Three Questions (Leo Tolstoy) : Class 7th : English : Short Stories : Lesson 1

Short Stories
Three Questions (Leo Tolstoy) : Lesson 1 

   Working with the Text:

   (A) Answer the following questions:

   Q1. What are three questions in the story?

   Ans. Three questions in the story are:

   1. What is the right time to begin something? 2. Which people should he     listen to? 3. What is the most important thing for him to do?

Q2. Why did the king want to seek the answers to these questions?
Ans. Because the king thought that, he would never fail if he knew the answers of these questions.
Q3. Why was, the king advised to go to the magicians?
Ans. The king was, advised to go to the magicians because in order to decide the right time for doing something it was necessary to look into to the future and only the magicians could do that.
Q4. Was the king satisfied with the answers of the wise men?
Ans. The king was not satisfied with the answers of the wise men because their answers were different.
Q5. How did the king and the hermit help the wounded man?
Ans. The king and the hermit removed wounded man’s clothing, washed and dressed his wound and gave him the fresh water to drink.
Q6. Who was the bearded man? Why did he ask for the king’s forgiveness?
Ans. The bearded man was the enemy of the king who swore revenge on him because he (king) had put his brother to death and seized his property. The bearded man asked his forgiveness because he (king) saved his life.
Q7. How did the king show his forgiveness?
Ans. The king showed his forgiveness by making peace and friends with him. He told him that he would send his servants and his own doctor to look after him and promised him to give back his property.
Q8. What answers did the hermit give to the three questions?
Ans. The hermit replied the king that the most important time is the time when you have any power to act, the most necessary person is the person you are with at a particular moment and the most important thing to do is to do the good with that person.
(B) Complete the following sentences by adding the appropriate parts of the sentences given in the box below:

– but the bleeding would not stop. – to answer three questions. – ­but their answers were so varied that the king was not satisfied. – and follow it. – to help the king at the right time.

1. Many wise men answered the king’s questions, but their answers were so varied that the king was not satisfied.
2. Someone else suggested that there would be a council of wise men to help the king at the right time.
3. Someone else suggested that the king should have a timetable and follow it.
4. The king requested the hermit to answer three questions.
5. The washed and dressed the bearded man’s wound but the bleeding would not stop.
Language Work:
(C) Find from the lesson words which mean the following:
1. To act in accordance with timetable
2. To cause (an event) to occur earlier action
3. An assembly of people who advise council
4. To find by searching; to look for seek
5. Meet with friendliness or expression of welcome greet
6. Small patches of group of plants beds
7. Feel sorry for pity
8. Got up from sleep awake
9. Give back return
10. Loss consciousness faint

Read More

The Little Girl : Class 7th : English : Short Stories : Lesson 2

The Little Girl : Lesson 2          (Katherine Mansfield)

Working with the Text:

Q1. How did the little girl feel when her father went to work each day?

Ans. The little girl felt the glad sense of relief when her father went to work each day.

Q2. “She never stuttered with other people but only with father.” This shows that the little girl was:

a) Foolish        b) Nervous      c) Funny          d) Unnatural

Ans. Nervous

Q3. Why did the little girl start making the pincushion?

Ans. Little girl started making pincushion as suggested by her grandmother, to gift it to her father on his birthday, next week.

Q4. What did the little girl stuff the pincushion with?

Ans. Little girl stuffed the pincushion with tiny pieces, torn out from sheets of fine paper.

Q5. “What did God make fathers for?” Who said these words?

Ans. The child (Kezia-Little Girl), said these words while clinging to her grandmother.

Q6. What was Kezia’s nightmare?

Ans. Kezia’s nightmare was about the butcher, who had a knife and a rope with him coming nearer and nearer to her with a dreadful smile that made her crying in her dream.

Q7. Did the nightmare repeat itself?

Ans. Yes, the nightmare repeated itself whenever she slept.

Q8. What did the little girl’s father do when she had the nightmare?

Ans. Whenever the little girl had the nightmare, her father took her in his arms into his bedroom and laid down beside her.

Q9. Kezia’s father (Choose the right option):

a) Loved his daughter            b) Was indifferent to her

Ans. Loved his daughter

Language Work:

·  Fill in the blanks in each of the following sentences with suitable word/s taken from those in the brackets:

1. Lawyer to Mr. Lateef, “I __________ you to pay your taxes by March 31.” (advice/advise)

Ans. Lawyer to Mr. Lateef, “I advise you to pay your taxes by March 31.”

2. I _______ that we should go shopping. (plan/suggest)

Ans. I suggest that we should go shopping.

3. Sita is not ready. She hasn’t _________ her hair yet. (done/made)

Ans. Sita is not ready. She hasn’t made her hair yet.

4. It is bad manners to _________ at a person. (stare/gaze)

Ans. It is bad manners to stare at a person.

5. On a cool summer evening we often __________ at the stars. (gaze/stare)

Ans. On a cool summer evening we often gaze at the stars.

6. The management have decided to __________ all the demands of the striking workers ______ the one for a pay revision. (accept/except)

Ans. The management have decided to accept all the demands of the striking workers except the one for a pay revision.

7. The man who sells _________ was hurt in an accident when his car hit a ________ lorry. (stationary/stationery)

Ans. The man who sells stationery was hurt in an accident when his car hit a stationary lorry.

8. The world needs a lot more people working for _________. We want the country to be in one ________ always. (peace/piece)

Ans. The world needs a lot more people working for peace. We want the country to be in one piece always.

9. The _________ of this institution is a man of ________. (principle/principal)

Ans. The principal of this institution is a man of principle.

10. It is ________ difficult to find a _________ room in this hostel. (quiet/quite)

Ans. It is quite difficult to find a quiet room in this hostel.

Grammar Work

A. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with suitable phrasal verbs from those given below. Make necessary changes in the tense of the verb.

Look for          look through              look after        blow out         pull off            give up            

Look at            push open                  hurry up         fill with

1. I am filled with admiration for his bravery.

2. Hurry up! It’s getting late.

3. She pushed open the door of the drawing room.

4. “look at the blackboard” The teacher said to the student.

5. He has given up smoking.

6. The little girl was ordered to pull off the boots of her father.

7. blow out the candle, please.

8. we should look after plants around us.

9. She looked through a window.

10. I am looking for my lost pen.

B. Give the adjective forms of the following adverbs:

Adverbs                      Adjectives

Laboriously                  laborious

Soundly                        sound

Properly                      proper

Sharply                        sharp

Finally                          final

Suddenly                      sudden

Quickly                        quick

Slowly                          slow

Especially                    especial

Read More

A Shadow : Class 7th : English : Short Stories : Lesson 4

A Shadow : Lesson 4      (R. K. Narayan)

Working with the Text:

(A) Answer the following questions:

Q1. Sambu was eager but his mother reluctant to see the film. Why?

Ans. Sambu was eager to see his father back to life in the film but his mother was reluctant because she could not bear to see her six-month dead husband moving, talking and singing in the film. Her husband was very dear to her.

Q2. Who wrote the story, and how much was he, paid for it?

Ans. Sambu’s father wrote the story and he was, paid ten thousand rupees for writing and acting.

Q3. What was the story about?

Ans. The story was about a young girl, named Kumari, who refused to marry at fourteen but wanted to, study in a university and earn an independent living, and was cast, away by her stern father and forgiven at the end.

Q4. When the film ended the first day, what did Sambu realize?

Ans. When the film ended the first day, Sambu turned about and gazed at the aperture in the projection room as if his father has vanished into it.

Q5. When Sambu’s mother asked him if he would like to go and see the picture again the next day, what was Sambu’s response?

Ans. Sambu was delighted and told his mother that he would like to see the picture as long as, it was shown, in the theatre.

Q6. How long did Sambu live in his father’s company?

Ans. Sambu lived in his father’s company for a week or more and felt depressed at the end of every show.

Q7. When did Sambu’s mother agree to see the picture?

Ans. Sambu persuaded his mother and she agreed to see the picture on the last day for the night show. They were changing the picture next day.

Q8. What was the unbearable scene for Sambu’s mother?

Ans. The scene, in which Sambu’s father reclined in a chair while reading a newspaper, was unbearable to Sambu’s mother. This was the actual scene that recalled her memory of married life when her husband used to sit in his canvas chair and how she lost her temper on the day of his death.

Q9. How did Sambu help his mother go home and what did he feel?

Ans. Sambu fetched a jutka and helped his mother into it. His heart became heavy and he burst into tears because he was, affected both by his mother’s breakdown and by the feeling that that was the final parting from his father, as they were changing the picture next day.

(B) Write True or False in the box provided against each statement:

(I). Sambu’s father, a writer and actor was dead.      True

(ii). Sambu’s friend hated Tamil pictures but still saw the picture.    False

(iii). Kumari was Sambu’s sister.         False

(iv). Sambu lived in his father’s company three hours a day as long as picture was on screen.       True

(v). Sambu’s mother was reluctant in the beginning to see the picture but Sambu persuaded her to see the last show.                    True

(vi). The newspaper scene was unbearable for Sambu’s mother.     True

(vii). The lights were put on in women’s class, when Sambu’s mother fainted there during the show.       True

(viii). Sambu’s mother did not see the picture after she fainted and was taken home by Sambu.   True

 (ix). Sambu was affected both by his mother’s breakdown and by the parting from his father in the end.True

Language Work:

Match the phrases from ‘A’ with their meanings in ‘B’:

Ans.

A	B
1. To put out 2. For a while 3. At least 4. A sort of 5. Whole of 6. To act 7. To take off 8. To last long 9. To screw up 10. Hither and thither 11. Parting from	c)   To keep the light off   i)   For sometime   h)   Minimum   d)   A kind of   g)   All   e)   To play a role   j)   When an air craft leaves the ground   f)   Remain for a long time   k)   To gather one’s courage   a)   Here and there   b)   Away from someone

Grammar Work:

Change the narration of the following:

1. Direct: She said, “Where are you going?”

Indirect: She asked where I was goinig.

2. Direct: I said to Brijis, “When will your college reopen?”

Indirect: I asked Brijis when his college would reopen.

3. Direct: The teacher said to us, “Can you tell me why girls outshine boys?”

Indirect: The teacher asked us if we could tell him why girls outshine boys.

4. Direct: The teacher said to Aslam, “Why were you not present at this place yesterday?”

Indirect: The teacher asked/enquired Aslam why he was not present at that place the previous day.

5. Direct: The teacher said, “ Why are you making a noise?”

Indirect: The teacher asked why we were making a noise.

6. Indirect: I asked him where he was goinig.

Direct: I said to him, “Where are you going?”

7. Indirect: The teacher asked the newcomer which school he had attended last.

Direct: The teracher said to the newcomer, “Which school have you attended last?”

8. Indirect: You asked her if she could play carrom.

Direct: You said to her, “Can you play carrom?”

9. Indirect: I asked them if they knew him.

Direct: I said to them, “Do you know him?”

10. Indirect: She asked you why you were late.

Direct: She said, “Why are you late?”

Read More