) You’d look like a doll.
(iv) You’d look like a teacher.
Answer:
(i) You’d look like a Christmas tree.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘praise’.
(i) contempt
(ii) unreal
(iii) ugly
(iv) admiration
Answer:
(iv) admiration

Question 6.
Thinking about Wanda and her hundred dresses all lined up in the closet, Maddie began to wonder who was going to win the drawing and colouring contest. For girls, this contest consisted of designing dresses and for boys, of designing motorboats. Probably Peggy would win the girls’ medal. Peggy drew better than anyone else in the room. At least, that’s what everybody thought. She could copy a picture in a magazine or some film star’s head so that you could almost tell who it was. Oh, Maddie was sure Peggy would win. Well, tomorrow the teacher was going to announce the winners. Then they’d know.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where were Wanda’s hundred dresses lined up?
(i) In a room
(ii) In a box
(iii) In a closet
(iv) In a trunk
Answer:
(iii) In a closet

(b) What did the contest consist of for girls and boys?
(i) Designing dresses and motorboats respectively
(ii) Designing motorboats and curtain respectively
(iii) Designing embroidery and making chairs respectively
(iv) Designing curtains and drawing maps respectively
Answer:
(i) Designing dresses and motorboats respectively

(c) Maddie was sure that Peggy would ……………
(i) lose
(ii) win
(iii) do nothing
(iv) do everything
Answer:
(ii) win

(d) Who announced the name of the winner?
(i) Teacher
(ii) Principal
(iii) Director
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Teacher

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘proclaim.’
(i) deny
(ii) announce
(iii) debar
(iv) decline
Answer:
(ii) announce

Question 7.
“As for the girls,” she said, “although just one or two sketches were submitted by most, one girl and Room Thirteen should be proud of her this one girl actually drew one hundred designs all different and all beautiful. In the opinion of the judges, any one of the drawings is worthy of winning the prize. I am very happy to say that Wanda Petronski is the winner of the girls’ medal.

Choose the correct option:
(a) How many sketches were submitted by most of the girls?
(i) Only one
(ii) Just one or two
(iii) Only three
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Just one or two

(b) Who drew one hundred designs of the dresses?
(i) Miss Mason
(ii) Jack Beggles
(iii) Wanda Petronski
(iv) Peggy
Answer:
(iii) Wanda Petronski

(c) Ail dresses were different and………..
(i) shabby
(ii) beautiful
(iii) tom
(iv) unique
Answer:
(ii) beautiful

(d) Whom did the judges declare the winner of the girls’ medal?
(i) Wanda Petronski
(ii) Miss Mason
(iii) Maddie
(iv) Peggy
Answer:
(i) Wanda Petronski

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘unreliable’.
(i) beautiful
(ii) cruel
(iii) destmctive
(iv) worthy
Answer:
(iv) worthy

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Summary

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 About the Author

• She was bom on May 9, 1906 in West Haven, Connecticut, America. She was an American children’s author.
• She did her graduation from the Pratt Institute Library School.
• Her first book, ‘The Middle Moffat’ published in 1941 gave her much acclaim and honour. ‘The Hundred Dresses’ is also one of her important works.
• She was awarded many times, but the most prestigious award was John Newbery Medal for ‘Ginger Pyre’
• She died when she was 82 years old.

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Gist of the Lesson

The story ‘The Hundred Dresses-V is based on the experiences of the author about a girl. Wanda Petronski, a girl comes from the poor social background. She comes from the remote area of the town. She is the only student in her class with a ‘funny’ Polish name. She is very quiet. She always wears the faded blue dress and goes to school everyday. Maddie, who is the best friend of the main character, i.e., Wanda also taunts and teases her. Wanda is absent for a few days.

Her classmates leam that her family has moved away to the big city where nobody will mistreat her. Maddie begins to wonder about the girl she and her friends used to constantly tease, and realizes that she knows very little about her. She wonders why they started teasing her in the first place and is overcome with guilt for making fun of her simply because she is poor. She has a funny name and is different from them. Maddie knows that she should have stood up to her friends and defended Wanda.

She feels guilty for not speaking up, for standing by and allowing her friends to tease Wanda. Wanda proves her talent by designing one hundred dresses. Maddie and her friends later know that Wanda is a very talented artist. Her drawing of one hundred beautiful dresses has won the school’s art contest. The girls realize that they misjudged Wanda. They feel guilty for this act.

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Summary

1. Introduction to Wanda: Wanda Petronski was a Polish girl whose family had immigrated to America. She was very poor. She wore the same blue faded dress to school daily.

2. Wanda and her classroom: Wanda used to sit in the comer of Room Thirteen in the last row, where notorious students sat. She was very quiet and introvert. No one had ever heard her laugh.

3. Students made fun of Wanda: Nobody thought of Wanda inside the classroom. After the class, the students used to wait for Wanda to make fun of her.

4. Peggy and Maddie: Peggy and Maddie used to sit in front where children who scored good marks would sit. Peggy was the most popular girl in the school. Maddie was Wanda’s closest friend. They also made fun of Wanda but were not as bad as other children.

5. Wanda’s hundred dresses: In the schoolyard, children would surround Wanda and ask her how many dresses she had in her closet. Wanda replied that she had hundred dresses of different colours and designs.

6. Peggy mocking Wanda: Peggy would deliberately ask Wanda if her dresses were of velvet or silk. Wanda said that she had both velvet and silk dresses and also had sixty pairs of shoes. Then everyone would laugh behind her back.

7. Maddie sympathetic towards Wanda: Maddie herself was a poor girl but not as poor as Wanda. She was always sympathetic to Wanda and never liked Peggy and other students making fun of Wanda.

8. Wanda absent in school: Wanda did not come to school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Nobody noticed her absence but Peggy and Maddie noticed it on Wednesday.

9. Drawing contest: A drawing contest was going on in the school. The categories for girls and boys were designing dresses and designing motorboats, respectively.

10. Result of the contest: Next day, the results of the drawing contest were announced. To everybody’s surprise, Wanda won the girls’ medal for designing dresses. She was absent on that day also. Jack Beggles won in the boys’ category.

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Lesson at a Glance

1. In ‘ The Hundred Dresses’, the main character Wanda Petronski usually sat in the seat next to the last seat in the last row in Room Thirteen.
2. Wanda usually sat in the comer of the room where only the rough boys sat.
3. At that space, there was scuffling of feet.
4. Wanda was quiet and peaceful. She rarely said anything at all.
5. She lived in Bogging Heights where her feet were usually smeared with dry mud.
6. On Monday, Wanda did not come in school. But nobody noticed her absence.
7. Peggy was the most popular girl in school. She was attractive in look and she had several pretty dresses.
8. Wanda Petronski’s name was very peculiar.
9. Wanda did not have any friends. She always wore a faded blue dress.
10. One day Peggy asked Wanda how many dresses did she have hanging in her closet.
11. When Wanda told that she had hundred dresses all the girls exclaimed, “A hundred!”.
12. She also told that she had sixty pairs of shoes,
13. Peggy always protected small children from bullies.
14. One day, Miss Mason announced about the annual drawing contest in which the girls would draw dresses and the boys will draw, motor boats.
15. A boy and a girl will be chosen as winners of the contest.
16. When it was time to turn in the drawings, the children were amazed to find that Wanda had turned in 100 drawings.
17. All the dresses were beautiful. That is why she claimed that hundred dresses were lined up in her closet at home.
18. When the result was announced, Jack Beggles had won for the boys and Wanda had won for the girls.

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Character Sketch

Maddie: Maddie was a poor girl. She usually wore somebody’s hand-me-down clothes. Although she did not like Peggy making fun of Wanda, she did not say anything because she was afraid that Peggy would start making fun of her. Peggy’s friendship was important to her as Peggy was the most liked girl in the room. Maddie was not really a cruel girl, she only lacked courage.

Wanda: Wanda Petronski was a Polish girl. She was a poor girl who lived at Boggins Height. She did not like to talk to anyone. She was very shy and quiet. She wore the same faded blue dress which was not ironed properly. All other students teased her in the classroom. She showed her determination in the drawing competition by showcasing her hundred designs of dresses. She also won the girls medal in the drawing competition.

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
scuffling of feet	dragging movements of the feet on the ground	immigration	to settle in other country
migrated	went to other country	occurred	happened
suburbs	outskirts of a city	bothering	troubling
hitching	pulling, jerking	crooked	dishonest person
discriminated	differentiated	caked	covered with
bursting into shrieks	crying at high pitch	nudge	a gentle push
incredulously	disbelief	inseparable	that cannot be separated
ledge	mantelpiece	murmured	spoke silently
mocking	making fun of	windowsill	lower portion of a window
wrapping	covering something	exquisite	decent, elegant
whispered	spoke silently without clear sound	lavish	grand, opulent
stolidly	impassive, unemotional, calm	scarcely	hardly
blonde hair	light pale coloured hair	gasped	heaved heavily
exaggerated	excessive	pretended	unreal
embarrassed	awkward	mocking	make fun of
shuddered	trembled	admiringly	praised
trimming	cutting	exquisite	extremely beautiful

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter  6 The Hundred Dresses Part 2

JAC Class 10th English The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Textbook Questions and Answers

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 74)

Question 1.
What did Mr Petronski’s letter say?
Answer:
Mr Petronski’s letter said that Wanda would not come to school anymore. They would now shift to a big city. Now, nobody would ask them why they had funny names. There are a number of funny names in the big city.

Question 2.
Is Miss Mason angry with the class, or is she unhappy and upset?
Answer:
Miss Mason is quite unhappy and upset with the class. She preferred to think what was said was said in thoughtlessness. What happened was really unfortunate and it should not be repeated again.

Question 3.
How does Maddie feel after listening to the note from Wanda’s father?
Answer:
After listening to the note from Wanda’s father, Maddie feels sorry for Wanda. She could not concentrate on her lessons. She had not enjoyed listening to Peggy ask Wanda how many dresses she had in her closet. However, she had always stood by silently and that was as bad as what Peggy had done.

Question 4.
What does Maddie want to do?
Answer:
Maddie wants to tell Wanda that she does not want to hurt her feelings. She wants to inform her about winning the contest. She also praises her beautiful and attractive hundred dresses.

Oral Comprehension Check (Pages 76 – 77)

Question 1.
What excuses does Peggy think up for her behaviour? Why?
Answer:
The excuse that Peggy thinks up for her behaviour is that she never called Wanda a foreigner or made fun of her name. She never thought Wanda had even the sense to know that they were making fun of her. She appreciated the fact that Wanda could draw so well. She was making such excuses because she was feeling bad about what had happened.

Question 2.
What are Maddie’s thoughts as they go to Boggins Heights?
Answer:
Maddie thought that they would find Wanda at the Boggins Heights. She wanted to say sorry to her and beg apology for her remark. She also thought of requesting her not to leave the school.

Question 3.
Why does Wanda’s house remind Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress?
Answer:
Wanda’s house reminds Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress because it was also very shabby and faded, but clean.

Question 4.
What does Maddie think hard about? What important decision does she come to?
Answer:
Maddie did not find Wanda at her home. She gets deeply hurt. She thought about Wanda, her
faded blue dress, and the little house she lived in. After thinking for a long time, she reached at an important decision that she would never make fiin of anybody only because of having his/her funny or strange names.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 79)

Question 1.
What did the girls write to Wanda?
Answer:
The girls wrote a friendly letter to Wanda and told her that she had won the drawing competition. They also wrote about her beautiful drawings. They also asked her if she liked the place where she was living and if she liked her new teacher.

Question 2.
Did they get a reply? Who was more anxious for a reply, Peggy or Maddie? How do you know?
Answer:
No, they did not get a reply. Maddie was more anxious for a reply as she thought a lot about it. Before Wanda could press her lips together in a tight line, which she did before answering, Maddie would cry out and ask everybody to stop and then, everybody would feel ashamed the way she felt. Peggy, on the other hand, had begun to forget about the whole affair. It shows that Maddie was more anxious for a reply than Peggy.

Question 3.
How did the girls know that Wanda liked them even though they had teased her?
Answer:
After getting letter from Wanda, the girls came to know that Wanda liked them even though they had teased her. She had asked Miss Mason to give the green dress to Peggy and the blue one to Maddie. When Maddie looked at the drawing very minutely, she realized that the dress had a face and a head, which looked like her own self. That is why the girls knew that Wanda liked them even though they had teased her.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
Why do you think Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life there was going to be different for their family?
Answer:
Children teased Wanda due to her funny name, that is why Wanda’s family moved to a big city. In the big city everybody had funny names, so they would not face as much trouble in this regard. Yes, their life could still be different for them as they could be teased about various other things.

Question 2.
Maddie thought her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing. Was she right?
Answer:
Yes, Maddie was right when she thought that her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing. She did not have courage. She was right because even though she felt bad about it and never teased Wanda herself, she did not say anything to stop it. Maddie was too afraid to say anything because she did not want to lose Peggy’s friendship. Also, she was poor herself, so she feared that everybody would make fun of her too.

Question 3.
Peggy says, “I never thought she had the sense to know we were making fun of her anyway. I thought she was too dumb. And gee, look how she can draw!” What led Peggy to believe that Wanda was dumb? Did she change her opinion later?
Answer:
Peggy believed that Wanda was dumb. But that was not true. She could not understand why Wanda said she had a hundred dresses, even when everybody knew that she was poor. She knew everybody was laughing at her. Even then, she kept giving the same answer. She even described the dresses she said she had. That is why Peggy thought Wanda was dumb. She changed her opinion later when she saw the hundred dresses Wanda had talked about. She saw the drawings and was highly impressed by seeing their fanciful dresses. She realized that Wanda was a very good artist.

Question 4.
What important decision did Maddie make? Why did she have to think hard to do so?
Answer:
Maddie said that she would never make fun of anybody’s name or dress. She would not make
anybody unhappy again in the future. After returning from Wanda’s house, Maddie was very unhappy. She thought about Wanda’s house, her faded blue dress, etc. She also thought about the hundred attractive pictures all lined up in a queue in the classroom. Lastly, she reached at the conclusion that she would not co-operate with those who do wrong. It is quite unethical.

Question 5.
Why do you think Wanda gave Maddie and Peggy the drawings of the dresses? Why are they surprised?
Answer:
Maddie and Peggy always made fun of Wanda’s dresses. That is why she gave Maddie
and Peggy the drawings of dresses. They were surprised because she had gifted her those beautiful designs.

Question 6.
Do you think Wanda really thought the girls were teasing her? Why or Why not?
Answer:
Wanda definitely knew that girls were teasing her. It might be due to her poverty or poor economic condition for which her mockery had been made by the girls.

Thinking about Language

I. Here are thirty adjectives describing human qualities. Discuss them with your partner and put them in the two word webs (given below) according to whether you think they show positive or negative qualities. You can consult a dictionary if you are not sure of the meanings of some of the words. You may also add to the list the positive or negative ‘pair’ of a given word.
kind, sarcastic, courteous, arrogant, insipid, timid, placid, cruel, haughty, proud, jealous, intrepid, sensitive, compassionate, introverted, stolid, cheerful, contented, thoughtless, vain, friendly, unforgiving, fashionable, generous, talented, lonely, determined, creative, miserable, complacent
Answer:

What adjectives can we use to describe Peggy, Wanda and Maddie? You can choose adjectives from the list above. You can also add some of your own.
1. Peggy …………………..
2. Wanda ………………..
3. Maddie ……………….
Answer:

1. Peggy: arrogant, thoughtless, haughty, sarcastic
2. Wanda: sensitive, compassionate, talented, courteous, forgiving
3. Maddie: generous, kind, sensitive, determined, friendly

III. Find the sentences in the story with the following phrasal verbs.

lined up

thought up

took off

stood by

Answer:
(i) lined up
(ii) thought up
(iii) took off
(iv) stood by
And she thought of the glowing picture of those hundred dresses made – all lined up in the classroom. Peggy who had thought up this game. Miss Mason took off her glasses. She stood by silently.

Question 2.
Look up these phrasal verbs in a dictionary to find out if they can be used in some other way. (Look at the entries for line, think, take and stand in the dictionary.) Find out what other prepositions can go with these verbs. What does each of these phrasal verbs mean?
Answer:

1. lined up : Passengers were lined up to buy tickets at railway station.
2. thought up : We must thought up a good plan.
3. took off : The aircraft took off into the clear horizon.
4. stood by : He stood by me when I was in trouble.

Verbs with Other Prepositions

1. Line (Line up) : He has lined up a number of projects for him.
2. Think (Think about) : Also think about other people.
3. Take (Take up) : We will take up new project from tomorrow,
4. Stand (Stand up) : Stand up on the bench.

Question 3.
Use at least five such phrasal verbs in sentences of your own.
Answer:
Five Phrasal Verbs

1. Abide by : Always abide by the rules and regulations.
2. Bring in : It is a golden opportunity to bring in new talent.
3. Call off : The director called off the meeting.
4. Get in : He got in very late last night.
5. Follow up : The police followed np my complaint promptly.

IV. Colours are used to describe feelings, moods and emotions. Match the following ‘colour expressions’ with a suggested paraphrase.
1. the Monday morning blues – feel embarrassed/angry/ashamed
2. go red in the face – feel very sick, as if about to vomit
3. look green – sadness or depression after a weekend of fun
4. the red carpet – the sign or permission to begin an action
5. blue – blooded – a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting
6. a green belt – in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong
7. a blackguard – a photographic print of building plans; a detailed plan or scheme
8. a grey area – land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law
9. a white flag – an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear
10. a blue print – a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong
11. red – handed – a special welcome
12. the green light – of noble birth or from a royal family
Answer:

1. the Monday morning blues – sadness or depression after a weekend of fun
2. go red in the face – feel embarrassed/angry/ashamed
3. look green – feel very sick, as if about to vomit
4. the red carpet – a special welcome
5. blue – blooded – of noble birth or from a royal family
6. a green belt – land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law
7. a blackguard – a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong
8. a grey area – an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear
9. a white flag – a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting
10. a blueprint – a photographic print of building plans; a detailed plan or scheme
11. red – handed – in an unlawful act while doing something wrong
12. the green light – the sign or permission to begin an action

Speaking
Role Play The story of Wanda Petronski presents many characters engaged in many kinds of behaviour (teasing, playing, sitting in class…)* Form groups. Choose an episode or episodes from the story. Assign roles to each member of the group from that episode, and try to act it out like a play, using the words in the story.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

Writing

Question 1.
Look again at the letter which Wanda’s father writes to Miss Mason, Wanda’s teacher. Mr Petronski is not quite aware how to write a formal letter in English. Can you rewrite it more appropriately? Discuss the following with your partner before you do so.
The format of a formal letter: How to begin the letter and how to end it; the language of the letter needs to be formal. (Avoid informal words like “holler” and fragments like “No more ask why funny name.”) Write complete sentences.
Answer:
Boggins Heights
America 2nd Jan, 20xx
Rev. Madam
This is to inform you that Wanda, my daughter, has made a complaint about some students of her class. They tease her and make fun of her taking her name. They also remark about her dress. It is really harassing for a child of her age. In school, such type of things should not happen. It distracts her from her study and she is mentally tortured. It should be stopped at any cost. Now I have taken a decision to shift her to another school if this problem is not solved. This is for your kind information and necessary action.
Thanking you
Yours sincerely
Jan Petronski

Question 2.
Are you interested in drawing and painting? Ritu Kumar, one of India’s best known dress designers, has no formal training in designing. She started by sketching ideas for her own dresses, and getting them stitched by a tailor. Ritu’s friends liked her dresses so much that they asked her to design clothes for them, and even paid her for it! Imagine you are going to make a career out of your hobby. What sort of things will you need to learn? Write a paragraph or two on this topic after consulting an expert or doing reference work on your chosen area.
Answer:
Each individual has a hobby. First, he adopts it in his life and later converts it into his profession. I have hobby for painting. Since my childhood, I have made so many paintings. Later on, I adopted it into my life and made it a profession. A number of paintings are kept in my drawing room. I have got many awards from state to national level. I have also taken some training from the painting school and later on did a lot of hard work. Now, I am an acclaimed painter.

Question 3.
Rewrite a part of the story as if Wanda is telling us her own story.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

JAC Class 10th English The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
Why did Peggy and Maddie go to Boggins Heights?
Answer:
Peggy and Maddie went to Boggins Heights to meet Wanda as they wanted to apologise to her for teasing her. They also wanted to tell her that she had won the girls’ medal for her hundred dresses in the drawing competition.

Question 2.
Why did Wanda not come to school?
Answer:
Wanda never complained to anyone against the misbehaviour of her friends. But due to insult she faced, she decided not to come to school anymore. It was very mature of her age to teach them lesson without any argument.

Question 3.
Why did Maddie rush to Peggy’s house while gazing at the drawing?
Answer:
Maddie rushed to Peggy’s house while gazing at the drawing because she had seen her face in the drawing and wanted to confirm the same to Peggy.

Question 4.
Why did Peggy and Maddie assume that Wanda had received their letter?
Answer:
Peggy and Maddie assumed that Wanda had received their letter because in her letter to Miss Mason, Wanda requested her to gift her drawings to both Maddie and Peggy.

Question 5.
Why did Maddie spend sleepless nights?
Answer:
Maddie spent sleepless nights because she was very upset about what all had happened. She couldn’t amend her behaviour towards Wanda because the latter had shifted to some other city along with her family.

Question 6.
What did the children of Room Thirteen do on the Christmas eve?
Answer:
The children of Room Thirteen decorated their room with great love and affection. They decorated it with Christmas bells and a Chirstmas tree.

Question 7.
Why was there no reply of the letter written to Wanda by the girls?
Answer:
Maddie and Peggy didn’t get any reply from Wanda. It may be due to two reasons (i) her anger towards them or (ii) because they wrote the address of her old house in Boggins Heights and not of her new house.

Question 8.
What did Peggy say to Maddie when they did not find Wanda at Boggins Heights?
Answer:
Peggy told Maddie that Wanda had won because of her teasing that inspired her to draw such beautiful dresses, otherwise she would not have been able to win the contest.

II. Short Answer Type Question uestions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
At what conclusion did Maddie reach?
Answer:
While feeling guilty and deeply troubled for teasing Wanda, Maddie reached at a conclusion that if she ever heard anyone picking on somebody because they were funny looking or because they had strange names, she would speak up. She decided that from then on she would never make anybody else unhappy again.

Question 2.
What did Miss Mason get from the Principal’s office? Why did she read it many times thoughtfully?
Answer:
Miss Mason got a letter from the Principal’s office, which was sent by Wanda’s father. The content of the letter deeply affected Miss Mason. She read it several times to understand the concern which was related with Wanda when she was there. Somewhere, she might have felt that being a teacher she could not do anything to prevent the treatment meted out to Wanda by her classmates.

Question 3.
What did Miss Mason call unfortunate and sad? Why?
Answer:
Miss Mason called the moving of Wanda Petronski to big city; an unfortunate and sad incident. She called that so because the reason of Wanda’s leaving the school and moving to big city was the teasing and making fun of her by fellow students.

Question 4.
How did Wanda’s house look and what did it remind Maddie of?
Answer:
Wanda lived in a little white house. The pathway leading to her house was stuck up with the wisps of old grass like thin kittens. The house and its sparse little yard looked shabby but clean. It reminded Maddie of Wanda’s faded blue dress shabby but clean, that she used to wear everyday.

Question 5.
What did Wanda write in the letter to Miss Mason?
Answer:
Wanda Petronski wrote a letter to Miss Mason telling her that in her new house, she had hundred new dresses in the closet. She further wrote that she would like to give away her one drawing of the green dress with the red trimming to Peggy and another blue drawing to her friend Maddie.

Question 6.
What did Maddie and Peggy notice about the designs given by Wanda to them?
Answer:
After hanging the design drawn by Wanda in the bedroom, Maddie became very surprised to see the resemblance of the face in the drawing to her face. She looked at it carefully and found that it was her face in that dress. Maddie went to Peggy to tell about this and got to know that she had also found the same thing in her drawing.

Question 7.
How did Miss Mason react after reading the letter of Jan Petronski?
Answer:
After reading the letter of Jan Petronski, Miss Mason became very sad and got upset. She ‘ looked at the class and spoke in a low voice. She said that none of the students in that class would hurt anyone knowingly just because someone’s name sounded funny. She called the incident of Wanda leaving the school unfortunate and sad.

Question 8.
How did Peggy and Maddie try to amend for their behaviour towards Wanda?
Answer:
Both Peggy and Maddie decided to change their behaviour as Peggy had tried to justify that it was not her dress for which she teased her. Maddie decided not to be a mute spectator and promised herself that she would try to protect if anyone would be mocked down.

Question 9.
What kind of a girl was Wanda Petronski?
Answer:
Wanda Petronski was a Polish girl. She was very simple. She used to keep herself calm and quiet in every condition. She never reacted when Peggy teased her and took it lightly. She always replied everyone with a smile. She even gifted her drawings to Peggy and Maddie which showed her innocence, nobility and love to her friends.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
How did Maddie and Peggy react when they received the drawings made by Wanda?
Answer:
Wanda Petronski had offered her designs of one hundred dresses to the girls of Room Thirteen. She wrote that the green dress with red trimming be given to Peggy and the blue one to her friend Maddie. On the way, both Maddie and Peggy held their drawings carefully. Peggy told Maddie that Wanda really liked them. She thought that everything was all right now. However, Maddie felt very sad that she would never see Wanda again. She became very emotional while looking at the drawing. She was in tears. She further got to know that the face in Wanda’s drawing was that of hers. Peggy too had the resembling face in her red dress drawing. Peggy again affirmed that Wanda Petronski did like the girl Peggy who would always pester her with embarrassing questions. Maddie was truly and deeply moved by this gesture of Wanda whereas such was not the case with Peggy.

Question 2.
What can you say about the character of Miss Mason on the basis of your story reading?
Answer:
Miss Mason appears to be a caring lady. She is sensitive towards human issues. She under¬stands the gist of her students’ sayings. Her students too love and respect her. In fact Wanda takes it to the extent that even her new teacher in big city can not equalise Miss Mason. Miss Mason is a benevolent person who feels sad when Wanda, the winner of the drawing competition, is not present to receive the girls’ medal. When Jan Petronski, father of Wanda, sends her letter, she gets upset regarding the reason of Wanda leaving the school and moving to big city, after reading it. She finds herself not able to believe that any boy or girl can hurt someone’s feelings purposely or knowingly. After reading the letter to the students, she leaves an indelible effect on them without using any warning or punishment. Miss Mason becomes very happy when she reads the letter sent by Wanda to the students.

Question 3.
Suppose you are Wanda. You get deeply hurt by the behaviour of your classmates. Express your feelings in the form of a diary entry.
Answer:
30th March 20XX
10 : 00 AM
Dear Diary
I am totally disturbed by the derogatory words of Peggy and Maddie. Both of them have left no stone unturned to look me down. Being a Polish girl, I feel helpless to pay them back in the same coin. Peggy is incorrigible. She teases me by asking about my dress and funny name. She asks me how many dresses, shoes, hats, etc. I have. When I reply that I have a 100 dresses and sixty pairs of shoes they ask whether all of them are of different colours and designs. Maddie always remains calm.

It supports Peggy in doing so. She lacks courage to state what is right and what is wrong. I never react and try to smile at their irritating questions. know, there will be no difference, between me and them if I too turn the table to their side in the same way. My father has now come to know what I am going through, he has decided to shift to another city in order to avoid confrontation. But such type of thing should be avoided.

Question 4.
Write the character sketch of Wanda Petronski,
Answer:
Wanda Petronski is a Polish girl. She is very kind and simple-hearted. She never behaves badly with anyone. She only feels disturbed when Peggy teases her. But she replies confidently and courageously to what Peggy says to her. She wears the same blue faded dress everyday but she never complains about anything. She is very talented. She is an expert in drawing. She also wins the drawing contest and thus shows her creative side. She is forgiving and generous. So, it can be said that she is a mature, sensible and loving girl who cares about everyone.

Question 5.
How can you say that Maddie is an emotional girl? Compare and contrast Maddie and Peggy.
Answer:
Maddie is an emotional girl. She was a close friend of Peggy. She remains by her side when Peggy teases Wanda but she feels bad for her. She decides to write a note to Peggy to stop teasing Wanda. She doesn’t want to be the next target of fun. Lastly, she decides to stand against anyone who teases others even if she has to lose her friend, which shows her emotional attribute.
In comparison to Maddie, Peggy is an arrogant girl. She teases Wanda by asking her about dresses, but she is not cruel as she helps children from bullies and cries when she sees an animal being hurt. But she tries to make fun of Wanda everytime and defends herself. Both the girls have different personalities and attributes which can be directed by their actions.

Question 6.
What moral lesson does “The Hundred Dresses – II” convey to us? Write the values related with it.
Answer:
Wanda Petronski’s letter highlights her greatness. It gives us a glimpse of her nature as a simple, loving, caring, and friendly human being. She gifts her drawings to Peggy and Maddie though they tease her a lot. It shows how great she is. It requires a lot of courage and patience to do so. An ordinary person cannot do that and would definitely hate them but Wanda shows polite and peaceful traits of her character. In our society, it is very difficult to find such a character. Such traits are a must to be a good human being. In our society, people tease others with such remarks. It is not a sign of good culture. Wanda displays to be a humble person. These traits should be inherent in our character.

Question 7.
“I am sure that none of the boys and girls in Room Thirteen would purposely and deliberately hurt anyone’s feelings because his or her name happened to be a long, unfamiliar one. I prefer to think that what was said in thoughtlessness.” Why did the teacher say what was said in thoughtlessness? Explain this on the basis of the passage.
Answer:
After leaving Boggins Heights, Wanda shifted to another town along with her family. They were quite ignorant of that place. Everybody teased Wanda. After shifting to that place, her father wrote a letter to the class teacher in which he mentioned that now Wanda would never attend the school. Nobody would tease or scorn Wanda about her funny name and appearance. After knowing the content of the letter, the entire class got awestruck and strained. The class teacher told that none of the boys and girl in Room Thirteen would have deliberately or purposely hurt Wanda’s feelings because of her long and unfamiliar name. Even if some – one had done or said so then that must have been in thoughtlessness. The teacher thought that such thing would not have happened to Wanda intentionally. It was really a sad state of affair. Nobody should make anybody’s mockery either due to his /her name or economic condition. Wanda’s friends should not have made such remarks.

Question 8.
Tears blurred her eyes and she gazed for a long time at the picture. Then hastily she rubbed her eyes and studied it intently. The colours in the dress were so vivid that she had scarcely noticed the face and head of the drawing. But it looked like her, Maddie!
On the basis of above passage what does the author want to say?
Answer:
After the school was over, both Maddie and Peggy went to the residence of Wanda at Boggins Heights to meet her. But their visit was worthless. They wrote a friendly letter to Wanda regarding winning the contest. But Wanda did not respond to the letter. On the Christmas eve, Wanda wrote a letter to Miss Mason and stated that these hundred dresses should be gifted to the girls especially blue one to Maddie and green one to Peggy.

Tears blurred Maddie’s eyes and for the long time she gazed at the picture. She found that the face in the drawing was resembling to her own. Then she ran to Peggy’s house to see her drawing also. Peggy was also happy to find the same in the drawing. Through this, the author wants to say that nobody should be condemned for their name or appearance. Wanda liked Maddie and Peggy from the core of her heart. She did not care about the comments that were made at her. She liked her friends very much. Although she belonged to a poor family, even then she was superb in all the spheres of life in comparison to her friends.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
WHILE the class was circling the room, the monitor from the principal’s office brought Miss Mason a note. Miss Mason read it several times and studied it thoughtfully for a while. Then she clapped her hands. “Attention, class. Everyone back to their seat.”
When the shuffling of feet had stopped and the room was still and quiet, Miss Mason said, “I have a letter from Wanda’s father that I want to read to you.”
(a) Who brought a note to Miss Mason from the principal’s office?
(i) The peon
(ii) The head clerk
(iii) The monitor
(iv) Maths teacher
Answer:
(iii) The monitor

(b) Who wrote a note to Miss Mason?
(i) Wanda’s mother
(ii) Wanda’s friend
(iii) Wanda’s father
(iv) Wanda’s brother
Answer:
(iii) Wanda’s father

(c) Miss Mason read the note …………. times.
(i) two
(ii) three
(iii) four
(iv) several
Answer:
(iv) several

(d) What happened after the stopping of the shuffling of feet?
(i) The room was a little bit noisy
(ii) The room was still and quiet.
(iii) Nothing happened
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) The room was still and quiet.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘calm.’
(i) quiet
(ii) noisy
(iii) rigorous
(iv) unknown
Answer:
(i) quiet

Question 2.
Miss Mason stood there a moment and the silence in the room grew tense and expectant. The teacher adjusted her glasses slowly and deliberately. Her manner indicated that what was coming this letter from Wanda’s father was a matter of great importance. Everybody listened closely as Miss Mason read the brief note.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who stood there for a moment?
(i) Miss Mason
(ii) Wanda Petronski
(iii) Peggy
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Miss Mason

(b) How was the atmosphere of the room?
(i) Calm and quiet
(ii) Tense and expectant
(iii) Glorious
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Tense and expectant

(c) Miss Mason …………….. the brief note.
(i) wrote
(ii) read
(iii) deleted
(iv) tore
Answer:
(ii) read

(d) What did the teacher do?
(i) The teacher chided all the students.
(ii) The teacher told them to be silent.
(iii) The teacher adjusted her glasses slowly and deliberately.
(iv) The teacher did nothing.
Answer:
(iii) The teacher adjusted her glasses slowly and deliberately.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘knowingly’.
(i) deliberately
(ii) heedlessly
(iii) thoughtlessly
(iv) systematically
Answer:
(i) deliberately

Question 3.
A deep silence met the reading of this letter. Miss Mason took off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her soft white handkerchief. Then she put them on again and looked at the class. When she spoke her voice was very low. “I am sure that none of the boys and girls in Room Thirteen would purposely and deliberately hurt anyone’s feelings because his or her name happened to be a long, unfamiliar one. I prefer to think that what was said was said in thoughtlessness. I know that all of you feel the way I do, that this is a very unfortunate thing to have happened – unfortunate and sad, both. And I want you all to think about it.”
Choose the correct option:
(a) How were the students?
(i) Happy
(ii) Sad
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Sad

(b) Who spoke with low voice?
(i) Miss Mason
(ii) Wanda
(iii) Peggy
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Miss Mason

(c) Miss Mason put off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her white……………..
(i) slippers
(ii) dress
(iii) handkerchief
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) handkerchief

(d) What happened when Miss Mason was reading the letter before the class?
(i) Students started making a noise.
(ii) There was deep silence in the classroom.
(iii) Students were talking among themselves.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) There was deep silence in the classroom.

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘known.’
(i) familiar
(ii) introduce
(iii) unfamiliar
(iv) aware
Answer:
(iii) unfamiliar

Question 4.
Maddie turned this idea carefully over in her head, for if there were anything in it she would not have to feel so badly. But that night she could not get to sleep. She thought about Wanda and her faded blue dress and the little house she had lived in. And she thought of the glowing picture those hundred dresses made — all lined up in the classroom. At last Maddie sat up in bed and pressed her forehead tight in her hands and really thought. This was the hardest thinking she had ever done. After a long, long time, she reached an important conclusion.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What did Maddie think about?
(i) Maddie thought about her studies.
(ii) Maddie thought about the economic condition of Wanda.
(iii) Maddie thought about Wanda, her faded blue dress and the little house in which she lived.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) Maddie thought about Wanda, her faded blue dress and the little house in which she lived.

(b) What happened with Maddie that night?
(i) She could not sleep properly.
(ii) She could not read properly.
(iii) She was afraid of the ghost.
(iv) Her mother chided her bitterly.
Answer:
(i) She could not sleep properly.

(c) Those – hundred ………………. were lined up in the classroom.
(i) cushions
(ii) glasses
(iii) slippers
(iv) dresses
Answer:
(iv) dresses

(d) Who reached at an important conclusion after a long time?
(i) Wanda
(ii) Peggy
(iii) Maddie
(iv) Both (i) and (ii)
Answer:
(iii) Maddie

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘conclusion’.
(i) outcome
(ii) preface
(iii) prelude
(iv) introduction
Answer:
(i) outcome

Question 5.
When school was dismissed in the afternoon, Peggy said, with pretended casualness, “Hey, let’s go and see if that kid has left town or not.” So Peggy had had the same idea! Maddie glowed. Peg was really all right. The two girls hurried out of the building, up the street toward Boggins Heights, the part of town that wore such a forbidding air on this kind of a November afternoon, drizzly, damp and dismal.

Choose the correct option:
(a) When was the school dismissed?
(i) Morning
(ii) Afternoon
(iii) Night
(iv) Evening
Answer:
(ii) Afternoon

(b) Where did the two girls hurry towards?
(i) School
(ii) Playground
(iii) Boggins Heights
(iv) Classroom
Answer:
(iii) Boggins

(c) Peggy also had the same …………. as that of Maddie.
(i) idea
(ii) certainty
(iii) Fact
(iv) thing
Answer:
(i) idea

(d) What did Peggy say with pretended casualness?
(i) If that kid has eaten or not.
(ii) If that kid has left town or not.
(iii) It that kid has read or not
(iv) If that kid has completed his homework or not
Answer:
(ii) If that kid has left town or not.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘gloomy.’
(i) bright
(ii) happy
(iii) cheerful
(iv) dismal
Answer:
(iv) dismal

Question 6.
At last Maddie sat up in bed and pressed her forehead tight in her hands and really thought. This was the hardest thinking she had ever done. After a long, long time, she reached an important conclusion. She was never going to stand by and say nothing again. If she ever heard anybody picking on someone because they were funny looking or because they had strange names, she’d speak up. Even if it meant losing Peggy’s friendship. She had no way of making things right with Wanda, but from now on she would never make anybody else that unhappy again.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where did Maddie sit?
(i) Kitchen
(ii) Drawing room
(iii) Bed
(iv) Bathroom
Answer:
(iii) Bed

(b) Who decided that she would not make anybody unhappy again?
(i) Wanda
(ii) Peggy
(iii) Teacher
(iv) Maddie
Answer:
(ii) Peggy

(c) This was the hardest ……………. she had ever done.
(i) feeling
(ii) thing
(iii) approach
(iv) thinking
Answer:
(iv) thinking

(d) At what did Maddie reach after a long time?
(i) Logic
(ii) An important conclusion
(iii) An idea
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iv) None of these

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘unique.’
(i) casual
(ii) routine
(iii) strange
(iv) popular
Answer:
(i) casual

Question 7.
Weeks went by and still Wanda did not answer. Peggy had begun to forget the whole business, and Maddie put herself to sleep at night making speeches about Wanda, defending her from great crowds of girls who were trying to tease her with, “How many dresses have you got?” And before Wanda could press her lips together in a tight line, the way she did before answering, Maddie would cry out, “Stop!” Then everybody would feel ashamed the way she used to feel. Now it was Christmas time and there was snow on the ground. Christmas bells and a small tree decorated the classroom. On the last day of school before the holidays, the teacher showed the class a letter she had received that morning.
(a) On which day did the teacher show a letter to the class?
(i) Last day of school before the holidays
(ii) First day of school before the holidays
(iii) Not shown
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Last day of school before the holidays

(b) Which occasion has been discussed in the extract?
(i) Easter
(ii) Christmas
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Christmas

(c) It was Christmas time and there was …………. on the ground.
(i) water
(ii) filth
(iii) snow
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) snow

(d) What did the teacher show the class?
(i) A letter
(ii) A dress
(iii) A pen
(iv) A map
Answer:
(i) A letter

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘embellished.’
(i) scattered
(ii) decorated
(iii) tidy
(iv) degraded
Answer:
(ii) decorated

Question 8.
Tears blurred her eyes and she gazed for a long time at the picture. Then hastily she rubbed her eyes and studied it intently. The colours in the dress were so vivid that she had scarcely noticed the face and head of the drawing. But it looked like her, Maddie! It really looked like her own mouth. Why it really looked like her own self! Wanda had really drawn this for her. Excitedly, she ran over to Peggy’s.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Who gazed for a long time at the picture?
(i) Wanda
(ii) Maddie
(iii) Peggy
(iv) No body
Answer:
(ii) Maddie

(b) What had Maddie scarcely noticed?
(i) The colours in dress were vivid.
(ii) The colours in the dress were only pink and blue.
(iii) The colours in the dress were only red.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) The colours in dress were vivid.

(c) …………… had really drawn this drawing.
(i) Peggy
(ii) Maddie
(iii) Wanda’s teacher
(iv) Wanda
Answer:
(iv) Wanda

(d) How did the drawing look like?
(i) It looked like the mouth of Maddie.
(ii) It looked like the head of Wanda.
(iii) It looked like the hair of Peggy.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) It looked like the mouth of Maddie.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘stared’.
(i) scorned
(ii) disliked
(iii) gazed
(iv) abhorred
Answer:
(iii) gazed

The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Summary

The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Gist of the Lesso

‘The Hundred Dresses – IF begins with a letter received by the principal from Wanda’s father. In this letter, he informed the teacher that they were moving to a big city where nobody would tease or scorn Wanda about her funny name and appearance. After knowing about the content of the letter, the entire class got awestruck and stunned. They realized their remarks. Maddie was disappointed. She couldn’t concentrate on her studies after knowing the facts. She just wanted to meet Wanda personally to clarify her stand that she never meant to hurt her feelings. When the school was over Maddie and Peggy both went to the residence of Wanda at Boggins Heights to meet her. But their visit was fruitless.

They wrote a friendly letter to Wanda telling her about winning the contest. But Wanda did not respond to the letter. On Christmas, Miss Mason, their teacher, received a letter from Wanda. She informed that she was now not in need of those hundred dresses as she had new hundred dresses in her new house. Therefore, those dresses should be gifted to the girls especially blue one to Maddie and green one to Peggy.Tears blurred her eyes and Maddie gazed for a long time at the picture and found that the face in the drawing was resembling to her own. Then she ran to Peggy’s house to see her drawing also. Peggy was also happy to find the same in the drawing. Peggy consoled herself saying that Wanda really liked them very much. Maddie agreed and blinked away the tears which came every time she thought of Wanda Petronski.

The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Summary

1. Wanda’s father sent a letter: Miss Mason got a note from the principal’s office. It was a letter written by Wanda’s father. She read the letter before the entire class that Wanda and her brother would never come to school and nobody would be able to call them with funny names and insult them, as they had moved to the big city and new school.

2. Miss Mason’s lecture: Miss Mason told the students in Room Thirteen that they might have behaved indecent out of thoughtlessness and they never meant to hurt anyone. She declared this incident to be unfortunate and sad. Maddie got

3. disturbed: Maddie got deeply disturbed after knowing the content of the letter. She could not put her mind to work. She was repenting that she did not take a stand for Wanda even after having a feeling of sympathy for her.

4. Journey to Boggins Heights: Both Maddie and Peggy decided to go to Boggins Heights, where Wanda lived. While on the way, Peggy told Maddie that she never called Wanda a foreigner and nor did she make fun of her name. After reaching Wanda’s house, they found out that there was nobody.

5. Maddie made a resolution: After thinking deeply, Maddie decided that she would never forgive anyone making fun of someone. She would take a stand and speak up.

6. Letter to Wanda from Maddie and Peggy: Maddie and Peggy wanted to tell Wanda how beautiful her drawings were. So, they wrote her a letter and also asked about the new place and her new teacher. They wanted to apologise to Wanda but wrote a friendly letter instead.

7. Wanda’s letter to Miss Mason: On the last day of the school before the holiday, Miss Mason received a letter from Wanda. She had written that her drawings of hundred dresses could be given to the students in Room Thirteen. She mentioned Maddie to have the drawing of blue dress and Peggy the drawing of green dress.

8. Maddie and Peggy saw themselves: After reaching home, Maddie and Peggy noticed that it was their faces in their respective drawings which were made by Wanda.

The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Lesson at a Glance

1. Miss Mason received a letter from Wanda’s father.
2. She informed the class in a sad voice that Wanda and Jake would not come to the school anymore.
3. When Wanda was in the school, Maddie did not like the manner in which Peggy talked to her.
4. Maddie was repenting on the fact that she never took a stand for Wanda when she was picked on by others.
5. She wanted to convey Wanda the message that her hundred dresses were beautiful.
6. Both Maddie and Peggy hurried towards Boggins Heights, where Wanda lived.
7. Nobody answered when they knocked at Wanda’s door as she and her family had already left.
8. They decided to write a letter to Wanda informing her that her drawings were magnificent. They further asked about her new place and school.
9. They also mentioned that she won the girls’ medal.
10. The day before the holidays, Miss Mason announced that she had received a letter from Wanda.
11. Wanda conveyed the message that her drawings be distributed to the girls of Room Thirteen, with green dress given to Peggy and the blue one to Maddie.
12. Both Maddie and Peggy noticed themselves in Wanda’s drawing, upon which Peggy asserted that Wanda must have liked them.

The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Character Sketch

Miss Mason: Miss Mason is not only a good teacher but also a sensitive human being. She is also admired and respected by her teachers. She gets upset when Wanda, the winner of the drawing competition is not present to receive the girls’ medal. Even Wanda Petronski admits in her letter that her new teacher in the city can not equalise Miss Mason. She is really a good teacher. new teacher in the city can not equalise Miss Mason. She is really a good teacher.

The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
circling	moving, revolving	decorated	made attractive
thoughtfully	agreeably	intently	keenly, attentively
clapped	applauded, by hitting palms together several times	trimming	adornment
deliberately	intentionally, knowingly	wreaths	arrangements of flowers
holler pollack	to make fun and tease	cornucopias	an ornamental container like a goat’s horn
unfamiliar	unknown, strange	transparent	clear, apparent
thoughtlessness	uncaring, inconsiderate	tight-lipped	silent
closet	aim i rah	brilliancy	brightness
pretended	enacted as true, but it is not true	blurred	not cleared
casualness	happening by chance	gazed	looked intently
drizzly	in a dull, misty way	hastily	in a hasty manner
damp and dismal	wet and sad	scarcely	hardly, barely
gruffly	roughly	excitedly	eagerly
wisps	small bundles	clattered	rattle, clank
sparse	scanty, thinly dispersed	stolidly	calm, impassive

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 3(ii) The Black Aeroplane

JAC Class 10th English The Black Aeroplane Textbook Questions and Answers

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
“I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Answer:
The risk was to fly the aeroplane through the black storm clouds. There was no enough fuel. So, the narrator took the risk because his home was beckoning him. He was dreaming of his holiday and looking forward to be with his family. He also wanted to get home in time to enjoy a good English breakfast.

Question 2.
Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Answer:
As the narrator flew into the storm, everything went black. It was quite impossible to see anything outside the plane. The plane jumped and twisted in the air. When hq looked at his compass, he saw that it was turning round and round. It was dead. Radio was also not working properly.

He was quite hopeless. All of a sudden, he saw another aeroplane. Its pilot waved and asked him to follow. He was glad to find him. He was using his last fuel tank and there was only enough fuel to fly five or ten minutes. Then, the other pilot started to go down and he followed. He suddenly came out of the clouds and saw the runway, on which he landed his plane safely.

Question 3.
Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Answer:
After landing, the narrator felt that he had a horrific and scary experience flying that plane. He was happy that he had landed the plane safely. That is why he was not sorry to walk away. Instead, he wanted to know where he was and who the other pilot was. He just wanted to say ‘Thank you’ to the other pilot.

Question 4.
What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
Answer:
The narrator had asked the woman in the control centre about the identity of the other pilot. She looked at him strangely as there was no other plane in the storm. She told him that no other plane was flying that night. His was the only plane she could see on the radar.

Question 5.
Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Probably, it was the narrator’s own self that helped him through the storm. There was no other plane in the storm as the woman at the control centre could see only his plane on the radar. Also, no other plane was flying that night. It seems some supernatural powers must be. working behind this. As the pilot was completely helpless and there was no ray of hope. Some divine power showed him the path.

Thinking about Language

I. Study the sentences given below.
(a) They looked like black mountains.
(b) Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black.
(c) In the black clouds near me, I saw another aeroplane.
(d) The strange black aeroplane was there.
The word ‘black’ in sentences (a) and (c) refers to the very darkest colour. But in (b) and (d) (here) it means without light/with no light.
(a) I prefer black tea means I prefer tea without milk.
(b) With increasing pollution the future of the world is black, means ‘With increasing pollution the future of the world is very – depressing/ without hope’. Now, try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’ in the sentences given below. Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right.

1. Go and have a bath; your hands and face are absolutely black …………
2. The taxi – driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green. …….
3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity ……………
4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy …………
5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black ……
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue ………….
Answer:
1. Go and have a bath; your hands and face are absolutely black dirty.
2. The taxi – driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green. angry.
3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity cruellest.
4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy witty.
5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black at a higher price.
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue severely.

II. Look at these sentences taken from the lesson you have just read:
(a) I was flying my old Dakota aeroplane.
(b) The young seagull had been afraid to fly with them.
In the first sentence the author was controlling an aircraft in the air. Another example is: Children are flying kites. In the second sentence the seagull was afraid to move through the air, using its wings.
Match the phrases given under Column A with their meanings given under Column B:

A	B
1. Fly a flag	– Move quickly/suddenly
2. Fly into rage	– Be successful
3. Fly along	– Display a flag on a long pole
4. Fly high	– Escape from a place
5. Fly the coop	– Become suddenly very angry

Answer:

A	B
1. Fly a flag	– Display a flag on a long pole
2. Fly into rage	– Become suddenly very angry
3. Fly along	– Move quickly/suddenly
4. Fly high	– Be successful
5. Fly the coop	– Escape from a place

III. We know that the word ‘fly’ (of birds/insects) means to move through air using wings. Tick the words which have the same or nearly the same meaning.

swoop	flit	paddle	flutter
ascend	float	ride	skim
sink	dart	hover	glide
descend	soar	shoot	spring
stay	fall	sail	flap

Answer:
The words which have the same or nearly the same meaning as ‘fly’ are as follows:

swoop 3	flit	paddle	flutter 3
ascend	float	ride	skim 3
sink	dart	hover 3	glide 3
descend	soar 3	shoot	spring
stay	fall	sail	flap 3

Writing

Have you ever been alone or away from home during a thunderstorm? Narrate your experience in a paragraph.
Answer:
Yes, one time I have faced that sort of problem. Once I had gone to visit one of my relatives to Ooty. I had gone there with a purpose to visit. I along with my relatives went there. When we started, a thunderstorm started blowing. It was so violent that we had not seen it ever before. All the things were scattered. It was really painful. We had to stay there for three hours. After three hours, it stopped. Then we cancelled our plan that day and returned to our place.

JAC Class 10th English The Black Aeroplane Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
What was the narrator’s feeling while he was flying his aeroplane back to England? Answer:The narrator was too much excited while he was flying his aeroplane back to England. He was in a hurry. He just wanted to have his morning breakfast with his family.

Question 2.
What did the narrator feel inside the clouds?
Answer:
When the narrator entered the clouds, it was quite impossible to see outside the aeroplane. The aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air. All the instruments like compass, radio, etc., stopped working. All the things were disconnected.

Question 3.
What did the narrator see inside the black clouds?
Answer:
The narrator saw another black aeroplane which had no lights on its wings. He could see the face of the pilot only in the black clouds who was waving and signalling him to follow to get out of the storm.

Question 4.
Why did the woman in control room get shocked when the writer asked about another aeroplane?
Answer:
The woman in the control room was really shocked when the writer asked about another aeroplane because there was no such plane flying in the sky that night to her notice on the radar.

Question 5.
Why did the narrator want to meet the pilot of another black aeroplane?
Answer:
The narrator wanted to meet the pilot of another black aeroplane to thank him as he had saved his life by helping him come out from the storm.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
Why did the pilot consider of going back to Paris?
Answer:
While flying over France back to England, the pilot came across huge storms that appeared to him like black mountains. He could go neither above nor around them due to lack of fuel. That was why he thought to return to Paris.

Question 2.
Why was the woman in the control centre unable to help the pilot of Dakota?
Answer:
After landing when the pilot of Dakota asked the woman in the control centre about the black aeroplane and its pilot, she could not help him because she did not see any other plane on the radar except his.

Question 3.
What was the reason behind frightening of the pilot of Dakota second time?
Answer:
While flying through the storm, the pilot of the black aeroplane waved at the narrator to follow his lead. The narrator flew his Dakota plane behind him for half an hour. He found that the fuel in his aeroplane could allow him to fly for five to ten minutes more. Therefore, he got frightened once again.

Question 4.
Why did the pilot of Dakota aeroplane want to meet the woman in the control centre? What did he get to know?
Answer:
After leading the narrator to the runway, the black aeroplane disappeared in the space. He wanted to know about the pilot of the black aeroplane. To get some information regarding this matter, he went to meet the woman in the control centre. But she didn’t know anything about the black aeroplane, so the narrator could not get any information.

Question 5.
What message does the story ‘Black Aeroplane’ convey?
Answer:
The story ‘Black Aeroplane’ conveys us to never say die. Never lose hope; no matter how adverse the circumstances are. No one knows who may come to save you like the black aeroplane came for the narrator’s rescue when he was in the storm and had nothing to his aid.

Question 6.
Why did the narrator follow the pilot of another aeroplane?
Answer:
The narrator followed the pilot of another aeroplane because he had lost his way in the storm and was unable to see anything. The pilot of another aeroplane was helping him to get out of the storm and land safely.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
The narrator had two options of avoiding the horrific storm clouds. Why didn’t he use them? Was his decision of flying into the storm a sound decision?
Answer:
While flying his Dakota over France back to England, he saw black mountains of clouds all around himself. Those black clouds were storm clouds. He had two options to avoid the terrible storm clouds. He could go back to Paris which he had left 150 kilometres behind. He wanted to go back but his wish of having an early breakfast at home with his family stopped him from doing so. He could not fly up and above the clouds either. He did not have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south.

It appears that flying back to Paris would have been the best option under those circumstances. He could fly neither to the north nor to the south as he did not have sufficient fuel. His decision of flying straight into the stormy clouds was motivated by his desire of having breakfast early next morning with his family. It was a bold but risky decision. The narrator would have been in deep trouble, had the pilot of the black aeroplane not helped him to guide him through the clouds.

Question 2.
How did the narrator come out of the storm in the night to land safely?
Answer:
The narrator was flying his old Dakota plane. It was midnight. He saw the black clouds. He was lost in the storm. All the instruments like compass and radio had lost its connection. Suddenly, he saw a black aeroplane by his side, which had no lights on its wings. The pilot instructed the narrator to follow because he had lost the way. He was quite hopeless. But at this juncture, the pilot came like a God to him. The narrator obeyed the pilot like a child. He was very happy to follow him. After some time the pilot of another plane started to land. The writer followed him blindly through the storm and came out of the clouds. He saw the lights of the runway and landed safely.

Question 3.
Why was the narrator happy when he decided to fly that night?
Answer:
The narrator was very happy when he decided to fly that night because he was going home to his family to take his English breakfast. When he started, everything seemed to be perfect. The sky was clear, no clouds could be seen and the stars were shining. It all made it an easy task for the narrator to fly that night over the sleeping countryside of Paris. His assumption of everything being in place made him happy.

Question 4.
The pilot wanted to thank another pilot after his safe landing. Why? What values of the writer are reflected from his action?
Answer:
The pilot (narrator) of the old Dakota was caught in the storm. He lost his contact with the control room. In this situation, his fuel tank was also empty. He lost all his hopes. Suddenly a black strange plane appeared. The pilot of the black plane asked the narrator to follow him. Anyway the narrator landed safely. After his safe landing, he wanted to thank the pilot of the black plane. This shows his gratitude towards the pilot of the black plane. He was thankful to him for saving his life. It shows that the pilot of Dakota had a value of gratefulness in his character.

Question 5.
The pilot of the old Dakota plane would have been killed in the sky, but he didn’t. It is quite certain that he was saved due to some divine intervention or supernatural forces. Do you think that when we are in danger, God sends his angels to protect us? Discuss it on the basis of the lesson.
Answer:
We are the people of God. It is our responsibility to protect God’s people. Faith in God can move mountains. But a man often tends to lose his faith in times of crisis. Most of us are in ‘ the habit of complaining to God for putting us through trying times. But we fail to understand that in such situation God is only trying to make us stronger. God always makes his presence felt in the most adverse circumstances. God is always there, looking over us, guiding us and revealing to us. In this lesson, the narrator was saved by some supernatural powers.

Question 6.
“Another aeroplane? Up there in the storm? No other aeroplanes were flying tonight. Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.” So who helped me to arrive there safely without a compass or a radio, and without any more fuel in my tank? Who was the pilot on the strange black, aeroplane, flying in the storm without lights? On the basis of the above passage, write the experiences and feelings of the narrator. Ultimately who helped the narrator?
Answer:
When the narrator was flying into the storm, everything went dark. It was not possible to see outside the plane. After looking towards the compass, the narrator came to know that it was turning round and it had become almost dead. He had no option left. In the meantime, he saw another aeroplane. Even its pilot waved and asked him to follow.

There was fuel of five or ten minutes to fly. When the other pilot started going down, he also followed him. He also came out of the cloud and landed the lane safely. After this, he went to the control tower and asked the woman about another aeroplane, she was awestruck. She told him that no other aeroplane was flying tonight.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
The moon was coming up in the east, behind me, and stars were shining in the clear sky above me. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside. 1 was flying my old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England. I was dreaming of my holiday and looking forward to being with my family. I looked at my watch at one thirty in the morning. ‘I should call Paris Control soon’, I thought. As I looked down past the nose of the aeroplane, I saw the lights of a big city in front of me.

(a) When did the narrator look at the watch?
(i) 12 : 30 am
(ii) 1 : 00 am
(iii) 1 : 30 am
(iv) 2 : 30 am
Answer:
(iii) 1 : 30 am

(b) What did the narrator see?
(i) The light of the countryside
(ii) The light of a big city
(iii) The light of an industrial area
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) The light of a big city

(c) The narrator was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to……….
(i) England
(ii) Switzerland
(iii) Washington D.C
(iv) Wellington
Answer:
(i) England

(d) What was not visible in the sky?
(i) Stars
(ii) Cloud
(iii) Moon
(iv) Sun
Answer:
(ii) Cloud

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘backward.’
(i) forward
(ii) downward
(iii) depreciation
(iv) descending
Answer:
(i) forward

Question 2.
I switched on the radio and said, “Paris Control, Dakota DS 088 here. Can you hear me? I’m on my way to England. Over.”
The voice from the radio answered me immediately: “DS 088,1 can hear you. You ought to turn twelve degrees west now, DS 088. Over.” I checked the map and the compass, switched over to my second and last fuel tank, and turned the Dakota twelve degrees west towards England. Til be in time for breakfast,’ I thought. A good big English breakfast! Everything was going well — it was an easy flight.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What did the narrator switch on?
(i) Television
(ii) Radio
(iii) Remote control
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Radio

(b) What did the radio answer him?
(i) The radio answered him to turn twelve degrees west.
(ii) The radio answered him to turn twenty degrees east.
(iii) The radio answered him to turn twelve degrees north.
(iv) The radio answered him to turn twenty degrees south.
Answer:
(i) The radio answered him to turn twelve degrees west.

(c) The author was in a hurry for his .
(i) French lunch
(ii) Spanish dish
(iii) English breakfast
(iv)Chinesefood
Answer:
(iii) English breakfast

(d) Who checked the map and the compass?
(i) The crew members of the plane
(ii) The narrator himself
(iii) The woman in control room
(iv) The narrator and crew members
Answer:
(ii) The narrator himself

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘replied’.
(i) questioned
(ii) answered
(iii) remarked
(iv) applied
Answer:
(ii) answered

Question 3.
Paris was about 150 kilometres behind me when I saw the clouds. Storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of me across the sky. I knew I could not fly up and over them, and I did not have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south. “I ought to go back to Paris,” I thought, but I wanted to get home. I wanted that breakfast.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What did the narrator think?
(i) He ought to go back to Paris.
(ii) He ought to go back to London,
(iii) He ought to go back to Switzerland.
(iv) He ought to go back to India.
Answer:
(i) He ought to go back to Paris.

(b) Why was the narrator in a hurry?
(i) He wanted to come home soon.
(ii) He wanted to sleep soon.
(iii) He wanted to go for shopping.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) He wanted to come home soon.

(c) The narrator was about 150 kilometres away from……
(i) Frankfurt
(ii) Paris
(iii) Osaka
(iv) Manchester
Answer:
(ii) Paris

(d) What was not enough in the narrator’s plane?
(i) Fuel
(ii) Water
(iii) Light
(iv) Passengers
Answer:
(i) Fuel

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘sufficient.’
(i) scanty
(ii) enough
(iii) numerous
(iv) insufficient
Answer:
(ii) enough

Question 4.
Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black. It was impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane. The old aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air. I looked at the compass. I couldn’t believe my eyes: the compass was turning round and round and round. It was dead. It would not work! The other instruments were suddenly dead, too. I tried the radio.
“Paris Control? Paris Control? Can you hear me?”

Choose the correct option:
(a) How was the scene inside the clouds?
(i) Everything turned suddenly white.
(ii) Everything turned suddenly black,
(iii) Everything turned suddenly red.
(iv) Nothing happened.
Answer:
(ii) Everything turned suddenly black,

(b) Where did the narrator look at?
(i) The narrator looked at the compass.
(ii) The narrator looked at the radar.
(iii) The narrator looked at the crew members.
(iv) The narrator did not look anywhere.
Answer:
(i) The narrator looked at the compass.

(c) It was impossible to see anything the aeroplane.
(i) inside
(ii) outside
(iii) nowhere
(iv) everywhere
Answer:
(ii) outside

(d) What happened in the aeroplane ultimately?
(i) Nothing happened.
(ii) The compass was almost dead.
(iii) The other instruments were suddenly dead too.
(iv) Both (ii) and (iii)
Answer:
(iv) Both (ii) and (iii)

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘possible’.
(i) hidden
(ii) ultimate
(iii) impossible
(iv) successful
Answer:
(iii) impossible

Question 5.
‘He knows that I am lost,’ I thought. ‘He’s trying to help me’. He turned his aeroplane slowly to the north, in front of my Dakota, so that it would be easier for me to follow him. I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child.
After half an hour the strange black aeroplane was still there in front of me in the clouds. Now, there was only enough fuel in the old Dakota’s last tank to fly for five or ten minutes more. I was starting to feel frightened again. But then he started to go down and I followed through the storm.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Why was the narrator frightened again?
(i) There was sufficient fuel in the aeroplane.
(ii) The aeroplane did not have sufficient fuel.
(iii) Somebody caught him.
(iv) Somebody threatened him.
Answer:
(ii) The aeroplane did not have sufficient fuel.

(b) Who started to go down?
(i) The narrator
(ii) The pilot
(iii) The crewmen
(iv) The staff
Answer:
(ii) The pilot

(c) The narrator followed the black Dakota aeroplane like a/an .
(i) obedient child
(ii) stupid child
(iii) intelligent child
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) obedient child

(d) How many minutes could old Dakota train fly more?
(i) Three to five minutes
(ii) Five or ten minutes
(iii) Ten to twelve minutes
(iv) Ten to fifteen minutes
Answer:
(ii) Five or ten minutes

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘bold.’
(i) courageous
(ii) robust
(iii) frightened
(iv) scanty
Answer:
(iii) frightened

Question 6.
Suddenly I came out of the clouds and saw two long straight lines of lights in front of me. It was a runway! An airport! I was safe! I turned to look for my friend in the black aeroplane, but the sky was empty. There was nothing there. The black aeroplane was gone. I could not see it anywhere. I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota near the control tower. I went and asked a woman in the control centre where I was and who the other pilot was. I wanted to say ‘Thank you’.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who does ‘I’ refer to here?
(i) The narrator
(ii) The narrator’s wife
(iii) The narrator’s colleague
(iv) The narrator’s son
Answer:
(i) The narrator

(b) What did the narrator see in front of him?
(i) Single light
(ii) Two passengers
(iii) Two straight lines of light
(iv) He saw nothing.
Answer:
(iii) Two straight lines of light

(c) The sky was ……….
(i) full
(ii) scattered
(iii) empty
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) empty

(d) To whom did the narrator meet in the control centre?
(i) A man
(ii) A woman
(iii) Apilot
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) A woman

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘full’.
(i) empty
(ii) glow
(iii) lost
(iv) preserve
Answer:
(i) empty

The Black Aeroplane Summary

The Black Aeroplane About the Author

• Frederick Forsyth was bom on August 25, 1938 at Ashford, Kent, England. He was an English author and journalist. He was also an author of best-selling thriller novels.
• Before becoming a journalist, he attended the University of Granada, Spain and served in the Royal Air Force. He also worked as a correspondent for the BBC.
• The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Shepherd, The Devil’s Alternative, The Fourth Protocol, The Negotiator, etc., are his important works.
• He was appointed a commander of the ‘Order of the British Empire’.

The Black Aeroplane Gist of the Lesson

In this story, the author narrates his own experiences. Once the narrator was on his way to England. He was in his old Dakota plane to England. He turned his plane 12° west towards England. The great storm cloud was ahead of him. He tried to enter into the cloud. Naturally, everything was turning black. He just wanted to have breakfast with his family. Paris was about 150 kilometres behind him. There was no sufficient fuel in the plane.

That is why he decided to fly through the storm. But in the cloud, he could not see anything. All compass, radio, etc., stopped working. Another plane without lights came behind it and its pilot asked him to follow. After some time, the narrator came out of the clouds and found a runway. He got very happy. He just wanted to thank the pilot who helped him. But he was awestruck when he got to know from the control room that there was no other plane on the radar.

The Black Aeroplane Summary

1. The narrator flew to England: The narrator was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England. He planned to have breakfast with his family on his holiday. So, he flew in his Dakota  aeroplane to England. The Paris control guided him towards London.

2. The storm set in: 150 kilometres ahead of Paris, the author saw dark clouds and an imminent storm. He chose to fly through the storm clouds rather than flying up or over them as he did not have enough fuel.

3. All the instruments went dead: While flying through the dark storm clouds, the compass, the radio and all other guiding devices of his aeroplane stopped working. The aeroplane was jumping and twisting in the air.

4. The black aeroplane: The narrator was lost in the clouds and just then, he saw a black aeroplane flying next to him. Its pilot waved at the author, guiding him through that storm.

5. The narrator’s fright: For about half an hour, the narrator had been following the black aeroplane. Now he was left with fuel getting only for five to ten minutes flying. He was frightened at this.

6. The narrator saw an airport: Suddenly, the narrator saw the runway lights of an airport, but could not see the black aeroplane anymore. He landed at the airport and asked the woman in the control centre about the black plane.

7. Mystery of black aeroplane: The narrator was told that there was no other aeroplane in the storm clouds. He wondered who helped him to fly through the storm clouds.

The Black Aeroplane Lesson at a Glance

1. The narrator was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England to spend holiday with his family.

2. He called Paris control to ask for further directions. He was asked to turn twelve degrees west.

3. He thought that he would be in time for breakfast with his family but he saw huge dark storm clouds ahead.

4. The narrator got caught up in a dilemma of whether to fly around or over the clouds or to return to Paris. He did not have enough fuel to fly over them and really wanted to get back home.

5. Finally, he decided to take the risk and flew his old Dakota straight into the storm. Inside the clouds, everything got black and the compass and all other instruments stopped working.

6. He tried to contact the Paris control but nothing to avail. He was lost in the storm and got trapped into a hopeless situation.

7. Suddenly, the narrator saw a black aeroplane out of nowhere and its pilot waved his hand gesturing towards the narrator to follow him.

8. The narrator became happy and followed the black aeroplane properly. He flew behind it for half an hour and after that he was left with fuel to fly for five to ten minutes.

9. He started to go down and saw a runway of an airport. He turned to look for the black aeroplane but did not find anything. He safely landed his Dakota aeroplane and ran towards the control centre to ask the woman there about the black aeroplane.

10. The narrator wanted to say ‘thank you’ to the pilot of the black aeroplane but the woman at the control centre told him that there was no other plane on the radar except his. He wondered who helped him to arrive safely without a compass or a radio and who the pilot of the black aeroplane was.

The Black Aeroplane Character Sketch

The narrator: The narrator was very happy while he was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England. He wanted to have a morning breakfast with his family members. He was about 150 kilometres away from Paris when the storm clouds appeared in the sky. There was no enough fuel in his plane to fly to the North or South. But, according to the demand of the situation, the narrator would have gone back to Paris. But with the help of the pilot of the black aeroplane his life was saved.

The Black Aeroplane Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
shining	glittering	strangely	curiously
countryside	rural area	switched on	started
in front of	before	immediately	at once
huge	heavy	twisted	moved, bent
impossible	not possible	dead	lifeless, useless
lifted	raised	landed	grounded
look for	search	wanted	desired
follow	pursue	runway	landing track
waved	moved	frightened	fearful

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 3(i) His First Flight

JAC Class 10th English His First Flight Textbook Questions and Answers

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was his first flight. His wings were not supporting him to fly. It is a well – known fact that doing something for the first time is challenging. Therefore, all young birds must be afraid to make their first flight. In the similar way, a human baby would also find it tough or challenging to take its first step.

Question 2.
“The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Answer:
It is a truth that the young seagull was very hungry. He just wanted to get food anyhow. It was his hunger that ultimately compelled him to fly. His hunger only got intensified when he saw his mother tearing a piece of fish that lay at her feet. When his mother came towards him with food in her beak, he screamed with joy. But she stopped midway. He wondered why she did not come nearer. The young seagull could not control his hunger any longer, and dived at the food in his mother’s beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Ultimately, the young seagull flew.

Question 3.
“They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly”. Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to fly. The young seagull’s brothers and sister had already flown and parents were helping them a lot. But the young seagull could not gather enough courage to make the first flight. That is why his parents were calling it shrilly and scolding him. They threatened to let him starve on his ledge if he did not fly. They did so because they wanted him to leave his fear behind and learn to fly.

Question 4.
Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do something that you were too scared to try? Discuss this in pairs or groups.
Answer:
Of course, yes. I had a similar experience when my parents encouraged me to do something that was too scary to try. When I was in standard – VIII, I was asked to speak something. I had more hesitation in speaking before the audience. When I went on the stage, my feet trembled with fear. I could not express myself even after knowing the topic in a better way.

But, my parents always helped me. They told me to speak alone before the mirror in a room again and again. After a month I gathered much courage and gained confidence. Now I can speak fluently before the audience. Few days ago, 1 also won prize for my speech in the school. {Note: Answer may vary.)

Question 5.
In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you have given in answer to the previous question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try, regardless of a possibility of failure?
Answer:
While we start doing a new work, we face a lot of difficulties in the initial phase. But in due course of time, our endeavour, perseverance and commitment lead us to attain our goal. As in my case, my success was not guaranteed. It could all be possible due to my efforts and commitment.

Speaking

We have just read about the first flight of a young seagull. Your teacher will now divide the class into groups. Each group will work on one of the following topics. Prepare a presentation with your group members and then present it to the entire class.

• Progression of Models of Airplanes
• Progression of Models of Motorcars
• Birds and Their Wing Span
• Migratory Birds – Tracing Their Flights

Answer:
Do it yourself seeking the help of your teachers.

Writing

Write a short composition on your initial attempts at learning a skill. You could describe the challenges of learning to ride a bicycle or learning to swim. Make it as humorous as possible.
Answer:
While I started riding a bicycle, I faced a lot of difficulties. Initially, I fell on the ground two to three times. I also got injured. But my friend, Ajay helped me a lot. He told me how to learn cycling. He balanced the handle of the cycle and took me to ride. He told me how to apply the brake or place feet on pedal. I did the things as told by him again and again. After 15 days, I was able to ride the cycle. Now I do cycling frequently. For this, the credit goes to Ajay, who helped me get skilled in cycling.

JAC Class 10th English His First Flight Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
Flying is a natural instinct in birds. Why was the young seagull exhausted by this peculiar exercise?
Answer:
The young seagull lacked courage to fly. Therefore, he used to give excuses for not flying. He was sure that his wings were too weak to support him while flying. He did not have the audacity to flap his wings and failed to gather courage to take plunge.

Question 2.
How did the young seagull’s parents try to make him fly?
Answer:
The young seagull’s parents tried everything to make him fly. They screamed, scolded and threatened to let him starve on the ledge unless he flew away.

Question 3.
What did the young seagull watch his parents doing the day before?
Answer:
The young seagull watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister the day before. They were making them perfect in the art of flying and teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish.

Question 4.
What was the young seagull’s mother doing before him?
Answer:
The young seagull’s mother was standing on the plateau and her white breast thrust forward. She tore a piece of fish that lay at her feet, then she scrapped each side of her beak on the rock.

Question 5.
How was the young seagull’s expression when he saw his mother with food?
Answer:
The young seagull uttered a joyful scream because he thought that his mother was bringing food for him. He tried to come nearer to her as she flew across.

Question 6.
Why did the young seagull feel miserable on the ledge?
Answer:
The young seagull felt very miserable on the ledge as he was alone and his family had already flown away. He was feeling very hungry and had nothing to eat. His condition was getting worse because he could not even dive for fish.

Question 7.
How did the young seagull and his family celebrate his first flight?
Answer:
When the young seagull started flying and got over his fear, his family screamed around him out of joy. They praised and offered him scraps of dog – fish out of delight as he made a successful attempt.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
When did the young seagull’s flight start and where did it end?
Answer:
The young seagull’s flight started when he dived to snatch the piece of fish from his mother’s beak. He fell down but instinctively opened up his wings and gradually started to fly. His flight ended after half an hour when he landed on the Green sea along with his family.

Question 2.
Where did the young seagull sit alone? What did he watch from there?
Answer:
The young seagull sat on the ledge alone. He was the only one in the family, who did not know how to fly. Just a day before, his brothers and sister had flown away with their parents. When he tried to flap his wings, he was overcome by fear. So, he sat on the ledge watching his family fly.

Question 3.
Did the upbraiding and threatening of his parents help him in flying?
Answer:
The young seagull’s parents did try to teach him flying but he wouldn’t simply move from the ledge. They would fly around him encouraging and challenging him to fly. When he did not respond to their encouragement, they would scold and threaten to let him starve unless he flew away.

Question 4.
What did the maddening hunger result in?
Answer:
Maddened by the hunger, the young seagull dived at the fish in his mother’s beak. Screaming loudly, he fell outwards and downwards into space. The fear seized him completely but it lasted for a minute and the very next moment he spread his wings and began to fly. Indeed the hunger motivated him to fly.

Question 5.
What lesson does the story ‘His First Flight’ teach us?
Answer:
The story ‘His First Flight’ teaches us never to take success for granted. One has to strive hard to get it. The story of the young seagull teaches us to overcome hesitations, fears and inhibitions that impede our thinking to achieve success.

Question 6.
How did the young seagull get over his fear of flying over the sea?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid of flying over the sea because he thought that he would drown. His family decided to teach him a lesson. They left him unattended. The mother tore a piece of fish that lay at her feet now and then in his front. Since the seagull was too much hungry, he was compelled to attempt his first flight in order to get food. He was successful in his attempt. That is why he got over his fear of flying over the sea.

Question 7.
Describe the first flight of the young seagull.
Answer:
The young seagull was too hungry. So he dived at the fish due to hunger and fell outwards and downwards into the space. He thought of getting drowned but his wings spread outwards automatically. He moved downwards and outwards but landed safely on the sea and floated on it without any fear.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
How was the young seagull in the beginning and the end of the story? Compare and contrast the two facets of the same seagull.
Answer:
Initially, the young seagull used to live alone on the ledge. His siblings had flown away the day before. He was afraid of flying with them. Whenever he tried to spread and flap his wings, he was seized with fear. He fell as if his wings would never support him in flying. His parents flew around calling to him shrilly. They were constantly scolding and taunting. They threatened to let him starve on the ledge unless he flew away. However, in the end, the young seagull was more confident and sure of his success. Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish held by his mother and finally flew in the air forgetting all his hesitations and overcoming his inhibitions. He was able to float on the ocean now. Now his achievement was welcomed by his family.

Question 2.
How did the mother make the young seagull come out of his fear and teach him the art of flying?
OR
How did the seagull family help the young seagull overcome his fear and fly?
OR
Why was the young seagull afraid of flying? What compelled the seagull to finally fly?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid of flying because he thought that his wings won’t support him and he would drown. When his family left him alone on the ledge, he felt lonely and was very hungry. They tried hard to make him fly but he never showed the courage to try. His mother knowingly tore at a piece of fish near him and flew across to him with it. She came close to him but did not go nearer. Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish but fell into the space. After sometime, his wings spread outwards and he began to fly. His . family landed on the sea ahead of him. They beckoned him so he landed on the sea and began to sink into water but when his belly touched the water, he floated without any fear and difficulty.

Question 3.
Do you think that the seagull’s family loved him? Justify their attitude towards him.
Answer:
The young seagull had two brothers and a sister. His parents flew with them to leave him alone on the ledge as he could not muster up the courage to fly with them. His parents could have fed him. But, they refused to give him any food. They wanted him to fly and dive for his food. They threatened to let him starve. They did so because they loved him. The parents were right in their approach. They did so because they wanted to teach him the importance of confidence and self-reliance. One can’t depend on one’s parents for one’s sustenance for the whole life. Thus, it was important for him to learn to fly, dive and search his own food. Thus, the attitude the seagull family showed to him was actually their love, care and concern for him.

Question 4.
Why was the young seagull pretending to be asleep? What did he actually observe while doing so?
Answer:
The young seagull came to the brink of the ledge. He stood there on one leg with the other hidden under his wing. He closed his one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. He did so because he wanted to know whether they were interested in him or not but he observed that his family was not noticing him. He saw his brothers and sister lying on the plateau. They were dozing. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him. Now and then, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. Then she scrapped each side of the back on the rock.

Question 5.
How did the young seagull get over his fear of seawater and what was his family’s reaction on it?
Answer:
The young seagull had made his maiden flight successfully. When he was near the sea, he was flying straight over it. He observed a vast Green sea all around him. He turned his beak sideways and cawed amusedly. His family was very happy to see the achievement of the young seagull. They beckoned to him. When he landed on the sea, he began to sink but he tried in despair and his belly touched the water and he sank no further. He was floating on water. This way he got over his fear of seawater and his family praised him a lot.

Question 6.
Fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things. Do you agree? How did these two traits of the young seagull make him coward? How did he overcome these shortcomings?
Answer:
Yes, it is true that fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things. In the story, the young seagull lacked the value of courage and confidence. He was too scared of flying. His family tried hard to make him fly but he refused to do so because of his fear of sinking in the seawater.

They even scolded him for his cowardice. They tried to tempt him with food but he was not willing to learn flying. Once he dived, his fear disappeared and he enjoyed his first flight. It is a fact that unless we try to do something and overcome our fear, we can’t leam. Confidence and motivation are the two most important traits that make learning possible.

Question 7.
“The day before, all day long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brother and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish.” What does the author want to say through this? Discuss it with reference to the lesson “His First Flight.”
Answer:
The young seagull had not enough courage to fly. He was always afraid of flying. He did not even know how to fly. Even after a lot of persuasion by his parents, he could not gather courage to fly. If one has no courage and will to do something, one cannot succeed in one’s mission. This was also the case with the young seagull.

Seeing his unwillingness to fly, even the parents of the young seagull left him to his fate. Because if you have no inner feeling to do any thing, nobody to this earth can motivate you. So, inner feeling to do something is a must. The parents of the young seagull were training their brothers and sister. They were making them perfect in the art of flying, how to skim the waves and how to earn their livelihood (how to dive for fish). All these thing are the peculiar traits of a bird.

Through this, the author wants to highlight that one must develop one’s skill to sustain in this world. If you have to survive, then you must be bold and courageous. In the case of young seagull, he did not do hard work to learn his skill and was always afraid to fly. That is why he felt negligence from all the members of his family. Nobody paid much care to him. He had no option and ultimately dived for the fish.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath, and it was such a long way down miles down. He felt certain that his wings would never support him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night. Even when each of his brothers and his little sister, whose wings were far shorter than his own, ran to the brink, flapped their wings, and flew away, he failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate. His father and mother had come around calling to him shrilly, upbraiding him, threatening to let him starve on his ledge unless he flew away. But for the life of him he could not move.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who felt certain that his wings would never support him?
(i) The young seagull
(ii) The parents of the young seagull
(iii) The brothers and sister of young seagull
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) The young seagull

(b) Why did the young seagull bend his head?
(i) Because his brothers and sisters teased him.
(ii) Because he felt that his wings would never support him.
(iii) Because his friends made remarks upon him.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Because he felt that his wings would never support him.

(c) The young seagull failed to muster up .
(i) obedience
(ii) loyalty
(iii) courage
(iv) all of these
Answer:
(iii) courage

(d) What did the young seagull’s father and mother threaten him of?
(i) Letting him fly
(ii) Letting him starve on his ledge
(iii) Letting him search for his food himself
(iv) Abandoning him
Answer:
(ii) Letting him starve on his ledge

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘scolding.’
(i) upbraiding
(ii) pleasing
(iii) freedom
(iv) dejection
Answer:
(i) upbraiding

Question 2.
He had, in fact, seen his older brother catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud cackle. And all the morning the whole family had walked about on the big plateau midway down the opposite cliff taunting him with his cowardice. The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing on his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What did the young seagull see?
(i) His older brother was sleeping.
(ii) His older brother was catching his first herring.
(iii) His older brother was sitting idle.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) His older brother was catching his first herring.

(b) Where did the whole family walk all the morning?
(i) On the big plateau
(ii) On the small plateau
(iii) On the shore of the sea
(iv) Nowhere
Answer:
(i) On the big plateau

(c) The ………. was now ascending the sky.
(i) moon
(ii) sun
(iii) earth
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) sun

(d) Why did the young seagull feel the heat?
(i) Because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.
(ii) Because he had not eaten since a long time.
(iii) Because he had not eaten for the last ten days.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘descending.’
(i) assemble
(ii) scatter
(iii) ascending
(iv) proud
Answer:
(iii) ascending

Question 3.
He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice of him. He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the rock.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where was the young seagull’s mother standing?
(i) On the seashore
(ii) On the plateau
(iii) In the mid – way
(iv) On the outer path
Answer:
(ii) On the plateau

(b) Who tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet?
(i) Father seagull
(ii) Mother seagull
(iii) Sister seagull
(iv) Brother seagull
Answer:
(ii) Mother seagull

(c) was preening the feathers on his white back.
(i) His father
(ii) His mother
(iii) His brother
(iv) His sister
Answer:
(i) His father

(d) What did the young seagull pretend him to be?
(i) Sitting idle
(ii) Only walking in the imaginary world
(iii) Falling asleep
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) Falling asleep

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘cleaning up feathers.’
(i) preening
(ii) disarray
(iii) disturb
(iv) jumble
Answer:
(i) preening

Question 4.
The sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scrapping his beak now and again to whet it. “Ga, ga, ga,” he cried begging her to bring him some food. “Gaw-col-ah,” she screamed back derisively. But he kept calling plaintively, and after a minute or so he uttered a joyful scream. His mother had picked up a piece of the fish and was flying across to him with it.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What did the sight of the food do to the young seagull?
(i) The sight of the food maddened the young seagull.
(ii) The sight of the food did not affect the young seagull.
(iii) The sight of the food pleased him.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) The sight of the food maddened the young seagull.

(b) What did the young seagull beg from her mother?
(i) Some toys
(ii) Some twigs
(iii) Some food
(iv) Some water
Answer:
(iii) Some food

(c) The young seagull uttered a scream.
(i) plainful
(ii) joyful
(iii) disdainful
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) joyful

(d) What had the mother of the young seagull picked up?
(i) A piece of fish
(ii) Apiece of banana
(iii) A piece of grain
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) A piece of fish

(e) The word similar in meaning to ‘cry’ in the given extract is
(i) whet
(ii) preen
(iii) scream
(iv) scrap
Answer:
(iii) scream

Question 5.
With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space. Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a minute. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then under his stomach, and against his wings. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards. He was no longer afraid. He just felt a bit dizzy.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where did the young seagull fall with a loud scream?
(i) Into the water
(ii) On the earth
(iii) Into the space
(iv) On the bank of the seashore
Answer:
(iii) Into the space

(b) Who could hear nothing?
(i) The young seagull
(ii) His brothers and sister
(iii) His mother and father
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) The young seagull

(c) The wings of the young seagull spread .
(i) inwards
(ii) outwards
(iii) both sides
(iv) nowhere
Answer:
(ii) outwards

(d) How did the young seagull feel?
(i) Perplexed
(ii) Confused
(iii) Elated
(iv) Dizzy
Answer:
(iv) Dizzy

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘slowly’.
(i) suddenly
(ii) abruptly
(iii) gradually
(iv) casually
Answer:
(iii) gradually

Question 6.
His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this green flooring ahead of him. They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise, exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no farther. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog – fish.

Choose the correct option:
(a) The seagull’s feet sank into the
(i) Red sea
(ii) Green sea
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) Nowhere

(b) The young seagull was applauded by his
(i) friends
(ii) relatives
(iii) family members
(iv) none of these

(c) His family was offering him scraps of .
(i) dog – fish
(ii) star – fish
(iii) gold – fish
(iv) none of these

His First Flight Summary

His First Flight About the Author

• Liam o’ Flaherty, (bom August 28, 1896 – September 7, 1984), was an Irish novelist and short-story writer.
• He was considered to be a leading figure of the Irish Renaissance. He was educated at the Junior Seminary at Rockwell, Blackrock College, and Holy Cross College in Dublin.
• His books include Thy Neighbour’s Wife (1923), his first successful novel; The Black Soul (1924), the story of a tormented former soldier who seeks tranquillity on a remote western isle; The
• Informer (1925; adapted as an Oscar-winning film by John Ford,
  1935), ‘Skerretf and ‘Civil War’ are considered to be his best novels. ‘The Pedlar’s Revenge’ is his best known short story collection. His autobiography, ‘Shame the Devil,’ was published in 1934.
• ‘The Informer’ is his best selling novel. With this, he got much honour.

His First Flight Gist of the Lesson

In ‘His First Flight’ the author has tried to show the need for courage and self-confidence to overcome fears in life. In this story, the young seagull seems to be a coward. His other three elder brothers and sister had already flown. The family members encouraged him to fly, but of no avail. One day, he mustered up his courage to fly but all went in vain. For this, he was harshly punished by his parents. He was left all alone on the ledge starving for 24 hours.

Even then, he could not dare to fly. He cried with hunger. Mother took final decision to put before him bait. This idea worked; he dived for a scrap of fish. Mother was high up in the sky and the young seagull was in the open air falling down and down. He opened his wings and found himself flying. This way he was taught to make his first flight. Hence, it can be said that parental encouragement and discipline play a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of the young children.

His First Flight Summary

1. The young seagull afraid of flying: The young seagull was sitting alone on his ledge. He was afraid of flying with his siblings who had flown away. He believed that his wings would not support him.

2. Parents’ warning: To encourage the young seagull to fly, his parents threatened to let him starve unless he flew away. It had been twenty – four hours that he did not eat anything.

3. His siblings and parents flying: The young seagull, a day before, watched his parents perfecting his brothers and sister in the art of flying. He saw his older brother catch his first fish while his parents were feeling proud.

4. The young seagull getting mad by hunger: The young seagull came out of his ledge and pretended to be asleep to his parents and siblings in order to help him bring some food. But no one noticed him except his mother.

5. The mother came up with a plan: The mother seagull flew across to him with a piece of fish. Just before coming to the young seagull, she stopped. The piece of fish was almost in reach of the young seagull. Out of hunger, he dived at the fish and fell into space.

6. The young seagull finally flew: The young seagull felt his wings cutting through the air. He flew away with loud screams and forgot his fear of flying. Finally, he made his first flight.

His First Flight Lesson at a Glance

1. The young seagull was sitting alone on his ledge. His two brothers and one sister had learnt flying the day before.
2. He was scared of flying as he felt that his wings would not support him.
3. His sister and brothers had shorter wings but they were flying. He could not gather up the courage to fly.
4. His parents taunted, scolded and even threatened him to leave him starving unless he flew away.
5. The young seagull watched his parents perfecting his siblings in the art of flying. They were teaching them how to skim the waves and dive for fish.
6. His mother picked a piece of fish and flew across to him with it. She took the piece very near to him and maddened by hunger, the young seagull dived at the fish.
7. He fell outwards and downwards into space with a loud scream. His mother flew past him and saw his siblings flying around him.
8. The seagull forgot that he could not fly and dived, soared and curved at will. He was shrieking shrilly.
9. He saw a green sea beneath him. All his family members were beckoning to him calling shrilly. He was hungry and weak.
10. He landed on to the green sea but did not sink. His family praised him and offered him pieces of fish. This way he made his first flight.

His First Flight Character Sketch

Young Seagull: The young seagull was afraid of flying. Although his brothers and sister had shorter wings but they were flying. In due course of time, he gathered courage and strength and made constant efforts for flying. Ultimately, he succeeded in his mission and made his first flight. All the family members were quite happy with him.

His First Flight Word – Meanings

Word	Maening	Ward	Meaning
conquering	getting victory	afraid	fearful
lost	hidden	ledge	cliff
somehow	in one way or other	brink	edge
attempted	tried	flap	to move wings up and down
expanse	tract, plain	stretched	spread
beneath	below	support	help
muster up	gather	plunge	to jump
desperate	hopeless, anxious	shrilly	piercing voice
upbraiding	scolding	threatening	menacing
starve	hungry, unfed	perfecting	completing, improving
skim	move just above the surface	herring	a kind of fish
devour	consume	cackle	to laugh harshly
plateau	a tableland	midway	in the middle
taunting	making remark	cowardice	timidity
ascending	going upward	blazing	shining
pretended	assumed	thrust	to push suddenly
preening	to clean feather with wings	maddened	to make mad, troubled
hump	a mound	screamed	cried
scrapped	removed, abandoned	derisively	mockingly, ridiculing
whet	to sharpen	uttered	said
leaned out	act of learning and moving	dizzy	weak, faint
plaintively	expressing sorrow, mournful	curveting	bouncing
monstrous	fearful	beckoning	waving, signalling
swooped	pounced, dived	amusedly	happily

JAC Class 10 English Solutions

JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

JAC Class 10th English Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Textbook Questions and Answers

Activity (Page – 17)

In Column A are some expressions you will find in the text. Make a guess and match each expression with an appropriate meaning from Column B.

A	B
(i) A rainbow gathering of different colours and nations	– A great ability (almost unimaginable) to remain unchanged by suffering (not losing hope, goodness or courage)
(ii) The seat of white supremacy	– A half – secret life, like a life lived in the fading light between sunset and darkness
(iii) Be overwhelmed with a sense of history	– A sign of human feeling (goodness, kindness, pity, justice, etc.)
(iv) Resilience that defies the imagination	– A beautiful coming together of various peoples, like the colours in a rainbow
(v) A glimmer of humanity	– The centre of racial superiority
(vi) A twilight existence	– Feel deeply emotional, remembering and understanding all the past events that have led up to the moment

Answer:

A	B
(i) A rainbow gathering of different colours and nations	– A beautiful coming together of various peoples, like the colours in a rainbow
(ii) The seat of white supremacy	– The centre of racial superiority
(iii) Be overwhelmed with a sense of history	– Feel deeply emotional, remembering and understanding all the past events that have led up to the moment
(iv) Resilience that defies the imagination	– A great ability (almost unimaginable) to remain unchanged by suffering (not losing hope, goodness or courage)
(v) A glimmer of humanity	– A sign of human feeling (goodness, kindness, pity, justice, etc.)
(vi) A twilight existence	– A half – secret life, like a life lived in the fading light between sunset and darkness

Oral Comprehension Check (Pages 18 – 19)

Question 1.
Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone?
Answer:
The ceremonies took place in the amphitheatre of the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi, the Red Fort of Delhi and Madras High Court in Chennai are some of the examples of Indian public buildings that are made of sandstone.

Question 2.
Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
Answer:
10 May is an ‘ autumn day ’ in South Africa because on this day there was the largest gathering of international leaders on the South African soil for the swearing in ceremony of South Africa’s first democratic, non – racial government.

Question 3.
At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious … human achievement” he speaks of at the end?
Answer:
The ‘extraordinary human disaster’ that Mandela mentioned at the beginning of his speech refers to the inhuman practice of apartheid, i.e., the racial discrimination suffered by the blacks at the hands of whites in South Africa. At the end, the ‘glorious human achievement’ that he spoke of refers to the establishment of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government.

Question 4.
What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?
Answer:
Mandela thanked all the international leaders for their support in establishing the first anti – racial government. Since this event could be considered as a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity to common people.

Question 5.
What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
Answer:
Mandela had high hopes for the future of South Africa. He pledged to liberate all South Africans from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. He also stressed that the beautiful land of South Africa would never ever experience racial discrimination again.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 21)

Question 1.
What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
Answer:
The military generals of the South Africa do their duties with loyalty and commitment to their nation. Now their attitude has completely changed. After taking oath as the President of South Africa, they salute and honour the President in a proper way.

Question 2.
Why were two national anthems sung?
Answer:
On the day of the swearing ceremony, two national anthems like ‘Nkosi Sikelel – iAfrika’ and ‘Die Stem’, were sung, by the whites, and the blacks respectively. This symbolized the equality of blacks and whites.

Question 3.
How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country (i) in the first decade and (ii) in the final decade, of the twentieth century?
Answer:

1. In the first decade of the twentieth century, the white – skinned people of South Africa erected a system of racial domination against the dark – skinned people of their own land.
2. In the final decade of the twentieth century, the system of apartheid had been uprooted and recognized the rights and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of the colour of their skin.

Question 4.
What does courage mean to Mandela?
Answer:
According to Mandela, courage means not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

Question 5.
What does he think is natural, to love or to hate?
Answer:
For Mandela, love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page – 24)

Question 1.
What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
Answer:
According to Mandela, every man has twin obligations. The first obligation is to his family, parents, wife and children; the second obligation is to his people, his community and his country.

Question 2.
What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student? How does he contrast these “transitory freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”?
Answer:
For Mandela, as a boy, freedom meant to run in the field near his mother’s hut, to swim freely in the stream, to roast mealies under the stars and ride the broad backs of slow moving bulls. As a student, freedom meant to stay out at nights and to do free things. Fie then talked about certain “basic honourable freedoms” such as achieving his potential of earning his living and of marrying and having a family. He built the contrast between these two freedoms by stating that the transitory freedoms he wanted were limited to him, whereas the honourable freedoms had to do more with his and his people’s position in the society.

Question 3.
Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/Why not?
Answer:
Mandela does not feel that the oppressor is free because according to him, an oppressor is a prisoner of hatred, who is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow – mindedness. He feels that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
Answer:
South Africa was in the grip of apartheid for centuries. When Mandela became the President, a large number of International leaders attended the inauguration. They just attended because it was a historic moment in the history of South Africa because the non – racial government was established in the country.

Question 2.
What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before him?
Answer:
It implies that he could identify with the unimaginable sacrifices of all those noble and courageous men who fought for the collective freedom of the African people. He was pained that he could not thank them and that they could not see what their sacrifices had wrought.

Question 3.
Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? How does Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own examples to this argument?
Answer:
Yes, I agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”. Mandela thought that the decades of brutality and oppression had an unintended effect of creating many African patriots with unimaginable heights of character. Thus, he felt that the greatest wealth of South Africa is its people. In similar manner, Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, etc., were courageous while facing utmost cruelty at the hands of British.

Question 4.
How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Answer:
Mandela’s understanding of freedom changed with age and experience in due course of time.
As a boy, Mandela did not have a hunger for freedom because he thought that he was bom free. He would run freely in the field, swim in the stream and enjoy roasted mealies under the stars. He believed that as long as he obeyed his father and abided by the customs of his tribe, he was free in every possible manner.

He had certain needs as a teenager as well as a young man. Gradually, he realized that he was selfish during his boyhood. He gradually understood that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. It is after attaining this understanding that he developed a hunger for the freedom of his people.

Question uestion 5.
How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?
Answer:
Mandela realized in his youth that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. The hunger for his own freedom became the hunger for the freedom of his people. This desire of a non – racial society transformed him into a virtuous and self – sacrificing man. Thus, he joined the African National Congress and this changed him from a frightened young man into a bold man.

Thinking about Language

I. There are nouns in the text (formation, government) which are formed from the corresponding verbs (form, govern) by suffixing – (at)ion or ment. There may be change in the spelling of some verb – noun pairs: such as rebel, rebellion; constitute, constitution.

Question 1.
Make a list of such pairs of nouns and verbs in the text.

Noun	Verb
rebellion	rebel
constitution	constitute
–	–
–	–
–	–
–	–

Answer:

Noun	Verb
rebellion	rebel
constitution	constitute
formation	form
inauguration	inaugurate
obligation	oblige
transformation	transform
discrimination	discriminate
deprivation	deprive
demonstration	demonstrate
oppression	oppress

Question 2.
Read the paragraph below. Fill in the blanks with the noun forms of the verbs in brackets.
Martin Luther King’s …………. (contribute) to our history as an outstanding leader began when he came to the …………. (assist) of Rosa Parks, a seamstress who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. In those days American Blacks were confined to positions of second class citizenship by restrictive laws and customs. To break these laws would mean ……………. (subjugate) and (humiliate) by the police and the legal system. Beatings, …………… (imprison) and sometimes death awaited those who defied the System. Martin Luther King’s tactics of protest involved non – violent ………….. (resist) to racial injustice.
Answer:
Martin Luther King’s contribution to our history as an outstanding leader began when he came to the assistance of Rosa Parks, a seamstress who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. In those days American Blacks were confined to positions of second class citizenship by restrictive laws and customs. To break these laws would mean subjugation and humiliation by the police and the legal system. Beatings, imprisonment and sometimes death awaited those who defied the System. Martin Luther King’s tactics of protest involved non – violent resistance to racial injustice.

II. Using the Definite Article with Names

You know that the definite article ‘the’ is not normally used before proper nouns. Nor do proper nouns usually occur in the plural. (We do not say: *The Nelson Mandela, or *Nelson Mandelas.) But now look at this sentence from the text: … the decades of oppression and brutality … produced the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, … of our time. Used in this way with the and/or in the plural, a proper noun carries a special meaning. For example, what do you think the names above mean?
Choose the right answer.
(a) for example Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, ………..
(b) many other men like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu ………. many men of their type or kind, whose names may not be as well known.
Did you choose option (b)? Then you have the right answer!
Here are some more examples of ‘the’ used with proper names. Try to say what these sentences mean. (You may consult a dictionary if you wish. Look at the entry for ‘the’.)
1. Mr Singh regularly invites the Amitabh Bachchans and the Shah Rukh Khans to his parties.
2. Many people think that Madhuri Dixit is the Madhubala of our times.
3. History is not only the story of the Alexanders, the Napoleons and the Hitlers, but of ordinary people as well.
Answer:

1. This means that Mr Singh regularly invites famous personalities like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to his parties.
2. This means that Madhuri Dixit is compared to a landmark in acting in the form of legendary actress Madhubala.
3. This means that history is not only the story of the great fighters and leaders such as Alexander, Napoleon and Hitler, but also of ordinary people.

III. Idiomatic Expressions

Question 1.
Match the italicised phrases in Column A with the phrase nearest in meaning in Column B. {Hint: First look for the sentence in the text in which the phrase in column A occurs.)

A	B
1. was nut unmindful uj the lad	(i) had nut forgotten; was aware of the fact (ii) was not careful about the fact (iii) forgot or was not aware of the fact
2. when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits	(i) pushed by the guards to the wall (ii) took more than our share of beatings (iii) felt that we could not endure the suffering any longer
3. to reassure me and keep me going	(i) make me go on walking (ii) help me continue to live in hope in this very difficult situation (iii) make me remain without complaining
4. the basic and honourable freedoms of.. .earning my keep,…	(i) earning enough money to live on (ii) keeping what I earned (iii) getting a good salary

Answer:

A	B
(i) A rainbow gathering of different colours and nations	– A beautiful coming together of various peoples, like the colours in a rainbow
(ii) The seat of white supremacy	– The centre of racial superiority
(iii) Be overwhelmed with a sense of history	– Feel deeply emotional, remembering and understanding all the past events that have led up to the moment
(iv) Resilience that defies the imagination	– A great ability (almost unimaginable) to remain unchanged by suffering (not losing hope, goodness or courage)
(v) A glimmer of humanity	– A sign of human feeling (goodness, kindness, pity, justice, etc.)
(vi) A twilight existence	– A half – secret life, like a life lived in the fading light between sunset and darkness

Speaking

Question 1.
In groups, discuss the issues suggested in the box below. Then prepare a speech of about two minutes on the following topic. (First make notes for your speech in writing.)
True liberty is freedom from poverty, deprivation and all forms of discrimination.

• causes of poverty and means of overcoming it
• discrimination based on gender, religion, class, etc.
• constitutionally guaranteed human rights

Answer:
Hon’ble Director, Principal, teachers and my friends! Today we have been given a topic ‘True liberty is freedom from poverty, deprivation and all forms of discrimination’. Liberty does not merely mean the freedom from any bondage or dictatorial rule. But it should be in all spheres of life whether it is life, education, thought, action, etc.A number of people do not get two square meals a day. It is all due to poverty. They are not even able to fulfil the basic needs of their lives.

Casteism plays an important role in Indian society. There is a big hiatus between the rich and the poor. People are even discriminated on the basis of gender, religion, class, etc. This sort of practice should be stopped at all costs. They should enjoy the rights as enshrined in our constitution. If we get freedom from poverty, deprivation and discrimination then only can we enjoy true liberty. Thanks

Writing

I. Looking at Contrasts
Nelson Mandela’s writing is marked by balance: many sentences have two parts in balance. Use the following phrases to complete the sentences given below.
(i) they can be taught to love.
(ii) I was born free.
(iii) but the triumph over it.
(iv) hut lie u ho conquers that fear.
(v) to create such heights ol character.
It requires such depths of oppression …………………
Courage was not the absence of fear ………………
1. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid
2. If people can learn to hate …………….
3. I was not bom with a hunger to be free.
It requires such depths of oppression to create such heights of character. Courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.
Answer:

1. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but he who conquers that fear.
2. If people can learn to hate they can be taught to love.
3. I was not bom with a hunger to be free. I was born free.

II. This text repeatedly contrasts the past with the present or the future.

We can use coordinated clauses to contrast two views, for emphasis or effect. Given below are sentences carrying one part of the contrast. Find in the text the second part of the contrast, and complete each item. Identify the words which signal the contrast. This has been done for you in the first item.
1. For decades the Union Buildings had been the seat of white supremacy, and now ……..
2. Only moments before, the highest generals of the South African defence force and police ……. saluted me and pledged their loyalty………… not so many years before they would not have saluted……………….
3. Although that day neither group knew the lyrics of the anthem …, they would soon …………….
4. My country is rich in the minerals and gems that lie beneath its soil, ……………….
5. The Air Show was not only a display of pinpoint precision and military force, but ……………..
6. It was this desire for the freedom of my people …………. that transformed …………….. into a bold one, that drove …………….. to become a criminal, that turned ……….. into a man without a home.
Answer:

1. it was the site of a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations for the installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non – racial government.
2. officials, but arrested me.
3. now, know the words by heart.
4. but its greatest wealth is its people.
5. a demonstration of the military’s loyalty to democracy.
6. a frightened young man, a law-abiding attorney, a family – loving husband

III. Expressing Your Opinion

Do you think there is colour prejudice in our own country? Discuss this with your friend and write a paragraph of about 100 to 150 words about this. You have the option of making your paragraph a humorous one.
(Read the short verse given below.)
When you were bom you were pink
When you grew up you became white
When you are in the sun you are red
When you are sick you are yellow
When you are angry you are purple
When you are shocked you are grey
And you have the cheek to call me ‘coloured’.
Answer:
Absolutely not. There is no colour prejudice in our country. In Indian Constitution all people have been provided equal status. There is no discrimination on the basis of caste, colour and creed. We all are human beings. In our country, only one thing prevails, i.e., humanity. It binds us together. A few years ago, colour prejudice was prevalent in South Africa. The white people tortured the black people. They were also meted out barbarous treatment that was against the humanity.

The same was the case of India while the Britishers ruled over India. But after independence, this practice does not prevail with constitutional safeguards and in our country this sort of thing does not happen. All people enjoy equal rights and also equal opportunity as enshrined in our Constitution.

JAC Class 10th English Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
What sort of impact was created on Nelson Mandela by the decades of oppression?
Answer:
The decades of oppression made Mandela a strong person. He aimed to liberate the South Africans from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering and other kinds of discrimination. He decided to have freedom and justice for everyone.

Question 2.
What is the importance of 10th May 1994 for South Africa?
Answer:
On 10th May 1994, the first democratic non – racial government was formed in South Africa. Nelson Mandela became the first black president of the country.

Question 3.
What did Nelson Mandela pledge when he took oath of presidency of South Africa?
Answer:
Nelson Mandela pledged to uphold the constitution of his country and devote himself to
liberate his people from the bondage of poverty, suffering, gender and other discriminations. There would be freedom and justice for all.

Question 4.
What is the greatest wealth a country has, according to Nelson Mandela?
Answer:
South Africa is rich in mineral and gems but these are not the greatest wealth of a nation. According to Mandela, the greatest wealth of a nation is its people. They are purer and truer than any diamond or jewel.

Question 5.
What are the ideals which Mandela set for the future of South Africa in his swearing – in ceremony?
Answer:
Mandela emphasised to liberate all the people from poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discriminations in his swearing – in ceremony.

Question 6.
What did Mandela think for the oppressor and the oppressed?
Answer:
Mandela always thought that both the oppressor and the oppressed are deprived of their humanity. Oppressor is a prisoner of hatred while oppressed has no confidence in humanity. So both of them need to be liberated.

Question 7.
How is courage related to the brave man, according to the author of the lesson?
Answer:
The author believes that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not the one who does not feel fear of any kind but is the one who has the courage to conquer it.

II. Short Answer Type Question uestion uestions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
What thought pestered Nelson Mandela on becoming the president of South Africa?
Answer:
After becoming the president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was sad as he found himself
unable to thank all those African patriots who had fought and sacrificed their lives for independence. The thought that they were no more to see what their sacrifices had brought, pained him a lot.

Question 2.
Why is the gathering of various leaders and dignitaries said to be a gathering of different colours and nations?
Answer:
The end of apartheid regime was a common victory for peace, justice and human dignity. Leaders and dignitaries of nations across the world, irrespective of their colour, race and religion had gathered to celebrate that victory. And such a site presented a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations.

Question 3.
What resulted from the experience of an extraordinary human disaster and why should humanity be proud of it?
Answer:
The apartheid regime was an absolute human disaster for the blacks of South Africa. End of the apartheid led to the foundation of a democratic non – racial regime in the country. This government based on human equality and dignity would be an ideal one which all humanity would be proud of.

Question 4.
What did the display of jets and military salute represent?
Answer:
It was a splendid show of South African jets and troop carriers over the Union Buildings. The top brass of the military and the police saluted President Mandela. It was a vivid demonstration of the allegiance of the military and the police to a free and fairly elected government.

Question 5.
How did Mandela describe ‘true freedom’?
Answer:
When Mandela was a kid, running freely in the fields and swimming in the streams were freedom to him. As a young man, he wanted basic and honourable freedom, i.e., to earn his living and nourish a family. According to him, true freedom is something that allows a person to lead a lawful life without any obstruction.

Question 6.
What promise does Mandela make in the beginning of his oath-taking speech?
Answer:
In his oath – taking speech, Mandela at first, thanks all the international leaders and guests as he calls it an occasion of joy and victory for justice. He promises that the country shall not again experience the oppression of one by another.

Question  7.
Why did inauguration ceremony take place in the amphitheatre formed by the Union Building in Pretoria?
Answer:
It was the first democratic, non – racial government that took oath in South Africa. The ceremony was attended by the dignitaries from more than 140 countries around the world and thousands of the people of South Africa of all the races to make the day memorable. So, it took place in the amphitheatre formed by the Union Building in Pretoria.

Question 8.
What do you understand by ‘Apartheid’ in the context of South Africa?
Answer:
‘Apartheid’ is a political system that divides people according to their race. In this system, black-coloured people in South Africa were not free even to discharge their personal and social obligations of being parents, sons and husbands, etc. This system of racial segregation existed in South Africa till the 1990s.

Question 9.
Describe the effect of the policy of apartheid on the people of South Africa.
Answer:
The policy of apartheid could not be considered fortunate for the people of South Africa. It created distance and a deep wound in the country and the people. Many great men like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fischer, etc., were produced due to the brutality and oppression. They were men of great character.

Question 10.
What did Mandela realise about his brothers and sisters?
Answer:
Mandela realised that his brothers and sisters were not free even in their own country due to their colour. The freedom of everyone in his society was curtailed. He joined the African National Congress and fought for the freedom of the people of his country.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Why was Mandela overwhelmed with a sense of history? Elucidate the onset of apartheid regime and its end.
Answer:
Nelson Mandela was overwhelmed with a sense of history’ on the day of the inauguration of the Republic as it was natural for a person who had taught against the hated regime for decades. The white groups patched up their differences after the Anglo – Boer war and constituted a system of racial domination against the black peoples of their own land.

The birth of the apartheid was the birth of one of the harshest and the most inhuman regimes in the world. It was based on racial discrimination and oppression. This disparity in treatment produced thousands of black patriots who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of their fellow people. The determined struggle of these black heroes resulted in their victory. A democratically elected government by President Nelson Mandela was installed on 10th May, 1994.

Question 2.
What does Nelson Mandela refer to as “an extraordinary human disaster”?
Answer:
Nelson Mandela refers to the apartheid policy of the white race against the black people as “an extraordinary human disaster”. White people snatched freedom from the coloured people of South Africa to whom the country belonged. The black people were subjected to oppression for long. They were not even allowed to discharge their obligations to their own families, community and their country. White people had no compassion for them and oppressed their own people and put them in prison. If they had some freedom, it was curtailed. The black people lived the life of a slave.

Question 3.
Describe the views of Mandela for the black people who fought and sacrificed their lives for the country’s political independence.
Answer:
Mandela always said that the political freedom was the result of sacrifices of thousands of the black people who fought for that. He said that it could not be repaid. He thought himself as the sum of all of those African patriots. He regretted that he could not thank them. He cursed the policy of apartheid that wounded the people of his country, which would take centuries to heal. He also said that the oppression and brutality of the white people produced great freedom fighters like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Luthuli, Dadoo, Fischer, Sobukwe and many more. They were the men of courage, wisdom and large heartedness. They really suffered a lot for the political freedom of the country.

Question 4.
What does Mandela mean to say that the oppressor and the oppressed alike are robbed of their humanity?
Answer:
Mandela is right in saying that the oppressor and the oppressed alike are robbed of their humanity. Both of them are actually the victims of hatred. Everyone is obliged to discharge their duties whether personal or social but without freedom a man cannot do so. The person who snatches this freedom of a man is really an oppressor and a prisoner of hatred. He lacks humanity. But this is the same with a person who is oppressed by the other.

Question 5.
Describe the obligations which the author is talking about and also his feelings for them.
Answer:
In the chapter, the author has talked about two obligations for every man. The first obligation is towards his family, parents, his wife and children. The second is towards his community and his country. Being a social person one has to fulfil both these obligations. But, being a black coloured person in South Africa, a man was not free to perform his obligations and got punished if he had tried to do that. Being a child, the author never thought of such obligations but after he did so, he fought for the people and the country to be free and enjoy the freedom of performing their duties; personal and social.

Question 6.
Describe the value of freedom for the human beings and how it is important for the growth of civilisation and humanism as described in the lesson ‘Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’.
Answer:
Everybody wants to live free, because freedom is natural to all living beings. The value of freedom is better known to that human being who has not tasted it till he gets it. A person who is chained with the limits and not allowed to perform his duties freely, values freedom more than anyone else.

For instance, the value of freedom is known better to Mandela who remained behind the bars most of his life. Think about birds or animals who are caged as they have the habit of living with full freedom but in the cage they are not free and their conditions are very pitiable. Similarly, life becomes a hell if we are deprived of freedom. There is no growth of civilisation as it grows only when one has freedom. Similarly, humanism grows in the atmosphere of freedom.

Question 7.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Discuss it with reference to the context and also how courage is related to the brave man.
Answer:
In this chapter, the author has defined the brave as the one who has the courage to conquer fear. Say that if you are courageous you can achieve whatever you want. Fear should not come in your way. As in the case of Mandela, although he belonged to the black community and faced a lot of problems even then he achieved the feat of freedom. Fie was brave in real sense of the term.

It was also his thought that the brave man does not feel fear but he conquers that fear. If you feel afraid then you can’t overcome fear. He had not adequate resources. So, we can say that through this, he became such an acclaimed and popular leader at international level. But it was his courage, determination and willpower that he led the Apartheid Movement at such a large scale and led the country to freedom.

Question 8.
“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his backgraound or his religion people must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
How does Mandela defined hatred? Explain it with reference to the lesson.
Answer:
According to Mandela, every one is bom free, whether the black or the white. It does not matter which race, skin, colour, background, or religion he belongs to. So far in the case of Nelson Mandela, he was also born free. Initially he was quite ignorant about the complexities of life or freedom. He also swam into the river, played in the open sky and enjoyed his childhood days well. But in due course of time, as he grew up, the scenario completely changed. It was also his thinking that people must leam to hate.

If they leam to hate, they can also be taught to love, only hatred, grudge or ill – will is not good for a person. All these traits may be good to certain extent, but not always. People must leam to love and also leam how to inculcate and spread love among the people. Love comes more naturally to the human heart. It comes from within. It is not a thing to be taught or leam. It is a spontaneous overflow. Nelson Mandela was also an embodiment of love. He also told the white people to love the blacks and vice versa. Through his love and sense of sacrifice, he achieved freedom and led the country towards it.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Tenth May dawned bright and clear. For the past few days I had been pleasantly besieged by dignitaries and world leaders who were coming to pay their respects before the inauguration. The inauguration would be the largest gathering ever of international leaders on South African soil. The ceremonies took place in the lovely sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria. For decades this had been the seat of white supremacy, and now it was the site of a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations for the installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non – racial government.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Where did the ceremonies take place?
(i) The Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town
(ii) Robben Island, Cape Town
(iii) Union Buildings, Pretoria
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Union Buildings, Pretoria

(b) How did Pretoria look like at the time of installation of South Africa’s first democratic government?
(i) It looked like a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations.
(ii) It was not very beautiful.
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) It looked like a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations.

(c) A non – racial government was installed in South Africa on .
(i) 8th of May
(ii) 9th of May
(iii) 10th of May
(iv) 12th of June
Answer:
(iii) 10th of May

(d) What happened in the inauguration ceremony?
(i) The national leaders gathered on the African soil.
(ii) The international leaders gathered on the African soil.
(iii) No body turned up on the occasion.
(iv) Only a few police officials were present on the occasion.
Answer:
(ii) The international leaders gathered on the African soil.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘surrounded.’
(i) unenclosed
(ii) unfenced
(iii) freed
(iv) besieged
Answer:
(iv) besieged

Question 2.
On that lovely autumn day I was accompanied by my daughter Zenani. On the podium, Mr de Klerk was first sworn in as second deputy president. Then Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as first deputy president. When it was my turn, I pledged to obey and uphold the Constitution and to devote myself to the well – being of the republic and its people.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who pledged to devote himself to the well-being of the republic and its people?
(i) Nelson Mandela
(ii) F.W. de Klerk
(iii) Zenani
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Nelson Mandela

(b) What did Mandela pledge for?
(i) Not to do anything
(ii) To disobey the constitution
(iii) To obey and uphold the constitution
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) To obey and uphold the constitution

(c) On that day, Mandela was accompanied by his.
(i) daughter
(ii) wife
(iii) brother
(iv) mother
Answer:
(i) daughter

(d) Mandela devoted himself to the well – being of the
(i) family and friends only
(ii) republic and its people
(iii) villages and its people only
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) republic and its people

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘taken oath.’
(i) obey
(ii) sworn in
(iii) gathering
(iv) uphold
Answer:
(ii) sworn in

Question 3.
It was not only a display of pinpoint precision and military force, but a demonstration of military’s loyalty to democracy, to a new government that had been freely and fairly elected. Only moments before, the highest generals of South African defence force and police, their chests bedecked with ribbons and medals from days gone by, saluted me and pledged their loyalty. I was not unmindful of the fact that not so many years before they would not have saluted but arrested me. Finally a chevron of Impala jets left a smoke trail of the black, red, green, blue and gold of the new South African flag.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who saluted Mandela and pledged their loyalty?
(i) The white people
(ii) The students
(iii) The generals of South African defence force and police
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) The generals of South African defence force and police

(b) What was he not unmindful of?
(i) That they would have told him nothing.
(ii) That they would have saluted him.
(iii) That they would not have saluted but arrested him.
(iv) Both (ii) and (iii)
Answer:
(iii) That they would not have saluted but arrested him.

(c) The display by African jets was the demonstration of military’s .
(i) royalty
(ii) peace
(iii) confidence
(iv) loyalty
Answer:
(iv) loyalty

(d) What was the specialty of the occasion?
(i) No government had been elected.
(ii) A new government had been freely and fairly elected.
(iii) It was the occasion of get together of a few people.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) A new government had been freely and fairly elected.

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘initially.’
(i) beginning
(ii) finally
(iii) starting
(iv) limited
Answer:
(ii) finally

Question 4.
On the day of the inauguration, I was overwhelmed with a sense of history. In the first decade of the twentieth century, a few years after the bitter Anglo-Boer war and before my own birth, the white-skinned peoples of South Africa patched up their differences and erected a system of racial domination against the dark-skinned peoples of their own land. The structure they created formed the basis of one of the harshest, most inhumane societies the world has ever known. Now, in the last decade of the twentieth century, and my own eighth decade as a man, that system had been overturned for ever and replaced by one that recognised the rights and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of the colour of their skin.

Choose the correct option:
(a) When was the old system overturned for ever?
(i) In the first decade of 20th century
(ii) In the last decade of 20th century
(iii) In the beginning of 19th century
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) In the last decade of 20th century

(b) What did the new system recognise?
(i) Rights and freedoms of limited people
(ii) Rights and freedoms of all peoples
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Rights and freedoms of all peoples

(c) On the day of the inauguration, Mandela was overwhelmed with a sense of …………
(i) history
(ii) literature
(iii) polity
(iv) economy
Answer:
(i) history

(d) After which war did the white-skinned peoples of South Africa patched up their differences?
(i) Algerian War
(ii) Anglo – Boer War
(iii) Belgian Revolution
(iv) Palestine War
Answer:
(ii) Anglo – Boer War

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘established.’
(i) erected
(ii) dissimilar
(iii) crumbled
(iv) unstable
Answer:
(i) erected

Question 5.
That day had come about through the unimaginable sacrifices of thousands of my people, people whose suffering and courage can never be counted or repaid. I felt that day, as I have on so many other days, that I was simply the sum of all those African patriots who had gone before me. That long and noble line ended and now began again with me. I was pained that I was not able to thank them and that they were not able to see what their sacrifices had wrought.

Choose the correct option:
(a) How did the special day come?
(i) Through the tremendous efforts of a few people
(ii) Through the tremendous efforts and unimaginable sacrifices of a lot of people
(iii) Through the efforts and sacrifices of the police officials
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Through the tremendous efforts and unimaginable sacrifices of a lot of people

(b) Whose suffering and courage can never be counted or repaid?
(i) The courage and suffering of a lot of people
(ii) The courage and suffering of a few people
(iii) The courage and suffering of women and children only
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) The courage and suffering of a lot of people

(c) The author was pained because he was not able to thank the African ………. who had gone before him.
(i) police
(ii) officials
(iii) patriots
(iv) students
Answer:
(iii) patriots

(d) Who does ‘I’ refer to in the given extract?
(i) Walter Sisulu
(ii) Nelson Mandela
(iii) Zenani
(iv) Bram Fischer
Answer:
(ii) Nelson Mandela

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘imaginable’.
(i) tremendous
(ii) effort
(iii) unimaginable
(iv) perseverance
Answer:
(iii) unimaginable

Question 6.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. No one is bom hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion. People must leam to hate and if they can leam to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. Even in the grimmest . times in prison, when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, – perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure me and keep me going. Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Whose goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished?
(i) Animal
(ii) Man
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Man

(b) How did Mandela define the brave?
(i) One who have courage to conquer fear.
(ii) One who have no courage to conquer fear.
(iii) One who have courage to beat the people.
(iv) One who have courage to beat and humiliate the people.
Answer:
(i) One who have courage to conquer fear.

(c) Love comes more naturally to the than its opposite.
(i) animal heart
(ii) human heart
(iii) both (i) and (ii)
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) human heart

(d) In whom did Mandela see a glimmer of humanity?
(ii) human heart
(ii) One of the friends
(iii) One of the govt, employees
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) human heart

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘sufficient.’
(i) scanty
(ii) enough
(iii) fruitful
(iv) worthless
Answer:
(ii) enough

Question 7.
I was not bom with a hunger to be free. I was bom free – free in every way that I could know. Free to ran in the fields near my mother’s hut, free to swim in the clear stream that ran through my village, free to roast mealies under the stars and ride the broad backs of slow – moving bulls. As long as I obeyed my father and abided by the customs of my tribe, I was not troubled by the laws of man or God.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Who was not born with a hunger to be free?
(i) Nelson Mandela
(ii) The African Police
(iii) The African officials
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Nelson Mandela

(b) What did Mandela do in his childhood?
(i) Only ran in the field
(ii) Only swam in the clear stream
(iii) Only roasted mealies in the fields
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iv) All of these

(c) Mandela was born in every way that he could know.
(i) handicapped
(ii) free
(iii) both (i) and (ii)
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) free

(d) Till what time did Mandela not feel troubled by the laws of man or God?
(i) As long as he obeyed his father and abided by the customs of his tribe.
(ii) As long as he did not obey his father.
(iii) As long as he obeyed his mother.
(iv) As long as he obeyed his relatives.
Answer:
(i) As long as he obeyed his father and abided by the customs of his tribe.

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘starvation’.
(i) thirst
(ii) hunger
(iii) freedom
(iv) slavery
Answer:
(ii) hunger

Question 8.
It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it. At first, as a student, I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms of achieving my potential, of earning my keep, of marrying and having a family the freedom not to be obstructed in a lawful life.

Choose the correct option:
(a) What type of freedom did Mandela want for himself when he was a student?
(i) Permanent freedom
(ii) Transitory freedom
(iii) No freedom at all
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Permanent freedom

(b) What type of freedom did Mandela want for himself when he was a young man?
(i) Basic and honourable freedom
(ii) Transitory freedom
(iii) Freedom of all types
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iv) None of these

(c) Mandela’s boyhood freedom was a/an …………
(i) honour
(ii) illusion
(iii) dishonour
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) illusion

(d) From which lesson has this extract been taken?
(i) A Letter to God
(ii) First Flight
(iii) Nelson Mandela : A Long walk to Freedom
(iv) The Glimpses of India
Answer:
(i) A Letter to God

(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘bondage’.
(i) slavery
(ii) illusion
(iii) freedom
(iv) dejection
Answer:
(ii) illusion

Question 9.
But then I slowly saw that not only was I not free, but my brothers and sisters were not free. I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone who looked like I did. That is when I joined the African National Congress, and that is when the hunger for my own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of my people. It was this desire for the freedom of my people to live their lives with dignity and self – respect that animated my life, that transformed a frightened young man into a bold one, that drove a law – abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family – loving husband into a man without a home, that forced a life – loving man to live like a monk.

Choose the correct option:
(a) Whose freedom was curtailed?
(i) The freedom of Mandela
(ii) The freedom of his brothers and sisters
(iii) The freedom of his father and mother
(iv) The freedom of everyone
Answer:
(iv) The freedom of everyone

(b) Where did Nelson Mandela join?
(i) The Indian National Congress
(ii) The African National Congress
(iii) The League of Nations
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) The African National Congress

(c) What was the desire of the African people?
(i) To live their lives with dignity and self – respect
(ii) To live their lives with indignity and disrespect
(iii) To live their lives with more enthusiasm
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) To live their lives with dignity and self – respect

(d) The desire for freedom transformed a frightened young man into a one.
(i) mean
(ii) bold
(iii) literate
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) bold

(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘changed’. v
(i) transformed
(ii) unchanged
(iii) unvaried
(iv) permanent
Answer:
(i) transformed

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Summary

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom About the Author

• Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (July 18, 1918 to December 5,2013) was a non – violent, anti-apartheid activist, politician and philanthropist.
• Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942 when he was in his 20s.
• He campaigned against the South African government and its racist policies.
• Mandela spent 27 years in prison for political offenses.
• Mandela became South Africa’s first Black President from 1994 to 1999
• In 1993, Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country’s apartheid system.
• ‘Long Walk to Freedom ’ is an autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
• Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95 in Johannesburg.

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Gist of the Lesson

This lesson has been taken from the autobiography of Nelson Mandela’s ‘Long Walk to Freedom’. Nelson Mandela, the first Black President of South Africa, after more than 3 centuries of white rule, celebrated the grand ceremony of the first democratic non-racial government. The African National Congress won 252 out of 400 seats in the first democratic election in South Africa. Such type of victory was really a glorious moment for the people of this country. In his swearing ceremony, he said, “Never, never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.”

It was the largest gathering on African soil. He pays homage to the freedom fighters like Oliver Tambo, Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo, Walter Sisuleu, etc. They were men of courage, wisdom and generosity. He regards those people who sacrificed their lives for the cause of courage. It was not the absence of fear but the victory over it. The important leaders from the world gathered in the oath ceremony on the morning of 10th May, 1994. Two national anthems ‘Die-Stem’ and ‘NKOSi Sikelel-iAfrika’ were sung by the black and the white respectively. He says that every man has his duties to his family, to the community and the country to perform honestly.

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Summary

1. The view of the inauguration ceremony: On May 10th, 1994, the inauguration ceremony of the first non-racial government was held at the lovely amphitheatre in the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Politicians and dignitaries from more than 140 countries attended the ceremony.

2. Swearing – in ceremony: Mr de Klerk was sworn in as second deputy president, Thabo Mbeki as first deputy president and Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the President of South Africa.

3. Mandela’s ceremonial speech: On the podium, Mandela said that the presence of people from different nations confer glory and hope to liberty. The blacks were organising the ceremony for the world leaders on their soil. Their victory over apartheid was a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity. They would work to liberate all the people from poverty and diseases.

4. Display of military power: After a few moment, South African jets, helicopters and troop carriers displayed a spectacular show of pinpont precision and military prowess. It was a demonstration of military’s loyalty to the fairly elected government. Later, two national anthems were also played.

5. Overwhelmed with a sense of history: Nelson Mandela felt a sense of history on the inauguration day. Apartheid was introduced after a few years of Anglo – Boer war. Segregation of people according to their races was the most inhumane and the harshest. Now the system of equality had replaced the apartheid.

6. Apartheid regime: The apartheid regime created an indelible mark of horror on South Africa and its people. The years of oppression and brutality created the men of outstanding courage, wisdom and generosity, namely, Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Chief Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos, the Bram Fischers and the Robert Sobukwes.

7. People are greatest wealth: Nelson Mandela said that South Africa is rich in minerals and gems but then its greatest wealth is its people who are worth more than the purest diamonds.

8. Learning the meaning of courage: Nelson Mandela learnt the meaning of courage from his comrades during struggling times. He said that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it and the man who conquers his fear was a brave man.

9. Twin obligations in life: Nelson Mandela said that every man had two obligations in his life. One obligation to his family, parents, wife and children and second, to his people, community and country. A South African person was never able to fulfil these obligations.

10. Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress: Nelson Mandela realised that he along with his brothers and sisters were also deprived of freedom. So, he joined the African National Congress. His desire for freedom of everyone changed him from a weak person to a strong one. He realised that the freedom is indivisible and both the oppressed and the oppressor must be liberated.

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to FreedomLesson at a Glance

1. The inauguration ceremony of the first non – racial government in South Africa took place at the lovely sandstone amphitheatre in the Union Buildings in Pretoria on May 10, 1994.

2. Nelson Mandela was sworn-in as the first black’President of South Africa along with Thabo Mbeki and Mr de Klerk as the first and second deputy presidents respectively, in the presence of politicians and dignitaries from more than 140 countries.

3. Mandela delivered the speech on South Africa’s history that how white supremacy prevailed in the past when blacks were considered outlaws.

4. Victory over ‘apartheid’ was a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity. After the win of political freedom, people of South Africa would work to liberate their people from the bondage of poverty, deprivation and diseases.

5. Military showed its loyalty to democracy and the new government by presenting a spectacular display of South African jets and helicopters in the sky. Two national anthems were also played.

6. Apartheid was introduced in South Africa after a few years of Anglo-Boer war. It was a society based on racial – discrimination, considered to be the harshest and the most inhuman society in the world.

7. Apartheid created a deep and indelible scar in people’s lives. Moreover, the men of extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity like Oliver Tambos and Sisulus were shaped by this society.

8. The greatest wealth of South Africa lied in such great men and not in its minerals and diamonds.

9. Nelson Mandela learned the meaning of courage from such brave patriots. He said that courage is the victory over fear. These people were ready to risk their lives for the idea of freedom and equality.

10. He thought that every man has twin obligations, viz., to his wife and children and to his people and country.

11. Any black who tried to live a free life, was either punished or forced to live an isolated life.

12. Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress as he realised that he along with his brothers and sisters was deprived of freedom.

13. His desire for freedom of his people and their self-respect transformed him from a weak person to a bold one.

14. He realised that the freedom is indivisible and the oppressed must be liberated.

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Character Sketch

Nelson Mandela: Nelson Mandela was the first president of South Africa. He played an instrumental role in fight against the racial regime in South Africa and also installing the first democratically elected government. He never wavered in his devotion to democracy, equality and learning. His life is an inspiration to those who are oppressed and deprived. He changed the socio – political scenario of South Africa. Even after facing sufferings and tortures in prison, he led the country to the path of democracy.

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Word – Meanings

Word	Meaning	Word	Meaning
apartheid	a political system that separates people according to their race	recently	very soon
century	a period of hundred years	autobiography	history of one’s life written by oneself
occasion	Meaning	took place	Meaning
inauguration	chance	amphitheatre	happened
dignitaries	an act of commencing formally	oppression	a circular or oval building with space
jubilant	men of excellence, high rank	unimaginable	cruelty
ceremony	rejoicing	decade	that which can’t be imagined
supremacy	a formal public occasion	installation	a period of ten years
accompanied by	higher authority of power	uphold	act of placing in an office
symbolised	helped by, supported by	despised	sustain, support
overwhelmed	have a typical resemblance	profound	hated, disliked
rebellion	submerged	prevented from	deep
illusion	revolt	ripped	prohibited
monk	a false idea or belief	virtuous	cut of, separate
yearned	holy man	obligations	full of qualities
inclinations	longed, desired	abided by	moral binding, responsibility
attorney	natural tendencies of behaviour, urge to act	array	obeyed
chevom	legal representative	emancipation	arrangement
generosity	pattern in the shape of a ‘V’	narrow – mindedness	freedom from restriction
prejudice	openness, liberality	discrimination	narrow in thoughts
regardless	preconceived notion	deprivation	being treated differently
besieged by	nevertheless	assembled	dispossession
extraordinary	surrounded closely by	disaster	gathered
confer	amazing, exceptional	outlaws	calamity, tragedy
emancipation	to give	bedecked	law breakers
precision	release, liberation	resilience	decorated, adorned

JAC Class 10 English Solutions