Listen to the complete summary of the poem on my youtube channel.
A. Answer these questions.
Q1. What does the speaker say about the different endings of a story? Ans1. The speaker says that while some stories can fill us with joy and happiness, others can move us to tears. There are still others who relate tales of glory.
Q2. How does the speaker describe a day that does not a have a ‘happy ending’? Ans2. According to the speaker, a day that does not have a happy ending is one in which a person is filled with sadness and sorrow or a day that is cloudy and it rains heavily, which also makes one feel gloomy.
Q3. How, according to the speaker, can a person make their own ‘happy ending’? Ans3. The speaker thinks that each person is responsible for making his / her own happy ending. It is how a person works and what they do that determines their happiness. One can make their own happy ending by being oneself and to smile even when things go wrong. A person can be happy by being true to oneself and having the ability to see the positive side of things even when they face difficulty and problems.
Q4. Explain these: ----
a. ‘just be yourself’ Ans. This phrase means that a person should be oneself. They should not try or pretend to be someone else.
b. ‘things get out of tune’ Ans. This phrase refers to a time when things do not fall into place or are not as expected. It also refers to the problems and difficulties faced by a person.
c. Write in your own words what you think is the theme of the poem.
Ans. The theme of the poem is that we have to find happiness within us. It is not possible to find happiness outside. So it is important to be true to ourselves, work hard and be positive.
Note : For the complete explanation of the chapter refer to the above video.
Lesson - 6 The Village School (New) Word-Meanings
Word
Meaning
1.
drag
to pull
2.
recalls
to bring back to mind
3.
enrol
to register
4.
mock
to make fun
5.
triumph
a great success
A. Answer these questions.
1. For whom did the three girls start a school? Ans- The three girls started school for the children who were deprived of education, the children who had never stepped out of their home or had dropped out of school because of problems at home.
2. What was the biggest challenge the three girls faced? Ans- People of village were not serious about education. The parents did not want their girls to leave their homes. They thought going to school was a waste of time for them as they could do household work during the day.
3. What was their plan to educate the girls of the village? Ans- They started a small tailoring training centre at the school so that the families would let their daughters come there. The trio started teaching them as well along with the tailoring. They said to their parents that tailoring requires some measurements and calculations and for that a basic education is necessary.
4. What did the women of the village learn from the school? Ans- The women of the village learnt to write their names with signatures. Seeds of education sprouted in them.
5. What does the school do for the students instead of giving them degrees? Ans- They gave them good education and help them connect to good schools.
B. Read these lines from the text and answer the questions.
1. “We, the three of us, were the only ones who finished school.”
a. Who said the ‘we three’? Ans- Tabassum, Tarranum and Rubina.
b. Which place is the speaker talking about? Ans- They are talking about their basti (area where people with lower incomes live).
c. Why did the others from that place not go to school? Ans- The people of the village never took education seriously. According to them, education is only a waste of time.
2. “It was very difficult in the beginning”
a. What was difficult in the beginning? Ans- It was difficult in the beginning to make illiterate people literate.
b. How did the girls tackle the difficulty? Ans- The girls went door to door and made the villagers aware of education.
c. Did their efforts get them positive results? Ans- Yes, their efforts got them positive results.
C. Answer in detail.
1. How did the people of the village first react to the school? Did this change later? Ans- People of the village would shout at them and say that they are a bad influence on their girls. They also asked them to leave the public space where they ran their school. These people also used to say that the trio wouldn’t be able to do anything just because they were girls. Later when the girls changed the face of the village, the same people who used to mock them came forward to support them.
2. How would you describe the determination and resilience of Tabassum, Tarranum and Rubina? Ans- It was very difficult for Tabassum, Tarranum and Rubina to change the face of their village in the beginning. The mindset of the people was very rigid and there were only few educated people in the village. But the three girls showed determinationand resilience to make the people of the village aware about the importance of education. The trio didn’t pay attention on the mockery and the insult done by the villagers. They kept on going to achieve their goal of making primary education available to all the people of the village. Their efforts bore fruits of success, as they succeeded in making ninety percent of the villagers educated and helped them to connect to good schools. This shows that with determination and resilience one can do any difficult task.
Q1. Where does the speaker wish to go? Ans1. The speaker wished to go to the sea.
Q2. What does the speaker need when he is at sea? Ans2. When the speaker was at the sea, he needed a tall ship, the North Star, the wheel’s kick, the wind’s song, the white sail’s shaking, a grey mist on the sea’s face and a grey dawn.
Q3. According to the speaker, what are the pleasures of sailing? Ans3.Being a sailor, the speaker enjoyed the loneliness and quiet environment of the sea. In the poem ‘Sea Fever’, Masefield expressed his desire for sailing once again in the quite sea, under the quiet sky. He expressed his desire for the need of a well built ship to sail and a star in the dark sky to act as a guide.
Q4. What sort of a life does the speaker wish to lead at sea? Ans4. The speaker would like to be a wandering gypsy; however he would miss the sea gulls and the white whales and most of all his time spent with his fellow men at the deck, listening to the tales and good and silent sleep which drifts into a sweet dream.
Q5. What does the speaker mean by ‘when the long trick’s over’? Ans5. The last line refers to the sailor wanting to sleep soundly with pleasant dreams at the end of his long shift at the ship. He wished for a quiet sleep and a sweet dream ‘when the long trick's over’. It means that he imagines living a peaceful life after all the struggles of life.
B. Think and answer.
1. Why do you think the line ‘I must go down to the sea again’ is repeated at the beginning of every stanza? Ans- In the poem, ‘Sea Fever’ a theme of longing for freedom and an adventurous ocean is developed. We can see this hope easily in the line “I must go down to the seas again". This line is repeated at the beginning of each stanza and gives immediate sense to the title. The speaker has used this line in all the stanzas to show imagery to compare life to a sea voyage and portray a strong hope for the sea.
2. What is the theme of the poem ‘Sea Fever’? Ans- Wanderlust, adventure, and memories are the major themes of this poem. The speaker hears the calls of nature, an irresistible invitation to exploration, adventure, and jubilant life. He desires to break out of his present situation and return to the adventurous life of the sea.
Go through the video for full explanation of the chapter.
Lesson-3 Haroo the Croc
Question-Answers
B. Read these lines from the text given below and answer the following questions:
1. “No one heard the illegal splash of fishing nets at night anymore.”
(a) How did this happen?
Answer: This happened because Vikas Babu put Haroo in the pond. The anglers being scared of Haroo, did not dare to go near the pond.
(b) Why is it said to be “illegal”?
Answer: It was said to be “illegal” because it was Vikas Babu’s pond and the anglers fished there without his permission.
(c) How do we know that Vikas Babu was happy about this?
Answer: We know that Vikas Babu was happy about this because he said that finally he and his family would be able to taste some of the fish from the pond.
2. “It gained colour as it travelled.”
(a) What does “it” refer to?
Answer: “It” refers to the incident of the old man whose dhoti was caught by Haroo when he was trying to avoid being caught because he was travelling without a ticket.
(b) How does “it” travel?
Answer: “It” travels by word of mouth, from one person to another.
(c) How did that help Vikas Babu?
Answer: After people got to know about Haroo attacking an old man, who was travelling ticketless, all the travellers started buying tickets, as they had fear of Haroo. In fact, there started being a long queue in front of the ticket counter, and the income from that station increased a great deal. This is how it helped Vikas Babu.
C. Answer in detail.
1. What was the effect of Haroo’s presence in the pond?
Answer: Haroo’s presence in the pond made a lot of difference. The anglers who used to sit and fish stopped fishing in that pond. There was no sound of fishing nets being thrown into the pond at night to steal fish. The village girls who used to wash dirty clothes in the pond and buffalos that lazed in the water also stopped visiting the pond.
2. Pick lines from the text to show how Haroo behaved like a pet and was treated like a pet?
Answer: The lines that show that Haroo behaved like a pet are – he did not bare his teeth quite so often. Within a few weeks, Haroo became tame and friendly. After a few days, Haroo came up from the pond whenever anyone called his name. He soon learned to cross the railway lines and come home on his own. The lines that show that Haroo was treated like a pet are – They stroked and patted him and fed him tidbits from home. After a few days, Haroo came up from the pond whenever anyone called his name and Shanto, Kanto and Khuku continue to climb on to Haroo’s back and play “Riding a Crocodile” with Haroo.
3. How did the travellers avoid getting caught for ticketless travel?
Answer: The travellers who travelled ticket less avoided getting caught by choosing the eastern end of the platform where the railings were broken to get out of the station and avoid being caught by the stationmaster.
4. Mention three ways in which Haroo’s presence helped the railway station?
Answer: After the incident of Haroo catching the dhoti of an old man travelling ticketless, his presence ensured that all travellers purchased tickets. His presence also drove away the loafers and crooks. Besides this, Haroo’s presence also scared the stray dogs that used to squabble on the railway platform.
