Class - VII English (Non IAS)
ENGLISH READER
(Prose & Poetry)
CONTENTS
Lesson – 1 : THE ADVENTURE WITH THE LION
LESSON – 2 : CHAMARI,THE MAN OF THE MASSES
LESSON – 3 : RADIUM, THE MAGIC METAL
LESSON – 4 : A BIRTHDAY PRESENT
POEM – 2 : A NATION’S STRENGTH
LESSON – 5 : THE LAST PRAYER
LESSON – 6 : THE SHEIK’S WHITE DONKEY
POEM – 3 : THE NIGHTINGALE
LESSON – 7 : TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
POEM – 4 : FROM A RAILWAY CARRIAGE
POEM – 5 : IN THE HEART OF A SEED
LESSON – 9 : DICTIONARY JOHNSON
LESSON – 10 : A SUPREME SACRIFICE
POEM – 6 : SILVER
LESSON – 11 : A COLOURFUL PEOPLE
POEM – 7 : PALANQUIN-BEARERS
L- 1
THE ADVENTURE WITH THE LION
I. New words:
1. squire
2. adventures
3. moments
4. magician
5. unfasten
6. probably
7. terror
8. lance
9. shield
10. immense
11. stretched
12. pieces
13. necessary
14. unwilling
15. honour
16. satisfied
17. certainly
18. dangerous
II. MEANINGS:
1. mule = animal that is half donkey and half horse
2. unfasten = untie
3. to make a living = to earn money in order to live
4. lance = spear
5. immense = very big
6. moments = point or brief portion of time
7. pity = feeling sorrow
8. terror = fear
9. honour = integrity
III. OPPOSITES:
1.leader x follower
2.softly x rudely
3.fasten x unfasten
4.necessary x unnecessary
5.safe x unsafe, dangerous
6.immense x tiny
7.carefully x carelessly, recklessly
8.honour x dishonour
9.certainly x uncertainly
10.brave x coward
Answer the following questions:
Q1. Was the adventure with the lion the first adventure of Don Quixote? How do you know?
Ans. No, the adventure with the lion was not the very first adventure of Don Quixote. It is given in the first paragraph of the lesson that they were in search of new adventures, which means that they had a few older ones.
Q2. Was it a big lion? How was the lion described?
Ans. It was a huge lion of all those that have been brought from Africa. The sight of its foot made Sancho think that it must be as big as a mountain.
Q3. Why did the driver want to take the mules away?
Ans. The mules were the only source of income to the driver. He was afraid that the hungry lion might kill them first and so took them away.
Q4. ‘You are so afraid, Sancho’ said Don Quixote. How did Don know that Sancho was afraid?
Ans. Sancho peeped into the cage, saw a foot of the lion and thought that it must be as big as a mountain. He discouraged his master and asked him not to fight it. This proved to Don that he was afraid.
Q5. ‘.......but you know what to say’ Guess what Don wanted Sancho to tell Dulcinea?
Ans. Don wanted Sancho to tell Dulcinea that he fought a huge lion bravely but was killed.
Q6. Why did the cart driver refuse to beat the lion?
Ans. The cart driver feared that he would be the first victim of the lion and would be torn into pieces if he angered it by beating. So he refused to beat the lion.
Q7. ‘You are certainly the winner’, Who is the winner? Who is the loser?
Ans. Don Quixote is the winner and the lion is the loser.
Q8. You have done all that is necessary. What did Don Quixote do?
Ans. Don Quixote faced the lion bravely though at every step his squire, Sancho, discouraged him and the cart driver tried to frighten him away.
Q9. But the lion took no notice of the brave knight. Why do you think, did the lion not take notice of the knight?
Ans. Don Quixote neither challenged the lion nor angered it. So it might have mistaken him for a visitor.
Make sentences:
1. adventures –
2.unfasten-
3. probably-
4. terror-
5. immense-
6.honour-
7.certainly-
8.dangerous-
Punctuation:
1. stop cried don Quixote and say what you are carrying in the cart
2. is it big this lion asked don Quixote so big answered the man who was riding on the cart that I have never seen a lion of such size
3. fool answered don Quixote take your mules away if you wish you will soon see how unnecessary your fears are
4. you are right said don Quixote shut the door of the cage
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L – 2
CHAMARI, THE MAN OF MASSES
New words;
1. employed
2. responsible
3. accounts
4. correctness
5. doubted
6. surrounded
7. eagerly
8. unloading
9. quarter
10. opportunity
11. satisfaction
12. seasonal
13. temporary
14. gradually
15. assessed
16. sufferers
17. hastily
18. infested
19. poisonous
20. dread
21. frightened
22. infection
23. squatting
24. lantern
25. appearance
26. sockets
27. sufficient
28. heroically
29. sustain
30. gallant
31. funeral
32. arrived
II. Meanings:
1. pile = heap
2. wages = salary
3. seasonal = only in a particular season
4. assess = calculate the worth of
5. break out = spread in a big way
6. nurse = help the patients
7. infest with = be present in large number
8. squat = sit down on one’s heels
9. dread = be terribly afraid of
10. socket = hollow space in which the eye is situated
11. sustain = hold up
12. gallant = brave
II. Opposites:
1. responsible x irresponsible
2. respected x disrespected
3. loading x unloading
4. satisfaction x dissatisfaction
5. temporary x permanent
6. gradually x suddenly
7. majority x minority
8. employer x employee
9. sufficient x insufficient , scarce
10. gallant x timid , coward
Answer the following questions
Q1. What qualities in Chamari did Jim Corbett like?
Ans. Jim Corbett liked Chamari because he was kind, honest, hard working and very helpful. He was loved by all.
Q2. How did the workers enjoy the Sunday evenings?
Ans. The workers met and talked to each other on Sunday evenings. They also collected their week’s wages and enjoyed.
Q3. Why were the people standing round Chamari’s bed, silent?
Ans. The people saw Chamari on his deathbed. He was affected by cholera and was fighting for his life. So the people who surrounded him remained silent.
Q4. Why did people respect Chamari?
Ans. Chamari was held in great respect by all for being their head. He always helped those who were in need of help.
Q5. Why did Jim Corbett take a stick with him when he went to Chamari’s house?
Ans. The place where Jim Corbett lived Mokameh Ghat,was infested with poisonous snakes. So he took a stick with him in order to protect him from snakes when he went to Chamari’s house.
Q6. Why did Jim Corbett remove Chamari to the courtyard?
Ans. The room in which Chamari was laid was very hot. So Jim moved him to the courtyard so that he could get sufficient fresh air to breathe.
Q7. There will never again be a funeral like Chamari’s. What do you understand?
Ans. Chamari was so kind and loving to all the people of his village that they wanted to pay homage to him. All the people whether rich or poor, Christian, Mohammaden or an untouchable came to his funeral pyre to see him off last. Such a funeral was uncommon at Mokameh Ghat.
Make sentences:
1.responsible –
2.temporary –
3.hastily –
4.sufficient –
5.urgent –
Punctuation:
1. at about 4 a.m. chamari suddenly sat up and in an urgent and perfectly natural voice said maharaj maharaj where are you
2. he said maharaj parameshwar is calling me and I must go
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L-3
RADIUM, THE MAGIC METAL
New words:
1. Radium
2. scarce
3. dangerous
4. approach
5. waistcoat
6. lecture
7. powerful
8. pitchblende
9. mysterious
Meanings :
1.scarce = very rare
2. peel off = to come off ; to whither
3. sore = wound
4. heal = cure
5. absorb = take in
6. tumour = painless swellings in the body
7. yield = gain
Answer the following questions
Q1. Why is radium dangerous?
Ans. If half a kilo of radium could be gathered at one spot, it would kill
people who came near it. There would be no pain if you handle
the metal, but in a week or two your skin would peel off, your
eyes would become blind and death would soon follow. This is
how radium is so powerfully dangerous.
Q2. How do we know that radium has the power to shine?
Ans. A scientist once kept his radium tubes in a paste-board box for
sometime. When the box was broken he removed the tubes and
threw the box aside. Several days later, he found the
discarded box glowing in the dark. This means that the box had
absorbed some shining power of radium.
Q3. How is radium helpful to man?
Ans. Radium cures cancers and the suffering is relieved. In addition,
it is also used as a kind of radium paint on power line switches,
watch and clock dials, labels for poison bottles, key holes and
the eyes of children’s dolls.
Q4. Why is radium paint used on
a) power-line switches?
b) Eyes of children’s dolls?
Ans. When a person enters a dark room, the radium on the power
line switches glows and helps him in knowing where the
switches are in order to switch them on and illuminate the
room. He needn’t search for long.
Children love dolls and most often sleep with dolls on
their beds. In dark, the radium in the eyes of dolls glows and
amuses the children. It gives a good appearance.
Q5. What is the other metal, which shines in darkness? How was it
extracted?
Ans. Uranium is the other metal, apart from radium, which shines in
darkness. In 1896, Uranium was accidentally discovered by
Becquerel, a French man, from an ore called Pitchblende.
Q6. Why is radium a mysterious metal?
Ans. Many facts about radium and its uses remain undisclosed even
till date as scientists couldn’t dare to explore more about this
metal. But they believe that this metal has many hidden
secrets which would be a key to science once discovered. So, it
is considered as a mysterious metal.
Make sentences:
1. scarce-
2. gathered-
3. approach-
4. peel off-
5. glow-
6. discarded-
7. absorbed-
8. cure-
9. treat-
10.emit-
11.concluded-
12.mysterious-
Punctuation:
1. how radium was discovered is a fascinating story in 1896 bacquerel a Frenchman was doing some experiment
L-4
A Birthday Present
New words:
1. receiving
2. measure
3. sermonizing
4. doling out
5. tempted
6. traveller
7. wisdom
8. wandered
9. attire
10.curious
11.ignorant
12.reside
13.possess
14.sympathy
15.forgotten
16.revolution
17.endeavour
18. sacrifice
19.message
20.soldiers
21.fortunate
22.secrecy
23.inspired
24.private
25.furtively
26.struggle
Meanings:
1. sermonizing = giving long talk about what one should do
2. dole out = to give ( to people in need )
3. staff = long stick
4. ignorant = lacking knowledge
5. inspire = to be the force which produces
6. sacred = holy
7. trust = treasure
8. furtively = trying to escape notice
9. tempted = get attracted
10. wandered = to travel about without destination or purpose
11. attire = dress
12. endeavour = to make an effort to do or bring about
13. sympathy = loyalty
14. privacy = the condition of being private
15. secrecy = the condition or quality of being secret
16. armour = a defensive covering
17. drama = the art or profession of acting
18. skit = a short theoritical sketch, a play
19. dialogue = a literary work in which the characters are represented
20. monologue = a story or a drama told by one character
21. act = to play the part of , impersonate
22. costume = clothing or style of dress
23. melodrama = originally a drama with a romantic story or a plot
24. advise = caution, instruct
25. advice = recommendation on how to act
26. practise = do repeatedly to improve skill
27. practice = repeated exercise to improve skill, rehearsal
28. knowledge = awareness, person’s range of information
29. wisdom = experience, wise saying
Opposites:
1. knowledge x ignorance
2. fortunate x unfortunate
3. freedom x slavery
4. furtively x frankly, candidly
5. proud x humble
Answer The Following questions
Q1. Nehru has two important pieces of advises for his daughter in
this letter. What are they?
Ans. Jawaharlal Nehru asked his daughter never to do any thing in
secrecy. He also asked her to keep her mind open to acquire
more and more knowledge.
Q2. Do you think the father’s present to the daughter is superior to
other presents? Why?
Ans. The father’s present to the daughter is certainly superior to
other presents. The advice given by him lasts for a lifetime and
is surely high above the material gifts.
Q3. Why did ‘the very wise man’ have copper plates around his
belly?
Ans. ‘The very wise man’ said that he was so wise that he was afraid
his belly would burst if he did not wear copper plates around
it.
Q4. What was his explanation for the lighted torch on his head?
Ans. ‘The very wise man’ explained that he took pity for the
ignorant people around him who lived in darkness and so
carried light on his head for those people.
Q5. What did Nehru want to tell his daughter with the help of the
story?
Ans. Jawaharlal Nehru wanted his daughter not to boast of the
knowledge and wisdom she possessed. He also wished that at
any point of time in her life she should make room for more
knowledge with open mind.
Q6. Do you think that ‘the wise man’ was really wise? If not, what
do you think of him?
Ans. The wise man lacked wisdom. He was only a fool who made a
show of his knowledge.
Q7. Why does Nehru ask his daughter not to do any thing in secret?
Ans. Nehru asked his daughter not to do any thing in secrecy or any
thing that she wished to hide, because the desire to hide any
thing means that she was afraid, and ashamed of doing that.
Q8. We work in the sun and in the light. What does Nehru mean by
this?
Ans. Nehru meant that they worked bravely without fear and did
nothing of which they were afraid of. There was no room for
secrecy in their work.
Q9. What do you think is the difference between privacy and
secrecy?
Ans. Privacy is that which pertains to the person’s self-respect.
Secrecy is that which deals with the actions of a person. A
person, according to Nehru, may and should have privacy but
not secrecy.
Q10. What, according to Nehru is the primary duty of every Indian?
Ans. According to Nehru, the primary duty of every Indian is to keep
up India’s honour, which is a sacred trust.
Make sentences:
1. tempted –
2. wandered-
3. ignorant –
4. inspired-
5. fortunate –
6. secretly-
Punctuation:
1. good bye little one and may you grow up into a brave soldier in indias service with all my love and good wishes
Poem – 2
A NATION’S STRENGTH
Answer the following questions
Q1. Who is this in the poem about?
Ans. The poem is about people who build a nation strong.
Q2. What metal is referred to here?
Ans. ‘Gold’ is the metal that is mentioned in the poem. It means money.
Q3. What does the word ‘People’ stand for?
Ans. The word ‘People’ stands for the citizens of the nation.
Q4. How will you rewrite the last two lines in stanza 1 in the normal
way?
Ans. Men who stand firm and undeterred for the sake of truth and to
keep up the honour of their nation would always suffer.
Q5. ‘But only men can make a............. .
What kind of men can make .............?
Ans. Men who are true, strong willed and who fight for the sake of the
honour of their country can make a nation strong.
Q6. How are brave men different from others?
Ans. Brave men are those who work always, even while others are asleep
and who face the odds in life bravely while others try to escape.
Q7. ‘They build a nation’s...........Who are they?
Ans. ‘They’ are the nation’s citizens who work for truth and keep up the
honour of the nation.
They are the brave soldiers who guard the nation even while others
are fast asleep.
Q8. ‘And lift them to the sky’. What does the word ‘them’ refer to?
Ans. ‘Them’ refers to the pillars of the nation, which are deep rooted.
They give strong foundation to the structures of the nation above
them. They soar high in the sky and keep up the honour of the
nation.
Q9. What are the qualities of those who make their country great?
Ans. The brave men who build a strong nation always possess the
following qualities.
L- 5
THE LAST PRAYER
New words:
1. consisted
2. concoction
3. deputy
4. rumours
5. hesitated
6. interrupt
7. attachment
8. punctuality
9. adjoining
10. accompanied
11. corridor
12. mentioned
13. cattle fare
14. deceased
15. relish
16. neglected
17. time keepers
18. congregation
19. assembled
20. devotion
21. traditional
22. prostrate
23. customary
24. devout
25. automatic
26. pistol
27. descended
28. momentarily
29. murmured
30. spectacles
31. leather
Meanings:
1. concoction = mixture
2. drop into one’s lap = leave in one’s responsibility
3. cattle fare = cattle food
4. deceased = dead
5. muse over = think deeply
6. elbow (here) = to move others with elbow in order to make way
7. plant (here) = stand firmly
8. adjoining = that which is placed next to something
9 congregation = prayer meetings
10. prostrate = lay oneself down on the ground and stretch
11. automatic = that which works without any external help / operation
12. murmur = speak so softly that others cannot hear
Answer the following questions.
Q1. Was Gandhiji particular about punctuality? How do you know?
Ans. Gandhiji was very particular about punctuality. He cut short his
talks with Patel though it was important, when he knew that he
was late to the evening prayer. He also said that he hated being
late.
Q2. Quote an example to show that Gandhiji was humorous.
Ans. Gandhiji joked about the carrot juice served by Abha and called it a
cattle fare. He called his grand-daughters, Abha and Manu ‘his
walking sticks’. This shows that he was humorous.
Q3. Why do you think the murderer chose the prayer time for killing
Gandhiji?
Ans. The prayer time was the only time of the day when Gandhiji was
close to all the people. He was so particular about prayer that he
never missed it. The murderer knew these facts and might have
thought that the prayer time would be the right time to kill
Gandhiji.
Q4. This problem like so many others had been dropped into the
Mahatma’s lap. What was ‘this problem’?
Ans. At that point of time, Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime Minister and
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel was the deputy Prime Minister of
Independent India. There had been rumours of differences between
the two and it was for Gandhiji to solve the problem.
Q5. What was the Mahatma’s meal like?
Ans. Gandhiji’s meal was simple and consisted of goat’s milk, cooked
and raw vegetables, oranges, and a concoction of ginger, sour
lemons and butter with juice of aloe (potato).
Q6. Who were Gandhiji’s ‘walking stiks’? Why were they so called?
Ans. Abha and Manu were Gandhiji’s walking sticks. They took great
care of him and accompanied him always. Gandhiji leaned his
forearms on their shoulders while walking and fondly called them
his ‘walking sticks’.
Q7. “...........since you are my time keepers”. Why did Gandhiji call
them as time keepers?
Ans. Gandhiji called Abha and Manu his time keepers as they reminded
him his daily routine and made sure that he did every thing on
time.
Opposites:
1. rear x front
2. cared x neglected
3. regular x occasional
4. customary x new
5. descend x go upward/ascend
Make sentences:
1.concoction –
2. rumours-
3. hesitated –
4. interrupt –
5. attachment –
6. punctuality –
7. accompanied –
8. corridor –
9. relish –
10. congregation –
11. traditional –
12. momentarily –
13. murmured –
Punctuation:
1. ba used to call it horse fare abha replied ba was gandhijis deceased wife
2. isnt it grand of me gandhiji joked to relish what no one else wants
3. bapu said abha your watch must be feeling very neglectd you would not look at it today
4. why should i since you are my timekeepers Gandhi reported but you dont look at the timekeepers manu noted Gandhi laughed again
5. i am late by ten minutes Gandhi mused aloud i should be here at the stroke of five
L- 6
THE SHIEK”S WHITE DONKEY
New words:
1. caravan
2. fierce
3. dignified
4. carrying
5. pieces
6. stroking
7. trouble
8. traveller
9. ordinary
10. understand
11. amazed
12. begging
13. command
14. except
Meanings:
1. caravan = a group of people with vehicles or animals travelling together in a desert
2. stroke = pass the hand gently over
3. mint = a plant with small leaves that have a pleasant smell
Opposites:
1. equal x unequal
2. ordinary x extraordinary
3. silence noisy
4. understand x misunderstand
5. innocent x guilty, cunning
6. wisdom x foolishness
Correct form of the words:
1. dignified = dignity
2. equal = equality
3. trouble = troublesome
4. crime = criminal
5. silent = silence
6. thief = theft
7. amaze = amazement
8. except = exceptional
Answer the following questions.
Q1. Who do you think was really wise, the Shiek or the donkey?
Ans. The Shiek is wiser than his donkey as it was he who planned
everything and all what his donkey did was implementing it.
Q2. What was the occasion which helped the Shiek to prove ‘his
donkey’s wisdom’?
Ans. The writer who accompanied the Shiek in the journey lost his purse
which contained 80 gold coins. This seemed to be the occasion
where the Shiek wanted to use his donkey in finding out the thief
and prove its wisdom.
Q3. Who is the narrator of this story?
Ans. The English man, who accompanied Shiek in his caravan is the
narrator of this story.
Q4. How did the shiek treat his donkey?
Ans. The shiek treated his donkey as a friend and an equal. Both had a
good company. They slept in the same tent every night.
Q5. ‘The caravan will not leave this camp today.....’ Why did the
Shiek say this?
Ans. The writer, who was the Shiek’s guest, lost his bag of gold coins and
the Shiek was confident that one among the nineteen workers was
the thief. The Shiek said these words because he wanted to find the
thief before leaving the camp that day.
Q6. ‘Today some trouble has come to my guest....What trouble came
to the guest? Who was the guest?
Ans. Shiek considered the writer of the story, who accompanied his
caravan in travel, as his guest. The writer lost his bag of gold coins
and was in trouble.
Q7. How was the donkey wonderful according to the Sheik?
Ans. According to Shiek, his donkey was a wonderful animal. Though it
did not speak, their language it was very wise and the Shiek could
understand its language very well. It will help the Shiek in finding
out the thief.
Q8. What did the Shiek ask each of his men to do?
Ans. The Shiek asked each of his men to go into the tent, pull the
donkey’s tail and return.
Q9. I thought that the donkey was not so wise. Why did the author
think so?
Ans. The author thought that the donkey was not really so wise as it did
not speak nor made any sound even when all the nineteen men
had pulled it’s tail.
Q10. He looked at me and said, “You must not tell my men.” What
was the Shiek going to tell the traveller? What would happen if
the traveller told his men?
Ans. The Shiek was going to tell about his plan to the traveller. If the
traveller told this to the men they would learn the trick of how to
outwit the Shiek. The Shiek’s plan may not work on them any
longer.
Q11. Why did the Shiek use the mint?
Ans. Mint has a strong and long lasting fragrance. So, the Shiek used it
on the tail of the donkey. The smell would last long on the hands of
his men who ever touched the tail. The hands of the thief, who
didn’t touch the tail, would not smell of mint and he could be easily
caught. This was the idea of the Shiek for using mint.
Make sentences:
1. dignified-
2. fierce –
3. ordinary-
4. mercy-
5. fragrance –
Punctuation:
1. but mahmoud ibn moosa said to me quietly dont worry it is all right you will get your gold soon
2. suddenly he lifted his face pulled out his sword and shouted you dirty thief get that gold or i will kill you at once
3. he looked at me and said you must not tell my men certainly not said i
Poem - 3
THE NIGHTINGALE
Answer the following questions
Q1. What colour was the palace of the Emperor?
Ans. The palace was as white as snow.
Q2. Which country did he belong to?
Ans. He belonged to China.
Q3. What bird is mentioned in the poem?
Ans. ‘Nightingale’ is mentioned in the poem.
Q4. Why was the palace ‘as white as snow’?
Ans. The palace was as white as driven snow because it was made of
porcelein.
Q5. ‘Rare birds that never sang a song’ why did they not sing a
song?
Ans. Rare birds never sang a song because they were painted pictures.
Q6. Where did the nightingale live?
Ans. The nightingale lived in a forest by the sea.
Q7. What was the emperor’s command?
Ans. The emperor commanded the nightingale to appear at his court
daily and sing songs.
Q8. Where was the golden perch?
Ans. The golden perch was in the middle of the court.
Q9. How do you know that the Emperor was happy to hear the
nightingale sing?
Ans. There was a tear drop on the king’s cheek. It meant that the
Emperor was happy.
Q10. What is the second bird mentioned in the poem?
Ans. The second bird mentioned in the poem was a clock-work bird.
Q11. What happened to the nightingale after this bird came?
Ans. The courtiers neglected the living nightingale and it flew away
unnoticed to its home.
Q12. The clock work went wrong and then what happened?
Ans. The clock work bird stopped singing any longer. Only a whir-r-r-r
sound came out of it.
L – 7
TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
New words:
1. strawberries
2. delicious
3. interesting
4. guides
5. tourists
6. seriousness
7. several
8. efficient
9. silent
10. interrupted
11. usually
12. decided
13. expected
14. disappeared
15. curious
16. treatment
17. tuberculosis
18. medicine
19. secret
20. restaurant
Meanings:
1. fountain = a stream of water that shoots up into the air
2. interrupt = to break the flow of speech
3. beautiful = lovely
4. in addition = besides
5. polished = shined
6. near = not far
7. lost from sight = disappeared
8. eager = curious
Correct forms of the word:
1. dirt : dirty
2. continue : continuation
3. guide : guidance
4. serious : seriousness
5. efficient : efficiency
6. silent : silence
7. interrupt : interruption
8. decide : decision
9. expect : expectation
10. appear : appearance
11. curious : curiosity
12. enter : entrance
13. treat : treatment
14. medicine : medical
15. manage : management
16. proud : pride
Answer the following questions
Q1. Who are the ‘two gentlemen’ of Verona?
Ans. The two brothers called Jacopo and Nicola, were the two gentlemen
of Verona. They were so called for being efficient and hardworking.
Q2. Who is the narrator in the passage?
Ans. The narrator is the writer of the story.
Q3. Did the boys earn a lot of money? Who did they earn the money
for?
Ans. Yes, the boys earned a lot of money by doing all odd jobs all
throughout the day. They earned money for the treatment of their
sister Lucia, who suffered from tuberculosis.
Q4. Where did the narrator first meet the boys?
Ans. The narrator first met the boys just outside the city of Verona. They
were selling strawberries then.
Q5. What was his first impression of them?
Ans. The boys looked poor with dirty clothes, but the narrator was
impressed by their bright eyes and found them to be interesting.
He also came to know that they were brothers.
Q6. ‘We do many things, sir’, one of the boys said. What different
things did they do?
Ans. The boys sold fruit and newspapers, polished shoes and worked as
guides to tourists. They were efficient and always busy.
Q7. ‘Next morning, while Nicola was shining my shoes.......’ What
day was it?
Ans. It was a Saturday.
Q8. ‘I expected that we would stop in front of a small house.’ Why
did he expect so?
Ans. The children were poorly dressed and did many things. The
narrator knew that the boys were poor and expected that they lived
in a small house. So, he expected the boys to stop in front of a
small house.
Q9. What do you think was that big house?
Ans. The big house was perhaps a hospital.
Q10. ‘....the two boys sat beside me quietly, looking serious and
proud.’ Do you think there was a reason for them to be proud?
What was the reason?
Ans. The boys were forced to work hard. They maintained their decency
and self respect. Their seriousness reflected their dignity. They
were proud for being able to look after their sister even after their
parents died and also for being able to successfully save her from
the claws of tuberculosis.
Make sentences:
1. delicious –
2. interesting –
3. efficient –
4. disappeared –
5. curious –
Punctuation:
1. don’t buy them our driver said you will find better strawberries in verona besides these boys are dirty
2. we do many things sir Nicola answered we sometimes work as guides to tourists also
3. all right i said you can guide us lets go
4. well were leaving verona on monday can i do anything for you before we go i asked him
5. ah yes she said with a smile nicola and Jacopo please come in
6. i know i said tell me about these boys
Poem – 4
FROM A RAILWAY CARRIAGE
New words:
1. fairies
2. witches
3. meadows
4. clambers
5. scrambles
6. brambles
7. tramp
8. stringing
9. lumping
10. glimpse
Meanings:
1.hedges = fences
2. charging = rushing forward
3. meadows = grassland
4. driving rain = heavy rain which is being blown by the wind
5. clambers and scrambles = climbs with difficulty
6. brambles = thorny bushes
7. tramp = an idle wanderer
8. lumping = bumping along , going slowly and heavily
9. glimpse = quick or passing view
Q1. What are there on the meadows?
Ans. There were cattle and horses running on the meadows.
Q2. What was the child doing?
Ans. The child was trying to climb the hill with difficulty to gather the
thorny bushes for fuel.
Q3. What is faster than fairies and witches?
Ans. The train was faster than fairies and witches.
Q4. What charges along like troops?
Ans. The cattle and horses, on the meadows charge like a battalion of
soldiers.
Q5. ‘Which line in the poem tells you that this poet is travelling by
train? Write it down?
Ans. ‘Painted stations whistle by’ is the line which hints us that the poet
is travelling by the train.
Q6. Pick out words which describes the movement of the train?
Ans. ‘Faster than fairies, faster than witches’, ‘charging like troops’,
‘painted stations whistle by’ are the words and phrases which
describe the movement of the train.
Q7. The child is with its mother. True or False?
Ans. False
Q8. What are the following doing?
Ans. a) The child: The child climbs the hill with difficulty and gathers
thorny bushes all alone.
c) The Tramp: This wanderer stands idle and gazes at the fast
moving train.
d) The cart: The frightened horse moved the cart away.
Q9. True or False
Ans. a) The cart had a driver. (True)
b) The train was running very fast. (True)
c) The horses and cattle were running faster than the train. (False)
Read and Enjoy
Q1. Do you find rhyming words in this poem? Write them down in
pairs.
Ans. 1) road – load
2) witches – ditches
3) battle – cattle
4) plain – rain
5) eye – by
6) scrambles – brambles
7) gazes – daisies
8) river – ever
Q2. In the poem there are examples of good comparisons find out
what are compared to the following?
Ans. a) driving rain – all the sights of the hill and the plain.
b) troops in a battle – horses and cattle.
POEM – 5
IN THE HEART OF A SEED
New words :
1. buried
2. creep
3. bright
4. wonderful
5. outside
Meanings :
1. bury = put deep into the earth ( generally, the dead body )
2. creep = move slowly
Question and answers
Q1. How is the plant described?
Ans. The plant is described as buried deep in a seed. It can only grow with the help of soil, water and sunshine.
Q2. What kind of world did the plant see?
Ans. The little plant saw no world around it as it lay fast asleep.
Q3. Where did the plant lie asleep?
Ans. The plant lay asleep in the heart of a seed.
Q4. “The little plant heard”- Who spoke?
Ans. The sunshine and the raindrops spoke and told the little plant to +wake up and grow.
Q5. Why did the poet choose the sunshine and the raindrops and not a bird or anything else?
Ans. The poet chose the sunshine and the raindrops because they help the seed to grow into a plant.
Q6. Why was the world wonderful to the little plant?
Ans. When the little plant lay buried in the seed, it saw nothing and knew nothing. But when it grew and rose up above the earth it came to know that the world was bright, beautiful and wonderful.
Lesson – 9
DICTIONARY JOHNSON
New words:
1. pleasure
2. extraordinary
3. received
4. courteously
5. apartment
6. uncouth
7. argument
8. whistle
9. dispute
10. arguing
11. humane
12. memorize
13. unmercifully
14. defective
15. prevented
16. appeared
17. compelled
18. necessity
19. unpleasant
20. experience
21. intolerance
22. harshness
23. affectionate
24. compile
25. treasure
Meanings:
1. memorable = to be remembered for ever
2. uncouth = untidy , not orderly
3. grave = serious looking
4. humane = very kind
5. restore = give back
6. flog = beat severely with a cane
Answer the following questions:
Q1. I had the pleasure of meeting an extra-ordinary man in the year? Who was the extra-ordinary man? Why was he extra-ordinary?
Ans. James Boswell, the writer of the lesson had the pleasure of meeting an extraordinary man in the year 1763. That man was Dictionary Johnson.
He was a man of all extremes. His behaviour, attire and surrounding never matched his excellence in elegant speech, argument and kind heart. His memory power and determination in doing the things he wanted, made him an extra-ordinary person.
Q2. Samuel Johnson’s life was never pleasant. Do you agree with this statement?
Ans. Yes, his life was never pleasant. His poverty was extreme but he always brimmed with self-respect. Compelled by his necessity, he had to leave the college in the middle and take up a job.
Q3. How does Boswell describe the uncouthness of Johnson?
Ans. Boswell was surprised to see Johnson’s apartment, furniture in it and his dresses unorderly and uncouth. His brown suit was rusty and he had a little old wig too small for his head. His shirt’s neck was loose and he wore unbuckled shoes.
Q4. How do you know that Boswell enjoyed talking to Johnson?
Ans. The moment Boswell met Johnson they became friends. And the moment Johnson began to talk he forgot everything. He was carried away by Johnson’s elegant language and uncommon powers of wit and humour. This tells us that Boswell enjoyed talking to Johnson.
Q5. ‘If he could not shoot you with a pistol, he would at least knock you down with the butt end of it’. What does Boswell mean by this statement?
Ans. Johnson always outbeat others in arguments. Boswell meant that Johnson could hit his opponent directly and win his point. If at times, he couldn’t do that, he would atleast outwit them indirectly using his skills of mockery and humour.
Q6. Was Johnson always a fighting kind of person? How do you know?
Ans. No Johnson was not always a fighting kind of person. He had a humane and kind heart. Once on his way home, he found a poor old woman lying in the street. He took her upon his back and carried her to his house. He took care of her till she was restored to health and put her into the home for aged.
Q7. Though he was poor, he was proud. Do you agree? Give support to your answer?
Ans. Johnson was very poor. His poverty was so extreme that his feet appeared through his shoes. But, he was so proud and self dignified that when someone left a new pair of shoes at his door, he threw them away.
Make sentences:
1. pleasure –
2. courteously –
3. experience –
4. surprised –
5. humane –
Punctuations:
1. oliver goldsmith once said there is no arguing with Johnson
2. whats the matter said she I can say it he replied
3. without that sir Johnson told a friend I should have done nothing
LESSON-10
A SUPREME SACRIFICE
New words:
1. Charles Darney
2. courageous
3. Lucie
4. Mr. Lorry
5. prisoner
6. Sydney Carton
7. grasped
8. wrung
9. breast
10. firmly
11. struggled
12. limp
13. softly
14. fainter
15. trembling
16. spy
17. swear
18. betray
19. solemnly1
20. jailer
21. sorrowing
22. patient
23. Evremonde
24. La Force
25. warmed
26. softened
27. amazement
28. unconscious
29. barriers
Meanings:
1. to fro = here and there
2. resolving = deciding , coming to a conclusion
3. grasped = held
4. wrung = rubbed one hand with the other , squeezed the hand
5. went limp = became weak
6. betray = to be disloyal to
7. solemnly = seriously
8. innocent = not guilty of any mistake
9. barrier = a long pole across the road at the checkpost
Answer the following questions.
Q1. Where did the incident take place? How do you know?
Ans. The incident took place in Paris in a prison during the French Revolution when English aristocrats were arrested by the French revolutionists.
Q2. Darney was confused and worried in the prison cell. Do you agree? Give support to your answer? Why was he in such a miserable condition?
Ans. Darney was confused in his thoughts in the cell. He was in such a miserable condition that he lost hope in living, yet his hold on life was strong and very hard. The sentence which supports the answer is “There was hurry in his thoughts, so it was difficult for him to be calm.”
Q3. How did he plan to spend his last hour?
Ans. Darney planned to use his last hour in giving comfort to any other prisoner who might need it.
Q4. “Oh, will you let me hold your hand, brave stranger, Who is the brave stranger? Why did she call him “brave stranger”?
Ans. The brave stranger is “Sydney Carton”. He was ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of his friend and his family. This act needed lot of courage. The young lady, who actually came to see Darney calls him “Brave Stranger”.
Q5. Who did he write to? What message did he have for each?
Ans. Charles Darney wrote letters to his wife Luice and her father as well. He also added a message to his daughter and Mr. Lorry. He left a message of comfort to all.
Q6. ......and a voice said in English. Do not delay. Why does the author say ‘English’ here? Was it surprising to hear English in the prison?
Ans. The author deliberately said “ English” here. It was surprising to Darney to hear ‘English’ in a prison in France where European aristocrats were captured by French revolutionists.
Q7. There were two reasons why Darney thought Carton a kind of ghost. One was that Carton looked remarkable. What was the other reason?
Ans. Just after Darney heard a voice in English, there appeared Carton in front of him. He was his dearest friend and his unexpected, sudden visit startled Darney.
Q8. ‘Carton, there is no escape’. What made Darney think that
Carton was trying for his escape?
Ans. Carton insisted Darney to take his boots off and wear his. This made Darney think that Carton came to rescue him and release him from the prison.
Q9. What changes did Carton force on Darney?
Ans. Carton asked Darney to wear his dress and shoes and to ruffle his hair like his (Carton’s). He forced these changes on Darney.
Q10. His hand was now firmly on the prisoner’s nose and Darney struggled little and went limp. What do you understand from this sentence?
Ans. We come to know that Sydney Carton forced Charles Darney to inhale something that made him unconscious so that he could make him escape from the jail easily. At this Charles Darney struggled and went limp.
Q11. ‘Such a thing often happens here’. What thing happened then? Did it really happen?
Ans. The prisoners, out of fear of death, often become weak and faint and are dragged out of their cells. Such scenes were quite common and that is what Carton meant by saying “Such a thing often happens here”. But in reality Darney was forced to inhale chloroform and fell unconscious.
Q12. He listened carefully. What did he listen for?
Ans. Carton was a bit worried whether he would be caught. So, he sat silent to listen to any sound of alarm. He relaxed when he heard no sound of alarm.
Make sentences:
1. difficult-
2. sacrifice –
3. courageous –
Punctuations:
1. dear darney heres pen ink and paper write what i tell you quickly
2. are you dying for him she whispered
3. oh will you let me hold your hand brave stranger
Poem – 6
SILVER
New words:
1. silently
2. casements
3. beams
4. beneath
5. thatch
6. couched
7. kennel
8. shadowy
9. feathered
10. harvest
11. scampering
12. claws
13. gleam
14. stream
15. reeds
Meanings:
1. casement = window which opens like a door
2. to couch = to lie (down on the floor)
3. cote = shelter for birds
4. to scamper = to run quickly and playfully
5. gleam = gives out bright light
Answer the following:
Q1. What is the poem about?
Ans. The poem is about the movement of the moon and its reflection over the things on the earth.
Q2. How many animals are mentioned in the poem?
Ans. The animals, which are mentioned in the poem, are a dog, a dove, a mouse and a fish.
Q3. Add a few more phrases from the poem to the list below?
Ans. The few more phrases are silver fruit, silver trees, silver thatch, silver eye, silver stream, silver shoon, silver claws and silver reeds. All these are due to the reflection of the moon.
Q4. Where is the dog?
Ans. The dog is in its kennel, couched like a log.
Q5. Where is the fish?
Ans. The fish is in the water of the stream, which seemed silvery under the moonlight.
Q6. Who does ‘She’ refer to?
Ans. “She” in the poem refers to the moon.
Lesson – 10
A COLOURFUL PEOPLE
New words:
1. formerly
2. migrated
3. hinterland
4. dormitory
5. bachelors
6. converge
7. hospitable
8. mutual co operation
9. voluntary
10. participation
11. construction
12. Christianity
13. dedication
14. missionaries
15. consecrated
16. feasting
17. heritage
18. community
19. generation
20. horizontal
21. alternate
22. continuously
23. rhythmic
Meanings :
1. perched = situated on a high spot
2. altitude = height
3. Mongoloid stock = family of Mongolia
4. migrated = moved from one region to another for living
5. hinterland = area behind coastland
6. dormitory = large sleeping apartment
7. converge = assemble
8. advent = coming / arrival
9. animist = one who believes that natural objects have spirits in them
10. dedication = solemn devotion
11. missionaries = those who work for a certain cause eg: social workers
12. embrace = adopt
13. literacy rate = percentage of people who can read and write
14. heritage = characteristics transmitted from generation to generation
15. handed down = passed
Answer the following:
Q1. The Mizos are a kind and fun loving people. Give evidences from the passage.
Ans. Mizos are kind and hospitable by nature. The three main festivals of Mizos-Minkut, Chapcharkut and Pawlkut-reflect their fun loving nature. Singing, dancing and communal feasting are the highlights of these festivals.
Q2. Community services is a part of their life. Is it true? Give support to your answer.
Ans. A Mizo village is a social unit around which revolves the day to day life of their tribes. They follow principles of self-respect and mutual cooperation. The villagers voluntarily participate in the construction of village roads, community halls, etc which is called as hnatlang. So, we can say that Mizos live in communities and serve each other.
Q3. What are the boundaries of Mizoram?
Ans.Mizoram is bordered by Myanmar to its East and South, Bangladesh and Tripura to its West and Assam and Manipur to its North.
Q4. Why is Mizoram called a border state?
Ans. Mizoram is called a border state because it is on the border of India. It is a boundary state of our India after which there are other neighbouring countries.
Q5. How is the name “Mizoram” suitable to the state?
Ans. ‘Mizo’ means people and ‘ram’ means land. The term ‘Mizoram’ is aptly suited, as this is the land of several sub-tribes of the hillmen and highlanders who belong to the Mongloid stock.
Q6. What is Zawlbuk for?
Ans. The “Zawlbuk” is a dormitory for the bachelors. The young men of the village assemble here during the night and sleep here.
Q7. Is it true that the Mizo society is a close knit one? How do you know?
Ans. A Mizo village is a social unit around which revolves the day to day life of the tribes. At the centre of each village is the chief’s house. And at any central place is located the “Zawlbuk” – the dormitory for the bachelors – where all the bachelors sleep at night. This shows that their society is a close knit one.
Q8. What is hnatlang?
Ans. Hnatlang is a voluntary participation in construction of village roads, community halls, etc. It is similar to a programme like “Janmabhoomi”. This shows that the Mizos believe in mutual cooperation and self help.
Q9. How are the Christian missionaries helpful to the Mizos?
Ans. The Christian missionaries influenced the Mizos greatly. They introduced modern education in the area and developed the writing of the language in the Roman script.
Make sentences:
1. altitude –
2. alternate –
3. colourful-
4. participate –
5. several –
Punctuation:
1. mizoram with its rivers and streams hills and dales is a land of very colourful people with a colourful culture
Poem – 7
PALANQUIN_BEARERS
New words :
1. skims
2. foam
3. pearl
4. brow
5. bride
Meanings :
1. sway = move gently
2. glide = move gently and quietly over a smooth surface
3. skim = move lightly
Q1. Who do you think sings this song?
Ans. The song is sung by the bearers (people) who carry the palanquin on their shoulders.
Q2. What are the several things “She” is compared to?
Ans. The poetess Smt. Sarojini Naidu compares ‘She’ – the palanquin
1. to a flower which sways in the wind.
2. to a bird that skims on the foam of a stream.
3. to a laugh from the lips of a dream.
4. to a pearl on a string.
5. to a star in the dew.
6. to a beam on the brow of the tide.
7. to a tear from the eyes of a bride.
Q3. How many persons are carrying the palanquin one, two, three or four?
Ans. Four persons are carrying the palanquin.
Q4. Write down the line in the poem, which tells you that the palanquin bearers feel happy?
Ans. “Gaily O gaily we glide and we sing” is the line from the poem, which tells us that the palanquin bearers are happy.
Q.5.. Write down the rhyming words of poem .
Ans. 1. along = song
2.stream = dream
3.sing = string
4.tide = bride
Poem – 1
GOD MADE THEM ALL
Answer the following questions
Q1. What are the things mentioned in the poem?
Ans. The things of God’s creation mentioned in the poem are Little
flowers, little birds, mountains, rivers, sun, sky, winter wind,
ripe fruits, garden, tall trees, green woods, meadows, rushes
and eyes and lips of human beings.
Q2. The little bird sings. What does the little flower do?
Ans. The little flower blossoms.
Q3. Two Seasons are mentioned in the poem. What are they?
Ans. The two seasons mentioned in the poem are summer winter.
Q4. What do we have eyes for?
Ans. We have eyes to see the beauty in God’s creation.
Q5. What do we have lips for?
Ans. We have lips to talk and praise God and His creation.
Q6. What are the following used for?
Ans. 1.Meadows –to play
2.Rushes-to gather
3.Fruits-to eat
4.Little bird that sings – to wake us up in the mornings.
5.Summersun – to fetch us good rains later.
Q7. How great is God Almighty? Why is He great?
Ans. God Almighty is very great as he had created the whole universe which is bright and beautiful.
Q8. What are the following – river, fruits, trees, rushes?
Ans. They are the creation of God that add beauty to nature.
Q9. Pick out the rhyming words and adjectives from the poem?
Ans. Homework to students.
L- 8
THE COMPUTERS
Answer the following questions.
Q1. Why is a computer called a ‘number cruncher’?
Ans. The transistors and chips of the computers perform several
hundred functions handling several thousand numbers. This is
why the computers are called the ‘number crunchers’.
Q2. The ancient Indians have contributed to the inventions of the
computer. Do you agree? Why?
Ans. The ancient Indians made the theory of zero popular. Following
this, calculators were made in China and Japan. In the 16th
century, the Russians improved it. The west went further and
made their machine called abacus. This led to the invention of
computers. Hence we agree that India contributed to the invention
of computers.
Q3. How is a computer an entertainer?
Ans. At home, the computer provides a number of interesting and
intelligent games. We can listen to songs and watch movies at our
convenience with the help of computers. Therefore, it is a source of
entertainment.
Q4. Give examples to show how man invented things for his use.
Ans. Man harnessed fire to cook his food. He devised the arrow for
hunting and for self-defence. He invented the telephone and the
automobile to facilitate communication and transportation. He also
invented radio for entertainment.
Q5. How are computers useful in every walk of life?
Ans. Computers are used to maintain a large number of accounts in
banks, to make reservations in big hotels and for travel booking in
stations. The computer has been slowly replacing the book as an
aid in schools. In science and technology, the computer has
innumerable uses. For example, in space shuttles any fault in their
functioning can be corrected only through or with a computer. Air travel today owes much of its safety to the computer. Cars are fitted with the computer so that they can be driven without a driver. In the business world, behind every successful man stands a computer telling him that his decision is right.
