English Balbharati Standard Eight PDF

 इयततञा ५ िी, ८ िी वशष्यिृतती परीक्ञा मञाग्भदवश्भकञा मरञाठी, इंग्रजी, उद््भ, विंदी मञाधयमञामधये उपलबध घटकवनिञाय प्शनञांचञा समञािेश सरञािञासञाठी विविध प्शन प्कञारञांचञा समञािेश नमुनयञादञाखल उदञािरणञांचे सपष्ीकरण पुस्तक मागणीसाठी www.ebal...

 इयततञा ५ िी, ८ िी वशष्यिृतती परीक्ञा मञाग्भदवश्भकञा मरञाठी, इंग्रजी, उद््भ, विंदी मञाधयमञामधये उपलबध घटकवनिञाय प्शनञांचञा समञािेश सरञािञासञाठी विविध प्शन प्कञारञांचञा समञािेश नमुनयञादञाखल उदञािरणञांचे सपष्ीकरण पुस्तक मागणीसाठी www.ebalbharati.in, www.balbharati.in संके्त स्थळावर भेट द्ा. साहित्य पाठ्यपुस्तक मंडळाच्या हिभागी्य भांडारांमध्यये हिक्रीसाठी उपलब्ध आिये. ebalbharati विरञागीय रञांडञारे संपक्क क्रमञांक : पुणे -  २५६५९४६५, कोलिञापूर-  २४६८५७६, मुंबई (गोरेगञाि) -  २८७७१८४२, पनिेल -  २७४६२६४६५, नञावशक -  २३९१५११, औरंगञाबञाद -  २३३२१७१, नञागपूर -  २५४७७१६/२५२३०७८, लञातूर -  २२०९३०, अमरञािती -  २५३०९६५  The Coordination Committee formed by GR No. Abhyas - 2116/(Pra.Kra.43/16) SD - 4 Dated 25.4.2016 has given approval to prescribe this textbook in its meeting held on 29.12.2017 from the Academic Year 2018-19. ENGLISH BALBHARATI STANDARD EIGHT Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, Pune. The digital textbook can be obtained through DIKSHA App on a smartphone by using the Q. R. Code given on title page of the textbook and useful audio-visual teaching-learning material of the relevant lesson will be available through the Q. R. Code given in each lesson of this textbook. First Edition : 2018 © Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Fourth Reprint : 2022 Curriculum Research, Pune - 411 004. The Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research reserves all rights relating to the book. No part of this book should be reproduced without the written permission of the Director, Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, ‘Balbharati’, Senapati Bapat Marg, Pune 411004. Co-ordination : English Language Committee : Santosh J. Pawar Assistant Special Officer, English Dr Prabha Sampath, Chairman Dr Manjushree Sardeshpande, Member English Language Study Group : Dr Rohit Kawale, Member Shri. Akhil Bhosale Shri. Balkrishna Shinde Dr Muktaja Mathkari, Member Dr Jyotimani Rocque Shri. Bhuvnesh Kumbhar Dr Lalita Vartak, Member Smt. Manjusha Sagrolikar Dr Gajendra Mugale Dr Shruti Chaudhary, Member Shri. Nilkantheshwar Patil Dr Juee Kulkarni Shri. Shridhar Nagargoje, Member Shri. Pundalik Kaviraj Shri. Mahesh Dudhankar Shri. Nilesh Kedare, Member Smt. Renu Dhotre Shri. Nadeem Khan Shri. Santosh Pawar, Smt. Saraswathi Suram Shri. Rajiv Sangpal Member-Secretary Shri. Sharad Pandhare Shri. Raju Korde Smt. Smita Pore Shri. Rakesh Jadhav Cover  : Shri. Vivekanand Patil Shri. Amol Kamble Shri. Santosh Gaikwad Illustrations : Ashna Advani Shri. Anil Petkar Anupriya Joshi Shri. Ashok Gaikwad Invitee Expert : Shri. Mohan Bapat Smt. Samannaz Irani Production : Sachchitanand Aphale Publisher : Chief Production Officer Vivek Uttam Gosavi Controller Sachin Mehta Maharashtra State Production Officer Textbook Bureau, Nitin Wani Prabhadevi, Assistant Production Mumbai - 400 025. Officer Paper : 70 GSM Creamwove  Preface Dear Students, A most hearty welcome to Std VIII. We are happy to place this textbook ‘English Balbharati’ in your hands. English has been a part of your studies since Std I. So far, you have learnt to use English for communication in most situations. You have enjoyed some interesting stories, passages and poetry in the previous textbooks. You have completed many projects. You have also read the literary works of many well-known writers. Now that you are in Std VIII, you will do all this and also learn to use English with a better understanding of the language and the way it is used. English is not just a subject in your curriculum. It is the medium through which you learn all other subjects. A good command over the language will make it easier for you to study other subjects too. English is a world language used internationally for communication. Our main aim is to help you use English with confidence. We want you to be able to ask questions, gain knowledge and new skills, be creative and to spend your free time deriving joy from appreciation of good literary pieces. That is why, we want you to take part in all the activities and exercises in the ‘Warming up’ and ‘English Workshop’ sections without feeling diffident. Talk to your teacher freely about the problems and difficulties you face while studying this textbook. Many of the activities are designed to show you ways of thinking and self-learning. The more you use them, the better you will grasp, learn and achieve. Useful audio - video teaching - learning material given in each relevant lesson will be available through the Q. R. Code and through the medium of App for additional information. It will be definitely useful for your study. We will be happy if you share your feelings about the contents of this book with us. We hope you enjoy studying it throughout the year. Wish you all the best in your studies ! Pune Date : 18 April 2018 (Dr Sunil Magar) Akshayya Trutiya Director Indian Solar Year : Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Chaitra 28, 1940 Production and Curriculum Research, Pune.  English Balbharati Standard VIII - Learning Outcomes Suggested Pedagogical Processes understand the context for various types of writing: messages, notice, letter, report, biography, The learner may be provided opportunities in travelogue, diary entry etc. pairs / groups / individually and encouraged to– take dictation of a passage with specific attention participate in classroom activities / school to words pronounced, punctuation and spelling. programmes such as Morning Assembly / extempore / debate etc. by being exposed to input- attempt various types of writing: notice, letter, report, etc as well as personal / biographical rich environment. experiences and extrapolative writings. speak about objects / events in the class / school environment and outside surroundings. use ICT (Net, mobile, website, Youtube, TED talks etc) to browse for information, for projects / PPT participate in grammar games and kinaesthetic discussion, debate, class seminar etc. activities for language learning. attempt creative writing, like stories, poems, use English news (newspaper, TV, Radio) as a dialogues, skits, dialogues from a story and story resource to develop his/her listening and reading from dialogues. comprehension, note-taking, summarizing etc. visit a language laboratory. watch / listen to English movies, serials, educational channels with sub-titles, audio-video / multi-media read / write a book review. materials, for understanding and comprehension. interview people from various professions such Learning Outcomes as doctors, writers, actors, teachers, cobblers, newspaper boy, household helps, rickshaw pullers The learner– / drivers and so on. 08.03.01 Listens attentively to a variety of programmes. use formulaic expressions / instructions such as 08.03.02 Notes specific details, facts, information from ‘Could I give you…’ ‘Shall we have a cup of tea?’ a speech, story, conversation, etc. to develop communication skills 08.03.03 Predicts the next part of a story, argument, etc. participate in individual activities such as 08.03.04 Retells the outline of a conversation, introducing personalities / guests during school informative speech or debate. programmes. 08.03.05 Respects variation in language use. learn vocabulary associated with various professions and use them in different situations. 08.03.06 Responds to instructions and announcements in school and public places such as railway read stories / plays (from different books / station, bus-stand, market, airport, cinema newspapers in education (NIE) / children’s section hall, malls and acts accordingly. in magazines in English) and narrate them. 08.03.07 Participates in class / group discussion. locate main idea, sequence of events and co-relate ideas, themes and issues in a variety of texts in 08.03.08 Participates in different events such as role English and other languages. play, poetry recitation, skit, drama, debate, speech, elocution, quiz etc. organized by use various sources from English and other school and other such organizations. languages to facilitate comprehension, co-relation and critical understanding of issues. 08.03.09 Describes things, people, situations, emotions, etc. interpret quotations, sayings and proverbs 08.03.10 Demonstrates a process / activity clearly. interpret photographs / sketches, tables, charts, 08.03.11 Work out a problem orally. diagrams and maps and incorporate in writing. think critically, compare and contrast characters / 08.03.12 Discusses / talks about the characters, situations, plots, themes, etc. of a literary piece. events / ideas / themes and relate them to life and try to give opinions about issues. 08.03.13 Presents one’s thoughts, arguments in a logical, organized manner. refer sources such as dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia for meaning in context and 08.03.14 Uses persuative language to convince others. understanding texts. 08.03.15 Endorse/oppose a particular point of view. use grammar in context such as active and passive 08.03.16 Uses quotations, idioms, proverbs appropriately. voice, reported speech, tenses, parts of speech, etc. 08.03.17 Introduces guests in English, interviews notice punctuation marks in a variety of texts and people by asking questions based on the work appropriately use in editing his / her own writing. they do. 08.03.18 Engages in conversations in English with 08.03.44 Writes emails, messages, notice, formal people from different professions using letters, descriptions / narratives, personal appropriate vocabulary. diary, report, biographical experiences etc. 08.03.19 Speaks about events in the class / school 08.03.45 Understands the organization of graphic environment and outside the surroundings. presentations and uses them appropriately. 08.03.20 Understands the storyline in a narration / 08.03.46 Remembers and recalls necessary play, etc. information (and the way it is organized) with the help of personal notes. 08.03.21 Predicts the next part in a conversation / story /narration, etc. 08.03.47 Revises (increasingly larger) chunks of information mentally. 08.03.22 Understands the connection between the major and minor points in a piece of 08.03.48 Translates different types of informative writing. texts from the mother tongue into English 08.03.23 Reads carefully to understand a new concept and from English into the mother tongue. /idea. 08.03.49 Translates literary pieces from the mother 08.03.24 Reads so as to compare / contrast bits of tongue into English and from English into information. the mother tongue. 08.03.25 Understands the writer’s intention. 08.03.50 Uses digital dictionaries / standard dictionaries, thesaurus, encyclopedia 08.03.26 Understands / empathises with other points available on the internet for reference. of view. 08.03.27 Understands and appreciates use of literary 08.03.51 Prepares graphics, word-art, graphs, devices, figures of speech, etc. pictograms, etc. on the computer. 08.03.28 Verifies information using various sources / 08.03.52 Knows how to compile, edit and uses the references. information or details available on the internet and not just ‘copy-paste’ them. 08.03.29 Learn new words, expressions and enriches his / her vocabulary through reading. 08.03.53 Takes care not to use copyright material without proper permission and / or 08.03.30 Identifies verbosity, lack of organization, acknowledgement. and other defects in written communication. 08.03.31 Reads excerpts, dialogues, poems, 08.03.54 Prepares a presentation with the help of a commentaries of sports and games, news, computer. debates on TV, radio and expresses opinions 08.03.55 Participates in language games and activities about them. for language learning. 08.03.32 Reads textual / non-textual materials in English. Language Study 08.03.33 Identifies details, characters, main idea and Be aware of the following concepts to understand how sequence of ideas and events while reading. language is used. 08.03.34 Reads, compares, contrasts, thinks critically The Alphabet : and relates ideas to life.  Phonetic symbols 08.03.35 Reads a variety of texts for pleasure. For Parts of Speech : example, adventure stories, science fiction,  Finite verbs and Infinitives, Gerund, Participles,Time, non-fiction articles, narratives, travelogues, Tense and Aspects, Degrees of Comparison, Pronoun and biographies etc. (Extensive reading.) its types Sentence Structure : 08.03.36 Fill forms correctly.  Phrase and Clause 08.03.37 Voices his / her doubts, problems, etc. clearly  Coordination and Subordination (Simple, Compound and but politely in writing. Complex Sentences) 08.03.38 Explains a concept / an idea in short.  Transformation  Negative Constructions 08.03.39 Compares and contrasts bits of information, etc.  Joining Sentences  Reported Speech 08.03.40 Attempts using different styles and Vocabulary and Word building : techniques of writing and literary devices to  Minor processes of word - building make his / her writing more effective.  Reduplicatives, Clipping,Blending, Acronym 08.03.41 Prepares a write up after seeking information Punctuation : in print, online, noticeboard, newspaper etc.  Quotation marks, Apostrophe, Use of Capitals 08.03.42 Writes a coherent and meaningful Speech : paragraph through the process of drafting,  Syllables, Stress, Intonation revising, editing and finalizing. Figures of Speech : 08.03.43 Writes short paragraphs coherently in English.  Personification, Hyperbole, Apostrophe, Idioms  Contents 1.1 A Time to Believe 1 1.2 Dick Whittington and his Cat 5 1.3 The Pilgrim 12 1.4 Revathi’s Musical Plants 16 2.1 Vocation 26 2.2 Nature Created Man and Woman as Equals 30 2.3 The Worm 36 2.4 Three Visions for India 39 2.5 The Happy Prince 45 3.1 The Plate of Gold 56 3.2 The Kite Festival 61 3.3 The Last Leaf 66 3.4 Leisure 73 4.1 The Vet 76 4.2 Revolutionary Steps in Surgery 80 4.3 The Bees 87 4.4 Ramanujan 91 4.5 A Battle to Baffle 98  1.1 A Time to Believe 1. Think, choose and fill up the labels with what a ‘sunrise’ symbolizes. (jewellery / art / hope / birth / anger / new opportunities / good manners / inspiration / new achievements / happiness / misery / bright moments / new aims / money / new surprises) 2. An acrostic is a poem or a write-up in which the first letter of each line forms a word, when it is read vertically. For example, Faithful Reliable Inspiring Encouraging Noble Dedicated With your benchmate / group, complete the acrostic of BELIEVE and FAITH. (Please note that the words / phrases should be more or less related to the topic. You can use a thesaurus.) Be certain of F E A L I I T E H V Generally a thesaurus is a reference book that lists words E grouped together according to similarity of meaning. (Containing synonyms and sometimes antonyms) 1  1.1 A Time to Believe ‘‘To believe is to know that everyday is a new beginning. Is to trust that miracles happen, and dreams really do come true. What should one know and trust every To believe is to see angels day? dancing among the clouds. stardust : having a To know the wonder of a stardust sky magical quality and the wisdom of the man in the moon. What are the two supernatural To believe is to know the value of a nurturing heart, references in the 2nd The innocence of a child’s eyes stanza? and the beauty of an aging hand, nurturing : providing nourishment, care for it is through their teachings, we learn to love. and protection To believe is to find the strength aging : growing old and courage that lies within us, What two qualities are needed to recover, When it is time to pick up after a shocking the pieces and begin again. event? pick up the pieces : To believe is to know return to normal after we are never alone, a shock or disaster That life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it. cherish : hold To believe is to know something as very dear and of great that wonderful surprises are just value waiting to happen, And all our hopes and dreams are within reach. within reach : If only we believe.’’ possible to achieve - B J Morbitzer What kind of attitude does the poet advise everybody to have? 2 1. (A) Rearrange the letters to make meaningful words, occuring in the poem. (1) clearmis (2) sowmid (3) gearuoc (4) rissupser (5) tabyue (6) madres (7) laveu (8) downre (B) Write words from the poem that describe the following. (1) sky (2) heart (3) hand (4) beginning (5) surprises 2. Say WHY..... (a) the sky has a magical quality. (b) even an aging hand has beauty. (c) we should believe that we are strong and courageous. 3. Make a list of any six things that the poet wants us to accept as true. (a) (b) (c) 3  (d) (e) (f) 4. Find from the poem, positive qualities to fill up the web. Positive Qualities 5. Read the lines below. (A) ‘To believe is to see angels dancing among the clouds’. The above line contain a human characteristic ‘dancing’ given to something non - human, ‘angels’. The Figure of Speech used in the line is called ‘Personification’. (B) ‘To believe is to know that Everyday is a new beginning’. (C) To believe is to know.......... life is a gift Lines in poetry, such as the above, state a general truth and can be used as sayings or quotes etc. They contain the Figure of Speech called Epigram. Epigram closely resembles a proverb. l Find from the poem three other examples of Epigram. (1) (2) (3) 6. Divide the class into 5 groups. Each group can prepare a decorative chart / poster using an epigrammatic lines from the poem. You may use calligraphy / painting / or Paint programme on a computer. (With permission, put up these charts in your school.) 4  1.2 Dick Whittington and his Cat 1. Discuss the following in groups and write the answers. (a) Name the world famous personalities, who reached great heights despite of humble circumstances. (b) Guess the types of hardships they must have faced in their childhood and youth. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (c) What strong qualities possessed by them, could have helped them achieve success and fame, all over? (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (d) How do stories / biographies of such famous people help youngsters? (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) 2. Syllable : A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound and may or may not have consonant sounds before / after it. Examples of words having : One syllable : a, I, see, at, on, man, with, thread Two syllables : mother, seated, giraffe, parrot, active, happy Three syllables : happiness, wonderful, animal, surprising, adventure, ignorance. More than three syllables : consequently, encouragement, responsibility, identifying, encyclopedia Write the names of any 5 of your classmates and list how many syllables each name has. 5  Dick Whittington and his Cat There was once a poor boy called Dick Whittington who lived in a small village in the south of England. He had no proper home, for both his parents had died and he was unkindly treated by many of the villagers. One day, Dick overheard someone say that the streets of London were paved with gold and he decided that What innocent belief he would go there at once and pick his fortune up made Dick decide to in gold pieces from the streets, for he thought people go to London? might treat him more kindly, if he were rich. So young Dick set out to walk to London. He had not gone far when a man in a cart stopped and asked him if he was running away from home. “I have no home,” Dick answered. “I am on my way to London to find my fortune.” “I’m going to London myself,” said the carter. “Jump up here beside me and we will journey together.” They arrived in London just before nightfall and the carter left Dick and made his way to an inn. Poor dismay : great Dick stood alone and looked around him in dismay. disappointment Where was all that fine gold ? All he could see were dirty streets and lots of unfriendly people. He had nowhere to sleep and in the end he spent the night in alley : a narrow the corner of an alley where he hoped he would come passage between or to no harm. behind buildings The next morning Dick woke up cold, miserable and very hungry. He wandered around begging for What hardships did food, but again and again people shouted at him, “Go he face on arriving away you lazy fellow! Be off with you,” and aimed in London? angry blows at his head. At last he collapsed in the street and lay there, too weak to look further for food. By chance, Dick had fallen in front of a house belonging to a rich merchant called Mr Fitzwarren. The cook was trying to drive Dick away, when Mr Fitzwarren returned home from inspecting his ships. He stopped and said to Dick, “Why don’t you work if you need food ?” “I would work,’’ said Dick, “but I know nobody who will give me anything to do.” 6  “Take him into the kitchen,” Mr Fitzwarren ordered the cook. “Feed him first and then find some work for him.” How did Mr So Dick was given a home and a living. He had a Fitzwarren favour small corner of the attic to sleep in and his job was to Dick? help the cook with all the pots and pans in the kitchen. attic : a very small Dick’s life should have been much better than before, room inside a but he still had two difficulties to face. pointed roof The first was that the attic he slept in was overrun What difficulties did by rats and mice. At night they scampered all over Dick have to face him and kept him awake. After a time he solved this at Mr Fitzwarrens problem by saving the few pennies he was paid, and house? buying himself a cat. In no time at all, the cat chased scampered : ran away all the rats and mice, and Dick was able to here and there sleep peacefully. The other difficulty, which was not so easy to How did the cat overcome, was the cook’s bad temper. She shouted and prove to be very useful? screamed all day, and would scold Dick and hit him with a wooden spoon, even when he was working as overcome : succeed hard as he could. in dealing with a One night Dick decided he could stand it no more. problem Early the next morning before the cook was up, he set out with his cat to seek his fortune elsewhere. The two of them walked as far as Holloway, on their way out of London, then Dick sat down on a stone to rest. It was the first of November, All Saint’s Day, and the church bells were ringing. As Dick sat and listened it seemed they were ringing out a message for him : Turn again Whittington, Thou worthy citizen, Lord Mayor of London. “Lord Mayor of London ?” said Dick. “I should like to be Lord Mayor and ride in a fine coach. I can put up with a few scoldings from the cook if that is what put up with : is in store for me.” So Dick and his cat retraced their tolerate steps to Mr Fitzwarren’s house. Luckily they were able to slip back before they had been missed. What inspired Dick Now Mr Fitzwarren used to send ships far across to return back to Mr Fitzwarren’s the sea to trade with other countries. He would load home? a ship with goods for the captain and ship’s crew to sell in faraway places and then they would bring back goods that could be sold at home. 7  One day he called his household together. “I am sending a ship to the African coast to trade,” he said. “Would any of you like to send something of yours on it ? You can then share in the profits if the voyage is successful.” Everyone produced something except for Dick, who had nothing to offer. “Have you nothing of your own, Dick ?” asked Mr Fitzwarren kindly, and Dick replied, “Only my cat.” “Then let your cat go on the ship,” said Mr Fitzwarren. His daughter, Alice, said, “Dick loves his cat. Let me put something in for him.” But her father said, “No, it must be his, not something belonging to someone else.” Why was the So Dick fetched his cat and said goodbye to it Captain of the ship sadly. The captain of the ship was delighted, for the so overjoyed? cat was an excellent mouser and so he had no trouble with rats and mice on his voyage. mouser : an animal After some months the ship arrived at a place on that catches mice the African coast, Barbary, where people called the Moors lived. The captain sent a message to the king to say he had fine goods for sale and he was invited What happened when to the palace to show them. While he was talking to food was brought in, the king and queen some dishes of food were brought at the palace? in, but almost immediately rats and mice ran up and before the captain’s eyes, ate all the food. The captain was astonished and asked if this was what normally happened. “Alas, yes !” came the reply. “The country is plague : (here) a suffering from a plague of rats and mice and we thing that causes cannot get rid of them.” great trouble “I think I may have the answer on my ship,” said the captain, and he sent a message asking for Dick’s cat to be brought to the palace. More food was laid out and the rats and mice appeared as before. The cat immediately pounced, killing at least a dozen before they scattered. Everyone was delighted and the queen asked, “What do you call this animal ?” “Puss is the name she answers to,” said the captain Why was the queen and when the queen called, “Puss, puss,” the cat went afraid of the cat? over to her and purred. The queen was a little alarmed at first, as she had seen how fiercely the cat had 8 attacked the rats and mice, but the captain told her not to be anxious. “Puss is very friendly with people,” he said, “and would soon rid your kingdom of rats and mice.” “I would give great wealth to own this animal,” said the queen. So the captain began bargaining and it was agreed that the king would buy the whole cargo from Mr Fitzwarren’s ship to pay a fine price for it and for How much did the the cat alone the king paid ten times the sum again. king pay for the When the ship came back to the Port of London, cat? the captain showed Mr Fitzwarren the gold and jewels he had brought from Barbary and told him the story of the cat, the merchant sent for Dick. “From now on, Dick” he said, “we should all call you Mr Whittington, for you are a rich man.’’ Mr Fitzwarren then paid him all the money the captain had received for the cat. From this time on Dick worked with Mr Fitzwarren and became a successful merchant himself. He married Mr Fitzwarren’s daughter Alice and three times he was elected Lord Mayor of London. He was also in time knighted by the king and became Sir Richard knighted : given a Whittington. He was not only famous, but he was highly honoured title popular too, for he always helped the poor with his money. Sometimes when he was old, he would tell his What changes had grandchildren the story of his cat, and how the bells the cat brought to of London had called him back when he was only a Dick’s life? poor boy : Turn again Whittington, Thou worthy citizen, Lord Mayor of London. 1. (A) Arrange the following set of words in the alphabetical order in your notebook. ship, small, successful, scoldings, stone, saving, someone, stood, streets, still, screamed, sat, seemed, saint, share. (B) Remove the Affixes (Prefix and Suffix) and write the Root-word. (1) successful (2) immediately (3) retrace (4) mouser 9  (5) unfriendly (6) fallen (7) unkind (8) wooden (9) luckily (10) belonging 2. (A) Find from the story one word for the following. (a) a small room just below a sloping roof (b) a very narrow passage between buildings (c) the highest - ranking officer in the Municipality of a city/town (d) the highest ranking official who commands a ship (e) any animal that catches mice (f) a low constant sound made by cats (B) Make sentences of your own using the following expressions. (1) overcome : (2) put up with : (3) bargain : 3. Rearrange the following events as they occur in the story. Put the correct number in the boxes. (a) Mr Fitzwarren provided shelter to Dick. (b) A carter gave Dick a lift to London. (c) The cat sailed to the African coast. (d) The captain sold the cat for a very high amount of money. (e) Dick left his village on foot, to go to London. (f) Dick became rich, and later, the Mayor of London. (g) Dick was homeless, helpless, cold and hungry. (h) Dick bought a cat to get rid of the mice. (i) The rats and mice ate up all the dinner, laid for the king and queen. 4. Think and answer. (a) What decision taken by Dick changed his fortune? (b) What message does this story bring out for youngsters? 10 5. (A) Break the words below into syllables as shown in the first one. (a) belonging : be - long - ing (f) morning : (b) unfriendly : (g) citizen : (c) anything : (h) message : (d) difficulty : (i) mayor : (e) captain : (j) elected : (B) Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives. Read the sentences. (i) Yatin is strong. (ii) Amit is stronger than Yatin. (iii) Pravin is the strongest of all. In sentence (i) the Adjective ‘strong’ is in its simple form. It is called Positive Degree. In sentence (ii) the Adjective ‘stronger’ refers to a higher degree, when there is a comparison of two nouns. It is called Comparative Degree. (-er is added to the basic Adjective) In sentence (iii) the adjective ‘strongest’ refers to the highest degree of comparison of one with more than two nouns. It is called Superlative Degree. (-est is added to the basic Adjective) Complete the table of degrees of comparison. Positive Comparative Superlative (1) great (2) famous (3) easier (4) worse (5) poorest (6) laziest (7) little (8) worthier (9) popular 6. Select any one of the famous personalities mentioned in ‘Warming up 1’ on page no. 5. From the library or internet find out their success story. Write it in your own words in about 20 to 30 lines of your notebook. Give your write-up a suitable title. 11  1.3 The Pilgrim 1. Make groups and discuss the following : (a) What fatal dangers / problems did mankind face centuries ago, but are no longer a threat today? (b) Name a few scientists / explorers /social reformers / inventors / discoverers, who spent most of their lives to find solutions to some major problems / setbacks, that mankind faced. (c) Did they themselves suffer from those problems / setbacks? (d) What inspired them to spend the best part of their lives to research and share their findings? 2. Read and understand the following poetic devices. (A) If two or more words in the same line convey the same meaning, the Figure of Speech in that line is called Tautology. For example : It brought joy and cheer. They groaned with aches and pains. (B) Poets often change the proper grammatical order of words in the line of a poem, in order to make the lines rhyme or to emphasize upon something. The Figure of Speech in such lines is called ‘Inversion’ or ‘Anastrophe.’ For example : Up came the sun. Down the hill, it flowed. (C) When a question is asked in order to create a dramatic effect and not to get an answer, in a line of the poem, the Figure of Speech used is called Interrogation / Rhetorical Question : For example : What is this life, if full of care? When can their glory fade? 12  The Pilgrim A pilgrim, going a lone high way Came at evening, cold and gray chasm : ravine, a To a chasm, deep and vast and wide. very deep, steep gap in the earth’s The old man crossed in the twilight dim. surface What did the pilgrim The chasm held no fear for him. do, although he had already crossed the But he paused when he reached the other side chasm? And built a bridge to span the tide. span the tide : go across the tide “Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near, What puzzled the “Why waste your time in building here? fellow pilgrim? Your journey ends with the close of the day You never again will pass this way. You have crossed the chasm deep and wide ye : (archaic) you Why build ye here at even tide ?” even tide : late evening 13  The pilgrim raised his old gray head, “My friend in the path I’ve come,” he said, What could be the third pilgrim? “There followeth after me today A fair haired youth, who must pass this way. The chasm which held no fears for me pitfall : trap To the fair haired youth, may a pitfall be. He, too, must cross in the twilight dim. My friend, I am building this bridge for him.” - Anonymous 1. Pick out words from the poem to fill in the web diagram. They should be related to the theme in the web. Time Travel around sunset 2. The entire poem is metaphorical (Implied comparison). Match the words in Column A with what they imply in Column B. A B (1) pilgrim (a) threat to life (2) journey (b) trap (3) evening or close of day (c) life (4) chasm, deep and wide (d) death (5) building a bridge (e) old age (6) pitfall (f) a dutiful man (7) close of day (g) solving the problem / getting rid of threat to life (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) 14 3. (A) Read the poem and write 3 qualities of each of the following. The old pilgrim The fellow pilgrim The young pilgrim (B) Answer in your own words. (a) Why did the old man have no need to build the bridge, across the chasm ? (b) What explanation did he give to the fellow- pilgrim for his thoughtful deed ? (c) What message does the poem convey to all of us ? 4. (A) Note the rhyming words in the first stanza. way - gray / wide-side- tide / dim -him. The poet has used a deliberate pattern of lines that rhyme with other lines in the poem or the stanza. This pattern can be identified by giving the rhyming pairs of words the same letter of the alphabet. For example: 1st stanza of this poem has the pattern AABCCBB So, AABCCBB is called the Rhyme Scheme of the 1st stanza of the poem ‘The Pilgrim’. (B) Now write the Rhyme Scheme of the 2nd stanza............. and 3rd stanza............. Remember that a line in the 2nd or 3rd stanza may rhyme with lines in the 1st stanza, too. You may use the same letter of the alphabet as used in the 1st stanza. (C) Find two lines that contain Inversion. 1. 2. l Pick out one line each that contains the following Figures of Speech. (a) Tautology : (b) Personification : (c) Interrogation : 5. Imagine that you are the fellow pilgrim and you wish to share your experience of the incident in the poem. Write a short article about it for a magazine / journal. Also convey what change it has brought in your life. 15  1.4 Revathi’s Musical Plants 1. Discuss in groups and share your answers with the class. l Can you name the famous musician in Emperor Akbar’s court, who could perform miracles, when he sang different Ragas? l What miracles could he perform with his music? l What impact does music have on human beings? l Do you think music can have an impact on animals, birds and even plants? 2. Affirmative and Negative sentences Read the sentences below and spot the difference in their framing : 1. (a) I could not complete the work. (b) I failed to complete the work. 2. (a) There is no sense in what you say. (b) There is hardly any sense in what you say. 3. (a) He said he wouldn’t go. (b) He refused to go. You will observe that sentences marked (a) and (b) convey the same meaning. But in all sentences marked (a) there are negative words (no, not, wouldn’t) whereas the ones marked (b) do not have them. Negative words are those that convey a negative meaning. For example : never, no, neither, nor, not, cannot, don’t, isn’t, nothing etc. If a sentence contains Negative words, it is called a NEGATIVE SENTENCE. If a sentence does not contain any Negative word, it is called an Affirmative sentence. Say whether the following sentences are Affirmative or Negative ones. (1) We must avoid hurting others. (2) She didn’t offer me any help. (3) Never give up hopes. (4) You must keep away from bad company. (5) There is nothing in the bag. (6) Entry is prohibited, without permission. Note : While interchanging Negative and Affirmative sentence, the meaning and tense must not change. You must use Negative words in the sentence, while converting from Affirmative to Negative. You may use words like hardly / fail to / refuse / reject / avoid / prohibit / without / ban etc., while changing Negative sentences to Affirmative. 16  Revathi’s Musical Plants Revathi was a student of music. She was happy playing on her violin whenever she was free. There was a small open courtyard in front of her house, with a small cement bench. She would sit on the bench and practise on her violin. There were a few potted plants in the courtyard. While playing on the violin one day, she noted a pot of balsam balsam : a plant, plants near the wall. The plants were not looking normal. usually with pink or They had pale green leaves and their growth was stunted. white flowers, grown in gardens She remembered she had learnt in the lower classes that plants need light for normal growth. She shifted the pot to stunted : slowed the centre of the courtyard where there was ample sunlight. down or stopped While shifting the pot, an idea struck Revathi. Why not participate in the ‘Best plant’ contest which was to Why did Revathi be held in her colony a few weeks later! Then and there change the pot’s location? she decided to participate. Thus making up her mind, she watered the plants and sat down on the bench and started playing her violin. She was very fond of the raga ‘Mohanam’. She played the raga for some time and then Name the favourite went in for her studies. raga of Revathi. Everyday, Revathi would sit on the bench and watch her potted plants. They were growing well and looking healthier than the other plants in the far end of the courtyard. One day as she was playing, she noticed a movement in her potted plants. They were slowly moving their stems, bending slightly towards her. She wondered why they were moving as there was no breeze. It struck struck her as odd : her as odd. seemed very strange The next evening too she played on her violin as usual and watched the potted plants with care. After some What strange thing time, like the previous day, there was a definite movement did Revathi notice in her plants. They all bent towards her. This astonished about the potted plant? and surprised her. That day also, there was no breeze. Revathi sat on the bench and played a different tune, How did Revathi one with a quick rhythm. She suddenly saw all plants turn confirm her new away from her as though they did not like what she was discovery? 17  playing. Then she started playing her favourite tune again and the plants slowly straightened themselves and bent towards her. Her surmise became a certainty. Her plants surmise : guess loved to hear her favourite tune. She kept the knowledge a secret. She did not tell anyone, not even her mother. There were only a few days left for the prize distribution. To her great surprise, Revathi found her potted plants not only taller and healthier than other balsam plants, but that they had started flowering a few days earlier than the other plants. The flowers were big and brightly coloured and one of the plants had an unusual mauve : of a pale kind of flower. The flowers were mauve with white stripes. purple colour That evening she knew, she would definitely get the prize for the best plants. She went to bed, dreaming of her plants and the new type of flowers. The next day was the all - important day. She got up in the morning and went straight to the courtyard to see her plants. Revathi blinked for a few minutes, for there was neither the pot nor the plants. She looked to see if someone had moved the pot. She searched all over. She asked her mother. Her mother said she knew nothing either about the pot or the plants. Some of the neighbours had been to their house the previous afternoon and had remarked at the beautiful flowers and the healthy - looking plants in the pot. But later, she had been busy inside the house and had been not to the courtyard. knew no bounds : Revathi’s grief knew no bounds. She went around had no limits asking every one of her neighbours but no one had been anywhere near the pot of plants. She could not lodge a complaint for a pot of plants. She felt as though everything was lost. She did not mind, not getting the prize but she really missed her plants. She had grown very fond of them. They were her friends, who enjoyed her music. That evening, all her friends were going to the prize What shock did distribution ceremony. She did not want to attend. But her Revathi receive on friends forced her to. After reaching the place, she went to the prize distribution the benches where the potted plants were displayed. Revathi day? was shocked. There was her pot of plants on a bench, with the name of a distant neighbour of hers as the competitor written on a small piece of cardboard and placed in the 18 soil. She knew it was her pot of plants. She went to the organisers of the show and told them about it. The organisers were not convinced. They said, ‘‘How can you prove that the plants are yours? The lady How did Revathi plan to convince the who submitted them is a regular participant. How can we organisers that the doubt her?’’ plants were hers? Revathi wondered how to convince them. She sat there for a few minutes looking at the plants. The sight of the plants bending towards her while she played her violin Why did the organisers flashed across her mind. She told the organisers that she refuse to believe that Revathi’s plants were could prove the plants were hers. She ran home. When she music lovers? returned a few minutes later with her violin in, they started laughing. But their ridicule did not deter her from her mission. ridicule : unkind She told them, ‘‘I know my plants and I share a secret with laughter deter : discourage them. My plants are music - lovers like me and you could mission : an see how they respond when I play to them.’’ important task They all laughed louder saying that they had never undertaken heard of plants enjoying music. They asked her, ‘‘Do plants have ears like us to enjoy your music?’’ No one believed her. She felt very dejected but was determined to win dejected : sad, her plants back. She sat near her plants with her violin disappointed and slowly started playing her favourite raga. Engrossed in her music, Revathi even forget her plants for a time, but the others could not. With wonder in their eyes, they watched the plants. Straight at first, they bent slightly. As she played on and on, their stems bent towards Revathi as though stunned : astonished and amazed they wanted to touch her, in their happiness. The organisers were stunned. They had watched a new 19  phenomenon of plants responding to music and Revathi had become a great discoverer. phenomenon : something that is very They all applauded her and said they were convinced unusual that the plants were hers. applauded : showed They pulled her neighbour up for cheating them and praise by clapping she accepted, after a long argument, that she had stolen pulled up : told Revathi’s plants. She said while walking past Revathi’s someone they had house she had spotted the plants and had removed the pot in done something wrong the night to her house and submitted it later for the contest. Why had no one As she was a regular participant, no one doubted her. suspected that the The authorities decided that Revathi’s plants deserved neighbour had stolen the plants? the first prize as they were the best - looking and healthy. Revathi carried home the prize proudly with her pot of What is the happy end? plants. 1. Read the story and complete the following. (a) At first, Revathi’s plants did not look normal and healthy because, (b) When Revathi played her favourite raga, the plants began to move because, (c) Revathi’s grief knew no bounds because, (d) Revathi was confident of proving her ownership of her pot of plants because, (e) Revathi won the prize for the ‘Best plant’ because, 2. Answer in your own words. (a) What did Revathi discover about her balsam plants? (b) Why did she decide to keep her new knowledge ‘a secret’? (c) How did the plants respond when Revathi played her favourite tune? (d) How did the plants react to the fast rhythmic music? (e) How did Revathi prove to the organisers of the competition, that the plants truly belonged to her? (f) What helped Revathi to claim her plants - her belief in magic or the belief in her convictions? Explain your choice. 20 3. (A) A word chain consists of words of a certain category that begin with the letter that the previous word has ended with. Complete the word chain adding four nouns from the text. Music - courtyard - d............... ,.............. ,............... ,................ (B) Add the appropriate Prefix to make the following words oppposite in meaning. l continue l possible l certain l definite l believe l important l place l known l regular (C) Use the following expressions to make sentences of your own. l make up one’s mind l flash across one’s mind l struck as odd l to surmise l knew no bounds l not to deter 4. Imagine there is a ‘Best Plant’ Competition in the locality / colony where you live. Frame a Notice about the same, in the form of an attractive poster. Cover the following points. (1) Name of the organisation (2) Name of the Contest (3) Day, Date, Venue (4) Who can participate (5) Prizes (6) Contact details for further enquiry 5. Types of sentences Study the following sentences. Set (A) l Revathi was a student of music. l The flowers were big and brightly coloured; indeed. l They were requested to believe her. All the above sentences are statements or assertions, and called Assertive or Declarative sentences. Set (B) l Wasn’t Revathi a student of music? l How can we doubt her? l Do plants have ears? The above sentences in Set (B) are Questions. They are called Interrogative sentences. Set (C) l Please believe me. l Let us watch the fun. l Sit straight. l Excuse me. 21  In Set (C) the sentences are either requests, appeals, commands, suggestions etc. Such sentences are called Imperative Sentences. Set (D) l How big and bright the flowers were ! l What a surprise ! l Ah, what beautiful music that is ! Set (D) has sentences that express strong feelings. They are called Exclamatory Sentences. State the kinds of the following sentences. (1) How happily she played the violin! (2) They all bent towards her. (3) Don’t play that quick tune. (4) She kept the knowledge a secret. (5) How can plants enjoy music? (6) How proudly did Revathi carry home her prize! (7) What could have taken my plants? (8) The organisers were not convinced. 6. Make the following Negative using the negative words given. (1) There were a few potted plants in the courtyard. (not many) (2) They looked healthier than the other plants. (not as healthy as) (3) She refused to share her secret. (would not) (4) She went around asking everyone about her plants. (No one / did not) 7. Make the following Affirmative using the words given. (1) There was no breeze. (hardly) (2) Their ridicule did not deter her. (failed to) (3) Her mother knew nothing about it. (denied) (4) She did not give up. (refuse to) 8. Imagine that Revathi’s father is abroad on business and she wishes to convey the news of her prize - winning plants. Draft an email for the above subject. (Use an email format.) 22  WORD PLAY ANAGRAMS An anagram is a play on words created by rearranging the letters of the original words to make a new word or phrase. Anagrams can be fun and witty. We can often find examples of anagrams in everyday life. For example : state - taste, dusty - study, save - vase, thing - night, etc. Group Activity : Divide the class in four groups. The first group finds out anagrams of 3 letters, the second group finds out anagrams of 4 letters, the third and fourth groups find out anagrams of 4 and 5 letters respectively, in the given time. The group which collects maximum anagrams in the given time, will be the winner. Individual Activity : Make anagrams of the following words. Remember that an anagram contains exactly the same letters, no more no less, only in a different order. ten dairy glean former auctioned listen allergy funeral teacher dormitory MOTHER TONGUE OR OTHER TONGUE? There are some words in English which sound like words in your mother tongue. But, if you consider the meaning and use, you realize that they are different words altogether. For example : Words Meaning in English Meaning in Marathi Meaning in Hindi Rose a flower daily everyday Sun / Son a star / a male heir festival year Piece / peace a bit / calm a feather grind calm peaceful work work Activity : Now complete the following table. Words Meaning in English Meaning in Marathi Boat a finger daughter-in-law Rope a strong cord Lake a body of fresh water surrounded by land name a word/words by which a person or thing is known more greater in amount or degree case container Find more such English words which would be meaningful in your mother tongue, too. 23  Riddles Group Activity : The teacher divides the class into four groups. The teacher asks the groups to read the riddles and choose the correct answer for each one. The group that finishes correctly first is the winner. What comes down but never goes up ? What has hands but cannot clap? Everyone has it and no one can lose it. What is it? What has an eye but cannot see? I have teeth but I cannot bite. Who am I? What starts with P and ends with E and has more than 1000 letters? Where does Friday come before Thursday? We see it once in a year, twice in a week and never in a day. What is it? What can travel around the world while it remains in a corner? (a date / a comb / the letter ‘E’ clock / your name / a bottle / a stamp / in a dictionary / rain / a shadow / post office / needle) Collect / make up your own riddles in a group and present before in the class. 2. Word Building (a) Reduplication : The root / stem of a word is repeated exactly or with a slight change. For example, tweet-tweet, pitter-patter, chit-chat, bang-bang, riff-raff. (b) Blending : Parts of two or more words combine to form a new one. For example : l breakfast + lunch = brunch l smoke + fog = smog l motor + hotel = motel (c) Clipping : Reducing a word to one of its syllables or a part of it. For example: l Mathematics - Maths l Advertisement - Ad l Laboratory - Lab (d) Acronym : Words formed from the first letter of each of the words involved. For example: l radar, scuba, Unicef, Nasa l BBC, CID, USA, ATM, VIP l DOB, KYC, PM, GN, TY etc. In your notebook, write five examples of each of the above types of word-building devices. (You may take the help of a Dictionary / Internet.) 24  (A) Grow a Sentence : Frame a meaningful sentence in English. It should be short and simple. For example : ‘Yesterday , I bought a story book’. Write it down on a card. Next day try to expand the same sentence. For example : Yestreday, I bought a story book written by Leo Tolstoy. On the third day, expand the previous sentence even more. For example : Yesterday, I bought a story book written by Leo Tolstoy, who is a famous Russian writer. Keep this up, till you can. Make sure there is connectivity and proper meaning to your final output. Confirm if your final sentence is appropriate, from your teacher. (B) A Proverb a day Choose a Proverb every day. Try to understand its meaning and implied meaning if any. Write the proverb in a separate book and explain its meaning (in a different font). For example : A stitch in time saves nine. (Bad habits or weaknesses should be controlled / corrected in time before they become a habit.) Now write a new proverb each day till you have a good collection of at least 25 to 30 proverbs along with their meaning in simple words. You may share and discuss with your teacher / parents / classmates. (C) Expressions! Using a similar pattern, as for proverbs think of a situation and what expression comes out spontaneously in spoken English. For example : Situation - shock Expression - Oh no ! Situation - Joy Expression - Wow! How lovely ! 25  2.1 Vocation (1) Pick out words that refer to ‘means of living’ and fill them in the Web. (profession / recreation / occupation / job / pastime / employment / hobby /career / entertainment / mission / trade / buisness /sports /retirement / placement) Means of Living Vocation (2) Using a good dictionary, find the shades of difference in the following : ‘Profession’ refers to ‘Vocation’ refers to ‘Business’ refers to ‘Occupation’ refers to (3) When a word is formed from a sound associated with it, it is called an Onomatopoetic Word. For example : bang, tap, tinkle, crash, whistle etc. If an Onomatopoetic word occurs in the lines of a poem, the Figure of Speech in that line is Onomatopoeia. Write down eight to ten Onomatopoetic words on your own. 26  Vocation When the gong sounds ten in the morning and gong : a flat metal I walk to school by our lane, bell rung to draw people’s attention Every day I meet the hawker crying, ‘‘Bangles, crystal bangles!’’ There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no road he must take, no place he must go to, no time when he must come home. I wish I were a hawker, spending my day in the road, crying, ‘‘Bangles, crystal bangles!’’ When at four in the afternoon I come back from the school, I can see through the gate that house the gardener digging the ground. What does the He does what he likes with his spade, he soils hawker advertise his clothes with dust, nobody takes him to aloud? takes someone to task, if he gets baked in the sun or gets wet. task : scolds and I wish I were a gardener digging away at the corrects garden with nobody to stop me from digging. Just as it gets dark in the evening and my mother sends me to bed, I can see through my open window the one-eyed-giant : watchman walking up and down reference to a The lane is dark and lonely, and the street character from Greek lamp stands like a giant with one red eye Mythology (Homer’s in its head. Odyssey) The watchman swings his lantern and walks Who is scolded if he with his shadow at his side, and never once gets dirty? goes to bed in his life. What accompanies the watchman? I wish I were a watchman walking the street all night, chasing the chasing the shadows with my lantern. shadows : following - Rabindranath Tagore an imaginary goal/ target 27 1. Which of the following words / phrases match in meaning to the underlined ones? (a) deserted (b) exposed to heat (c) dirties the clothings (d) no particular route (e) following imaginary goals (f) scolds and corrects (i) nobody takes him to task (ii) if he gets baked in the sun (iii) chasing the shadows with my lantern (iv) The lane is dark and lonely (v) he soils his clothes with dust (vi) There is no road he must take 2. Read the poem and fill in the table. Time of the Location Poet’s Activity Hawker’s Gardener’s Watchman’s day Activities Activities Activities Morning Afternoon Night 3. Think and answer in your own words. (a) What could be the age group of the speaker in the poem? (b) What is the difference between a hawker and a shopkeeper? (c) How do parents react when they see children soil their clothes in dust and heat? (d) Why is the street light compared to a one-red-eyed-giant? (e) What exactly does the speaker in the poem crave for? (f) Does the poet really wish to become a hawker/gardener/watchman? Justify your response. 4. Say why the speaker of the poem wishes to be a - (a) hawker (b) gardener (c) watchman. 5. Pick out lines that contain Alliteration, Simile, Repetition, Onomatopoeia. 6. Some poets do not use uniformity in rhyming words, nor a steady rhythm. Such poems with no uniformity in rhyme, rhythm, length of lines or stanzas are called Free Verse. Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, Rabindranath Tagore are some famous poets who have composed poems in Free Verse. 28  A quick glance at the poem ‘Vocation’ reveals that the style used by Tagore is Free Verse. Now turn the pages of your textbook and see if you can find other poems in Free Verse. 7. What vocation / profession / business would you like to take up in future? Prepare a fact file for the same using the following points. (i) Name of the vocation / profession / business (ii) Educational qualifications required (iii) Work profile / description (iv) Opportunities for advancement (v) Your personal skills / talents for the choice 8. Read and understand the following poem ‘Paper Boats’ and write its paraphrase in your own simple language. (You may take the help of dictionary or internet.) The first line is done for you. (Day after day, one after another, I sail paper boats on the stream of flowing water.) Paper Boats Day by day I float my paper boats, one by one on the running stream. In big black letters I write my name on them and the name of the village where I live. I hope that someone in some strange land will find them and know who I am. I load my little boats with shiuli flower from our garden, and hope that these blooms of the dawn will be carried safely to land in the night. I launch my paper boats and look up into the sky and see the little clouds setting their white bulging sails. I know not what playmate of mine in the sky sends them down the air to race with my boats ! When night comes I bury my face in my arms and dream that my paper boats float on and on under the midnight stars. The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets full of dreams. (Note :‘lading’ means cargo loaded in a ship.) 29  2.2 Nature Created Man and Woman as Equals (A) Study the pictures below and note down the differences. Differences Differences (B) Now write what you observe in the following two pictures. (C) Which pictures reflect gender equality? Write their numbers. (D) Write down any two Slogans on ‘Gender Equality’. (1) (2) 30  Nature Created Man and Woman as Equals The house and its surroundings are a sight of peace in the early morning of April. It nestles by the side nestles : is close to of a small stream of crystal-clear water. The stream tumbles down the green mountains only two miles or so away. There is a stretch of hundreds of acres of fertile land rolling with yellow mustard flowers, between the rolling : extending mountain range and the house. A garden is in front in long gentle slopes of the house. Trees of many kinds bearing flowers of various hues and fruits grow on all sides of the house. The courtyard smells of jasmine which blooms in bunches of white pearls. The fragrance mingles with fragrance : pleasant the thin smoke that rises from sweet smelling incense smell sticks. The burning incense sticks are glowing at the Make a list of the altar of God in the middle of the courtyard. beautiful natural Ashangbi is in her reading - room and is busy surroundings of the writing an article. She is a middle - aged mother of three house. children and a journalist and woman’s rights activist. Lanthoi, her youngest daughter, enters the room. She What help did is an intelligent girl. Today she looks thoughtful and Lanthoi need from she takes a seat by her mother’s side. At the sight of her mother? her child, Ashangbi lovingly asks, “Have you finished symposium : a your study, my dear ?” “Yes, mother, I finished it last meeting at which night. Today being Sunday, I want to do something experts have interesting.” Lanthoi says and waits for her mother’s discussion on a response. “Tell me what you want to do,” Ashangbi particular subject asks her quite amused. “Mother, tomorrow I’m going presses on : to represent the Siroi Lily House as a speaker in a persuades some one symposium at our school. The topic is ‘God Created to do something Men and Women As Equals’. Will you spare some What did Lanthoi’s time to have a discussion with me ?” Lanthoi presses father work as? on her mother. Lanthoi has just had a discussion with her father discriminate : treat on the topic. Tomba, her father, is a husband supportive one person or group of the activities of his wife and a loving father. He is better or worse than a lawyer and a social worker, who advocates the cause another, in an unfair of women. He is always proud of his wife, the two way daughters and the son. In times of need, he extends In what way did his helping hand to his wife and children and to the Tomba contribute society at large. He does not discriminate between a towards Ashangbi’s man’s work and a woman’s work anywhere. He shares success? 31  equally with his wife in doing the household chores like cleaning, washing, cooking and feeding the children. Had he not shared in these activities in the way he does, his wife would not have been a successful professional. He wholeheartedly believes in equality irrespective of gender : fact of class, religion and gender. In his discussion with his being male or female daughter, he laments over the great injustice done on laments : expresses women in the society, telling her, “My dear child, the grief and sorrow world is still full of inequalities. We have to find a way to bring equality between men and women”. Her father’s words are still ringing in the ears of Lanthoi. And she tells her mother of what her father has told her. How did mother explain Lanthoi’s Appreciative of her husband for his views, topic for her speech Ashangbi says, “Your father is right. In no society do at school? women enjoy the same opportunities enjoyed by men. It is because of your father that I feel no difference or inequality at home. But, outside our home, I have subjugated : seen that women have been subjugated in many ways. controlled and It is against the will of God. God has sent men and dominated over women to our Earth to share the joys and sorrows of life equally, to share His blessings and to enjoy the bounty of Nature equally. This is what your topic means”. Ashangbi knows well that men and women are equal. Women, who are half of the human race, are as important as men. She writes and talks about such topics. Her daughter, though a child, also understands well that her mother is not a person of lesser quality than her father. She says, “Our home is full of love How is the role of with you, mother.” a mother honoured The mother beams with joy at the words of her and praised? daughter. As a matter of fact, mother is the fountain of love in a family. This bond of love is beyond glorified : praised comparison with anything else in the world. It is pioneer : a person because of this that motherhood has been glorified who is among the and women accept the challenges in life to become a first to take up a mother. cause especially in a Showing deep affection, Ashangbi continues, new region. “Pioneer women testify to the equality of women with men. Actually, life is not possible without both women testify : provide and men”. proof / evidence Lanthoi has been fascinated by the stories of pioneer women. Her grandmother had narrated many 32 stories of the brave queens like Linthoingambi and Kuranganayani, who were as brave as kings. There were also many brave women among the common people. These women, as her grandmother narrated, were makers of home, family, society and the nation. civilizing : educating They were civilizing influences. At the same time, they were also adventurers who claimed their shares in free land, ploughed and raised crops with their own What are the hands and drove cattle. Modern women have become achievements of mountaineers, naturalists, astronauts, scientists, soldiers modern women? and political leaders. This proves that there is nothing a woman cannot do and also that women and men throw light on : to were created as equals. give information or Then she asks her mother further, “Mother, you’ve explanation about thrown light on the equality of men and women and legal : related to also have emphasized that the world is still an unequal law world. Then, what I would like to know is if there are potential : the moral, social and legal provisions to enable women qualities that to express their physical and mental potential and to exist and can be set themselves free from suppression”. Amazed at the developed curiosity of her daughter, Ashangbi adds : “There are many. Under the aegis of the United under the aegis : Nations, there is a declaration for a new world of with the protection equality. It has the following dimensions : or support of (a) equal access to basic social services including (a particular health and education, organization or person) (b) equal participation in political and economic dimensions : aspects decision - making, (c) equal reward for equal work, and (d) elimination of discrimination and violence against elimination : getting women.” rid of Then the mother concluded, “My dear daughter, we What social justice can affirm along with the United Nations that men and does the aegis of women are equals.” the United Nations guarantee? Lanthoi understands what her mother means and what the topic of the symposium means. Thus, What vision meets confident of success, the next day, after thanking her her eye, when mother, the girl of twelve happily rushes out of the Lanthoi rushes room in the bright morning sun. The blue sky meets outdoors? the range of the eastern mountains. The small girl is always fascinated by the small trail which winds up What does that the distant purple mountain. vision symbolize? 33 1. (A) Find from the lesson words / phrases that mean the following. (a) colours (b) a person who writes for newspapers/magazines (c) make a difference between (d) cry over (e) explain in detail (f) abilities and qualities (g) same availability (h) a person who brings about a social/political change (B) Pick out five Compound words from the lesson. 2. Answer in your own words. (a) Read and write down 5 points which prove that Tomba (Lanthoi’s father) firmly believes in gender equality. (b) In what ways is Ashangbi different from other women of her community? (c) What are the provisions in the Declaration of the United Nations, to ensure equality of men and women? 3. Who said to whom and when / why? When / Who said? To whom? why?......the world is full of inequalities. I want to do something interesting. It is against the will of God. Our home is full of love............. we can affirm along with United Nations that men and women are equal. 34 4. We have studied in previous classes that Pronouns are words used instead of Nouns. We also know about Personal Pronouns like I, you, he, she, my, your, his, her, they etc. There are other words also which are used in place of nouns. (i) This, that, these, those point to some noun. For example : ‘This is a kingfisher.’ ‘Those are herons.’ Such Pronouns are called Demonstrative Pronouns. (ii) Some pronouns not only replace nouns, but also connect two sentences. For example : ‘Biology is a science. It studies living organisms.’ Biology is a science which / that studies living organisms. Some other such pronouns are who, whose, whom etc. They are called Relative Pronouns. (iii) Some pronouns are used to ask questions. For example : What is your name? Which is your coat? Who is your coach? The underlined words are Interrogative Pronouns. Underline the Pronouns in the following sentences and name their types. (1) What do you want to do? (2) It is because of your father that I feel no inequality. (3) This is what your topic means. (4) She is fascinated by the small trail, which winds up the mountain. 5. Read the following lines. Imagine it is the beginning of an instance you have experienced. Complete the incident using your imagination. Give it a positive ending. I had often noticed that in my neighbour’s family, the son was greatly pampered, but the daughter was treated unfairly. I could not bear this. So one day I decided to....................................... Continue the write-up, with your own ideas, in about 12 - 15 lines. 6. Project : From your school library or internet collect quotations / slogans promoting gender equality. Make decorative posters with pictures of outstanding women or sketches or illustrations of your choice. With permission, put up the posters in your school surroundings. 35  2.3 The Worm (1) ‘Worms play a very important role in maintaining ecological balance. They are friends of farmers.’ Form groups and discuss the significance of worms in the above two roles. (2) Think and write down how the following creatures can be useful : (a) Dragonfly : (b) Spider : (c) Ants : (d) Honeybees : (e) Earthworms : (3) Little creatures in nature can also be your teachers. Think and write what we can learn from the following. (a) Bees : (b) Ants : (c) Spiders : (d) Caterpillars : (4) Breeding worms to use them to convert organic waste into fertilizer is called vermiculture or vermicomposting. Find out more about Vermiculture and how you can carry out the same in your garden / backyard, to fertilize your plants at home. 36  The Worm Turn, turn thy hasty foot aside, hasty : hurried and careless Nor crush that helpless worm ! scornful : filled with The frame thy scornful looks deride hate deride : express Requir’d a God to form. hatred Why should we take The common Lord of all that move, care even of small worms? From whom thy being flow’d, thy being : your life, A portion of His boundless love existence On that poor worm bestow’d. bestow’d : given as a gift The sun, the moon, the stars He made To all His Creatures free : What other And spreads o’er earth the grassy blade, creations of God are mentioned? For worms as well as thee. Let them enjoy their little day, lowly : humble, Their lowly bliss received; simple O do not lightly take away bliss : joy, pleasure The life thou canst not give ! Explain the thought in the last two lines - Thomas Gisborne in simple words. 1. Read the poem aloud and you will find some old outdated words that we do not use in everyday language now. However, some writers / poets use them to impart an old-fashioned flavour to suit the background of their write-up. Such words are called Archaic words. Give the modern words for the archaic words from the poem. thy being 37  bestow’d thee thou cans’t Read any poem / sonnet by William Shakespeare. Pick out archaic words and guess what they mean. 2. The poet uses a device where he directly addresses someone absent or abstarct. Such a device is the Figure of Speech called ‘Apostrophe’. For example : Turn, turn thy hasty foot aside. l Pick out any two other lines from the poem that contain an Apostrophe. 3. Think and answer in your own words in your notebook. (a) Why does the poet appeal to us, to respect the life of a worm? (b) Why do you think God created worms? What is their ecological importance? (c) ‘Live and let live’ is a famous proverb. Which lines from the poem support this proverb? (d) Does the poem urge us to protect only worms? What is the general message conveyed through this poem? 4. Find from the library or internet other poems composed on tiny living creatures. Try to understand the message in each of them. 5. ‘Even small things in nature play a big role. So protect nature!’ Frame some slogans based on the above topic. Draft a short speech on the above topic, which you could give at your school assembly. Use the following steps while drafting. Greeting Salutation Self - introduction Introduction of the topic Body of the speech Conclusion Expression of gratitude to the audience 6. Paraphrase the poem in your own simple language. Write it down in your notebook. 7. Frame a pointwise analysis of the poem ‘The Worm’. Use the following points. (a) Poem and poet : (b) Theme : (c) Tone : (d) Structure and stanzas : (e) Rhyme and Rhythm : (f) Language and Imagery : (g) Figures of Speech : 38  2.4 Three Visions for India 1. Read the Preamble of the Constitution of India given in your textbook. Pick out words that refer to the following. (i) Brotherhood (ii) Freedom (iii) Earnestly and seriously (iv) Fair and impartial treatment (v) Having supreme authority (vi) Unity and oneness (vii) A promise made to oneself 2. Finite and Non- finite Verbs. Verbs are Action words. They can be Finite or Non-finite. Read the sentences below, focusing on the verbs. (a) I play football. (b) He plays football. (c) They play football. (d) Manish plays football. We notice that the verb ‘play’ as we change the person (First / Second / Third) or Number (Singular / Plural) of the Subject. When the use of a verb is limited by the Person or Number of the Noun / Pronoun in the Subject, we call it a Finite Verb. l Now read the sentences below. (a) I like to play football. (b) He likes to play football. (c) They like playing football. (d) Manish likes to play football. In the sentences above the verb ‘to play’ or ‘playing’ do not change or take ‘-s’ or ‘-es’ after them, even when we change the Person or Number of the Subject. to + verb / verb + ing /