The Talking Potato PDF - Children's Story

## Lesson - 12 ### THE TALKING POTATO **A. WARMER** What would be your reaction if a flower started talking to you? Will you be glad or sad? Now read this story: There was a farmer. He lived in a village. He had sown potatoes in his field, but he hadn't taken time to weed and water the potatoe...

## Lesson - 12 ### THE TALKING POTATO **A. WARMER** What would be your reaction if a flower started talking to you? Will you be glad or sad? Now read this story: There was a farmer. He lived in a village. He had sown potatoes in his field, but he hadn't taken time to weed and water the potatoes. After two months he went to dig up the potatoes. As he started digging, a voice said, "Why have you waited so long to come to me? You have not watered or cared for me. Go away and leave me alone!" "Who's speaking?" The farmer asked looking around him. "It's a potato" answered the dog. "And he is right, you know. You were lazy." The farmer was frightened. He could not believe his dog was speaking. He decided to tie the dog with a vine. He cut a vine sticking to a tree. "Hang me back on the tree," said the vine. The farmer became pale with fear when he heard the vine talking. He threw the vine on a rock. "Get the vine away from me," said the rock. The farmer was terribly afraid. He ran to the village as fast as he could. He wanted to tell the Mukhiya what he had heard. Soon he came to a fisherman who was catching fish with a net. "Why are you running, farmer? Is any lion chasing your?" asked the fisherman. "It is not that at all," explained the farmer. "This morning a potato said: 'Leave me alone.' My dog said: 'He is right.' When I cut a vine, the vine said: 'Hang me back on the tree.' I threw the vine on the rock and the rock said: 'Get the vine away from me.' Now I am going to tell the Mukhiya what I have heard." "Can any potato talk?" said the fisherman. He could not believe the story. "You must be joking." The fisherman's net spoke up: "Did the farmer get the vine away?" The fisherman was afraid. He dropped the net and ran to the village with the farmer. Soon they came to a tailor who was sewing a shirt. "Why are you running, so fast? Is any tiger chasing you?" asked the tailor. "It is not that at all," explained the farmer. "This morning a potato said: 'Leave me alone.' My dog said: 'He is right.' When I cut a vine, the vine said: 'Hang me back on the tree.' I threw the vine on the rock and the rock said: 'Get the vine away from me.' "And then," said the fisherman, "my net said, 'Did the farmer get the vine away?' "You must have been dreaming," said the tailor. "You are right," said the tailor's shirt. Now the tailor was afraid. He also ran with the farmer and the fisherman. They went to the Mukhiya. He was sitting in a chair. "Speak," said the Mukhiya. "Mukhiya Ji," said the farmer, "This morning a potato said: 'Leave me alone.' My dog said: 'He is right.' When I cut a vine, the vine said: 'Hang me back on the tree.' I threw the vine on the rock and the rock said: 'Get the vine away from me.' "And then," added the fisherman, "my net said, 'Did the farmer get the vine away?' "And my shirt said to me: 'You are right,'" said the tailor. "You fools!" said the Mukhiya angrily, "How dare you talk such nonsense to me. Go back to your work or I'll punish you." At once all the three men ran back. "Imagine!" said the Mukhiya's chair. "A potato that talks!" Now what do you think the Mukhiya would have done? ### GLOSSARY AND NOTES | Word | Meaning | |---|---| | to sow | (टु‌ सो), बोना | | to weed | (टू‌ वीड), निराना | | water | (वाटर), सिंचाई करना | | dig up | (डिग अप), खोदना | | cared | (केअर्ड), ध्यान रखा | | alone | (अलउन), अकेला | | lazy | (लेजी), आलसी | | frightened | (फ्राइटेन्ड), डराया | | plant | remove or get rid of grass etc. | | irrigate | | | soil | break up and trun over or move | | looked after | | | lonely | unwilling to work | | full of fear, afraid | | | Word | Meaning | |---|---| | pale | (पेल), फीका | | vine | (वाइन), अंगूर की लता | | terribly | (टेरिबली), भयानक | | explain | (इक्सप्लेइन), स्पष्ट करना समझाना | | believe | (बिलीव), विश्वास | | joking | (जोकिंग), मजाक | | sewing | (सिउइंग), सिलाई | | chase | (चेइज), पीछे पड़ना | | dreaming | (ड्रीमिंग), सपना | | dare | (डेअ(र)), हिम्मत | | imagine | (इमैजिन), कल्पना करना | | lose in colour | | | plants which grow grapes | | | very badly extremely | | | to make something clear or easy to understand | | | feel that somebody is telling the truth | | | to say something to make people laugh | | | join pieces of cloth using a needle and thread | | | run after | | | a series of pictures of events which happen in our mind while we are asleep | | | enough courage to do something. | | to think that something is probably true | | ### **B. COMPREHENSION** **B.1 Think and Tell** Answer the following: 1. What does a farmer do? 2. Where did the farmer live? 3. Was the farmer lazy? How? 4. What did the vine say to the farmer? 5. Who said "A potato that talks!"? **B.2 Think and Write** **B.2.1 True of False** Based on the story write 'true' or 'false' next to each sentence given below: (a) The farmer had sown potatoes in his garden. (b) The farmer became frightened when his dog spoke to him? (c) The farmer wanted to tell the fisherman what he had heard. (d) The tailor was sewing a pant. (e) The Mukhiya believed what the three men told him. **B.2.2 Tick (✔) the right option for each of the following:** 1. The farmer became pale with fear when he heard the vine talking. What happened just after that? (a) He ran back home. (b) He wanted to tell the Mukhiya what he had heard. (c) He threw the vine on the rock and the rock said 'Get the vine away from me.' 2. The fisherman dropped the net and ran to the village with the farmer because (a) He became afraid after hearing the farmer's story. (b) The fisherman's net spoke up. (c) He was a ghost. 3. 'You fools!' said the Mukhiya angrily because (a) The Mukhiya did not believe the story of the farmer, fisherman and the tailor. (b) They must have heard the potato, vine, rock, net and the shirt speaking. **B.2.3 Answer each of the following in not more than 50 words:** (a) Why was the farmer frightened? (b) Why did the tailor run with the farmer? (c) Why was the Mukhiya angry? (d) Which six things spoke that frightened the farmer, the fisherman, the tailor and the Mukhiya? (e) Why did the potato complain to the farmer? (f) What would have the Mukhiya done hearing the chair's voice? ### **C. WORD POWER** **C.1 Match the persons with the instruments they use:** | Person | Instrument | |---|---| | farmer | saw | | fisherman | awl | | tailor | net | | cobbler | sewing machine | | carpenter | sickle | **C.2 Find out the words that have meanings opposite to the following:** - town - wrong - pick - wish - evening ### **D. GRAMMAR** **Question Making** Example: "Why are you running, farmer? Is any lion chasing you?" asked the fisherman. You have noticed the words like 'who', 'why', 'what' and 'when' in your text. They are called 'wh' words and are used to ask questions. Some other 'wh' words are given below: - whose - whom - which - how - where Now use the words given in the box to complete the following dialogue: - What - When - Where - Why - Who - Which - How Soham as student of class VI of Delhi meets Pankaj another student of Class of VI while travelling by train to Patna. - Soham: ______ is your name? - Pankaj: My name is Pankaj Kumar. - Soham: ______ class do you study? - Pankaj: I study in class VI. - Soham: ______ far is your school from home? - Pankaj: My school is 1 km. away from my house. - Soham: ______ are you going? - Pankaj: I am going to Patna. - Soham: ______ are you travelling with? - Pankaj: I am travelling with my parents. - Soham: ______ is your hometown? - Pankaj: My hometown is in Patna. - Soham: ______ will you reach Patna? - Pankaj: I will reach Patna by 5.30 in the moring. - Soham: ______ else stays in Patna along with you? - Pankaj: My grand parents and uncles stay along with us. - Soham: Nice to meet you. ### **E. LET'S TALK AND WRITE** Discuss in your group how you will feel and behave if the desk in your classroom started talking to you. Then write a paragraph on it. **E.1** Discuss in pairs. What would you do if your book started talking to you? **E.2** "Imagine!" said the Mukhiya's chair. "A potato that talks!" Now what do you think the Mukhiya would have done? Imagine and write a few sentences on what the Mukhiya would have done after his chair had started speaking. ### **F. TRANSLATION** **F.1** Translate the following into English: (a) तुम आज देर से क्यों आये? कुत्ते ने रामू से पूछा। (b) कुत्ते का प्रश्न सुनकर रामू डर गया। (c) क्या कुत्ता भी हमारी आवाज में बोल सकता है? (d) रामू डरकर वहाँ से जाने लगा। (e) कुत्ते ने उसे फिर पुकारा 'मत जाओ।' मेरी बात सुनो। ### **G. LANGUAGE GAME** **G.1** Hidden Sentence Game This is a very interesting game which you can play with your partner. Write a sentence and hide it by adding an unwanted letter at as many places as you like. For example, you write "I LOVE MY INDIA." Now hide it by adding an unwanted letter D. The sentence will now look like this: "DIDLOVEDMYDINDIAD". Write a sentence, hide it, and ask your partner to find out the word.