The Ghost of the Mountains (Word-Meanings)

                              Lesson-11

             The Ghost of the Mountains
                (New) Word-Meanings

	Word	Meaning
1.	overhanging	something that overhangs
2.	peered	one that is of equal standing with another
3.	spotted	marked with spots
4.	chorus	a group of people
5.	horrified	to feel horror
6.	sobbed	to cry or weep
7.	distract	to turn aside
8.	tiptoed	to walk quietly
9.	clasped	to hold
10.	patted	to tap gently
11.	chip in	contribute
12.	livestock	animals kept or raised
13.	gasped	loud breath
14.	awe	wonder
15.	admiration	a feeling of respect
16.	moonbeams	a ray of light from the moon

A Nation's Strength (Question-Answers)

 A. Answer these questions.

Q1. Why does the speaker say that it is not gold that makes a nation strong?
Ans- The speaker said that it is not gold that makes a nation strong because materialistic things and money cannot make any nation grand. A country that is rich and has ample of resources is always prone to attacks from outside.

 

Q2. What does the speaker mean by the word ‘sword’? Why does it not strengthen a nation either?
Ans- By the word ‘sword’ the speaker means ‘power’. The poet asks us to look into the past and see the big empires whose foundation was laid on blood and power. According to the poet, the blood which was shed for the kingdoms has turned their stones to rust and their glory to decay. Hence power is also not something that makes a nation great.

Q3. What happens when a country becomes proud?
Ans- Pride is not everlasting. When a country becomes proud of their power, empire, and resources, God does not like it and hence those who felt proud of themselves and their possessions were brought down to ashes at his feet. Pride is also not something that makes a nation great.

Q4. How does a nation become strong?
Ans- According to the poet, it is not materialistic things but men and women of any country, who can make a nation great and strong. The people who stand and suffer for the sake of truth and honour can make their country great and strong.

The Hero (Question-Answers)

 

Question & answers-

A. Answer these questions.

1. Describe the place through which the speaker and his mother are travelling.
Ans- The place through which the speaker and his mother were travelling was a strange and dangerous country.

 

2. “Don’t be afraid, Mother, I am here.” Why does the speaker ask his mother not to be afraid? What does the speaker’s mother do to stop him?
Ans- The speaker asked his mother not to be afraid because he was confident about his heroic talent that he would be able to take care of his mother from the villains. The speaker’s mother said to the boy “Dear boy, for heaven’s sake, keep away from them.”

3. Describe the fight between the speaker and the dacoits.
Ans- The fight between the speaker and the dacoits is described as fearful. Many of the villains flew away and a great number of them were cut to pieces.

4. What does the speaker want to prove? How does he want to prove that?
Ans- Through the fight, the speaker wanted to prove that he was no less than a hero. He wanted to prove this by saving his mother from the villains in his imagination.

5. What does the speaker expect his brother and the village people to say after the fight?
Ans- The speaker expected his brother and the village people to say after the fight that
“Is it possible? I always thought he was so delicate!” and
“Was it not lucky that the boy was with his mother?”

B. Think and answer.

Why do you think the speaker dreams about being a hero? Is this something he can do in real life?
Ans- It is the dream of every boy to be a hero in the eyes of the world, especially his mother. The boy in the poem ‘The Hero’ does not want the world to think that he is weak or delicate. He wants the world to acknowledge his bravery and valour. He has a faithful and sincere love for his mother, proved by his willingness to save her at the cost of his own life; it is this, says the poem that transforms him into a real hero. Yes, this is something he can do in real life as well.

 

My Brother Built a Robot (Question-Answers)

                                    Poem - 5
                     My Brother Built a Robot
                           Question-Answers

A. Answer these questions.

Q1. What kind of a robot had the speaker’s brother built?
Ans- The speaker’s brother built a robot that does not exactly work, the way they wanted it to work.

Q2. How did the robot clean the speaker’s room?
Ans- The robot did not clean the speaker’s room. Instead of this, it ate the dust pan and attacked the poet and his brother with the broom. The robot pulled apart their pillows and also dishevelled their beds.

Q3. What did the robot do in the kitchen and in the bathroom?
Ans- The robot tied the boys’ socks in knots and threw them into the kitchen and also dismantled the pans and pots. It then clanked into the bathroom and filled it with sand.

Q4. What happened when the speaker and his brother tried to disconnect the robot?
Ans- When the speaker and his brother tried to disconnect the robot, it picked up the boys and dropped them in an empty garbage pail. The speaker and his brother could not disconnect the robot as the speaker forgot to give a switch to turn it off.

 

B. Think and answer.

Would you say that the poem is humorous? Give reasons for your answers.
Ans- Yes, the poem is humorous. e.g.
 “My brother built that robot
  to help us clean our room,
  instead, it ate the dust pan
  and attacked us with the broom”

“…it clanked into the bathroom
  and it filled the tub with sand.”

 

A Nation’s Strength (Word-Meanings)

 

                                                Poem - 6
                                      A Nation’s Strength
                                    (New) Word-Meanings

	Word	Meaning
1.	mighty	powerful
2.	foes	enemies
3.	sinking	to fall or drop
4.	empires	territory
5.	rust	a reddish coating on iron
6.	glory	praise or honour
7.	decay	to decline
8.	ashes	the solid residue left after burning
9.	pillars	support system

 

The Hero (Word-Meanings)

 

                                               Poem - 5
                                              The Hero 
                                    (New) Word-Meanings

	Word	Meaning
1.	grey	dull
2.	desolate	without visitors
3.	meadow	land that is covered with grass
4.	prickly	covered with thorns
5.	spiky	related to spikes (grass)
6.	whisper	to speak slowly
7.	bursts	to break apart
8.	yell	to shout
9.	bearers	a person who carries burden
10.	shaking	(Here it means)to experience fear
11.	terror	a state of fear
12.	thorny	full of thorns
13.	bush	shrubs
14.	villains	one who is evil
15.	terrible	extremely bad
16.	clutch	to hold
17.	stained	to receive a stain

 

My Brother Built a Robot (Word-Meanings)

 

                                                 Poem - 5
                                  My Brother Built a Robot
                                    (New) Word-Meanings

	Word	Meaning
1.	gleam	to shine
2.	broom	used to sweep
3.	clunked	to strike or hit
4.	clanked	a sharp metallic ringing sound
5.	pail	bucket
6.	hindered	to hold back
7.	bellowed	to shout in a deep voice