Government of Karnataka

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English
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First Language
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(Revised)
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10
Tenth Standard
Part - II

Karnataka Textbook Society (R.)

100 Feet Ring Road, Banashankari
3rd Stage, Bengaluru - 560 085

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 Contents
Unit Page
Prose
No. Number
6 The Eyes are not Here

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Ruskin Bond

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7 The Girl who was Anne Frank

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17-40

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Louis De Jong

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8 A Village Cricket Match
41-57

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A.G. Macdonell
9 Consumerist Culture © 58-78
Cheriyan Alexander
10 The Pie and the Tart
79-102
Hugh Chesterman
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Poetry
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6 Sonnet 73
103-106
William Shakespeare
7 The Stolen Boat
107-112
William Wordsworth
8 Mending Wall
113-119
Robert Frost
9 Buttoo
120-124
Toru Dutt
10 C.L.M.
125-133
John Masefield
Non-Detail
3 Ulysses and the Cyclops
134-142
Charles Lamb
Appendix
143-148

Design of Activities 149-150

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 Lesson 6

The Eyes are not Here

- Ruskin Bond
Pre-Reading Activity :

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Generally, we notice the physically- challenged leading a normal life.

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Do the physically-challenged accept their condition with resignation?
Discuss in pairs.

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1. I had the compartment to myself up to Rohana and then a girl

got in. The couple who saw her off were probably her parents; they
seemed very anxious about her comfort, and the woman gave the girl
detailed instructions as to where to keep her things, when not to lean
out of the window, and how to avoid speaking to strangers. They said
their good-byes; the train pulled out of the station.

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 2. As I was totally blind at the time, my eyes sensitive only to light
and darkness, I was unable to tell what the girl looked like; but I
knew she wore slippers from the way they slapped against her heels.
It would take me some time to discover something about her looks,
and perhaps I never would. But I liked the sound of her voice, and
even the sound of her slippers.

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3. “Are you going all the way to Dehra?” I asked.

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4. I must have been sitting in a dark corner because my voice star-

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tled her. She gave a little exclamation and said, “I didn’t know anyone

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else was here.”

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5. Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to
see what is right in front of them. They have too much to take in, I
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suppose. Whereas people who cannot see (or see very little) have to
take in only the essentials, whatever registers most tellingly on their
remaining senses.
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6. “I didn’t see you either,” I said. “But I heard you come in.”
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7. I wondered if I would be able to prevent her from discovering

that I was blind, I thought. “Provided I keep to my seat, it shouldn’t
be too difficult.”
8.The girl said, “I’m getting down at Saharanpur. My aunt is meet-
ing me there.”
9. “Then I had better not be too familiar,” I said. “Aunts are usually
formidable creatures.”
10. “Where are you going?” she asked
11. “To Dehra, and then to Mussoorie.”
12. “Oh, how lucky you are! I wish I were going to Mussoorie. I love
the hills especially in October.”
13. “Yes, this is the best time” I said, calling on my memories. “The
hills are covered with wild dahlias, the sun is delicious, and at night
you can sit in front of a log-fire and listen to some music. Many of the
tourists have gone, and the roads are quiet and almost deserted. Yes,
October is the best time.”

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 14.She was silent, and I wondered if my words had touched her,
or whether she thought me a romantic fool. Then I made a mistake
“What’s it like?” I asked.
15. She seemed to find nothing strange in the question. Had she
noticed already that I could not see? But her next question removed
my doubts.

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16. “Why don’t you look out of the window?” she asked.

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17. I moved easily along the berth and felt for the window-ledge. The

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window was open, and I faced it, making a pretence, of studying the

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landscape. I heard the panting of the engine, the rumble of the wheels,

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and in my mind’s eye, I could see the telegraph post flashing by.
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18. “Have you noticed,” I ventured, “that the trees seem to be
moving while we seem to be standing still?”
19. “That always happens,” she said. “Do you see any animals?
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Hardly any animals left in the forests near Dehra.”
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20. I turned from the window and faced the girl, and for a while we
sat in silence.
21. “You have an interesting face,” I remarked. I was becoming quite
daring, but it was a safe remark. Few girls can resist flattery.
22.She laughed pleasantly, a clear, ringing laugh.
23. “It’s nice to be told I have an interesting face. I’m tired of people
telling me I have a pretty face.”
24. Oh, so you do have a pretty face thought I, and aloud I said:
"Well, an interesting face can also be pretty.”
25. “You are a very gallant young man,” she said. “But why are you
so serious?”
26. I thought then that I would try to laugh for her; but the thought
of laughter only made me feel troubled and lonely.
27. “We will be at your station,” I said.
28. “Thank goodness it’s a short journey. I can’t bear to sit in a
train for more than two or three hours.”

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 29. Yet I was prepared to sit there for almost any length of time
just to listen to her talking. Her voice had the sparkle of a mountain
stream. As soon as she left the train, she would forget our brief en-
counter; but it would stay with me for the rest of the journey, and for
some time after.
30. The engine’s whistle shrieked, the carriage wheels changed their

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sound and rhythm.

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31. The girl got up and began to collect her things. I wonder if she

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wore her hair in a bun, or it was plaited, or if it hung loose over her

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shoulders, or if it was cut very short.

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32. The train drew slowly into the station. Outside there was the
shouting of porters and vendors and a high-pitched female voice near
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the carriage door which must have belonged to the girl’s aunt.
33. “Good-bye,” said the girl.
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34. She was standing very close to me, so close that the perfume
from her hair was tantalizing. I wanted to raise my hand and touch
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her hair; but she moved away, and only the perfume still lingered
where she had stood.
35. “You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will, but the
scent of the roses will linger there still.......”
36. There was some confusion in the doorway. A man, getting into
the compartment, stammered an apology. Then the door banged shut,
and the world was shut out again. I returned to my berth. The guard
blew his whistle and we moved off. Once again, I had a game to play
with a new fellow- traveller.
37. The train gathered speed, the wheels took up their song, the
carriage groaned and shook. I found the window and sat in front of it,
staring into the daylight that was darkness for me.
38. So many things happening outside the window. It could be a
fascinating game, guessing what went on out there.
39. The man who had entered the compartment broke into my
reverie.

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 40."You must be disappointed,” he said, "I’m sorry I’m not as
attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left.”
41. “She was an interesting girl,” I said. “Can you tell me - did she
keep her hair long or short?”
42. “I don’t remember,” he said, sounding puzzled. “It was her eyes
I noticed, not her hair. She had beautiful eyes - but they were of no

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use to her, she was completely blind. Didn’t you notice?”

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I - GLOSSARY :

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slap : the sound produced by the slipper

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when it hits the soul of her feet.

startled : surprised
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formidable : powerful/causing fear
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registers (v) : records

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romantic fool : a stupid person, who is highly emotional

window ledge : window sill, a narrow shelf below a window

mind’s eye : imagination

venture : to say or do something which involves risk

landscape : all the features of an area that can be seen

when looking across it.

gallant : brave

thank goodness : an expression used in conversation to

express relief.

tantalizing : making him desire her presence all the more.

linger : stay for a while

reverie : day-dream

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II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
A. Answer briefly the following questions :
1. The narrator guessed that the couple who saw the girl off at Rohana
were probably her parents because,
a. they were middle-aged

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b. they seemed very anxious

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c. they accompanied the girl to the railway station

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d. they gave detailed instructions about the care she had to take.

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2. Why did the narrator feel that he would never be able to discover
something about the girl’s looks?
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3. The narrator was born completely blind. (Say True/False)
4. What did the narrator infer when the girl was startled by his voice?
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5. The girl told the narrator that her aunt was meeting her at
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Saharanpur. She said this probably because,

a. she wanted to introduce her aunt to the narrator.

b. she wanted to convey a message that he couldn’t take
advantage of her thinking that she was alone.
c. it was a casual remark.
6. How could the narrator, being blind, describe Mussoorie?
7. With what intention did the narrator remark that the girl had an
interesting face?
8. Hiding his blindness was a .................................. for the narrator.
(challenge/game/child’s play). Choose the correct answer.
9. The new fellow-traveller had made out that the girl was blind.
(Say True/False.)
10. The story ends with a revelation. What is the revelation?
11. The narrator and the girl reveal something about themselves
through their words and actions. The adjectives listed in the box
below describe the narrator and the girl. Put each word either

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 under the narrator or the girl. (Note: Some qualities may be
common to both)
clever, smart, humorous, suspicious, sentimental, curious,
emotional, romantic, careful, intuitive, pretentious, confident,
guilty, inquisitive.
The Narrator The Girl

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……………... …………. ……………... …………….

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……………... …………. ……………... …………….

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……………... …………. ……………... …………….

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……………... …………. ……………... …………….

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B. Close Study:
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Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then
write the answers to the questions given below them.
1. “You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will, but the
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scent of the roses will linger there still....”

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a. What is the figure of speech used in the passage above?

b. What is the vase compared to?
c. What does the shattering of the vase refer to?
d. What does “the scent of the roses” refer to?
2. “Once again, I had a game to play with a new fellow traveller.”
a. What kind of game does the speaker play with his fellow
travellers?
b. What do you understand from this about his attitude?
c. Who had outwitted whom, in the game already played by
the narrator?
III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :
Discuss in pairs /groups of four each and answer the following
questions. Individually note down the important points and then
develop the points into one paragraph answers.

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1. Give instances to show that the narrator tried his best to impress
on her that he could see during his encounter with the girl.
2. We think, we could outwit anyone, but sometimes, we may be
outwitted by others. Substantiate this with reference to the story.
3. The story ends with the new fellow-traveller telling the narrator
that the girl was completely blind. What do you think would be the

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feelings and thoughts of the narrator after knowing the truth?

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IV. VOCABULARY EXERCISES :

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A. Make sentences using the following idioms and phrases.

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to see one off, to pull out of, to take in, to call on, to break into, to be
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deprived of, in front of, to be covered with, to move away, to take up.

B. With the help of a dictionary, find out the difference between

the following pairs of words and make sentences to bring out
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the difference. In the next class share your answers in pairs.

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1. anxious - curious
2. praise - flattery
3. lonely - alone
4. change - alter
5. vendor - hawker
6. probable - possible
7. look - see
8. hear - listen
9. loud - aloud
10.hanged - hung
11.break - brake
12.1desert (n) x de1sert (v) x de1serts (n) x des1sert (n)
C. Following is a list of words which refer to different sounds
made with the help of the mouth and nose. Complete the
sentences with the appropriate words from the list.

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 puff, pant, blow, sigh, sob, snore, yawn, splutter, stutter, stam-
mer, sniff, cough, sneeze, hiccup

1. We ................ and ................ when we are out of breath.

2. We .............. if we fall into water unexpectedly.

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3. We ..................., when we are bored.

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4. We ................. and ............... when we have a bad cold.

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5. We ................... or.................. when we have difficulty in saying

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certain words.

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6. We ................. when we have no handkerchief and need to blow
our nose. ©
7. We ............... at night if we lie on our backs and with our mouths
open.
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V. LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES :
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1. Report Writing:
Here are the details of an itinerary of the Prime Minister’s visit to
Bengaluru on Saturday. Put all the details in a paragraph.
TIME PROGRAMME
8-30 am * Arrival at HAL airport
* Chief Minister along with his cabinet
colleagues receives PM
8-50 am * Breakfast - Hotel West End - Hosted by the
Karnataka Government.
9-15 am * Dedicating the Metro Railway Service II stage.
10-00 am * Inauguration of the new block of Legislators’
House.
10-30 am * Addressing a public rally at Palace Grounds.
11-15 am * Laying the foundation stone for a Bio-Tech
Park at Bannerugatta.

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12-05 pm * Honouring the outstanding scientists at IISc
1-00 pm * Back to Delhi on a Special flight from
Bengaluru International Airport.
NOTE: We generally use simple present tense while reporting an
itinerary.

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You may begin the report thus : The Prime Minister arrives at the

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Bengaluru HAL airport at 8-30am on Saturday on a day’s visit to

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Bengaluru………………………………………………..

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2. Discuss the following in groups of each. One among the four
will note down the important arguments and share it with the

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neighbouring group.
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Imagine that both the narrator and the girl admitted to each other
that they were blind. How then, do you think, would the story end?
Do you think such an end would make the story better? How?
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VI. SPEAKING ACTIVITIES:

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A. Pronunciation (of some word-endings)

One of the unique features of English is that unlike Indian
languages, there is no one-to-one relation between the letter and the
sound. Nearly 75% of the English words are not pronounced the way
they are written. But the Indian English, as it is spoken, is highly
influenced by the spelling. As a result many words are not pronounced
as they should be.
Given below is a list of words where we generally go wrong in
pronouncing the word endings because we follow the spellings.
NOTE: First repeat the following words after your teacher. Then
practise in pairs by reading the words aloud to each other.
1. Words ending with – cious/- tious are pronounced / /not/ /
delicious, precious, ambitious, cautious, gracious, voracious,
ferocious, fictitious, malicious, pernicious
2. Words ending with - age are pronounced / /not/ /

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 carriage, village, passage, message, marriage, luggage, baggage,
cabbage, garbage, language, damage, mileage, sausage, savage,
salvage, leakage, advantage, foliage, envisage, oldage, bandage,
image, coverage, beverage, (exceptions barrage, massage)

3. Words ending with –cian /–tian are pronounced / /not/ /

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musician, electrician, physician, technician, beautician,

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politician, magician, optician, mathematician, Grecian,

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paediatrician

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4. Words ending with – cial/– tial are pronounced / /not/ /

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official, commercial, crucial, essential, superficial, partial,
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artificial, social, palatial, martial, sacrificial, spatial, special,
racial, beneficial
B. Informal Expressions used in Conversation :
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1. The following list contains informal expressions commonly used

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in conversation. Use the expressions from the list to complete

the sentences given below. Do it in pairs.
thank goodness, welcome, I’m afraid, I’d rather, I’d better, never
mind, if you don’t mind, yes please, no thanks, of course, how
do you do? oh dear! / dear me !, I wonder, how dare.
i. Student : Sir, I’d like to know my test - marks.
Teacher : …………………, I have not finished the valuation.
ii. Stranger : Do you mind if I smoke ?
Girl : Well, ………… you didn’t.
iii. Wilma : ……………, if I could make a request to you.
Rekha : Please tell me what I can do for you.
iv. Child (crying) : I lost my pen in the school.
Mother : ……… I’ll buy you another.
v. ……………,I think I left my mobile in the office!
vi. Ramesh (shaking hands with Rameez): How do you do?
Ramesh ……………..

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vii. Son : My bike skidded and both of us were thrown out.
Mother : ………..., both of you are safe.
viii. Kavya : …………… you can take my notes home.
Zareena : Thanks.
Kavya :…………………..

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ix. Surya .......... you say that I copied from your answer paper !

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x. Rajesh…………..take my studies seriously now on.

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xi. Shyla : I’ll make some coffee for you,…………

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xii. Joshua : Would you like to have a piece of cake?

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Noel : …………………
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Joshua : (after Noel ate a big piece) Can you have one more piece?
Noel : ____________________
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2. Now, write sentences of your own using the above informal

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expressions and read them out to each other in pairs.

VII. PROJECT:
Form groups of four each and collect information about any one
of the physically - challenged persons, who accepted his/her weakness,
translated it into a strength and compensated it with their achieve-
ments in other fields. You may choose one among such great
achievers like Homer, Milton, Hellen Keller, Stephen Hawking, Miher
Sen, Sudha Chandran or any one else known to you. Present the in-
formation collected to the class.
VIII. NOTE ON THE AUTHOR:
Ruskin Bond, one of the finest story tellers in
English in India, was born in Kasauli In 1934. He has
written several novels, short stories and books for
children. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1999 for his
contributions to children’s literature. The Room on the
Roof, written when he was 17, won the John Llewellyn
Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Many of his stories are
based on Mussoorie at the foothills of Himalayas where he lives.

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IX. SUGGESTED READING/ACTIVITY:
1. The Last Lecture : Randy Pausch
2. Watch the Kannada Movie Ganayogi Panchakshara Gavai
Directed : Chindodi Bangaresh.
X. GRAMMAR REVISITED :

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A. MODALS

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How good is your knowledge of your class/ school?

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Answer the following questions using only the expressions given

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below. Form groups of four each and read your answers to your group.

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It could / might/ may be…………………(to express possibility)
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It must be ……………….. (to express your conclusion)
It can’t be …………………(to express strong improbability)
1. Who is the most intelligent boy/girl in your class?
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2. Who is the most diligent boy/girl in your class?

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3. Which is the most useful subject of your study?

4. What is the most unhealthy food your friend eats?
5. When will you get your progress - card of the next exam?
6. Who is the heaviest eater in your class?
7. Who is the most responsible student in your class?
8. Which is the busiest month of your academic year?
9. Who will be the top - scorer this year in your class?
10. Who has the most creative bent of mind in your class?
B. Complete the following sentences with the most appropriate
alternatives.
1. _________ our many faults, our parents love us.
a) Besides b) Even though c) In spite of d) Having
2. It's late to go for a walk now; _______________ it has started raining.
a) in case b) besides c) however d) even though

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3. Do you enjoy __________ cricket?
a) to play b) to playing c) for playing d) playing
4. We are really looking forward _________ you again.
a) to seeing b) to see c) see d) seeing
5. Esther _______ with the dog.

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a) befriended b) made friends c) made friend d) made friendly

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6. The balloon ________ when the child stepped on it.

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a) burst b) bursted c) has bursted d) had bursted
7. He would have attended the meeting if he _______ time.

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a) has had b) had had c) would have had d) had
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8. There were _______ guests today compared to yesterday.
a) less b) lesser c) few d) fewer
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9. “Where are you? I have been _______ you the whole morning.”
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a) searching b) searching for c) searched d) searched for

10. Reaching the top of the mountain, we ________ energy left for the
descent.
a) had hardly any b) hadn’t hardly any
c) had hardly no d) hadn't hardly no
11. Everyone brought __________ lunch to the picnic.
a) their b) there c) theirs d) his/her
12. The package containing books and records _______ last week.
a) is delivered b) was delivered
c) are delivered d) were delivered
13. Which hand do you write ____________ ?
a) in b) with c) on d) about
14. Noel, the little 'Power Ranger' shot ______ the criminal but he
escaped.
a) on b) at c) for d) no preposition

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15. I have been trying to learn to play the guitar for so many years,
but I ________________ yet.
a) did not succeed b) will not succeed
c) have not succeeded d) had not succeeded
16. It was difficult to see through the ____________ of the headlights
of the vehicles.

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a) brilliance b) dazzle c) shine d) glare

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17. The idea of a balanced diet is very difficult to _________ to anyone

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who is illiterate.

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a) put through b) put across c) take in d) make over

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18. I had scarcely passed my twelfth birthday when I entered the
inhospitable regions of examinations, through which for the next
seven year I ________ to journey.
a) will be destined b) would be destined
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c) was destined d) destined

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19. Growing up means _________ getting larger, _______ using our

senses and brains to become more aware of the things around us.
a) neither nor b) either ..... or
c) not only..... but also d) both ..... as well as
20. I am not too sure but, I think these are those ___________ books.
a) boys' b) boy's c) boys d) boyes
21. When asked about the mischief, the three boys looked at _______
a) each other b) one another c) the other d) one other
22. My first impression _______ at the site was one of disillusionment.
a) on arriving b) at arriving c) while arriving d) when arriving
23. ____________ my good advice, Latha walked home in the rain.
a) Rejecting herself of b) Away from c) Contrary to d) With
24. If you ask nicely, mother will probably _______ the chocolate.
a) let you to have b) allow you have
c) allow that you have d) let you have

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25. Of the two toys, the child chose ________
a) the one most expensive b) the less expensive
c) the least expensive d) the most expensive of them

XI. FUN WITH LANGUAGE :

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PHRASE GEMS:

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Fill in the middle of the jewels with a word which can be put

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after each of the other words in the jewel to make five, two - word

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phrases. The first one is done for you.

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1. Cell: Blood cell, stem cell, solar cell, padded cell, fuel cell
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(Source: “Ultimate Family Puzzles- Words”)

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 Lesson 7

The Girl who was Anne Frank

- Louis De Jong
Pre-Reading Activity :

Have you heard of Adolf Hitler? What is uppermost in your mind

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when you think of him? Discuss in pairs.

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1. “And how do you know that the human race is worth saving?”

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an argumentative young student once asked his professor.

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Said the professor: “I have read Anne Frank’s Diary.”

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2. How this diary of a teenage girl came to be written and saved
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is a story as dramatic as the diary itself. No one foresaw the
tremendous impact that the small book would have-not even
her father, who had it published after Anne’s death in a Nazi
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concentration camp.
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3. The Diary of Anne Frank has now been published in 19 languages

including German, and has sold nearly two million copies. Made
into a play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, it won the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and, in the 1956-1957 season alone,
played in 20 different countries to two million people. In London
it ran for nearly six months at the Phoenix Theatre. Twentieth
Century-Fox turned it into a film.
4. To understand this amazing response it is necessary first to
understand the girl who was Anne Frank.
5. When Hitler came to power, Otto Frank was a banker, living in
Germany. He had married in 1925. In 1926 his first daughter,
Margot, was born and three years later his second, Annelies
Marie. She was usually called “Anne,” sometimes, “Tender one.”
6. In the autumn of 1933, when Hitler was issuing one anti-Jewish
decree after another, Otto Frank decided to emigrate to the
hospitable Netherlands. He started a small firm in Amsterdam.
Shortly before the outbreak of war he took in a partner, Mr. Van
Daan, a fellow refugee. Mostly they traded in spices. Business
was often slow. Once Otto Frank was forced to ask his small staff

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 to accept a temporary cut in their modest wages. No one left.
They all liked his warm personality. They admired his courage
and the evident care he took to give his two girls a good educa-
tion.
7. As a pupil Anne was not particularly brilliant. Most people be-
lieved with her parents that Margot, her elder sister, was more

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promising. Anne was chiefly remarkable for the early interest

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she took in other people. She was emotional and strong willed;
“a real problem child,” her father once told me, “a great talker

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and fond of nice clothes.” Life in town, where she was usually

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surrounded by a chattering crowd of girl-friends, suited her

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exactly. This was a lucky fact because the Frank family could
only rarely afford a holiday. Nor did they own a car.
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8. When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, the Franks
were trapped. Earlier than most Jews in Amsterdam, Otto Frank
realized that the time might come when he and his family would
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have to go into hiding. He decided to hide in his own business

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office, which faced one of Amsterdam’s tree-lined canals. A few

derelict rooms on the upper floors, called the "Annexe," were
secretly prepared to house both the Frank and the Van Daan
families.
9. Early in July 1942, Margot Frank was called up for deportation,
but she did not go. Straight way the Franks moved into their
hiding place, and the Van Daans followed shortly afterwards.
Four months later they took into their camped lodgings
another Jew, a dentist.
10. Song-Bird in Hiding : They were eight hunted people. Any
sound, any light might betray their presence. A tenuous link
with the outside was provided by the radio and by four coura-
geous members of Otto Frank’s staff, two of them typists, who in
secret brought food, magazines, books. The only other company
they had was a cat.
11.While in hiding, Anne decided to continue a diary which her
parents had given her on her 13th birthday. She described life
in the “Annexe” with all its inevitable tensions and quarrels.
But she created first and foremost a wonderfully delicate record

18
 of adolescence, sketching with complete honesty a young girl’s
thoughts and feelings, her longing and loneliness. “I feel like a
song bird whose wings have been brutally torn out and who is
flying in utter darkness against the bars of its own cage,” she
wrote when she had been isolated from the outside world for
nearly 16 months. Two months later she had filled every page
of the diary, a small book bound in a tartan cloth, and one of

d
the typists, Miep, gave her an ordinary exercise book. Later she

he
used Margot’s chemistry exercise book.

pu S
is
12.Her diary reveals the trust she puts in a wise father; her grief

be TB
bl
because, as she feels it, her mother does not understand her;

to K
the ecstasy of a first, rapturous kiss, exchanged with the Van
Daans’ 17-year-old son; finally, the flowering personality, eager
©
to face life with adult courage and mature self-insight.
13.On a slip of paper Anne wrote faked names which she intended
to use in case of publication. For the time the diary was her own
ot

secret which she wanted to keep from everyone, especially from

N

the grumpy dentist with whom she had to share her tiny bed
room. Her father allowed her to put her diaries in his briefcase.
14.He never read them until after her death.
15. Courageous Leader : On August 4, 1944, one German and
four Dutch Nazi policemen suddenly stormed upstairs. (How the
secret of the Annexe had been revealed is not known) “Where
are your money and jewels?” they shouted. Mrs. Frank and
Mrs. Van Daan had some gold and jewellery. It was quickly
discovered. Looking round for something to carry it in, one of
the policemen noticed Otto Frank’s briefcase. He emptied it on
to the floor, barely giving a glance at the notebooks. Then the
people of the Annexe were arrested.
16.In the beginning of September, while the Allied armies were
rapidly approaching the Netherlands, the Franks and Van Daans
and the dentist were carried in cattle-trucks to Auschwitz - the
Nazi death-camp in southern Poland. There the Nazis separated
Otto Frank from his wife and daughters without giving them
time to say farewell. Mrs. Frank, Anne and Margot were marched
into the women’s part of the camp, where Mrs. Frank died from
exhaustion. The Van Daans and the dentist, too, lost their lives.

19
17. Anne proved to be a courageous leader of her small Auschwitz
group. When there was nothing to eat, she dared to go to the
kitchen to ask for food. She constantly told Margot never to give
in. Once she passed hundreds of Hungarian Jewish children who
were standing naked in freezing rain, waiting to be led to the
gas chambers, unable to grasp the horrors inflicted upon them
in the world of adults. “Oh look, their eyes…” she whispered.

d
he
18.Later in the autumn she and her sister were transported to
another camp, Belsen, between Berlin and Hamburg. A close

pu S
is
be TB
friend saw her there: “cold and hungry, her head shaved and

bl
her skeleton-like form draped in the coarse, shapeless, striped

to K
garb of the concentration camp.” She was pitifully weak, her
body racked by typhoid fever. She died early in March 1945, a
©
few days after Margot. Both were buried in a mass grave.
19. In Auschwitz, Otto Frank had managed somehow to stay alive.
He was freed early in 1945 by the Russians and in the summer
ot

he arrived back in liberated Amsterdam. A friend had told him

N

that his wife had died, but he kept on hoping that Anne and
Margot would return. After six weeks of waiting he met someone
who had to tell him that both had perished. It was only then that
Miep, his former typist, handed him Anne’s diaries.
20. Mission in Life : A week after the Frank family had been
arrested, Miep had boldly returned to the Annexe. A heap of
papers lay on the floor. Miep recognized Anne’s handwriting
and decided to keep the diary but not to read it. Had she read
it, she would have found detailed information on the help she
and other people had given the Frank family at the risk of their
own lives, and she might well have decided to destroy the diary
for reasons of safety.
21. It took Otto Frank many weeks to finish reading what his dead
child had written. He broke down after every few pages. As his
old mother was still alive – she had emigrated to Switzerland
where other near relatives lived – he started copying the man-
uscript for her. Some passages which he felt to be too intimate
or which might hurt other people’s feelings were left out by him.
The idea of publishing the diary did not enter his mind. He gave
one typed copy to a close friend, who lent it to a professor of

20
 Modern History. Much to Otto Frank's surprise, the Professor
devoted an article to it in a Dutch newspaper. His friends now
urged Otto Frank to have Anne’s diary published as she herself
had wished; in one passage she had written, “I want to publish
a book entitled ‘The Annexe after the war…’ my diary can serve
this purpose.” When Anne’s father finally consented to publi-
cation, the manuscript was refused by two well-known Dutch

d
publishers. A third decided to accept it and he sold more than

he
150,000 copies of the Dutch edition.

pu S
is
be TB
22.Other editions followed – 250,000 sold in Britain, a like number

bl
in Japan, 435,000 in the United States. Otto Frank began to

to K
receive hundreds of letters. One, from Italy, was addressed: “Otto
Frank, father of Anne Frank, Amsterdam.” A few people doubted
©
the authenticity of the diary; most wrote to express their admi-
ration and grief. Girls of Anne’s age poured out their troubles:
“Oh, Mr. Frank,” wrote one girl, “she is so much like me that
ot
sometimes I do not know where myself begins and Anne Frank
ends.” Numerous people sent small presents. Some exquisite
N

dolls were made for him by Japanese girls. A Dutch sculptress

presented him with a statue of Anne. On the birthdays of Anne
and Margot flowers arrived anonymously.
23.So many letters poured in that Otto Frank was forced to retire
from business. The care of his daughter’s diary had become
his passion, his mission in life. All royalties were devoted to
humanitarian causes which, he felt, would have been approved
by Anne. All letters were answered by him personally. Every day
new ones sadly reminded him of the losses he had suffered,
but he felt that there was truth and consolation in what the
headmistress of one of England’s largest schools wrote to him:
“It must be a source of deep joy to you – in all your sorrow – to
know that Anne’s brief life is, in the deepest sense, only just the
beginning.”
24.The most remarkable response came from Germany. When the
book’s first printing of 4,500 copies came out in Germany in
1950, many booksellers were afraid to put it in their windows.

21
25.Mass Appeal : When the play opened in seven German cities
simultaneously, no one knew how the audiences would react.
The drama progressed through its eight brief scenes. No Nazis
were seen on the stage, but their ominous presence made itself
felt every minute. Finally, at the end, Nazi jackboots were heard
storming upstairs to raid the hiding place. At the close of the
epilogue only Anne’s father was on the stage, a lonely old man.

d
Quietly he told how he received news that his wife and daugh-

he
ters had died. Picking up Anne’s slim diary, he turned back the

pu S
is
pages to find a certain passage and, as he found it, her young,

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bl
confident voice was heard, saying: “In spite of everything, I still
believe that people are really good at heart.”

to K
26.Packed audiences received Anne Frank’s tragedy in a silence
©
heavy with remorse. In Dusseldorf people did not even go out
during the interval. “They sat in their seats as if afraid of the
lights outside, ashamed to face each other,” someone reported.
ot
The Dusseldorf producer, Kuno Epple, explained: “Anne Frank
has succeeded because it enables the audience to come to grips
N

with history, personally and without denunciation. We watch

it as an indictment, in the most humble, pitiful terms, of inhu-
manity to fellow men. No one accuses us as Germans. We accuse
ourselves.”
27. For years Germany’s post-war administrators toiled to make
people feel the senseless and criminal nature of the Nazi regime.
On the whole they failed. The Diary of Anne Frank succeeded.
Leading actors received dozens of letters. “I was a good Nazi”, a
typical letter read, “but I never knew what it meant until the other
night.” German school children sent Otto Frank letters signed
by entire classes, telling him that Anne’s diary had opened their
eyes to the viciousness of racial persecution. In West Berlin an
Anne Frank Home was opened, devoted to social work for young
people. The people of Berlin had chosen her name “to symbolize
the spirit of racial and social tolerance.” Elsewhere in Germany
an organization was set up, named after her, to combat remain-
ing vestiges of Anti-Semitism. In Vienna, money was collected
for Anne Frank forest, to be planted in Israel.

22
 28.In March 1957, a Hamburg student suggested that flowers
should be laid on the mass graves in Bergen-Belsen, where Anne
Frank had found her last resting place. More than 2000 young
people eagerly answered his appeal. Hundreds peddled on bikes
120 kilometers in lashing rain. Standing in front of one of the
mass graves, a seventeen-year-old school girl expressed what
all felt: “Anne Frank was younger than we are when her life was

d
so horribly ended. She had to die because others had decided

he
to destroy her race. Never again among our people must such

pu S
is
a diseased and inhuman hatred arise.”

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bl
29.Anne’s brief life is, indeed, only a beginning. She carries the

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message of courage and tolerance all over the world. She
lives even after death.
I. GLOSSARY :
©
Nazi Party : the political party led by Adolf Hitler
ot
which controlled Germany from
1933 to 1945
N

concentration camp : a prison consisting of a set of build-

ings inside a fence, where political
prisoners were kept in very bad con-
ditions.
decree : an order having the force of a law.
emigrate : to leave the country permanently
and go to live in another.
derelict : in bad condition.
annexe : a wing added to a building
deportation : forcing to leave the country
cramped : not having enough space, narrow
tenuous : so light that it hardly exists
inevitable : certain to happen.
adolescence : period of time in a person’s life when
he/she is developing into an adult.

23
tartan : woollen cloth with a woven pattern
of straight lines of different
colours crossing at right angles
ecstasy : state of extreme happiness
rapturous : expressing great delight

d
grumpy : bad-tempered.

he
racked (v) : caused to suffer

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authenticity : genuineness, truthfulness

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bl
exquisite : delicate

to K
anonymously : unidentified
ominous :
©threatening
jackboot : a long boot which covers the leg up
to the knee
ot

epilogue : concluding speech

N

remorse : shame
denunciation : condemnation
indictment : accusation
viciousness : cruelty and violence
persecution : treating somebody in a cruel way
vestiges : traces
anti-Semitism : hatred, cruel treatment of Jewish
people
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
A. Answer briefly the following questions :
1. Why does the Professor say, “I have read Anne Frank’s diary?”
2. What does his statement imply?
3. What was Anne’s father?
4. Give any one example to prove the popularity of Anne Frank’s
diary.

24
5. a) Name the members of Mr. Otto Frank’s family.
b) What impression did people have about Anne?
6. Why did Otto Frank decide to migrate to Netherlands? Give two
reasons.
7. Who was Mr. Van Daan?

d
8. What qualities of Mr. Frank did his staff admire?

he
9. Paragraph 7 refers to a lucky fact. What was that lucky fact?

pu S
is
be TB
bl
10. What finally forced Frank to go into hiding?

to K
11. Where did Otto Frank and others hide themselves in?
©
12. In all, how many people managed to hide in the Annexe? Who
were they?
13. What helped the hiding party to establish contact with the outside
ot
world?
N

14. What did Anne Frank record in her diary?

15. How did Anne compare herself to a song-bird?
16. What does Anne reveal about her mother in the diary?
17. How does Anne try to keep the diary a secret?
18. Pick out from paragraph 16 two examples of the inhuman
treatment of the Jews by the Nazis.
19. Why does the writer call Anne a courageous leader?
20. Paragraph 18 gives a vivid picture of Anne’s last day in the
concentration camp. Pick out all the details of her pathetic
physical state.
21. When and where did Miep find Anne’s diary?

22. The writer says that if Miep had read Anne’s diary she would
have destroyed it. Why does the writer think so?

23. Why does Mr. Frank take many weeks to finish reading the diary?

24. What became the mission of Mr. Frank’s life?

25
25. How did Mr. Frank spend the money he got from the publishers?
26. How did the German audiences respond to the tragic play of
Anne Frank?
27. How did The Diary of Anne Frank succeed where German
administrators had failed?

d
28. Why did the people of Berlin choose her name for Anne Frank

he
Home?

pu S
is
B. Close Study

be TB
bl
Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then

to K
write the answers to the questions given below them.
©
1. “I have read Anne Frank’s Diary”
a. Who is the speaker?
b. To which question is this statement an answer?
ot

c. What does the speaker imply in this statement?

N

2. “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good
at heart”
a. Whose words are these?
b. What does "everything" refer to?
c. What quality of the speaker is revealed here?
III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :
Discuss in groups of four each and answer the following
questions. Individually note down the important points for
each question and then develop the points into one - paragraph
answers.
1. How did Anne’s Diary open the eyes of Germans to the viciousness
of racial persecution?
2. From your study of this write-up, what do you understand about
Anne Frank’s mind and heart?
3. What glimpses of Nazi cruelty do you see in this write-up?

26
IV. VOCABULARY EXERCISES :
A. Give one word substitutes for the following (Look for the words
in the lesson) :
1. The stage of life between childhood and adulthood……………….
2. Accusing somebody officially about something…………............

d
3. A name that is not made public………..

he
4. Treating somebody in a cruel way because of their race, their

pu S
is
political or religious beliefs……..

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bl
5. To leave one’s own country and go to live permanently in

to K
another………...
©
6. An order having the force of law………
7. A building that is added to a larger one…….
ot
8. Forcing somebody to leave a country because they have no legal
right to be there………..
N

9. The state of being extremely tired………

10. To see that something is going to happen in the future………….
B. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the words given
in brackets.
1. Gandhiji, more than any other leader, _______ India’s struggle
for freedom. (symbol)
2. I don’t like his _______ nature. (argument)
3. The people gave a ______ welcome to their hero. (rapture)
4. The standard of living of many labourers remains _____ low.
(pity)
5. The landscape was covered with ____ mist. (autumn)
6. The ____ of the document is beyond doubt. (authentic)
7. The rising tides looked _____ . (omen)
8. The civic authorities should be ______ to the needs of the people.
(response)

27
 9. He was awarded a prize for being the most _____ cricketer of the
year. (promise)
10. Such a simple occurrence has been _____ by the media. (drama)
V. LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES :
A. Letter Writing

d
Assume that you are a child like Anne Frank who is in a secluded

he
place living with the fear of being killed. Write a letter to your

pu S
is
friend about your life.

be TB
bl
B. Frequency words

to K
1. Put the following frequency words (adverbs) on the steps from
“NOT AT ALL” to “EVERY TIME” : ©
sometimes often usually never rarely
now and then always occasionally hardly ever not often
ot

Every Time
N

10

Not At All

2. Fill in the blanks using the above words.
a. Rekha is afraid of flying. So she has ______ travelled on a plane.
She ______ goes by train instead.
b. I meet Ramesh ______ at the sports club, but I don’t see him
_______.

28
 c. It ______ snows in Kashmir; it ______ snows in Bengaluru.
d. Rashmi : How often do you buy new clothes?
Prema : Well, _____ . I can only afford to buy clothes ______.
e. ______ I have no problem studying. But _____ I start to feel sleepy
if I read a long time.

d
C. Collocations

he
Collocation in language refers to a regular combination of words. It

pu S
is
is a convention of “what goes with what”. For example, we say, “tell a

be TB
bl
lie” not “speak a lie”. “Lie” collocates with “tell” and not with “speak”.

to K
1. Put the words in the following box in the appropriate columns
given below it. ©
a noise, homework, a good time, a present, some exercise,
fuss, a go, a disturbance, home, a mistake, a word with
ot
someone, the dishes, to college, a time to do something,
crosswords, a decision, your best, a university, courage, an
N

illness, a will, a guess, a swim, wet, a university degree, a

profit, lunch, an offer, my teeth, a wash, tired, a drink, the
cooking, married, breakfast, a nice time, a shower, bath,
commerce at college, your bed, movies, angry.

Do Make Get Have

2. Complete the sentences using the verbs make, do or take. In

many cases, you need to change the form of the verb.
1. They’re _____ a lot of noise, but so far they haven’t made any
progress.
2. The company is making a large profit, but in the meantime
they’re ____ a lot of damage to the environment.
3. Esther was asked to ____ a quick meal, but she took her own
sweet time.
4. After we’ve done our homework, I think we should _____ the
washing up.

29
 5. _____ a look at all these mistakes you’ve made.
6. Shall we _____ a taxi or go by train?
7. At first, he made a great effort to _____ an interest in his les-
sons.
8. This is a photograph I _____ of some friends we made when

d
we were on holiday.

he
9. She told me to take a seat, and then went to _____ some phone

pu S
is
calls.

be TB
bl
10. Taking a test is a bit like ______ a crossword: you finish it

to K
eventually!
©
11. The policeman took my name and address, and _____ a few
notes.
12. We had to _____ a lot of work before we began to make any
ot
money.
N

13. The conference will _____ place in January.

14. You really should take my advice and hire somebody to _____
your ironing, washing and other housework.
15. After I had made the bed, he lay down and _____ his medicine.
16. It won’t do any harm to ______ some enquiries.
17. Our company made a loss in its first year, but now we’re
_____ well.
D. Diary entry
A diary is a record (originally in handwritten format) with discrete
entries arranged by date, reporting on what has happened over the
course of a day or some other period of time. A personal diary may
include a person’s experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including
comments on current events outside the writer’s direct experience.
Someone who keeps a diary is known as a diarist. A diary is written
in the first person and the language used is conversational, friendly
and informal.

30
 Go through the examples below.
1. Margot and I were sent out of the room. Van Daan wanted to
talk to mummy alone. When we were alone together in our bedroom,
Margot told me that the call-up was not for Daddy, but for her. I was
more frightened than ever and began to cry. Margot is sixteen; would
they really take girls of that age away alone? But thank goodness she

d
won’t go. Mummy said so herself; that must be what Daddy meant

he
when he talked about us going hiding.

pu S
is
2. Life in Sarajevo

be TB
bl
Monday, 29 June 1992

to K
“That’s my life! The life of an innocent eleven-year-old schoolgirl!!
©
A schoolgirl without school, without the fun and excitement of school.
A child without games, without friends, without the sun, without birds,
without nature, without fruit, without chocolate or sweets, with just
a little powdered milk. In short, a child without a childhood. A war-
ot

time child. I now realize that I am really living through a war, I am

N

witnessing an ugly, disgusting war… God, will this ever stop, will I
ever be a schoolgirl again, and will I ever enjoy my childhood again?”
“There are no trees to blossom and no birds, because the war
has destroyed them as well. There is no sound of birds twittering in
springtime. There aren’t even any pigeons-the symbol of Sarajevo.
No noisy children, no games… It’s as if Sarajevo is slowly dying,
disappearing. Life is disappearing. So how can I feel spring, when
spring is something that awakens life and here there is no life, here
everything seems to have died.”
Thursday, 19 November 1992
“I want to understand these stupid politics, because I know that
politics caused this war… It looks to me as though these politics mean
Serbs, Croats and Muslims. But they are all people. They are all the
same. They look like people, there’s no difference. They all have arms,
legs and heads, they walk and talk, but now there’s ‘something’ that
wants to make them different.”
Saturday, 17 July 1993
“Suddenly, unexpectedly, someone is using the ugly powers of war,
which horrify me, to try to pull and drag me away from the shores of

31
peace, from the happiness of wonderful friendships and love. I feel like
a swimmer who was made to enter the cold water, against her will. …
I used to rejoice at the sun, at playing, at songs. In short, I enjoyed
my childhood. I had no need of a better one. Now I have less and less
strength to keep swimming in these cold waters. So take me back to
the shores of my childhood, where I was warm, happy and content…”

d
E. Here is some information about another famous woman Maria

he
Montessori. Use the information and write a paragraph.

pu S
is
 Born in 1870 in Italy

be TB
bl
 First woman graduate in medicine from Rome University

to K
 Became a famous teacher and teacher educator
©
 Thought of new ideas in teaching
 Wrote two remarkable books on teaching young children
 Died in 1952.
ot
N

VI. SPEAKING ACTIVITY :

A. Introducing yourself – Pair work
Speak to your partner for two minutes each about :
a. Each member of your family – whom you like most and why
b. What you want to do/ become in life
c. Your interests or hobbies
d. Your strengths and weaknesses.
B. Reporting : Oral
1. Last week there was a debate on the advantages and disadvan-
tages of watching television. Vivek spoke on its advantages and
Satish spoke about its disadvantages. They gave the following
arguments.
VIVEK SATISH
Watching television It kills conversation
stimulates thinking...

32
It keeps the family together.. It ruins family interaction
It keeps you well-informed... It makes you uncritical
It brings the outside world It keeps you away from the real world
into your room...
It presents everything in It has ruined the reading habit

d
an interesting way...

he
It is a good baby-sitter... It makes children passive

pu S
is
Can you now report the debate to your classmates?

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bl
C. Interview: Pair work

to K
Imagine that you are the H.M. of your school. A lady has applied for
©
the post of an Accountant in your school. You are interviewing her.
Complete the following questions and answers. Then, role-play this
with your partner.
ot

Miss Jane : (knocking softly on the door) May I come in, Sir/Madam?
N

H.M. : ................................................. Please be seated.

Miss Jane: ..............................
H.M. : You're Miss Jane, aren't you ?
Miss Jane : ................................
H.M. : ...................................... ? (about qualification)
Miss Jane : .............................
......................................
H.M. : ...............................? (about experience)
Miss Jane: .........................
....................................
H.M. : ..........................? (about computer knowledge/Tally)
Miss Jane : ...............................
............................................
H.M. : ......................................... ? (stay)
Miss Jane : ...................................

33
H.M. : ..................................? (about interests and hobbies)
Miss Jane : ................................
................................................
H.M. : ....................................? (about salary expectations)
Miss Jane : ...........................................

d
H.M. : Good. Thank you for coming. We'll get back to you

he
in a couple of days.

pu S
is
Miss Jane : ...............................................

be TB
bl
D. Work in pairs; divide the following words into three groups

to K
according to the pronunciation of the vowels. Use a dictionary
if necessary. ©
fur, bear, deer, bird, nearly, earth, rare, world, where, work fierce, glare,
shirt, fair, church, chair, dirt, cheer, beer, rear, gear, wear, weary, girl.
ot

/3:/ /1 / / /
N

fur beer rare

VII. PROJECT WORK :

1. In groups of four each, ferret the internet for information on the
following and make presentations to the class :
Nazi concentration camp
2. Diary writing
Create your own diary, starting from today for the next 7days.
Each night, write down your experience of the day or what is
uppermost in your mind. Share it with your closest friend in
class next week.
VIII. SUGGESTED READING :
1. The Diary of Anne Frank : Anne Frank
2. The Diary of Anne Frank : The Movie and Play
3. Watch the movie, Schindler's List

34
 Extended Reading:
1. Say this City has Ten Million Souls
W.H. Auden
Say this city has ten million souls,
Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes:

d
he
Yet there’s no place for us, my dear, yet there’s no place for us.

pu S
is
Once we had a country and we thought it fair,

be TB
bl
Look in the atlas and you’ll find it there:

to K
We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now.
©
In the village churchyard there grows an old yew,
Every spring it blossoms anew:
Old passports can’t do that, my dear, old passports can’t do that.
ot
N

The consul banged the table and said;

‘If you’ve got no passport you’re officially dead’:
But we are still alive, my dear, but we are still alive.

Went to a committee, they offered me a chair;

Asked me politely to return next year:
But where shall we go to-day, my dear, but where shall we go to-day?

Came to a public meeting; the speaker got up and said:

‘If we let them in, they will steal our daily bread’;
He was talking of you and me, my dear, he was talking of you and
me.

Thought I heard the thunder rumbling in the sky;

It was Hitler over Europe, saying: ‘They must die’;
O we were in his mind, my dear, O we were in his mind.

35
Saw a poodle in a jacket fastened with a pin,
Saw a door opened and a cat let in:
But they weren't German Jews, my dear, but they weren’t German
Jews.

Went down the harbour and stood upon the quay,

d
Saw the fish swimming as if they were free:

he
Only ten feet away, my dear, only ten feet away.

pu S
is
be TB
Walked through a wood, saw the birds in the trees;

bl
They had no politicians and sang at their ease:

to K
They weren’t the human race, my dear, they weren’t the human race.
©
Dreamed I saw a building with a thousand floors,
A thousand windows and a thousand doors;
ot
Not one of them was ours, my dear, not one of them was ours.
N

Stood on a great plain in the falling snow;

Ten thousand soldiers marched to and fro:
Looking for you and me, my dear, looking for you and me.

2. Excerpts from Anne Frank's diary

 Friday June 12, 1942, Amsterdam. Anne Frank a
Dutch Jew woke up on her thirteenth birthday to
find a diary among her gifts. “I don’t want to set
down a series of bald facts in a diary like most
people do, but I want this diary itself to be my
friend and I shall call my friend Kitty.”
-Anne Frank
 The first half of 1943: My fits of crying, the
loneliness, how I slowly began to see all my faults and
shortcomings, which are so great and which seemed much
greater then. During the day I deliberately talked about anything
and everything that was farthest from my thoughts, tried to
draw Pim to me; but couldn’t. Alone I had to face the difficult
task of changing myself, to stop the everlasting reproaches,

36
 which were so oppressive and which reduced me to such terrible
despondency.
 Margot and I were sent out of the room. Van Daan wanted to talk
to mummy alone. When we were alone together in our bedroom,
Margot told me that the call-up was not for Daddy, but for her.
I was more frightened than ever and began to cry. Margot is

d
sixteen; would they really take girls of that age away alone? But

he
thank goodness she won’t go. Mummy said so herself; that must

pu S
be what Daddy meant when he talked about us going hiding.

is
be TB
bl
 “And whoever is happy, will make others happy too. He who has
courage and faith will never perish in misery.”

to K
©
 Her handwriting, translated: “This is a photo as
I would wish myself to look all the time. Then I
might have a chance to go to Hollywood.” Anne
Frank, 10 October 1942.
ot
N

IX. GRAMMAR REVISITED :

A. Uses of modals
Look closely at the following pairs of sentences. The difference
between sentences a and b is not so much in meaning as in the degree
of probability, of formality, of politeness etc.
(Go through the note on Modals given in Appendix III before doing the
following exercise)
In pairs, discuss the following pairs of sentences and answer the ques-
tions given below them :
1. a) Will you do me a favour?
b) Would you do me a favour?
Which of the two sentences is more polite?
2. a) Ramesh can eat ten chapathis.
b) Ramesh could eat ten chapathis.
Which of the two may suggest that Ramesh is no more young and
energetic enough to eat ten chapathis?

37
3. a) My father will go to Mumbai next week.

b) My father is going to Mumbai next week.

Which of the two may suggest that my father has already a train
reservation?

4. a) My tea was already sweetened, so I didn’t need to add

d
he
any sugar.

pu S
is
b) My tea was already sweetened, so I needn’t have to add any

be TB
bl
sugar.

to K
In which of the two was the tea too sweet?

5. a) Can I come in?

©
b) May I come in?
ot

Which of the two would you use in a not-so-formal situation?

N

6. a) You’ll come and see us again.

b) You may come and see us again.

c) You should come and see us again.

d) You must come and see us again.

Which of the above expresses :

1. suggestion 2. obligation 3. prediction 4. permission?

7. a) I must be there at ten o’clock.

b) I have to be there at ten o’clock.

Which of the two would suggest that there is some pressure from
my boss to be there by ten o’clock?
8. a) I should work hard.
b) I must work hard.
Which of the two suggests a sense of duty?

38
 9. a) Joshua may be at home now.
b) Joshua will be at home now.
c) Joshua might be at home now.
d) Joshua would be at home now.
X. A. Re-arrange these four sentences in the order of the degree

d
he
of probability from the most probable to the least probable.

pu S
is
a) Will I go abroad?

be TB
bl
b) Shall I go abroad?

to K
Which of the two would you use while asking questions to your
astrologer? ©
B. Complete the following using the appropriate forms of the
verbs given in brackets.
ot

1. The prisoner _____ for the final verdict. (bring )

N

2. Wheat and rice ____ in a small quantity in India. (produce)

3. Bharatanatyam ____ the best form of traditional dance of our
country. (consider)
4. Mark is the currency that ____ in Germany. (use)
5. Nowadays smart phones and tablets ____ the place of
computers. (take)
XI. FUN WITH LANGUAGE :
1. From the description given, can you say which member of the
family is being referred to?
a. Your uncle’s father’s only grandchild.
b. Your brother’s son’s sister’s mother.
c. Your brother-in-law’s wife’s grandfather’s daughter.
d. Your father’s father’s daughter’s daughter.
e. Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man’s father is my
father’s son.

39
2. Language Riddles

a. A rich man died leaving behind ten crore rupees to be shared

between his sons. How much money did each son get?
b. How many alphabet are there in the English language?

d
c. Where does Friday come before Wednesday?

he
d. What starts with “e” and ends with “e” and has only one letter

pu S
is
in it?

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bl
e. Which word is always spelt wrongly?

to K
f. Had I become a lawyer instead of a doctor, I would have become
©
rich. Am I a doctor or a lawyer?
g. Which month has 28 days?
ot

h. How many sounds are there in the English language?

N

i. How many vowel sounds are there in the English language?

j. Meera ran away lest she be married. Why did Meera run away?
k. If you use the same three letters in the same order before and
after the given letters, you’ll get an eleven-letter word. What is
the word?
l. Why did the boy sit on his watch?
m. There is a four-letter word that when printed in capital letters
reads the same upside down and right to left. What is the word?

40
 Lesson 8
A Village Cricket Match
- A.G. Macdonell
Pre-Reading Activity :
Have you seen the film Lagaan? Discuss in pairs the humour in

d
the film.

he
1. The crisis was now desperate. The fieldsmen drew nearer and nearer

pu S
is
to the batsman, excepting the youth in the blue jumper. Livingstone

be TB
bl
balanced himself on his toes. Mr. Shakespeare Pollock hopped about

to K
almost on top of the batsman, and breathed excitedly and audibly.
Even the imperturbable Mr. Southcott discarded the piece of grass
©
which he had been chewing so steadily. Mr. Hodge took himself off
and put on the Major, who had by now somewhat lived down the
quart and a half.
ot

2. The batsmen crouched down upon their bats and defended

N

stubbornly. A snick through the slips brought a single. A ball which

eluded the publisher’s gigantic pads brought a bye. A desperate
sweep at a straight half-volley sent the ball off the edge of the bat
over third - man’s head and in normal circumstances would have
certainly scored one, and possibly two, but Mr. Harcourt was on
guard at third man, and the batsmen, by nature cautious men one
being old and the sexton, the other the postman and therefore a
Government official, were taking no risks. Then came another single
off a mis-hit, and then an interminable period in which no wicket
fell and no run was scored. It was broken at last disastrously, for
the postman struck the ball sharply at Mr. Pollock, and Mr. Pollock
picked it up and, in an ecstasy of zeal, flung it madly at the wicket.
Two overthrows resulted.
3. The scores were level and there were two wickets to fall. Silence fell.
The gaffers, victims simultaneously of excitement and senility could
hardly raise their pint pots- for it was past 6 O’clock, and the front
door of The Three Horse-shoes was now as wide open officially as
the back door had been unofficially all afternoon.
4. The Major, his red face redder than ever and his chin sticking
out almost as far as the Napoleonic Mr. Ogilvy’s bowled a fast

41
 half-volley on the leg-stump. The sexton, a man of iron muscle from much
digging, hit it fair and square with the middle of the bat, and it
flashed like a thunderbolt, waist-high, straight at the youth in the
blue jumper. With a shrill scream the youth sprang backwards out
of its way and fell over on his back. Immediately behind him, so close
were the fieldsmen clustered, stood the mighty Boone. There was no
chance of escape for him. Even if he had possessed the figure and the

d
agility to perform back-somersaults, he would have lacked the time.

he
He had been unsighted by the youth in the jumper. The thunderbolt

pu S
is
struck him in the midriff like a red-hot cannon-ball upon a Spanish

be TB
bl
galleon, and with the sound of a drumstick upon an insufficiently
stretched drum. With a fearful oath, Boone clapped his hands to

to K
his outraged stomach and found that the ball was in the way. He
©
looked at it for a moment in astonishment and then threw it down
angrily and started to massage the injured spot while the field rang
with applause at the brilliance of the catch.
5 Donald walked up and shyly added his congratulations. Boone
ot

scowled at him.
N

6. ‘I didn’t want to catch the darned thing,’ he said sourly, massaging

away like mad.
7. ‘But it may save the side’, ventured Donald.
8. ‘Blast the side’, said Boone.
9. Donald went back to his place.
10.The scores were level and there was one wicket to fall. The last
man in was the blacksmith, leaning heavily upon the shoulder of
the baker, who was going to run for him, and limping as if in great
pain. He took guard and looked around, savagely. He was clearly
still in great rage.
11.The first ball he received he lashed at wildly and hit straight up into
the air to an enormous height. It went up and up, until it became
difficult to focus on it properly against the deep, cloudless blue of the
sky, and it carried with it the hopes and fears of an English village.
Up and up it went, then at the top it seemed to hang motionless in
the air, poised like a hawk, fighting as it were, a heroic but forlorn
battle against the chief invention of Sir Isaac Newton, and then it
began its slow descent.

42
 d
he
pu S
is
be TB
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to K
©
12.In the meanwhile things were happening below, on the
terrestrial sphere. Indeed, the situation was rapidly becoming what
the French call mouvemente. In the first place, the blacksmith forgot
ot

his sprained ankle and set out at a capital rate for the other end,
N

roaring in a great voice as he went, “Come on, Joe!” The baker,

who was running on behalf of the invalid, also set out, and he also
roared, “Come on, Joe,” and side by side, like a pair of high-step-
ping hackneys, the pair cantered along. From the other end Joe
set out on his mission, and he roared. “Come on, Bill!” So all three
came on. And everything would have been all right, so far as the
running was concerned, had it not been for the fact that Joe, very
naturally, ran with his head thrown back and his eyes goggling, at
the hawk-like cricket-ball. And this in itself would not have mat-
tered if it had not been for the fact that the blacksmith and the
baker, also very naturally, ran with their heads turned not only
upwards but also backwards as well, so that they too gazed at the
ball, with an alarming sort of squint and a truly terrific kink in their
necks. Half-way down the pitch the three met with a magnificent
clang, reminiscent of early, happy days in the tournament-ring at
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and the hopes of the village fell with the
resounding fall of their three champions.
13.But what of the fielding side? Things were not so well with them. If
there was doubt and confusion among the warriors of Fordenden,
there was also uncertainty and disorganization among the ranks of

43
 the invaders. Their main trouble was the excessive concentration
of their force in the neighbourhood of the wicket. Napoleon laid it
down that it was impossible to have too many men upon a battle-
field, and he used to do everything in his power to call up every
available man for a battle. Mr. Hodge, after a swift glance at the
ascending ball and a swift glance at the disposition of his troops,
disagreed profoundly with the Emperor’s dictum. He had too many

d
men, far too many. And all, except the youth in the blue silk jumper,

he
and the mighty Boone, were moving towards strategical positions

pu S
is
underneath the ball, and not one of them appeared to be aware that

be TB
bl
any of the other existed. Boone had not moved because he was more
or less in the right place, but then Boone was not likely to bring off

to K
the catch, especially after the episode of the last ball. Major Hawker,
©
shouting, ‘Mine, mine!’ in a magnificently self-confident voice, was
coming up from the bowler’s end like a battle-cruiser. Mr. Harcourt
had obviously lost sight of the ball altogether, if indeed, he had ever
seen it for he was running round and round Boone and giggling
ot

foolishly. Livingstone and Southcott, the two cracks, were

N

approaching competently. Either of them would catch it easily.

Mr. Hodge had not only to choose between them and, coming to
a swift decision, he yelled above the din, “Yours, Livingstone!”
Southcott, a disciplined cricketer, stopped dead. Then Mr. Hodge
made a fatal mistake. He remembered Livingstone’s two missed
sitters, and he reversed his decision and roared, ‘Yours, Bobby!’
Mr. Southcott obediently started again, while Livingstone, who had
not heard the second order, went straight on. Captain Hodge had
restored the status quo.
14.In the meantime the professor of ballistics had made a
lightning calculation of angles, velocities, density of the air,
barometer-readings and temperatures, and had arrived at the
conclusion that the critical point, the spot which ought to be marked
in the photographs with an X, was one yard to the north-east of
Boone, and he proceeded to take up station here, colliding on the
way with Donald and knocking him over. A moment later Bobby
Southcott came racing up and tripped over the recumbent Donald
and was shot head first into the Abraham-like bosom of Boone.
Boone stepped backward under the impact and came down with
his spiked boot, upon the professor’s toe. Almost simultaneously,

44
 the portly wicket-keeper, whose movements were a positive triumph
of the spirit over the body, bumped the professor from behind. The
learned man was thus neatly sandwiched between Tweedledum and
Tweedledee, and the sandwich was instantly converted into a ragout
by Livingstone, who made up for his lack of extra weight- for he
was always in perfect training- by his extra momentum. And all the
time Mr. Shakespeare Pollock hovered alertly upon the out-skirts

d
like a rugby scrum- half, screaming American University cries in a

he
piercingly high tenor voice.

pu S
is
15.At last the ball came down. To Mr. Hodge it seemed a long time

be TB
bl
before the invention of Sir Isaac Newton finally triumphed. And it
was a striking testimony to the mathematical and ballistical skill of

to K
the Professor that the ball landed with a sharp report upon the top
©
of his head. Thence it leapt up into the air a foot or so, cannoned
on to Boone’s head, and then trickled slowly down the colossal
expanse of the wicketkeeper’s back, bouncing slightly as it reached
the massive lower portions. It was only a foot from the ground when
ot

Mr. Shakespeare Pollock sprang into the vortex with a last ear-split-
N

ting howl of victory and grabbed it off the seat of the wicket – keep-
er’s trousers. The match was a tie. And hardly anyone on the field
knew it except Mr. Hodge, the youth in the blue jumper and Mr.
Pollock himself. For the two batsmen and the runner, undaunted
to the last, had picked themselves up and were bent on completing
the single that was to give Fordenden the crown of victory. Unfor-
tunately, dazed with their falls, with excitement and with the noise,
they all three ran for the same wicket, simultaneously realized their
error, and all three turned and ran for the other- the blacksmith,
ankle and all, in the centre leading by a yard, so that they looked
like pictures of the Russian troika. But their effort was in vain, for
Mr. Pollock had grabbed the ball and the match was a tie.
16.And both the teams spent the evening at The Three Horse-shoes,
and Mr. Harcourt made a speech in Italian about the glories of
England and afterwards fell asleep in a corner, and Donald got
home to Royal Avenue at 1 O’clock in the morning, feeling that he
had not learnt very much about the English from his experience of
their national game.

45
I. GLOSSARY :
jumper : outer garment coming up to the hips
imperturbable : calm
lived down the quart : got over the effects of liquor
and a half

d
crouch : bend very low almost to the ground

he
eluded : escaped

pu S
is
sexton : person who does the works of the

be TB
bl
church like ringing the bell, cleaning,

to K
digging graves in the churchyard etc.
leg-bye ©
: a run scored when the ball touches the
batsman’s legs
intermittently : every now and then
ot
ecstasy : joy, happiness, thrill
N

gaffers : elderly persons in the village

senility : old age, weakness of mind and body
pint pots : beer pots
The Three Horse- : name of an inn
shoes
thunderbolt : sudden event which causes shock and
anxiety
midriff : a humorous reference to the belly
Spanish galleon : a large ship used by the Spaniards in
the 16th and 17th Centuries
darned : damn
lashed at : hit wildly
forlorn : unlikely to succeed
mouvemente : a French word indicating a dramatic
incident
terrestrial : earthly

46
 hackney : a horse
cantered : galloped
goggling : rolling
squint : eyes looking in different directions
kink in their neck : backward turn of their neck

d
clang : loud sound

he
Fordenden : the village where the match was played

pu S
is
be TB
bl
dictum : saying, maxim
recumbent : lying down

to K
surmounted : overcame
portly
©
: round and fat
ragout : mixture of vegetable and meat cooked
stuff
ot
N

vortex : a mass of water or air that spins round

and round so fast that it pulls objects
into its centre
Ashby-de-la-Zouch : a village in Leicestershire, scene of a
medieval tournament described in
Scott’s famous novel, “Ivanhoe.”
status quo : the previous position
Abraham-like bosom : capacious bosom.
report : an explosive sound, like that of a gun
being fired.
Troika : a Russian vehicle drawn by three horses
cracks : experts
Rugby Scrum-half : the half-back who puts the ball into
the Scrum
(Scrum: abbreviation of scrimmage- a part of Rugby football when the
forwards of both sides form a tight mass with the ball in the middle)

47
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
A. Answer the following questions briefly :
1. Name the two teams.
2. Name the fielders in the field mentioned in paragraph 1.
3. What behaviour of Livingstone, Pollock and Southcott show that
they are tense?

d
he
4. What is the humorous reference to the Major in the first
paragraph?

pu S
is
be TB
5. Why didn’t Sexton and the postman take a run when it was

bl
possible?

to K
6. How does the writer take a dig at the government officials?
©
7. The ball struck powerfully by the Sexton went straight and hit
Boone’s stomach.
a) What comparison does the writer make?
ot

b) What is humorous about the comparison?

N

8. Why was Boone angry after catching the ball?

9. a) What is the chief invention of Sir Isaac Newton referred to here?
b) What does “the ball in the sky” “battling against the chief
invention” mean here?
10. Who ran like “a pair of high-stepping hackneys”?
11. a) Why were the three batsmen running for a run?
b) How were they running?
12. What fatal mistake did Hodge make?
13. How did Mr. Pollock finally catch the ball?
14. The writer says that Mr. Hodge disagreed with Napoleon’s dictum.
a) What was Napoleon’s dictum?
b) How did Mr. Hodge disagree with the dictum?
15. Who won the match?

48
B. Close Study :
Read the following extract carefully. Discuss in pairs and then
answer the questions given follow that.
1. The thunderbolt struck him in the midriff like a red-hot cannon
ball upon a Spanish galleon and the sound of drumstick upon
an insufficiently stretched drum.

d
a. What does thunderbolt refer to?

he
b. Who did it strike?

pu S
is
be TB
bl
c. In the simile, what are the two things compared?
d. How is the comparison humorous?

to K
e. What are the sounds referred to?
©
f. Bring out the humour in this comparison.
III. PARAGRAPH WRITING:
ot
Discuss in pairs/groups of four each the answers to the following
questions. Individually note down the important points for each
N

question and then develop the points into one-paragraph answers.

1. The approach of the Sexton, the postman, the blacksmith and
the baker to the game is typical of their profession. Elaborate.
2. How does the “uncertainty and disorganization among the
ranks of the invaders” add to the humour?
3. Write a short note on the status quo episode.
4. This extract contains many humorous situations.
a. Pick out any three situations and write them down.
b. Narrate any one of them in detail to your partner.
c. Write it in a paragraph.
5. The characters are humorously pictured. What is humorous
about the following characters in the extract? Discuss it in
groups of 4 or 5 each and then write a Pragraph on each of
them.
a. Boone.
b. The Blacksmith.
c. Mr. Harcourt.

49
IV. VOCABULARY:
Fill in the blanks with the antonyms of the words underlined.
(You need to pick the word from the lesson).
1. We live on the —— sphere; heavenly bodies are on the
celestial sphere.

d
2. The Indian team was very hopeful of winning but their defeat

he
left them ——

pu S
3. The young have vitality but the old have to cope with their

is
be TB
——

bl
4. The heroic mood was lost after the —— battle.

to K
5. Don’t be reckless; be ——
©
6. Joshua remains ——— even in highly perturbable situations.
7. Don’t be crooked; be open and ———
ot

8. Peter, a highly indisciplined chap, could never be a part of

N

the highly ——— residential school.

V. LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES :
A. Arrange the following conversation in separate lines and
punctuate them:
What is your name ram sharma is vinod sharma your cousin yes
I know him very well we used to go out together you must be madan
yes that is my name my cousin has often told me about you.
B. Rewrite the following passage in Direct speech:
Mr. Lal asked when the play Twelfth Night would begin. The clerk
replied that it would be in half an hour. Mr. Lal confessed that he had
never seen the play before and he was looking forward to it. The clerk
said that he was sure Mr. Lal would enjoy it for its lyrical quality.
C. Dictionary Work:
Look up the meanings of the following words and make sentences
of your own:
1. ecstasy 2. possessed 3. somersaults 4. outrage 5. set out
6. scowl at 7. trip over 8. grab at 9. dictum 10. in vain.

50
D. How good is your sense of humour?
Make humorous sentences making use of the following sentence
openers. Share any two most laughable sentences you have heard
or can create with all your classmates .
1. I like people who ————
2. Last night, I ————

d
he
3. I have never ————

pu S
is
4. In future, I will ———

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bl
5. A good student should ————

to K
6. It’s unhealthy to ————
©
7. He will fail in SSLC because ————
8. When my parents scold me, I ————
9. I hate people who ———
ot

10. It was on account of my friends that I ———

N

11. Before I go to bed, I ————

12. On Sundays, I ————
13. If I were the H.M. of my school, ————
14. As soon as I saw the teacher near the theatre, I ————
15. I like my school because ————
VI. SPEAKING ACTIVITIES: (Pair Work)
A. A close match is very exciting. Recall any close and exciting
match. Narrate it to your partner.
B. Debate: Time : 20 minutes
Topic: In India, cricket has ruined all other games.
Method:
i. The class is divided into two groups. One group will speak FOR
and the other AGAINST the proposition.
ii. Each group discusses among themselves and finalises on three
important arguments to support their stand.

51
 iii. Three students are chosen from each group. Each one will pres-
ent an argument to the whole class. The group in opposition
can refute and challenge. The other group will defend.
iv. A neutral person is chosen to moderate the whole debate.
VII. NOTE ON THE AUTHOR: A.G. Macdonell (1895-1941) is chiefly
known as the author of the novel, England, their En-

d
gland, in which he presents a humorous picture of the

he
English characters. The novel narrates the amusing

pu S
is
experiences of a young Scottish novelist who travels

be TB
bl
about in England in order to collect data for a book
which he intends to write about the English. The

to K
passage included in this anthology gives a hilarious
©
account of the conclusion of a cricket match between
a team organized by a London editor and a village
cricket team, played in an English village.
ot

VIII. SUGGESTED READING:

N

Oscar Wilde : The Importance of Being Earnest.

P.G. Woodhouse : The Prize Poem (Short Story).
R. K. Narayan : Short Stories.
IX. GRAMMAR REVISITED: (Synthesis of Sentences)
I. Simple to Simple
A. Combine each set of the following simple sentences into one
simple sentence by using at least one participle. The first one
is done for you. Your teacher will help you with the rest.
1. i) He first selected a site.
ii) Then he levelled it.
iii) Then he dug the earth for foundation.
iv) Finally he began to build a house.
Having selected a site, he levelled it and dug the earth for
foundation, and finally began to build a house.
2. i) Policemen and firemen combed the smoking rubble.
ii) They found guns.

52
 iii) They found spent cartridges.
iv) They found a charred corpse.
3. i) Strip mining completely alters the topography.
ii) It destroys all original vegetation.
iii) It also destroys most of the animal life.

d
iv) It leaves barren rubble behind.

he
4. i) Shells boomed.

pu S
is
ii) The shells were artillery.

be TB
bl
iii) The booming was in the distance.

to K
iv) The shells shook the ground.
v) The shelling was slight.©
5. i) One of the soldiers was playing the harmonica.
ii) Its sounds were a counterpoint to the boom.
ot

iii) The boom was in the distance.

N

iv) The counterpoint was strangely cheerful.

v) The boom was ugly.
vi) The boom was menacing.
B. Combine each set of the following simple sentences into one
simple sentence by using at least one absolute phrase. The
first one is done for you. Your teacher will help you with the
rest.
1. i) The evening grew more menacing.
ii) The breeze became gustier.
iii) Whitecaps gave the lake a frothy, sinister appearance.
The evening grew more menacing, the breeze becoming gustier,
whitecaps giving the lake a frothy, sinister appearance.
2. i) The prisoner was questioned.
ii) No witnesses came forward.
iii) The judge dismissed the case.
3. i) The morning had been cool.
ii) It had been comfortable.

53
 iii) The afternoon was growing sultry.
4. i) The fish didn’t take the lines.
ii) They periodically teased the boys.
iii) They nibbled the bait.
iv) They jumped.

d
v) The jumping was within arm’s reach of the boys.

he
vi) The boys were on the bank.

pu S
is
5. i) The boys tried changing bait.

be TB
bl
ii) They tried changing rods.

to K
iii) They tried changing places.
iv) Nothing worked. ©
C. Combine each set of the following simple sentences into one
simple sentence by using at least one appositive. The first one
is done for you. Your teacher will help you with the rest.
ot

1. i) Milton was a blind poet.

N

ii) He wrote Paradise Lost.

iii) It is one of the finest epics in the English language.
Milton, a blind poet, wrote Paradise Lost, one of the finest epics
in the English language.
2. i) They were slim.
ii) They were tanned.
iii) They were Levi-clad.
iv) They rode motorcycles while swigging their colas.
v) They rode surfboards while swigging their colas.
vi) They were the Pepsi generation.
vii) They were the flower children of the sixties.
3. i) The Pepsi generation changed the life style of America.
ii) The change was profound.
iii) The Pepsi generation was the product of the baby boom.
iv) The baby boom was post-war.
4. i) The Pepsi generation was affluent.

54
 ii) They were numerous.
iii) Manufacturers catered to their whims.
iv) Advertisers pandered to their fancies.
5. i) Joshua is young.
ii) Joshua is a soccer enthusiast.

d
iii) Joshua adores Leo Messi.

he
iv) Leo Messi is the world’s greatest player.

pu S
is
v) Messi plays for Barcelona.

be TB
bl
D. Combine each set of the following simple sentences into one
simple sentence by using at least one prepositional phrase/

to K
infinitive phrase. The first one is done for you. Your teacher
will help you with the rest. ©
1. i) Julius Caesar entered the forum.
ii) Julius Caesar was as majestic as usual.
ot

iii) The conspirators closed in behind him.

N

iv) They were determined to assassinate him.

The conspirators, being determined to assassinate Caesar, closed
in behind him upon his entering the Forum with his usual majesty.
2. i) Your son doesn’t have enough diligence.
ii) Therefore he has lost his place as a topper.
iii) He does not even figure in the top ten list.
3. i) It is very easy in our films.
ii) You can tell the heroes from the villains.
iii) The heroes always do only good.
iv) The villains always do only bad.
4. i) Most do agree with this.
ii) The clothes you wear identify your social status.
iii) The clothes you wear identify your authority.
iv) The clothes you wear identify your sophistication.
5. i) You may want to move up the corporate ladder.
ii) Then be prepared for this.

55
 iii) Dress properly in suits.
iv) The suits are dark.
v) The suits are pinstriped.
6. i) Her husband died.
ii) She heard the news.

d
iii) She was shocked.

he
iv) She fainted.

pu S
is
E. Combine each set of the following simple sentences into one

be TB
bl
simple sentence by using at least one adverbial phrase. The
first one is done for you. Your teacher will help you with the

to K
rest.
1.
©
i) Vishwanathan Anand is one of the best chess players in the
world.
ii) There is no doubt about it.
ot

Vishwanathan Anand is, undoubtedly, one of the best chess

N

players in the world.

2. i) He forgot to bring the keys.
ii) That was unfortunate.
iii) The keys were of the main gate and the main door.
3. i) The sun set.
ii) The boys had not reached home.
iii) The boys were naughty.
4. i) The villains attacked our hero.
ii) The blows were cruel.
iii) The villains had masked their faces.
iv) There was no reason for their attack.
5. i) He has succeeded.
ii) He has worked hard.
iii) His success has been beyond our expectations.

56
X. FUN WITH LANGUAGE: Find from the grid the names of traders
and professionals listed below: ( The words can run backwards as
well as forwards, in either a horizontal, vertical or diagonal direction,
but always in a straight uninterrupted line)

H T R X Y R D E C O R A T O R T U
D O Y E E F I S H E R M A N A Y N
R U M K C S S E R T S M A E S P D

d
he
N A A E E O R W A R K O O C J E E
T B R S O O R R U E T O P H F S R

pu S
is
H R R T L P C G R K T Z Q T L E T

be TB
bl
X U A I S H A E V A S T P I S T A
N A A N I I T T R T I E E M E T K

to K
R T U T S N G E H E G C S S C E E
V
D
O
C
E
L
D
P
E
I
L
C
I
A
E
A
©C
R
R
A
O
L
H
N
T
I
D
L
R
E
R
N
R
A
T Q R I N T R T F C O I M O T A I
Z A U A A E O C O F I C A G A M R
ot

C G N D R S Y R C R B I T N R R M
N

B I T S I G O L O E G A O E Y O A
F S T S I N I H C A M N R W W O N
H X T R O T C U D N O C W U J D H

Airman Architect Auditor Baker

Biologist Carer Caretaker Carpenter
Conductor Cook Decorator Doorman
Estimator Financier Fisherman Geologist
Goldsmith Grocer Homeopath Machinist
Nurse Registrar Sailor Seamstress
Secretary Tailor Technician Translator
Typesetter Undertaker

(Source: “Ultimate Family Puzzles- Words”)

57
 Lesson 9

Consumerist Culture
- Cheriyan Alexander
Pre-Reading Activity :

d
If you were left with the choice of selecting one of the two options

he
listed below, which would you opt for? And why?

pu S
is
be TB
i. Tender coconut water or Pepsi/Coca-cola?

bl
ii. Bhelpuri or burger?

to K
©
iii. Working in India or in America?
iv. Chapathis with Indian veg-dish or pizza?
1. Two months ago, I came across an advertisement put out by
ot

a posh shopping mall for bargain shoppers. In a band at the

N

top of the ad were the words “Shop till you drop”. I couldn’t
help noticing what an apt and ironic summing up this was
of the media-driven mania of mindless consumption that
characterizes our lives in these dawning years of the ‘globalised’
21st Century.
The Make-Believe Merchants
2. Never before in human history have people all over the world
bought and consumed such a bewilderingly diverse array of
things on such a vast scale. And the surprising thing is that
most of the merchandise is absolutely unessential to human
health and happiness. Just a hundred years ago, our ancestors
would have found it hard to believe that artificially coloured,
flavoured and sweetened water would be sold in billions of
plastic bottles and aluminium cans as a thirst-quenching
drink. Imagine their shock if they had been told that this drink
has absolutely no nutritive value, but rather has a damaging
effect on the digestive system and the bones. And yet, Pepsi
and Coca-Cola are sold even in the remotest nook and corner
of the world today. These sellers of coloured, sweetened water
are giant multinational corporations with revenues measured

58
 in billions of dollars, bigger than the combined GNP of nearly
a score of the world’s poorest countries. There are parallel
success stories that can be told of the purveyors of cigarettes
and liquor, hamburgers and fried chicken, cosmetics and
fashion wear – a seemingly never ending list.
3. Equally unprecedented in the world’s history is the size of

d
the machinery of persuasion that has been set up in order to

he
generate demand for this profusion of consumables. Without

pu S
a doubt, global advertising today is the biggest and most

is
be TB
sophisticated thought-control project ever undertaken. Some

bl
statistics reveal the true extent of this phenomenon. Global

to K
advertising expenditures, according to Benjamin Barber (in his
book Jihad versus Mc World 1995) rose “seven-fold from 1950
©
to 1990 from a modest $ 39 bn to $ 256 bn.” Barber adds
that per capita global spending went up from $ 15 in 1950
to nearly $ 50 in 1996. One single company, the hamburger
ot
giant McDonald, spends more than 1.4 bn dollars each year
on advertising. All these figures are huge indeed and getting
N

bigger all the time.

4. It is obvious then that unimaginably vast amounts of money
and enormous resources are being spent world-wide in an
all-out effort to persuade people to become buying machines
incapable of figuring out how much of all that stuff they
really need. Shopping has become more than a need. For
increasing numbers of people today, it has become the chief
form of entertainment, an obsessive compulsion they have
little control over, and very often an end in itself. In a recent
survey conducted in the United States it was discovered that
most Americans spend roughly half their leisure time watching
television. And the other half? No marks for guessing. At the
shopping malls, of course. The connection between the two
activities is self-evident. Television commercials provide the
theory, which can then be acted upon in the shopping malls.
5. Until a decade or two ago, we Indians were relatively unaffected
by all this. Not any longer. Trendy, brightly lit shopping
centers overflowing with all kinds of goods and baubles have
sprouted up all over the country, even in the smaller towns.

59
 The key word now is “choice.” At last, say thrilled shoppers, we
are beginning to get the kind of choice that people in the West
have enjoyed for a long time. Nevertheless, the fascination with
choice can be carried to ridiculous lengths. A young man, after
his first visit to the United States, once described to me-his eyes
popping out in admiration and wonder – that “in America they
have 83 different flavours of ice-cream to choose from.” He was

d
longing for something like that to happen in India. It looks as

he
if his dream has come true today. At least for the upper middle

pu S
is
classes in India, the high-consumption life-styles of their First

be TB
bl
World counterparts is now well within reach. And they take
to it like ducks to water. Luxury houses bursting at the seams

to K
with every imaginable material blessing are no longer rarities.
©
For everyone whose definitions of the good life are premised
upon the abundance of material possessions, the times have
never been better.
ot
The Tragic Comedy of “Development”
N

6. The deep irony then is that while pockets of private prosperity

are growing, there is an inexorable impoverishment of the
resources that belong to the public realm. There is thus an
amazing variety of sleek new car models to choose from, but
the roads in our cities are in pretty bad shape and getting
worse. Fashionable luxury resorts for the affluent are coming
up everywhere, but lung spaces for public use – parks and
playgrounds – are shrinking. It is much the same story
with many other services in the public domain including
transportation, health care, libraries and education. The trend
is to push even the most essential services into the private
realm so that some company or other can make a profit on
them. In the process, the poor are being pushed into becoming
consumers of increasingly expensive goods and utilities.
7. Advertisers and marketing professionals are working hard to
see that even people who live at the subsistence level in remote
rural pockets are lured and entranced into becoming passive
consumers of everything from cola drinks to shampoos. All
they see is a vast rural market waiting to be opened up for
commercial exploitation. We are fast approaching the day

60
 when it will be easier to get a bottle of Coke rather than tender
coconut or buttermilk in most of our villages. The increasing
presence of plastic garbage in our rural areas is a clear warning
signal.
8. It is interesting to see the connection between all this and what
is being drummed up as “development,” by agencies like the

d
World Bank, whose main objective is to make the way smooth

he
for the unbridled expansion of the so-called “free market”

pu S
economy into every corner of the globe. Enthusiasts of this

is
be TB
vision of development are dreaming of a day when all of India

bl
will look like the United States with two cars in every garage

to K
and the reassuring glow of McDonald and Pepsi signs all
along every highway. The final confirmation of our reaching
©
the Promised Land will come on the day the sheer tonnage
of the garbage we throw out–plastic cups, junked cars,
refrigerators and TV sets – matches the levels of the land of the
ot
almighty dollar. When this happens we will no longer be called
a “developing” country but will rejoice as the “advanced West,”
N

our teacher and role model, finally certifies us as “developed.”

It is to actualize this vision that millions of our youth are
rushing to get their MBA degrees.
The Only Way Out
9. But wait a minute. How practical is this vision? It has been
estimated that to make this paradigm of development a reality
for all of India and China, leaving aside other “developing”
nations, the resources of planet earth will prove horribly
inadequate. We would need at least another three planets.
It is clear then that this consumer paradise aggressively
marketed by the giant global corporations will, besides paving
the way for an ecological holocaust, prove to be – what an
irony! – the most “unworldly” vision of all, simply because it
will have run out of worlds before it is fully realized.
10. It isn’t hard to see then that any model of development based
on simulating high consumption life-styles through aggressive
advertising and limitless market expansion is not only
unsustainable but also highly dangerous for the well-being of

61
 humanity. The price paid in ecological terms will make it the
most suicidal enterprise the human race has ever embarked
upon. We desperately need alternative models of development.
It is not a wise thing to handover to businessmen the task of
ruling the world as we have just done today. Businessmen
cannot be counted upon to have the wisdom or the will to
think of the welfare of all of humanity, leave alone the health

d
of the planet. That is not part of the training of business

he
administrators. They are mainly trained to do everything

pu S
is
possible to maximize profits for the corporations that employ

be TB
bl
them.

to K
11. The only way to restore sanity is for local communities,
cooperatives, civil societies and democratic governments
©
everywhere to take back the autonomy – and the initiative for
their own development – which they recently traded away to
the giant global business corporations. There is now a great
ot
need to re-awaken the numerous enabling spiritualities and
wisdom traditions of the various people of the world. Mahatma
N

Gandhi once said that the earth has enough for every man’s
need but not enough for every man’s greed.
12. All human beings have a right to the basic material
requirements for a life of dignity. But there comes a point
beyond which it is necessary to say “enough” to the merely
material. Then one should turn to the ‘commodities’ of the
spirit – the arts, culture, community life – in order for life
to be truly meaningful and sustainable. This is ultimately a
spiritual and philosophical decision for both individuals and
communities to make. Henry David Thoreau, the 19th century
American philosopher, observed, “superfluous wealth can buy
only superfluities… Money is not required to buy even one
necessity of the soul.” One can only hope that humanity can
muster up enough soul-force to contain the damage caused by
unrestricted consumerism, lest we really shop till we drop and
nothing of value is left standing on our beloved Mother Earth.

62
I. GLOSSARY :
consumerism : the belief or practice which supports
and encourages the buying of products
and services.

d
posh (informal) : fashionable and expensive

he
ironic : a statement which conveys the opposite

pu S
is
of what it is saying

be TB
bl
globalize : develop or operate worldwide

to K
bewildering : puzzling
array
©
: range
merchandise : goods for sale.
ot

GNP : Gross National Product

N

purveyors : manufacturers and suppliers

machinery of persuasion : the attractive and convincing ways of
advertising a product through different
media.
profusion : a great amount of something.
sophisticated : highly developed and complex.
trendy : very fashionable or up-to-date
bauble : a small, showy trinket or decoration
premised upon : based on the reasoning
inexorable : impossible to stop or prevent
impoverishment : scarcity
lured : tempted to do something
entranced : filled with wonder

63
unbridled : uncontrolled
paradigm (n) : a model
holocaust : total destruction
embarked upon : engaged, undertaken

d
civil societies : groups which strive towards an exploita-

he
tion–free society based on humanitarian

pu S
lines.

is
be TB
bl
superfluous : more than is needed; unnecessary.

to K
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
©
A. Answer the following questions briefly :
1. The writer refers to the catchy phrase, “shop till you drop” in an
advertisement.
ot
N

a. What is the meaning intended by the advertisers?

b. Why does the writer call this apt and ironic?
c. Which word shows that the writer is condemning
consumerism?
2. In the very first paragraph, the writer makes it clear that
a. he supports shopping and shopping malls.
b. he is very critical of them.
3. The writer puts Pepsi, Coca Cola and other “artificially coloured,
flavoured and sweetened water” under absolutely unessential
to human health and happiness.
a. Do you agree with his view?
b. List any five such articles/gadgets/food items which
your family has been using at home and which are not
absolutely essential for your health and happiness.
4. What is the success story of Pepsi and Coca-Cola?

64
5. The second paragraph ends with “a seemingly never ending list.”
What ‘list’ is the writer talking about?
6. a. What phrase does the writer use in paragraph 3 to refer to an
advertisement?
b. What does an advertisement aim to do?
7. In the writer’s opinion, shopping has become…………(complete

d
the sentence)

he
8. What thrills the present-day Indian shoppers?

pu S
is
be TB
9. What was the “dream come true” for the US returned Indian?

bl
10. In the sentence, “And they take to it like ducks to water”

to K
(paragraph 5)
©
a. Who do “they” refer to?
b. What does “it” refer to?
c. What does “like ducks to water” mean?
ot

11. Does the writer approve of the attitude of the Indians spoken
N

of in paragraph 5?
12. a. What is the “deep irony” referred to in paragraph 6?
b. Substantiate your answer with any one example from the
paragraph.
13. a. What is the trend referred to in paragraph 6?
b. Who does the trend benefit?
c. What is the impact of the trend on the poor?
14. a. What are the advertisers and marketing professionals
working hard at?
b. How will it affect our villagers?
c. What impact will it have on our environment?
15. a. What kind of vision do the enthusiasts of free market
economy have for India?
b. Do you like India to become another US? Why? Why
not?
c. What negative impact will the free-market economy have
on our country?

65
 16. Why does the writer say that the model of development based
on consumerism is suicidal?
17. What, according to the writer, is the only way to restore sanity?
18. As one of the remedies to the mess we have created, the writer
suggests a re-awakening. What does he want to re-awaken?

d
19. Go back to the advertiser's catchy phrase, “Shop till you drop”

he
in the first paragraph.

pu S
is
a. What was the intended meaning of the advertisers?

be TB
bl
b. How does the writer interpret its meaning in the last

to K
paragraph?
©
c. Now, explain why the writer calls this apt and ironic.
20. Do you like this article? Why? Why not?
21. Read paragraph 4 carefully and match the statements under
ot

A with the examples given under B.

N

A B
1. Shopping has become more I enjoy shopping
than a need
2. It has become an obsessive I spend my weekend evenings
compulsion over which we have in the nearby Mall
no control
3. Shopping is an end in itself
Buying additional pairs of
branded shoes because they
are on 50% off sale.
4. It has become a form of I was so impressed by this latest
entertainment version of the smart phone that
I bought it using my credit card.
B. Close Study
Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then
write the answers to the questions given below:
1. It is to actualize this vision that millions of our youth are rushing
to get their MBA degrees.

66
 a) What is the vision referred to here?
b) When the vision is actualized, what will India be referred to as?
c) Is the writer critical of or admiring our youth who are rushing
to get their MBA degrees?
2. It is not a wise thing to hand over the task of ruling the world

d
to businessmen as we have just done today.

he
pu S
a) Why shouldn’t the businessmen be given the task of ruling

is
be TB
bl
the world?

to K
b) What are they mainly trained for?
©
c) According to the writer, what is the way to restore sanity?
III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :
Discuss in pairs/groups of four each, the answers to the following
ot

questions. Note down the important points for each question and
N

then develop the points into one-paragraph answers:

1. Man today is an unstoppable buying machine. Elucidate with
examples.
2. Write a short note on the views expressed by the writer on
the tragic comedy of ‘development’. Why does he call it tragic
comedy?
3. Do you personally share the concerns raised by the writer
here? If ‘yes’, what individual initiative can you take about this
matter?

IV. VOCABULARY
A. Select from the box, two synonyms for the words given below:

display, different, come up, tempt, plentiful, varied, broadcast, attract,

excessive, develop, bear, existence, perplexing, unheard of, support,
singular, forceful, confusing, pushing, survival.

67
1. lure : ____________________________________
2. abundant : ____________________________________
3. sprout : ____________________________________
4. diverse : ____________________________________
5. advertise : ____________________________________

d
he
6. bewildering : ____________________________________

pu S
is
7. unprecedented :____________________________________

be TB
bl
8. subsistence : ____________________________________

to K
9. aggressive : ____________________________________

10. sustain :
©
____________________________________

B . Find out from the lesson, one word for the following definitions.
ot

1. the preoccupation of society with buying goods _____________

N

2. goods for sale ______________

3. borderless economic order ______________
4. foreign trading companies which export capital along with their
products __________
5. anything that is meant for the public ______________
C. Fill in the blanks with the opposites of the words given in brackets.
In a largely ___________ (certain) world, even with gold prices moving
upwards, the craze for the yellow metal remains _____________ (abated).
A key reason is the ___________ (enchantment) with other investments.
A large percentage of savings are held in _________ (productive) gold
assets and a lot of banks and ______________ (banking) companies
are offering loans against gold. But the supply is sadly __________
(adequate), in spite of ___________ (bridled) mining. Gold attracts
____________ (wanted) attention and is its major _________ (advantage).
So, do you feel that gold is ______________? (essential).

68
D. Bring out the difference in meaning between the words in pairs,
by using each of the following in sentences of your own.
present (n) – presence cloth – clothes
later – latter alternate – alternative
decent – descent lonely – alone
career – carrier advice – advise

d
E. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate idioms given in the box.

he
keep a level head, leave no stone unturned, go around in circles, have

pu S
is
the last laugh, full of beans, jump on the bandwagon.

be TB
bl
1. All his relatives made fun of Charles when his grandmother left

to K
him only her old wooden box, but he ___________. It contained
all her savings. ©
2. We have been trying all day to find a solution to this problem,
but we just keep _________________.
ot

3. Sriram seems to have fully recovered from his illness. When

N

I saw him, he was _______________.

4. He has had a successful career, partly because he always
__________________ at the correct time.
5. Even in the middle of the fire, he _____________, and saved many
lives.
6. The minister said he would _______________________ in his
attempts to improve the standard of education.
F. “These sellers of coloured, sweetened water are giant multinational
corporations…”
“multinational” means foreign manufacturing and trading companies.
The prefix “multi” – means many, more than one. With the help of a
dictionary, find out the meaning of the following “multi”-words.
multimedia, multicultural, multifaceted, multilingual,
multifarious, multilateral, multimillionaire.
V. LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES: Group Discussion
The class is divided into four groups. Each group chooses one of the
following topics for discussion. One from each group notes down the
points and presents a summary of the discussion to the class.

69
1.Here are some opinions of the writer about the 21st century India.
Are the following really happening? Do you agree with the writer?
Discuss in groups and present your findings to the class.

d
he
pu S
is
be TB
bl
to K
©
2. “Consumerist Culture” is a very persuasive discourse. The writer
ot
demystifies many popular beliefs and economic paradigms through
a series of logically presented arguments. What arguments does the
N

writer give to prove that development based on free market is not

practical?
3. “The earth has enough for every man’s need but not enough for
every man’s greed.” Do you agree with this statement?
4. What do you understand by Thoreau’s observation “superfluous
wealth can buy only superfluities ……….. Money is not required to
buy even one necessity of the soul?”
VI. A. SPEAKING ACTIVITIES: in Groups of four each.
1. Here’s a game to test your skills of persuasion. You should not
use pen and paper. Communicate orally.
Problem: A farmer bought a pair of bullocks for Rs. 6000/-, sold
it for Rs.7000/-, bought again for Rs.8000/- and sold again for Rs.
9000/- . Did he gain or lose? And how much?
2. Debate:
Topic: “Globalization is the only answer to development!”
Or
“Advertisements are sweet lies”

70
Divide the class into two groups. Let one group argue “for” and the
other “against” the topic. One student may be selected to act as the
moderator of the debate.
Given below are certain expressions you may use :
I’d like to raise a/the question/argue….
I think it’s more reasonable .....

d
I feel strongly that……….

he
I would like to draw attention to…………

pu S
is
I think you are being unfair in suggesting that………..

be TB
bl
I strongly oppose/support the view that…………

to K
It is unrealistic to say that ……………
On the contrary ………….. ©
I’m afraid, I may not be able to accept...........
3. Pronunciation: changes in stress according to function
Note the pronunciation of the following words. These words can be
ot

used both as nouns and verbs. In the noun form, the first syllable is
N

stressed; in the verb form, the second syllable is stressed.

First, repeat after your teacher and then, in pairs, read them aloud
to each other.
Noun Verb
1
accent 1
ACcent ac cent
1
ac1CENT
1
conduct 1
CONduct con1duct con1DUCT
1
present 1
PREsent pre1sent pre1SENT
1
progress 1
PROgress pro1gress pro1GRESS
1
content 1
CONtent con1tent con1TENT
1
object 1
OBject ob1ject ob1JECT
1
contest 1
CONtest con1test con1TEST
1
convert 1
CONvert con1vert con1VERT
1
convict 1
CONvict con1vict con1VICT
1
desert 1
DEsert de1sert de1SERT
1
digest 1
DIgest di1gest di1GEST
1
produce 1
PROduce pro1duce pro1DUCE
1
project 1
PROject pro1ject pro1JECT

71
4. Read aloud the following sentences to each other :

1. a) Most of us speak English with a regional 1accent.

b) Her eyes were acc1ented by make-up.
2. a) I didn1t approve of his 1conduct.

d
b) Please con1duct yourself.

he
3. a) This ring is a 1present from my sister.

pu S
is
be TB
bl
b) May I pre1sent the Principal, Professor Chakravarthy?

to K
4. a) Don1t disturb the students while the class is in 1progress.

©
b) The doctor thinks the patient is pro1gressing well.
5. a) Are you familiar with the 1contents of this book?
b) As there was no milk, we had to con1tent ourselves with
ot

black coffee
N

6. a)Our teacher was the 1object of our admiration.

b)I ob1ject to your keeping birds in cages.
7. a) The Inter-School Classical Music 1contest is a yearly
feature of our school.
b)I plan to con1test the elections.
8. a)He is a Buddhist 1convert.
b)I want to con1vert my Indian rupees into Japanese Yen.
9. a)The 1convict who escaped from prison is yet to be captured.
b)The Judge decided to con1vict Billa for the murder of
Sanjay Chopra.
10. a)The Sahara is the world1s largest 1desert.
b)The soldier decided to de1sert the army.
11. a)He has made a 1digest of all the reports on this case.
b)I can1t di1gest rich food.

72
 12. a) The farmer was very happy with his 1produce.
b) We need to pro1duce enough for ourselves.
13. a) The teacher has given the class a science1project.
b)You can pro1ject the pictures on this screen.
VII. PROJECT :

d
he
Survey

pu S
is
Work in groups of four each. (TIME: 10 days)

be TB
bl
1. Prepare a questionnaire to elicit views on Malls. (It should

to K
include: frequency of visits to malls, where, when and their views
on the issues raised in the lesson )
©
2. Get answers from at least 20 of your neighbours.

3. Consolidate the responses and make a presentation in class.

ot
N

VIII. NOTE ON THE AUTHOR :

Cheriyan Alexander (born 1958) is an Associate Professor

of English at St. Joseph's College, Bengaluru. He has
written widely on issues and themes relating to literature,
culture and ecology.

IX. SUGGESTED READING/ACTIVITY :

1. Naomi Klein: No Logo
2. Skye Jethani: The Divine Commodity
Watch the Movies : 1. The Corporation
2. Surplus
X. GRAMMAR REVISITED :
SUBORDINATION : Simple to Complex
Note: Main points generally go into main clauses. Any simple sentence
can be changed to a subordinate clause but the choice of
subordination or main clause must be guided by your purpose.

73
For example,
i) Students were protesting.
ii) The lecture was cancelled.
If your focus is on the students’ protest, you can say:
Students were protesting because the lecture was cancelled.

d
he
If your focus is on the cancellation of the lecture, you can say:

pu S
is
The lecture was cancelled because the students were protesting.

be TB
bl
A. Combine each sequence of sentences below into a complex
sentence by using at least one noun clause. The first one is

to K
done for you. Your teacher will help you with the rest.
1. i) He tells me.
©
ii) He distrusts his own sons.
iii) It is difficult to understand his reason.
ot

He tells me that he distrusts his own sons, which is difficult

N

to understand.
2. i) Someone said this.
ii) History is a record of dates and battles.
iii) This ignores most of history’s significance.
iv) This makes history merely a list of selected events.
3. i) A restaurant becomes a five star restaurant.
ii) This means the restaurant has consistently maintained
superior standards.
iii) The standards are of quality in food and service.
4. i) The earth’s climate changes.
ii) The earth’s climate even now may be changing rapidly.
iii) This is widely recognized.
5. i) He pretended to be one of us.
ii) He took part in all our pranks.
iii) This helped hide his identity.
iv) He was a policeman.

74
B. Combine each sequence of sentences below into a complex
sentence by using at least one adjective/relative clause. The
first one is done for you. Your teacher will help you with the
rest.
1. i) Walden Pond is now the site of many tourist stands.
ii) Walden Pond was once admired by Thoreau for its natural

d
beauty.

he
iii) Henry David Thoreau built himself a solitary hut on the shore

pu S
is
be TB
of Walden.

bl
iv) He lived there for two and a half years.

to K
Walden Pond, which is now the site of many tourist stands, was
©
once admired by Henry David Thoreau who built himself a solitary
hut on its shore where he lived for two and a half years.
2. i) Alcohol, a drying agent, is frequently used in cosmetics.
ot

ii) The drying agent evaporates rapidly.

N

iii) The drying agent therefore has a cooling effect.

3. i) The roller-coaster is still one of the most exciting rides.
ii) The rides are in an amusement park.
iii) The roller-coaster made its appearance in 1884.
4. i) The man shoved the woman into a car.
ii) The man was fat.
iii) The man had a nasal voice.
iv) The woman was startled.
v) The man mistakenly thought the woman was about to have
a baby.
5. i) A cottager and his wife had a hen.
ii) The hen laid an egg everyday.
iii) They were lucky.
iv) The egg was golden.

75
C. Combine each sequence of sentences below into a complex
sentence by using at least one adverbial clause. The first one
is done for you. Your teacher will help you with the rest.
1. i) Suppose there isn’t any cake.
ii) Suppose there aren’t any friends around.

d
iii) A birthday cannot really be fun.

he
iv) His birthday is on 4th January.

pu S
is
If there is no cake and if there are no friends, his birthday on

be TB
bl
4th January cannot really be fun.

to K
2. i) The experiences were sung about in poems.
©
ii) The poems were written by the pupils.
iii) The pupils were between the ages of 70 and 90.
iv) The pupils were residents in a nursing home.
ot

3. i) Poet Kenneth Koch would teach folk poetry.

N

ii) He hoped to free them from bonds.

iii) The bonds were cruel.
iv) The bonds were of growing old.
v) He hoped to free them for moments, at least.
4. i) “Good evening. I am Count Dracula.”
ii) Bela Lugosi’s voice chilled theatre goers.
iii) His voice is now famous.
iv) Then, it ushered in the modern Dracula era.
v) He did this 70 years ago.
5. i) The train arrived at the station.
ii) A man sprang out of one of the carriages on to the platform.
iii) His clothes were torn.
iv) They were stained with blood.
v) The policeman saw this.

76
COORDINATION: Simple to Compound
Note: We use coordination to suggest that the two clauses are logically
related but neither has more weight than the other.
Combine each sequence of sentences below into a compound
sentence using at least two main clauses. The first one is done
for you. Your teacher will help you with the rest.

d
he
1. i) Some species of whales are nearing extinction.
ii) Many countries refuse to accept even a partial ban on

pu S
is
whale hunting.

be TB
bl
Some species of whales are nearing extinction and yet many

to K
countries refuse to accept even a partial ban on whale hunting.
2. ©
i) In private life he was kind.
ii) In private life he was even generous.
iii) In public life he was severe.
ot

iv) In public life he administered strict justice.

N

3. i) He does not study.

ii) He does not allow his friends to study.
iii) That’s why many of his friends avoid him.
4. i) You may not care for wealth.
ii) You may not care for fame.
iii) You shall have to care for truth.
iv) Life without truth is a degraded life.
5. i) I shall not oppose your plan of action.
ii) I cannot approve of it.
XI. FUN WITH LANGUAGE: Punctuation Puzzles
What intonation is to speech punctuation is to writing. Any slight
variation in intonation or punctuation will completely change the
meaning of an utterance or a sentence. Look closely at the following
pairs of sentences. Same words, same syntax, yet the meaning is so
different! All because of a change in the punctuation.
1. a) I left him convinced he was a fool.
b) I left him, convinced he was a fool.

77
Which sentence shows extraordinary powers of persuasion?
2. a) Shall I stick the stamps on myself?
b) Shall I stick the stamps on, myself?
Which of the two will require a lot of postage?
3. a) A clever dog knows its master.
b) A clever dog knows it’s master.

d
he
In which case has the dog the upper hand?

pu S
4. a) He ate a half - fried chicken.

is
be TB
bl
b) He ate a half - fried chicken.
Which would be followed by stomach disorder?

to K
5. a) Go slow – children.
b) Go slow, children.
©
Which is a warning to drivers?
6. a) The officers ate chicken, their wives, vegetables.
ot

b) The officers ate chicken; their wives, vegetables.

N

Which would suggest cannibalism?

7. a) Students’ protest gains.
b) Students protest gains.
Which of the two suggests that the student force is becoming strong?
8. a) The dictator, who was recently ousted by the citizens and his wife
arrived in Hawaii yesterday.
b) The dictator, who was recently ousted by the citizens, and his
wife, arrived in Hawaii yesterday.
In which of the two cases is the dictator feeling worse?
9. a) The film ended, happily.
b) The film ended happily.
In which case was the audience apparently bored?
10. a) My wife, who lives in Hong Kong, is arriving tomorrow.
b) My wife who lives in Hong Kong is arriving tomorrow.
Which of the two suggests that the speaker is a polygamist?
****

78
 Lesson 10

The Pie and the Tart

- Hugh Chesterman
Pre-Reading Activity :

d
Do you enjoy listening to humorous anecdotes and situations?

he
Recall any humorous situation or any humorous anecdote. In pairs,

pu S
share it with your partner.

is
be TB
bl
Characters

to K
Pierre
vagabonds. ©
Jean

Gaultier, a pastry cook.

ot

Marion, his wife.

N

The scene is laid outside GAULTIER’S cake shop in Paris. The

time is the middle of the fifteenth century. The Act could be played on
a curtained stage with one door, back centre. The only furniture is a
bench, right. JEAN and PIERRE are discovered, the former seated on
the bench, in an attitude of extreme dejection; the latter pacing up and
down, blowing on his fingers. Both must indicate that they are cold and
hungry.
JEAN (regarding PIERRE’S restless pacing): Must you keep doing that?
PIERRE: It’s this blasted cold. If I stop walking I shall freeze. I’m dying
of hunger and cold.
JEAN : So am I. But I prefer to die sitting down.
PIERRE : We make a pretty pair, you and I. Paris should be proud of
us. (Displaying his rags.) There are twenty-three holes in this tunic. I
know because I counted them this morning.
That’s only reckoning the ones that let the wind through. No doubt
there are others. But let that pass.
JEAN : The holes in your tunic don’t interest me. What I am concerned
about is the hollow in my stomach. We must live; and without a
meal……………

79
PIERRE : That’s what I said to Judge Gaston when I was pinched last
month for begging.
JEAN : Said what?
PIERRE : He asked me why I did it, and I said, “Well, your honour,
I must live.” And he looked me up and down and said, “I really don’t
see the necessity.”

d
he
JEAN : A wag, that Judge.

pu S
is
PIERRE : He didn’t know what it was to be hungry. See here, my

be TB
bl
pretty, this can’t go on. I’m going to knock on every door in this street.
And since charity begins at home I shall begin right here. (Indicating

to K
the cake shop.) You’d better not be seen. Go into the next street and
©
try your luck there. (JEAN begins to go, but PIERRE calls him back.)
Wait a minute, brother; let’s hear what you can do.
(JEAN knocks on the bench and assumes a mendicant voice and
ot
attitude.)
N

JEAN : “For the love of St. Agatha and all the blessed saints, have pity
on a poor Miserable who has had no food for three days.” How’s that?
PIERRE : Not bad. But make it seven days and squint slightly. It’s a
sure sign of starvation.
(Exit JEAN)
PIERRE : (Knocking on the cake shop door): Alms, good sir; for the
love of God and all His blessed angels, take pity on a poor traveller
who has had no food for a week.
(M. GAULTIER comes to the door. He is a man of about fifty, well
preserved and obviously content with his lot.)
GAULTIER : Go away. I’ve got nothing for you. My wife is away and
I am busy. You’d better go to the next street.
(M.GAULTIER slams the door. Exit PIERRE, R. Enter JEAN, L. He looks
at the door, hesitates and then knocks.)
JEAN : For the love of St. Agatha, St. Nicholas, St. Crispin and all the
blessed company of Heaven, have pity upon a poor Miserable who has
had no food for seven days.

80
 (The door is opened by MARION. She is younger than her husband,
stoutish, but comely.)
MARION: Go away, beggar. My husband is out and I have nothing for
you. You’d better call again when he comes back.
(MARION shuts the door. JEAN sits disconsolately on the bench.
Presently GAULTIER comes out of the shop. He makes as if to go out,

d
R., but remembers something and goes back towards the shop. MARION

he
appears at the door)

pu S
is
M. GAULTIER : Ah, Marion. I am just off to dine with the Mayor. He

be TB
bl
keeps none too good a table. I am thinking that I’d better take that eel

to K
pie with me - the big one that I made last Monday. Just get it for me.
Hurry; I mustn’t be late.
MARION: Very good, husband.
©
(She goes back into the shop, but GAULTIER calls her back.)
ot

GAULTIER : Wait. I can’t very well be seen carrying an eel pie through
N

the streets of Paris, can I? Not quite the thing for a man of my position.
Do you think you could bring it along after me?
MARION: Quite impossible. I’ve too much to do to run errands. Why
not send someone back for it?
GAULTIER : A good idea. But who?
MARION: Well, you’ll be bound to meet someone on the way.
GAULTIER : Yes, but how will you know if he’s the right one? Anyone
might just come and say they had been sent.
MARION: I hadn’t thought of that.
GAULTIER : I have it. I’ll tell the messenger, when I have found him, to
kiss your hand. That will be the sign and you’ll know that everything
is all right.
MARION (laughing): Well, choose a good-looking one. (Coyly):
Madame Gaultier’s hand is not for everyone to kiss.
(MARION returns to the shop. GAULTIER exit, R. JEAN who has
overheard all the foregoing, sits pondering. Presently enter PIERRE L.)

81
PIERRE : Any luck?
JEAN : Yes — and no.
PIERRE : What does that mean?
JEAN (after a pause) : Look here. Are you ready to do exactly as I tell
you? And no questions asked?

d
PIERRE : I’ll do anything to keep my stomach quiet.

he
JEAN : Very well. Now listen. I am going into the next street. Directly

pu S
is
I am gone, go up to the door, knock on it and say.....

be TB
bl
PIERRE : Thanks. I’ve been there once today already. I got what I

to K
expected. (Mimicking M GAULTIER’S pompous manner.) “Go away,
©
beggar! Go away; I’m busy. Go into the next street.” Bah! (He spits.)
JEAN : Never mind about that. Listen. I say directly I am gone, go up
to the door and knock on it. The lady will come to the door.....
ot

PIERRE : But how do you....

N

JEAN : Don’t interrupt. The lady will come to the door. When she does
so you will take her hand and kiss it.
PIERRE : Kiss the lady’s hand? I think you’re making a slight mistake,
brother. I’m not lovesick; I’m starving.
JEAN : Wait. That’s not all. When you have kissed her hand you will
say, “Madam, I am sent by M. Gaultier to fetch the pie.” She will then
give you a large eel pie and .....
PIERRE : And the heavens will open; roast fowl and nectarines will be
seen to rain upon us from the clouds, and champagne will be heard
gurgling in the gutters. Where did you learn this conjuring trick?
JEAN : Very well. Believe it or not as you like. The point is: are you
hungry, or are you not?
PIERRE : (rubbing his waist-line) Hungry? I’ve a hollow in here that
all the birds of the air could nest in.
JEAN : Then do as I tell you. If it doesn’t come off, never trust me
again. But it will.

82
PIERRE : Criminy, Jean, I believe you’re serious!
JEAN : Of course I’m serious.
PIERRE : All right. I’ll do it.
JEAN : Good.
PIERRE : Tell me again. What do I have to do?

d
he
JEAN : It’s all quite simple. Go up and knock at the door and say,
“Please, Madam, M. Gaultier has sent me for the eel pie.” She won’t

pu S
is
give it to you till you have kissed her hand. That’s important.

be TB
bl
PIERRE : But suppose the husband comes to the door?

to K
JEAN : He won’t. He’s out. I happen to know it. Never mind how, but
©
I do. Now, I’m going round the corner. I shall be back in five minutes,
and don’t you start dinner till I come!
(Exit JEAN, R. PIERRE knocks on the door. MARION answers it.)
ot

PIERRE : Good morning, lady. I have come from M. Pie, who sends
N

me to fetch the Gaultier - I should say I have come from M. Gaultier,

who sends me to fetch the pie - the eel pie.
MARION: And how am I to know you are his messenger?
PIERRE : Ah! (Coyly.) Allow me, lady, to kiss your hand.
(He attempts to seize her hand, but MARION snatches it away.)
MARION: All right. That will do. Wait there and I will get it. (Exit and
reappears with pie.) Here it is. Take care how you carry it. It’s a very
good pie.
PIERRE : Rest assured, lady, I shall take the greatest care of it. As
a carrier of eel pies I claim to be second to none in all Paris. It shall
travel thus, close to my bosom. As a mother with her bantlings, as a
shepherd with his ewes, as St. Ursula with her maidens, so will I play
the guardian angel with this pie. It shall.......

83
 d
he
pu S
is
be TB
bl
to K
©
MARION: Be off, then. And don’t waste time in getting there.
ot

(She closes the door. After she had gone PIERRE stands holding the pie
N

as if stupefied. He then places it carefully on the bench and sits beside

it. He gazes at it lovingly, prodding it now and then with his fingers.)
PIERRE : This must be a dream; and presently I shall wake. One of
those dreams that are too good to last. I know, because I’ve had them
once or twice before. (Picking up the pie tenderly and sniffing it.) Good
dream, last a little longer. Just now I haven’t the very least desire to
wake up.
(Enter JEAN.)
JEAN : Well, what did I tell you?
PIERRE : (Putting his fingers to his lips): Sh ! Don’t speak too loud.
You might wake me up.
JEAN : (laughing and clapping him on the back): Wake up, then. It’s
dinner time. (Picking up the pie.) We won’t wait for the nectarines and
the champagne. This will do to start with.
(He goes out, carrying the pie in front of him. JEAN follows as if in a
trance, nose in the air, sniffing. After a pause, enter GAULTIER. He
is obviously angry and rather out of breath. He knocks on the door.
MARION opens it.)

84
MARION: What, back already?
GAULTIER : The mayor was out. Nice way to treat a guest, eh? Asks
him to dinner and then goes out and forgets all about it. I’ll get even
with him for it one day, mark my words. Gaspard Gaultier is not the
man to be treated like that. Oh, no!
MARION: But what will you do for dinner?

d
he
GAULTIER :Dine at home, of course. Where else?

pu S
is
MARION: But there’s nothing in the house to eat.

be TB
bl
GAULTIER :Nothing to eat? What are you talking about? There’s the

to K
eel pie, isn’t there?
©
MARION: But.... you sent for it. I gave it to your messenger not a
quarter of an hour ago.
GAULTIER (Picking up his ears): Eh! What’s that?
ot

MARION: I gave the pie to the man who came for it. Just as you told
N

me to. He kissed my hand, as you said he would, and I told him to

hurry. Didn’t you meet him on the road?
GAULTIER : I sent no messenger.
MARION: But.......
GAULTIER : I say I sent no messenger. (Suddenly threateningly.) What
have you done with the pie? I believe you’ve eaten it!
MARION: Now don’t be absurd, Gaspard. Of course I haven’t eaten
it. I tell you the messenger came, as you arranged, and I gave him the
pie. You must be crazy. If you didn’t send him, who else did?
GAULTIER : If this is a joke, woman, let me tell you that it’s in very
bad taste. I’ll soon see for myself if the pie is there or not. And if it
isn’t, you’ll have to find a good explanation.
(He strides into the shop, followed by MARION. After a considerable
pause re-enter JEAN and PIERRE. They sit, arms round each other’s
shoulders, at one end of the bench.)
PIERRE : Jean, my stomach being, as it were, now composed, my
brain is beginning to function. I have an idea.

85
JEAN : Slowly, my friend, slowly. My doctor warned me that after a
meal the brain must not be overworked. It is in the interest of digestion.
PIERRE : Agreed. We will approach the problem cautiously. In the
matter of the pie which we have just eaten, you will agree that it was
a masterpiece.
JEAN : It was the work of an artist.

d
he
PIERRE : The composition was faultless - the flavour, just so. And then
the crust. Was ever such a crust? (Picking his teeth with his fingers.)

pu S
is
be TB
The memory of it still abides with me.

bl
JEAN : And what eels! The tenderness, the plasticity! I wonder where

to K
he catches them.
©
PIERRE : He does not catch them. They give themselves up. No eel
could resist the blandishments of such an artist as M. Gaultier. To
my mind the pie had but one fault.
ot

JEAN : And that?

N

PIERRE : Its singularity. There should have been two. Listen, my

Jean. When I was waiting at M. Gaultier’s door, I saw a tart. It was
on a shelf just outside the kitchen. I think it was a cranberry tart. I
was allowed one glimpse of it and the vision faded. But it was a tart to
dream about: succulent, spiced, sugared, white as a maid’s bosom:
the very tart to sit affably on a foundation of eel pie. I see no reason
why the tart should not be ours. Would not you like to go and fetch
it?
JEAN : But how?
PIERRE : You know the formula, “M. Gaultier sends me”, etc., and
the hand of Madame Gaultier is both small and white. Believe me, you
will enjoy the experience.
JEAN : (getting up from the bench): I’ll do it. But she mustn’t see you.
PIERRE : All right. I’ll be round the corner. To it, then, and
goodluck. (Exit PIERRE,L.)
JEAN (KNOCKING AT THE DOOR) : Hullo, there!
(MARION comes to the door)

86
MARION: And what do you want ?
JEAN : M. GAULTIER has sent me, lady. He finds that the eel pie
is not large enough to go round. He wants the cranberry tart which
he says is on the kitchen shelf. And, oh, yes, I am to kiss your hand.
Then you’ll know it’s me.
MARION: (giving away nothing by voice or expression): He wants the

d
cranberry tart, does he? Very well, if you’ll wait there I will get it. (Goes

he
back into the shop.)

pu S
is
JEAN : If life was always as easy as this! And to think that only an

be TB
bl
hour ago I was in danger of starving to death. Well, for what we are

to K
about to receive....
©
(Before he can finish the sentence M. GAULTIER runs out from
the shop and begins to cudgel him)
GAULTIER: Thief, dog, cut-purse, reptile, rapscallion, slubberdegullion!
ot
What have you done with my pie?
N

JEAN : Stop beating me! Stop beating me, and I’ll tell you.
GAULTIER : (Still beating him): No lies, now! Where is it? What have
you done with it?
JEAN : I can’t tell you till you stop beating me.
GAULTIER : (Dropping the cudgel) Well?
JEAN : It was no fault of mine, sir. It was my friend. About ten minutes
ago, when you were talking to your wife, he overheard you say that you
were sending someone back for the pie. And so he came and he took
the pie. He did it with the best intention in the world. If he’d known
there was going to be all this fuss about it he would never have done it.
GAULTIER : And where is he now?
JEAN : Not far away. I’ll go and get him.
GAULTIER : You’d better. And see here. If you’re not back with the
pie, I’ll have you both hanged for thieving. I’ll give you five minutes.
Not a minute more. (GAULTIER goes back into the shop. JEAN stands
downstage, rubbing his bruises. Presently enter PIERRE, L.)
PIERRE : Any luck?

87
JEAN : Not at all. She says she can’t give the tart to just anyone. It
must be the same messenger who came for the pie, or none at all.
I kissed her hand till it was all sticky, but she wouldn’t budge an inch.
PIERRE : Well, that’s easy. I must go myself. You get out of sight. I’ll
soon show you how these things are managed.
(Exit JEAN, R., PIERRE knocks at the door. GAULTIER opens it.)

d
he
GAULTIER : (seizing him by the collar): Are you the dog who took away
my pie? (Shaking him.) Answer. What have you done with it? No lies,

pu S
is
be TB
or I’ll have the law on you!

bl
PIERRE : Leave go of me and I’ll explain. (GAULTIER releases him.)

to K
You see, sir, it was this way. I overheard you telling your wife that you
©
wanted a messenger. So I presented myself to madame. She gave me
the pie and I carried it straight to the Mayor’s house.
GAULTIER : I see. And I suppose he was delighted to see you?
ot

PIERRE : He couldn’t find words enough to thank me.

N

GAULTIER : You are a liar! The Mayor is out.

PIERRE : Ah, sir. That’s where you’re wrong. He was out; but he’s
home again. He returned just after you left. He was most grateful for
the pie, and he’s expecting your honour for dinner. He said he hoped
you wouldn’t keep him waiting.
GAULTIER : Well, well! So that was it. And I thought he’d forgotten
all about it. See here now. Run back to his Worship and say I shall be
with him in five minutes. I’ll give something for your trouble. Hurry,
or he’ll think I’m not coming.
PIERRE : Very good, sir.... and the tart?
GAULTIER : Eh? Oh, yes. The tart. I’ll get it. (He goes in and returns
with the tart.) There you are. Carry it carefully. Tell the Mayor I shan’t
be many minutes. You can wait for me at his gate.
(GAULTIER goes back into the shop calling “MARION!” Presently
enter Jean,L. He sees Pierre holding aloft the tart.)
JEAN : Criminy! But you’ve got it!

88
PIERRE : (presenting his disengaged hand to be kissed) : Sir, M.
Gaultier presents you with this cranberry tart and bids you kiss my
hand. (Jean advances slowly and makes a show of taking Pierre’s hand
as if to kiss it. But instead, he snatches away the tart and runs out,
closely pursued by PIERRE.)
CURTAIN

d
I. GLOSSARY :

he
M. Gaultier : ‘M’ is an abbreviation for Monsieur

pu S
is
be TB
(Pronounced Massyer) French for Mister.

bl
Jean : pronounced Zhon

to K
Pierre : pronounced Pier (as in dear)
vagabond
©
: a person who wanders from place to place
without a settled home or job especially,
one considered lazy or dishonest.
ot

pie : meat or fruit baked in a dish with pastry

N

on the bottom, sides and top

tart : an open pie filled with sweet food such as
fruit
tunic : a loose piece of clothing covering the body
down to the knees
blasted : annoying
pinched : arrested
wag : a person who enjoys making jokes
mendicant : a member of a religious group living by
asking people for money and food/beggar
squint : look at something with eyes partially shut
comely : pleasant to look at/attractive
disconsolately : very unhappy and disappointed
errands : a job done for others involving delivering/
buying something

89
coyly : shyly, or innocently
nectarine : peach like fruit
conjuring : performing clever tricks
criminy : mild blasphemy meaning “for Christ’s sake”
bantlings : children

d
he
stupefied : surprised and shocked

pu S
is
trance : a state in which one seems to be asleep

be TB
bl
but is aware of what is happening
around.

to K
repast : a meal
plasticity ©
: the quality of being easily made into
different shapes
cudgel : a short, thick stick
ot

blandishment : pleasant actions with which one tries to

N

persuade somebody to do something

cranberry tart : a fruit-pie containing cranberries
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
A . Answer the following questions briefly.
1. “If I stop walking, I shall freeze,” said Pierre. “I prefer to die sitting
down”, said Jean. This shows
a. that it was extremely cold in Paris on that day
b. that Jean is quick-witted and reacts intelligently
c. their ability to laugh at and talk lightly about their
miserable condition.
2. Why was Pierre pinched? How did he defend himself before Judge
Gaston?
3. “I really don’t see the necessity,” said Judge Gaston. This remark
is a reflection on.
a. the judge’s insensitivity

90
 b. how people felt about vagabonds in those days
c. the judge’s sense of humour

4. What, according to Pierre, is a sure sign of starvation?

5. Who opens the door of the cake-shop when Pierre knocks on it?

d
6. Pick out the common response of Gaultier and Marion to the

he
vagabond’s begging.

pu S
is
be TB
7. Choose from the box given below the phrases/adjectives that

bl
can be used to describe Gaultier, Marion and Pierre.

to K
content with his lot, conceited, hypocritical, foolish, stoutish,
©
clever, has presence of mind, sensitive, comely, generous,
kind, quick-witted, gullible, resourceful, pompous, excellent
pastry cook.
ot
N

8. “I can’t very well be seen carrying an eel pie through the streets
of Paris. Can I?” says Gaultier. This shows that he is
a) Lazy b) wise c) too conscious and proud of his position
9. What details of the conversation between the baker and his wife
help Jean in his planning?
10. Why does Jean ask Pierre to get the pie instead of taking it
himself?
11. How does the playwright bring out Pierre’s nervousness when
he presents himself as the messenger to carry the eel pie?
12. How was Marion going to identify Gaultier’s messenger?
13. Jean does not give the details of the conversation between the
baker and his wife to Pierre, as
a) it is not necessary
b) Jean wants to play the boss
c) Jean wants to take advantage of the situation.

91
 14. Pick out any one comparison that Pierre mentions while
describing how he would carry the eel pieto Marion?

15. Why does Pierre think he was dreaming?

16. Why do the vagabonds go back to the bakery after eating the
pie?

d
he
17. What makes Pierre say that the eels “give themselves up to
Gaultier”? What does it tell you about the baker?

pu S
is
be TB
18. What is the only one fault that Pierre finds with the eel pie?

bl
19. Who opens the door when Jean goes to get the tart?

to K
©
20. Does Jean get the tart? What happens to him? Why?
21. Why did Jean lie to Pierre and send him to fetch the tart?
22. What did Jean tell Pierre to convince him that Pierre should go
ot

to get the tart?

N

23. Give one example to show that Marion has a good sense of
humour.
B. Close Study :
Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then
write the answers to the questions given below them:

1. Pierre : He does not catch them. They give themselves up. No eel
could resist the blandishments of such an artist as M. Gaultier.
a) What does “them” refer to?
b) What does the above statement tell us about Gaultier?
c) What prompts Pierre to give such a compliment to Gaultier?
2. Gaultier : I can’t very well be seen carrying an eel pie through
the streets of Paris, can I? ... Do you think you could bring it
along after me?
a) Where is Gaultier supposed to carry the pie?

92
 b) What does the passage tell you about his character?
c) Whom is he addressing?
III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :
Discuss in pairs/groups of four each the answers to the following
questions. Individually note down the points for each question

d
and then develop the points into one-paragraph answers.

he
1. Jean and Pierre have a lot of similarities. But the dramatist ensures

pu S
is
that in spite of their similarities, they are different enough to be

be TB
bl
individuals.

to K
a) How are Jean and Pierre similar?
b) How are they different?
©
(Answer these sub-questions in a paragraph each).
ot

2. The lines in italics given after the list of players are called “stage
N

directions.” You find such “stage directions” all through the play. What
would happen to the play if these were missing?
IV. VOCABULARY EXERCISES :
Given below are sets of synonyms (words giving almost the same
meaning). One word does not belong to the set. Identify the odd word
in each set.
1. Absorb, reject, imbibe, assimilate.
2. Act, deed, performance, trick.
3. Separate, add, attach, affix.
4. Order, request, command, instruction.
5. Climb, mount, fall, ascend.
6. Come, depart, arrive, reach.
7. Bravery, grit, cowardice, courage.
8. Adapt, adjust, differ, fit.
9. Get, lose, obtain, acquire.
10. Award, grant, confiscate, give.

93
V. LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES :
A. Humour can be created by what one says (dialogue), what one does
(action) or the situation one is in.
Give one example for each from the play. One example for each is
provided for you.
i) Dialogue :

d
Pierre : It is this blasted cold. If I stop walking I shall freeze. I'm

he
dying of hunger and cold.

pu S
is
Jean: So am I. But I prefer to die sitting down.

be TB
bl
ii) Situation:

to K
Pierre going back to Gaultier’s house to get the tart without knowing
the trick played by Jean.
iii) Action:
©
Pierre attempting to seize Marion’s hand for kissing and Marion
snatching it away.
ot
N

B. Reporting :
Jean overhears the conversation between Gaultier and Marion
about taking the eel pie to the Mayor’s house. Report the
conversation orally to the class. You can begin like this:
Gaultier told Marion that he was about to go to dine with the
Mayor ………………………….
C. Dialogue Writing
Read the following reported speech and write a dialogue based
on it.
Gaultier goes to the Mayor’s house. Both greet each other. The
Mayor inquired how his business was. Gaultier replied that it was
fine and that there was a great demand for his eel pies. The Mayor
expressed appreciation saying that it was wonderful. Further, he said
that he would like to have an eel pie himself. Gaultier remarked that he
had sent an eel pie and a cranberry tart with a messenger. The Mayor
told him not to play any trick and that he had not received anything.
He observed that somebody must have fooled Gaultier.

94
You can begin like this:
The Mayor: (Seated and busy with a file. There’s a knock on
the door)
Yes.

d
M. Gaultier: May I come in, Sir?

he
The Mayor: (Looking up) Oh! Mr. Gaultier, please come in.

pu S
is
be TB
M. Gaultier: Good morning.

bl
The Mayor: Good morning. How’s everything? How’s your business

to K
Mr. Gaultier?
©
M. Gaultier: We’re doing fine ……..
The Mayor:
ot

VI. SPEAKING ACTIVITY :

N

A. Role Play:
In pairs, discuss the following situation and develop in writing a
conversation. Then role play the same to your neighbouring pair. (One
or two pairs may present the same to the whole class).
On come to know about the episode, the local parish Priest calls
up Pierre and a conversation ensues between them. The Priest tries
to convince Pierre that he should give up both begging and cheating.
Pierre stoutly defends what he has been doing. (The teacher will help
students in doing this exercise.)
B. Weak Forms
It is important to note that many structure words take their weak
forms in informal connected speech. For example, the phrase "bread
and butter" is pronounced/bred n /where the conjunction 'and'
is pronounced/n/though in isolation, the word is pronounced/ /.
This reduction of unstressed syllables is important to maintain the
rhythm in spoken English.

95
 N

96
ot ©
to K
be TB
pu S
bl
is
he
d
 N

97
ot ©
to K
be TB
pu S
bl
is
he
d
Possible
 2. Two elderly and wise women are talking about the status of
women in the society. One holds men entirely responsible for
the deplorable plight of women. The other disagrees.
3. Two persons get into an argument as to who is the better actor.
One chooses Shah Rukh Khan, while the other disagrees and
supports Aamir Khan.

d
4. One student declares that mobile phones should be banned in

he
educational institutions and the other disagrees with him.

pu S
is
5. One student says that girl students are better than boy students.

be TB
bl
The other disagrees with her completely.
E. Pronunciation: Food words.

to K
There are a few words connected with food. Ensure that you pronounce
©
them properly.
Repeat after your teacher. Then, in pairs, practise by reading the words
aloud to each other.
ot
N

98
F. The words ‘hear’ and ‘here’ are pronounced the same but have
different spellings and different meanings. Such words are called
homophones.
Write the homophones of the following words and in pairs read
them out to each other.
1. pale .......... 2. die ........... 3. pray ......... 4.sale ..........

d
he
5. blue ........... 6. meet .......... 7. ail ............ 8 flu.............

pu S
is
9. hail ............ 10. tear ......... 11. beer ....... 12. pain ........

be TB
bl
13. bail .......... 14. gate ......... 15. fate ........ 16. sweet ......

to K
VII. PROJECT :
Stage the play on your school day. ©
VIII. NOTE ON THE AUTHOR :
Hugh Chesterman wrote many children’s books
ot

in the 1920s and 30s, and edited a children’s

N

magazine called The Merry Go Round, published in

Oxford with his great friend Basil Blackwell.
IX. GRAMMAR REVISITED :
C. PASSIVE VOICE
1. Fill in the blanks with the suitable forms of
the verbs given in brackets.
Experiment in Laboratory
The burette is ……….(fill) with Potassium Permanganate solution. The
initial reading …. (note). The pipette ………(wash) and then rinsed with
ferrous ammonium sulphate solution. 20 ml of ammonium sulphate
solution ………..(pippet out) into a clear conical flask. An equal volume
of 2 normal dilute sulphuric acid ………(add). The solution ……. (titrate)
against the potassium permanganate solution taken in the burette. The
end point is the appearance of a pale permanent pink colour. The final
burette reading ...... (note). The titrations ………(repeat) for concordant
titre values. From the titre value normality of ferrous ammonium
sulphate and volume of ferrous ammonium sulphate ……….(know).

99
2. Recipe
The stove is switched on. Water (keep) in a vessel ……….. on
the stove for boiling. Meanwhile, coffee powder ……….(put) into
the coffee filter to get the decoction. The boiled water ………..
(pour) into the coffee filter. The milk ………..(boil) and when
the decoction is ready both ......... (mix) together. To this sugar
…………(add) and we have hot coffee ready.

d
he
3. Given below is a set of instructions for the notice board of the
school library. Write the instructions using the passive voice.

pu S
is
be TB
bl
a) Do not enter without I.D.
b) Only one book at a time for a period of two weeks.

to K
©
c) Do not borrow works of reference.
d) Do not underline, mark, write comments in the books.
e) Speak softly.
ot

f) Students who fail to return the books on time shall have to pay
N

fine.
g) Students are responsible for lost or damaged books.
Example: Students are hereby informed that they will not be allowed
to enter the library without I.D.
4. From the data given below, compare the rules in the two schools
– your previous and the present using the verbs - require, advise,
permit, allow, encourage, give in their passive forms.
The Previous School
Speaking English not compulsory.
Playing only tennis ball cricket.
More freedom.
Memorising facts.
Not to be independent.
Time for snacks.
Treated like kids.
Not much homework.

100
The Present school
Speaking English on campus compulsory.
A wide variety of games.
No mixing between boys and girls.
To think for ourselves.

d
To be independent.

he
No time for snacks.

pu S
is
Treated like grown-ups.

be TB
bl
A lot of homework.

to K
X. FUN WITH LANGUAGE : (humour in subtlety)
©
Read the following pairs of sentences carefully and answer the
questions given below them.
1. a) The judge was completely disinterested.
ot
b) The judge was completely uninterested.
N

Which of the two is a good judge?

2. a) My husband likes beer more than I.
b) My husband likes beer more than me.
Which of the two might be grounds for divorce?
3. a) In the theatre there were five people beside me.
b) In the theatre there were five people besides me.
Which of the two suggests that there were only six people in the theatre?
4. a) The dog smells bad.
b) The dog smells badly.
Which of the two dogs is definitely not a blood-hound?
5. a) No Indian batsman is so great as Sachin.
b) No other Indian batsman is so great as Sachin.
Which of the two suggests that Sachin is not an Indian?
6. a) Esther is fairly tall for her age.
b) Esther is rather tall for her age.
Which of the two is not a compliment to Esther?

101
7. a) I saw a black horse and cow.
b) I saw a black horse and a cow.
Which of the two says that the cow too was black?
8. a) I am going to hospital.
b) I am going to the hospital.

d
Which of the two suggests that I am not sick?

he
9. a) I lay on the psychiatrist’s couch for almost an hour.

pu S
is
b) I lied on the psychiatrist’s couch for almost an hour.

be TB
bl
Which of the two required imagination?

to K
10. a) You’ll find the mountain trail easy.
©
b) You’ll find the mountain trail easily.
Which one assures you of an easy climb?
11. a) No other leader of India was as great as Gandhi.
ot
N

b) No other leader of India was greater than Gandhi.

Which of the two says that Gandhi was the greatest leader of India?
12. a) He will get better.
b) He is going to get better.
Which of the two implies that there are signs of recovery?
13. None but a fool would say this. This sentence means,
a) No fool would say this.
b) Only a fool would say this.
14. Is not virtue its own reward? This sentence means
a) Virtue is its own reward.
b) Virtue is not its own reward.
15. Oh, that I were a bird!. This sentence means
a) I hope I were a bird.
b) I wish I were a bird.
****

102
 POETRY
Poem 6
Sonnet 73
That Time of Year …………
- William Shakespeare

d
Pre-Reading Activity :

he
pu S
is
When do you realize the value of a person or an object? Is it when

be TB
bl
you possess him/her/it or when you lose her/him/it? Why is it so?
Discuss in pairs.

to K
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
©
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. 4
ot

In me thou see’st the twilight of such day

N

As after sunset fadeth in the west;

Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self that seals up all in rest. 8

In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire,

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by. 12
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long. 14
I. GLOSSARY :
that time of year :
late autumn or early winter.
bough :
a branch of a tree.
yellow leaves :
leaves which have faded. In autumn, the
green leaves turn yellow; sign of decay.
bare ruin'd choirs :
i) bare leafless branches where the sweet
birds used to sing till recently
ii) remains of a church, stripped of its roof
and exposed to the elements.

103
death’s second self : black night, the twin of death which
closes up everyone in sleep
consumed….by : wasting away on the dead ashes which
once nourished it.
death bed : ash, the death-bed of fire
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :

d
he
A. Answer the following questions briefly:

pu S
is
1. a) Which of the following four seasons is the poet talking about

be TB
bl
in the first stanza :

to K
a) spring b) summer c) autumn d) winter?
©
b) Which words in the stanza support your answer?
2. The four seasons correspond to the four stages of man’s life
– childhood, youth, old age and death. Where does the poet
imagine himself to be?
ot

3. a) What are compared to “bare ruin'd choirs?”

N

b) What does the comparison mean?

4. Through the image of late autumn (in the first stanza), the poet
convinces his friend that he is close to his death. What image
does the poet use in the second stanza?
5. Like seasons or stages of man’s life, a day can also be divided
into four stages:
a) morning b) noon c) evening d) night.
Where does the poet imagine himself to be in the second stanza?
6. What is referred to as “Death’s second self?”
7. Identify the metaphors used by the poet to show the approach
of death.
8. Through the usage of twilight, the poet repeats that he is
approaching the night of his life. What image does he use in the
next stanza?
9. As in the other images, the fire image of the third stanza also
has four stages – a) fuel b) flame c) ember d) ash. Which stage
does the poet identify himself with?

104
 10. a) What lies on the ashes of its youth?
b) What does death-bed mean here?
11. “This” in the couplet refers
a) back to the three quatrains
b) forward to the next two lines

d
c) to both

he
12. When does love become more strong?

pu S
is
be TB
bl
13. The poem is about the stage of life in which the poet imagines
himself to be. What stage does he imagine himself to be in?

to K
a. Comparing life to the seasons he identifies his present stage
with _________ season. ©
b. Comparing life to the day he identifies his present stage
with ___________ time of day.
ot

c. Comparing life to the fire, he identifies his present stage

N

with ___________
B. Close Study
Read the following lines of the poem carefully. Discuss in pairs
and then write the answers to the questions given below them.
1. Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
a. "Bare ruin’d choirs” refer to
i) a crumbling church ii) trees empty of birds iii) both
b. Why has the “sound” disappeared?
c. Why has the poet used the word “late”?
d. Why are the branches of trees leafless?
2. This thou perceivest, which makes they love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
a) Who is “thou” here?
b) What makes love more strong?
c) Explain the literal meaning of the last line.

105
III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :
Discuss in pairs / groups of four each the answers to the
following questions. Note down the important points for each
question and then develop the points into one-paragraph
answers.
1. How is the couplet a fitting conclusion to the three quatrains?

d
he
2. “Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang” has double
images. Explain what the poet wants his friend to “behold”.

pu S
is
be TB
IV. ACTIVITIES: Pair Work

bl
The word “sonnet” is derived from the Italian word “sonetto”

to K
meaning “a little sound” or “a little song”. A sonnet is a poem of 14
©
lines with a structured rhyme scheme in which a thought about a
subject is developed thoroughly.
1. When you reflect on the poem, a few vivid, concrete pictures
come to your mind (like the picture of almost bare trees with just a
ot

few decaying yellow leaves hanging on their branches.) What other

N

pictures come to your mind? List them and share them with your
neighbouring pairs.
2. Look closely at the rhyming words. You will observe a pattern.
What is the pattern (rhyme scheme?)
V. NOTE ON THE POET :
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the greatest
English dramatist and poet, needs no introduction.
He is best known for his plays Hamlet, Othello,
Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Julius
Caesar, Merchant of Venice etc. He has written 154
sonnets of which the first 126 are dedicated to
Mr.W.H. his young friend and patron about whom
there is much speculation though little is known.
The remaining 28 sonnets are dedicated to the
mysterious “Dark Lady.” The sonnet for our present study is the 73rd
sonnet, one of Shakespeare’s most famous ones.
VI. SUGGESTED READING :
“On his Blindness” by John Milton.

106
 Poem 7
The Stolen Boat
- William Wordsworth
Pre-Reading Activity :
Imagine a child has been caught stealing a pen. What will you do if

d
you were the child /you were the headmaster of the school?

he
pu S
is
be TB
bl
to K
ot ©
N

One summer evening (led by her) I found

A little boat tied to a willow tree
Within a rocky cave, its usual home.
Straight I unloosed her chain, and stepping in
Pushed from the shore. It was an act of stealth 5

And troubled pleasure, nor without the voice

Of mountain-echoes did my boat move on;
Leaving behind her still, on either side,
Small circles glittering idly in the moon,
Until they melted all into one track 10
Of sparkling light. But now, like one who rows,
Proud of his skill, to reach a chosen point
With an unswerving line, I fixed my view

107
Upon the summit of a craggy ridge,
The horizon’s utmost boundary; far above 15
Was nothing but the stars and the grey sky.
She was an elfin pinnace; lustily
I dipped my oars into the silent lake,
And, as I rose upon the stroke, my boat

d
he
Went heaving through the water like a swan; 20

pu S
When, from behind that craggy steep till then

is
be TB
bl
The horizon’s bound, a huge peak, black and huge,
As if with voluntary power instinct,

to K
Upreared its head. I struck and struck again,
©
And growing still in stature the grim shape 25
Towered up between me and the stars, and still,
For so it seemed, with purpose of its own
ot

And measured motion like a living thing,

N

Strode after me. With trembling oars I turned,

And through the silent water stole my way 30
Back to the covert of the willow tree;
There in her mooring-place I left my bark,—
And through the meadows homeward went, in grave
And serious mood; but after I had seen
That spectacle, for many days, my brain 35
Worked with a dim and undetermined sense
Of unknown modes of being; o’er my thoughts
There hung a darkness, call it solitude
Or blank desertion. No familiar shapes
Remained, no pleasant images of trees, 40
Of sea or sky, no colours of green fields;
But huge and mighty forms, that do not live
Like living men, moved slowly through the mind
By day, and were a trouble to my dreams. 44

108
I. GLOSSARY :
willow tree : a tree that grows near water, with thin
flexible branches.
unloosed : make it loose; undo something
unswerving : steady, constant, straight

d
summit : top

he
crag out : a high rough mass of rock which sticks

pu S
is
from the land around it

be TB
bl
craggy ridge : Stybarrow Crag in England

to K
elfin pinnace : small, fairy-like boat
lustily ©
: passionately, with great happiness
oars : long poles with flat ends which are used
for rowing a boat
heaving : rising up
ot

horizon : skyline
N

huge peak : the Black Crag

instinct (v) : filled with
uprear : raise up
towered : rose up like a tower
still : continuously
stature : height
grim : frightful, fierce
strode : walked with long steps
covert (n) : hidden place
mooring place : place of shelter where the boat is usually
tethered for safety
bark : boat
meadow : grassland
spectacle : sight
solitude : loneliness
blank desertion : devoid of thought

109
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
A. Answer briefly the following questions.
1. Who does “her” in the first line refer to?
2. Where was the boat moored?
3. What does “home” in line 3 refer to?

d
4. What does “her” in line 4 refer to?

he
5. Why does the poet use words like “home” and “her” while talking

pu S
is
about the inanimate boat?

be TB
bl
6. What stealthy act does the boy commit?

to K
7. What sound is captured in lines 6 and 7?
©
8. What visual picture is created in lines 8 to 10?
9. What does “they” in line 10 refer to?
10.How many peaks are mentioned in the poem? Which one is
ot

bigger?
N

11. a) What is the boat compared to in lines 19 and 20?

b) The purpose of the comparison is
i) to highlight the beauty and grace of the swan
ii) to highlight the beauty and grace of the boat
iii) to highlight the graceful movement of the boat.
12. In the expression “troubled pleasure” (line 6)
a) What pleasurable experience of the narrator does “pleasure”
refer to?
b) The narrator's pleasure is “troubled” because
i) his conscience pricks him on his stealthy act
ii) the pleasure is short - lived
iii) he is scared of his stealthy act being found out.
13. Read carefully lines 21 to 26.
a) Draw a picture of the black and huge peak.
b) Pick out the details of the peak that appear fearful to the boy.

110
 c) The lines refer to the movement of the peak. Is it real or
imagined by the boy?
d) In the boy's imagination, the movement is
i) threatening and menacing
ii) lively and graceful
iii) friendly and inviting.

d
he
14. a) In the phrase “trembling oars,” who is trembling?

pu S
is
b) Name the figure of speech in this expression.

be TB
bl
c) The boy is trembling because
i) he is frightened by the “approaching” peak

to K
ii) of his guilty conscience
iii) of cold.
©
15. The episode of the stolen boat ends with the boy leaving the boat
back in its mooring place (line 32).
ot

The remaining lines of the poem (lines 33 to 44) deal with

N

a) the lasting memory of the actual experience

b) details not connected with the actual experience
c) the mysterious shapes and images haunting him.
16. Wordsworth defined poetry as “emotion recollected in tranquility.”
What dominant emotion of the boat experience is recollected by
the poet?
17. Many days after the stolen boat experience, the narrator was
haunted by a mysterious presence within him. Pick out details
of this mysterious presence from lines 37 to 44.
B. Close Study
Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then
write the answers to the questions given below them.
1. She was an elfin pinnace.
a. What does “she” refer to?
b. What is the figure of speech used here?
c. What does “elfin” mean?
d. What is the figure of speech used in “elfin pinnace?”

111
 e. What quality in the movement of the boat is highlighted in
the comparison?
2. With trembling oars I turned,
And through the silent water stole my way
Back to the covert of the willow tree.
a. What is the figure of speech used in the first line?

d
he
b. What made the boy tremble?

pu S
is
c. What does the boy want to do with the boat?

be TB
bl
III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :

to K
Discuss in groups of four each the answers to the following
questions. Note down the important points for each question and
©
then develop the points into one-paragraph answers.
1. Why did Wordsworth say that his moving the boat is an act of
stealth? Why was he guilty of his act?
ot

2. Describe the effect that the spectacle of the peak had on the
N

poet’s mind.
3. To Wordsworth, nature was a living presence. Pick out any five
details from the poem to support this.

IV. NOTE ON THE AUTHOR :

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) is considered
one of the greatest poets of English literature.
Wordsworth and his friend S.T. Coleridge by their
joint publication of the Lyrical Ballads became the
harbingers of the Romantic Movement in English
literature. The episode of the stolen boat is based on
the experience of Wordsworth’s early boyhood days.
This is an extract from Book I of Wordsworth’s great
philosophical poem “The Prelude.”
V. SUGGESTED READING :
William Wordsworth: The Prelude
Tintern Abbey
*****

112
 Poem 8

Mending Wall
- Robert Frost
Pre-Reading Activity :

1. Why do people build walls around their property? Are they really

d
required? Discuss in pairs.

he
pu S
is
be TB
bl
to K
ot ©
N

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,

That sends the frozen ground swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing: 5
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made, 10

113
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbour know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go. 15
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.

d
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls

he
We have to use a spell to make them balance:

pu S
is
“Stay where you are until our backs are turned!”

be TB
bl
We wear our fingers rough with handling them. 20

to K
Oh, just another kind of outdoor game,
©
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
ot
My apple trees will never get across 25
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
N

He only says, “Good fences make good neighbours.”

Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
“Why do they make good neighbours? Isn’t it 30
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, 35
That wants it down.” I could say “Elves” to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed. 40
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.

114
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, “Good fences make good neighbours.” 45

I. GLOSSARY :
frozen ground swell : displacement of stones caused

d
he
by heavy frost

pu S
is
boulders : water-worn rounded stones

be TB
bl
abreast : side by side

to K
yelping : uttering short, sharp barks
loaves, balls ©
: shapes of rough stones
spell : magic
pine : a tree that grows in cool northern
ot

regions. It has thin, sharp leaves.

N

It produces cones, the fruits with the

seeds of the pine.
elves (elf-sing.) : small fairies that are said to
play tricks on people
savage : ancient man

II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :

A. Answer briefly the following questions.
1. “Something” in line 1 refers to:
a) natural causes
b) supernatural causes
c) man-made causes.
2. How does nature disturb the stones on the wall?
3. How do hunters disturb the stones on the wall?
4. Who does “they” in line 7 refer to?

115
5. Who are the two characters in the poem? (Note: the speaker is
not the poet)
6. When does the mending of the wall take place?
7. When the poet says, “we have to use a spell to make them bal-
ance”

d
a) he really means that they had to use a magic spell to make

he
the stones stand one above the other

pu S
is
b) he is just saying it humorously

be TB
bl
c) he regrets that he did not know magic.

to K
8. “I let my neighbour know…” (line 12)
©
What did the speaker let the neighbour know?
9. a) What is referred to as just another outdoor game?
ot
b) Why does the speaker call it a game?
N

10. What argument does the speaker give to convince his neighbour
that they do not need the wall?
11. What is the neighbour's stock reply?
12. By building a wall between neighbours, what are we “walling
in” and what are we “walling out?”
13. The speaker says, “I rather / he said it for himself”
a) What does “it” refer to here?
b) What does the speaker mean by this statement?
14. How does the neighbour carrying a stone in each hand appear
to the poet?
15. Darkness in line 41 refers to
a) darkness in the woods under the shade of tree.
b) a mental darkness, ignorance
c) his “blindness” to see the light in the speaker’s arguments.

116
 16. Frost says that his poem is a metaphor, saying one thing and
meaning another. The wall in the poem is a metaphor. What
do you think is the metaphorical meaning of wall?
17. Why do you think the speaker resents the wall? What does he
want?
B. Close Study

d
he
Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then
write the answers to the questions given below them.

pu S
is
be TB
bl
1. “He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.”

to K
a) Who does “he” in the first line refer to?
©
b) What does “darkness” mean here?
c) Why does the speaker say that “he” moves in darkness?
ot

2. “Stay where you are until our backs are turned”

N

a) Who are these words said to?

b) Who does “our” refer to?
c) What is the tone of the speaker?

III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :

Discuss in pairs the answers to the following questions.
Individually note down the points and then develop the points
into one paragraph answer.
1. If you were given a chance to live with one of these characters
in the poem, whom would you like to live with? Why?
IV. ACTIVITIES :
1. The two characters, the speaker and the neighbour, have two
totally opposing views on having a wall between their fields.
Given below are a few statements, opinions and attitudes. Say
whom does each apply to. The first two are done for you.
i. “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” - speaker

117
 ii. “good fences make good neighbours” - neighbour
iii. very conservative
iv. logical and reasonable
v. light-hearted, humorous
vi playing safe

d
he
vii. respects tradition

pu S
is
viii. even God and nature seem to be against a wall between men

be TB
bl
ix. apple orchard

to K
x. living beyond the hills
©
xi. an old stone savage
xii. cosmopolitan in outlook.
ot

2. Group Discussion
N

Man has built many walls (barriers) that separate man from man.
There are social, cultural, religious, regional, political and other bar-
riers all around us.
i) Specify any five of such man-made barriers.
ii) Are these barriers necessary for a good and happy co-existence?
iii) Why are they bad?
iv) What can you do to break these barriers ?
v) Imagine your life without any barriers. What kind of life would
it be?
3. If someone asks you to make a five-minute film version of
“Mending Wall,” what would your film contain?
4. Let’s say you have to create a soundtrack for this poem. What
song or songs would you choose?

118
V. NOTE ON THE AUTHOR :
Robert Frost (1874-1963) was born in San Francisco. He is regarded
highly for his realistic depiction of rural life and
his command of American colloquial speech. His
work frequently employs settings from rural life
in New England in the early twentieth century,

d
using them to examine complex social and

he
philosophical themes. He became one of the country’s
best-loved poets. Despite the surface cheerfulness

pu S
is
be TB
and descriptive accuracy of his poems, he often

bl
presents a dark, sober vision of life, and there is a decidedly thoughtful

to K
quality to his work. A popular and oft-quoted poet, Frost was honored
frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer prizes for poetry.
VI. SUGGESTED READING :
©
Robert Frost:
ot

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

N

“The Road Not Taken”

“After Apple - Picking”

*****

119
 Poem 9

BUTTOO
- Toru Dutt
Pre-Reading Activity :
Our great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata reflect the highest forms

d
he
of our culture and tradition. They also present a galaxy of idealistic
characters who personify the noblest human qualities. Can you name

pu S
is
one such character from our great Epics? And say why you chose that

be TB
bl
character. In pairs, share with your partner.

to K
ot ©
N

“Oh Master, unto thee I came

To learn thy science. Name or pelf
I had not, so was driven with shame
And here I learn all by myself.
But still as Master thee revere,
5
For who so great in archery!
Lo, all my inspiration here,
And all my knowledge is from thee.”
“If I am Master, how thou hast
Finished thy course, give me my due. 10

120
Let all the past be dead and past,
Henceforth be ties between us new.”
“All that I have, O Master mine,
All I shall conquer by my skill,
Gladly shall I to thee resign, 15
Let me but know thy gracious will.”

d
“Is it a promise?” “Yea, I swear

he
So long as I have breath and life

pu S
is
To give thee all thou wilt.” “Beware!

be TB
bl
Rash promise ever ends in strife.”

to K
20
“Thou art my Master – ask! oh ask!
©
From thee my inspiration came,
Thou canst not set too hard a task,
Nor aught refuse I, free from blame.”
ot
N

“If it be so – Arjuna hear!” 25

Arjuna and the youth were dumb
“For thy sake, loud I ask and clear,
Give me, O youth, thy right-hand thumb.
I promised in my faithfulness
No equal ever shall there be 30
To thee, Arjuna, - and I press
For this sad recompense - for thee.”
Glanced the sharp knife one moment high,
The severed thumb was on the sod,
There was no tear in Buttoo’s eye, 35
He left the matter with his God.
“For this,” – said Dronacharya – “Fame
Shall sound thy praise from sea to sea,
And men shall ever link thy name
With Self-help, Truth and Modesty.” 40

121
I. GLOSSARY :
unto (archaic) : to
pelf : riches
revere : respect
resign : offer

d
he
swear : make a promise

pu S
is
strife : trouble

be TB
bl
recompense : reward for one’s help (here

to K
gurudakshina or teacher’s fee)
severed : cut ©
sod : a piece of earth with grass growing on it
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
ot

A. Answer the following questions briefly.

N

1. Why had Buttoo gone to Dronacharya?

2. How did Drona respond to Buttoo’s request?
3. “I came here to learn “thy science”, says Buttoo? What does
‘thy science’ refer to?
4. Why did Buttoo revere Drona as his master?
5. Buttoo says “All that I have, all I shall conquer by my skill,
gladly shall I to thee resign.” This shows Buttoo’s
a) reverence to Drona
b) generosity
c) gratitude
d) foolishness.
6. “Rash promise ever ends in strife.” By saying this Drona is
a) warning Buttoo of unpleasant consequences
b) offering Buttoo a chance to change his stance

122
 c) hinting that his demand for recompense could be dam
aging or destructive to Buttoo
d) regretting the rash promise he had made to Arjuna.
7. What did Drona seek from Buttoo as recompense?
8. What justification did Drona give for his unfair demand?

d
9. “Buttoo”, a small extract from a very long poem, is composed

he
in an Epic form. It makes use of archaic words like “unto”, “thee”

pu S
is
(line 1). Pick out the other archaic words from this extract.

be TB
bl
10. The poem makes use of the dialogue form. The two speakers in

to K
the poem are Drona and Buttoo. Identify the lines/passages
spoken by each of them.
B. Close Study
©
Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then
write the answers to the questions given below them:
ot
N

1. “I press for this sad recompense,” says Drona.

a) What does “sad recompense” refer to?
b) What does it tell us about Drona?
c) If it was “sad recompense,” why did Drona demand it?
2. “The severed thumb was on the sod
There was no tear in Buttoo’s eye.”
a) Why was the thumb severed?
b) Why was there no tear in Buttoo’s eye?
c) What does it tell you about Buttoo?

III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :

1. Discuss in pairs the great qualities of Buttoo and write down
any five.
2. Discuss the following in groups of four each and and write in a
paragraph :
Was Drona unfair in his demand?

123
IV. NOTE ON THE POET :
Toru Dutt was born on March 4, 1856 in Bengal and she died on Au-
gust 30, 1877, in the prime of her youth, at 21. She is often called the
Keats of Indo-English literature. She was a natural linguist and in her
short life became proficient in Bengali, English,
French and, later on, Sanskrit. She left behind

d
an impressive collection of prose and poetry. Her

he
two novels, The Unfinished Bianca or The Young
Spanish Maiden written in English and Le Jour-

pu S
is
be TB
nal de Mademoiselle d’Arvers, written in French,

bl
were based outside India with non-Indian protag-

to K
onists. Her poetry comprises A Sheaf Gleaned in
French Fields consisting of her translations into
©
English of French poetry, and Ancient Ballads
and Legends of Hindustan which compiles her
translations and adaptations from Sanskrit literature. Her collection
ot
of Sanskrit translations Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan
was published posthumously in 1882.
N

V. SUGGESTED READING:

Toru Dutt: Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan.

****

124
 POEM 10

C.L.M.
- John Masefield

Pre-Reading Activity :

d
he
Can you think of a one-line dedication to your mother? Share it in pairs.

pu S
is
be TB
bl
In the dark womb where I began

to K
My mother’s life made me a man.
©
Through all the months of human birth
Her beauty fed my common earth.
I cannot see, nor breathe, nor stir,
ot

But through the death of some of her. 06

N

Down in the darkness of the grave

She cannot see the life she gave.
For all her love, she cannot tell
Whether I use it ill or well,
Nor knock at dusty doors to find
Her beauty dusty in the mind. 12

If the grave’s gates could be undone,

She would not know her little son,
I am so grown. If we should meet,
She would pass by me in the street,
Unless my soul’s face let her see
My sense of what she did for me. 18

125
What have I done to keep in mind
My debt to her and womankind?
What woman’s happier life repays
Her for those months of wretched days?
For all my mouthless body leech’d

d
Ere Birth’s releasing hell was reach’d? 24

he
pu S
is
be TB
bl
What have I done, or tried or said

to K
In thanks to that dear woman dead?
Men triumph over women still, ©
Men trample women’s rights at will,
And man’s lust roves the world untamed.
ot

O grave, keep shut lest I be shamed! 30

N

I. GLOSSARY :
C. L. M. : Caroline. L. Masefield, the poet’s mother.
my common earth : the poet’s body; the poet sees himself as
common earth on which his mother’s beauty
was lavished abundantly
death of some of her: the poet’s mother died while giving birth to
her sixth child, a girl, Norah. The poet feels
that every child she bore brought about
partial death of her.
undone : opened
keep in mind : remember
mouthless body : the child’s body was not mouthless in the
womb but its mouth was not being used
wretched : miserable

126
leech’d : (used as a verb) sucked life out of her like a
leech; consumed mother’s life for its growth
triumph over : defeat
trample : ignore the rights of women and treat them as
if they are not important

d
rove : roam about

he
lust : strong sexual desire/ strong desire for

pu S
supremacy over women

is
be TB
bl
to K
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
©
A. Answer the following questions briefly:
1. The second Line “My mother’s life made me a man”.
a) just states a natural phenomenon of a mother giving
ot

birth to a son
N

b) has a hint that he was born at the cost of his mother’s life.
2. The phrase “Her beauty” in line 4 refers to
a) the physical beauty of his mother
b) the ‘beauty’ of his mother’s physical and emotional
trauma at the birth of the child.
3. Why does the poet use the present tense in lines 5 and 6 ?
a) To emphasise that his very existence now is made
possible by the death of ‘some of her’
b) To emphasise that every movement of his in his
mother’s womb destroyed a part of her life
c) To show that his very birth and life are responsible for
his mother’s partial death.
4. What does “it” in line 10 refer to?
5. “Her beauty” in line 12 refers to

127
 a) his mother’s physical beauty
b) her son, the poet.
6. “dusty in the mind” in line 12 refers to
a) the fading memory of his mother in his mind
b) the state of his dead mother’s mind which has

d
he
forgotten the dear ones left behind.

pu S
7. “I am so grown” in line 15 means

is
be TB
bl
a) that he has grown so much physically that she would
not be able to recognise him

to K
b) that he has grown so unworthy of all her sacrifice that
©
she would not be able to recognise him
c) both a and b.
8. Which line in stanza 3 suggests that the poet is totally unwor-
ot

thy or ungrateful?
N

9. Which phrase in stanza 4 suggests that his concern goes

beyond his personal experience?
10. “Providing a happier life to one’s mother will repay for all
her sacrifice.” Is this what the poet says in lines 21 and 22 ?
11. Stanza 4 has some very powerful and forceful images.
a) What is compared to a leech?
b) How is it a leech?
c) What is unusual about the use of the word ‘leech'd’?
d) Why is B in ‘Birth’ capitalised? (line 24)
e) For whom is birth a hell?
i. for the mother (for all her pain and suffering
during the birth of her child)
ii. for the son(who feels that it was because of his
birth that his mother died, though partially)
iii. for both.

128
 12. Note that lines 19 to 26 introduce a series of rhetorical
questions. (A rhetorical question is asked for effect rather than to
obtain an answer. The answer is very much implied in the question
itself.) Lines 19-20 are a good example of a rhetorical question. The
meaning of the two lines is, “I have done nothing worth remembering
to show my debt to my mother and womankind.”

d
a) Identify two more examples of rhetorical questions.

he
b) Write down the actual meaning of each of them.

pu S
is
be TB
13. “man’s lust” in line 29 refers to

bl
a) man’s beastly sexuality

to K
b) man’s lust for power over women
c) both a and b
©
14. The poet has used many poetical devices in the last line
in order to draw the reader’s attention to it.
ot

a) What typographical deviation is used in the last line?

N

b) Why, do you think, has he used this deviation?

c) What figure of speech is used in this line?
d) Why does the poet want the grave to keep shut?
e) How does the line end?
15. The most dominant feeling of the poet in this poem is:
a) a feeling of guilt
b) a sense of ingratitude
c) a sense of shame.
16. Look at the rhyme scheme of the first stanza. The word “began”
rhymes with “man.” The rhyme scheme is aa. “Birth” in line 3
rhymes with “earth” in line 4. The rhyme scheme is bb. “stir” in
line 5 rhymes with “her” in line 6. The rhyme scheme is cc. So,
the rhyme scheme of the first stanza is : aa, bb, cc.
Now work out the rhyme scheme of the remaining four stanzas.
Start with lines 7 and 8 as dd...

129
B. Close Study :
Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then
answer the questions given below them.
1. For all her love, she cannot tell
Whether I use it ill or well.

d
a) Who do “I” and “she” refer to?

he
b) What does “it” in the second line refer to?

pu S
is
c) Why is it that she cannot tell?

be TB
bl
2. ........... If we should meet,

to K
She would pass by me in the street
©
Unless my soul’s face let her see
My sense of what she did for me.
a) Would it be possible for the mother and son to meet each other?
ot

b) What is the figure of speech used in the expression “soul’s face ?”

N

c) His soul would reveal.

i. his sense of gratitude to his mother
ii. his sense of ingratitude to his mother.
III. PARAGRAPH WRITING :
Discuss in pairs/groups of four each the answers to the following
questions. Note down the important points for each question and
then develop the points into one-paragraph answers.
1. The poem describes the poet’s personal experience. Does it
stop at that?
2. Do you like the poem? Why?
IV. ACTIVITIES :
1. Pair work.
a) Cite any three examples (from your family or the locality you
live in) of discrimination against women.
b) Cite any three examples of men trampling upon women’s rights.

130
 2. Discussion.
Have a discussion, in groups of four each, on the following. One
in each group notes down the points and reads it out to the class.
Topic: What should we do to empower women so that they can
fight against gender discrimination and oppression?

d
V. NOTE ON THE POET: John Edward Masefield.

he
(1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and

pu S
writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from

is
be TB
1930 until his death in 1967. He is remembered as the

bl
author of the classic children’s novels The Midnight

to K
Folk and The Box of Delights, and poems, including
“The Everlasting Mercy” and “Sea-Fever.”
©
Masefield was born in Ledbury in Herefordshire to Caroline and George
Masefield, a solicitor. His mother died giving birth to his sister when
Masefield was only six, and he went to live with his aunt. His father
ot

died soon after following a mental breakdown.

N

VI. SUGGESTED READING :

1. “Mother” : A poem by P. Lankesh.
2. “Mother” : A novel by Maxim Gorky.
3. “ The Mother” : A poem by Gwendolyn Brooks.
VII. EXTENDED READING :
1. No Charge
Our little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while
she was fixing supper, and he handed her a piece of paper that he
had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron, she
read it, and this is what it said:
For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week $ 1.00
For going to the store for you. 50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping. 25
Taking out the garbage $ 1.00
For getting a good report card $ 5.00

131
For cleaning up and raking the yard $ 2.00
Total owed : $ 14.75

Well, I’ll tell you, his mother looked at him standing there expectantly,
and boy, could I see the memories flashing through her mind. So she
picked up the pen, turned over the paper he’d written on, and this is

d
what she wrote:

he
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me,

pu S
is
No Charge.

be TB
bl
For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for

to K
you, No Charge.
©
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused through
the years, there’s No Charge.
When you add it all up, the cost of my love is No Charge.
ot

For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew
N

were ahead, No Charge.

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose, there’s No
Charge, Son.
And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is No Charge.
Well, friends, when our son finished reading what his mother had writ-
ten, there were great big old tears in his eyes, and he looked straight
up at his mother and said, “Mom, I sure do love you.” And then he
took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: “PAID IN FULL.”

M. Adams
(from Chicken Soup for the Soul)

132
2. Gathered Wisdom
a. All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
Abraham Lincoln
b. God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.
Anon

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he
c. A hundred men may make an encampment but it takes a
woman to make a home.

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Chinese Proverb

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d. There is a story behind everything ...
©
But behind all your stories is always your mother's story
because hers is where yours begins.
Mitch Albom
ot
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*****

133
 NON-DETAIL
1. Ulysses and the Cyclops
- Charles Lamb
Pre- Reading Activity :

d
Do you like adventure stories? Why? In pairs, share your reasons.

he
Coasting on all that night by unknown and out of the way shores,

pu S
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they came by daybreak to the land where the Cyclops dwell, a sort of

be TB
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giant shepherds that neither sow nor plough, but the earth untilled
produces for them rich wheat and barley and grapes, yet they have

to K
neither bread nor wine, nor know the arts of cultivation, nor care
©
to know them for they live each man to himself, without laws or
government or anything like a state or kingdom; but their dwellings
are in caves, on the steep heads of mountains, every man’s household
governed by his own caprice or not governed at all. Ships or boats they
ot

have none, no trade or commerce, or wish to visit other shores; yet they
N

have convenient places for harbours and for shipping. Here Ulysses,
with a chosen party of twelve followers, landed, to explore what sort
of men dwelt there,-whether hospitable and friendly to strangers, or
altogether wild and savage, for as yet no dwellers appeared in sight.
The first sign of habitation which they came to was a giant’s cave
rudely fashioned, but of a size which betokened the vast proportions
of its owner; the pillars which supported it being the bodies of huge
oaks or pines in the natural state of the tree, and all about showed
more marks of strength than skill in whoever built it. Ulysses, en-
tering in, admired the savage contrivances and artless structure of
the place, and longed to see the tenant of so outlandish a mansion;
but well conjecturing that gifts would have more avail in extracting
courtesy, than strength could succeed in forcing it, from such a one
as he expected to find the inhabitant, he resolved to flatter his hos-
pitality with a present of Greek wine, of which he had store in twelve
great vessels; so strong that no one ever drank it without an infusion
of twenty parts of water to one of wine, yet the fragrance of it even
then so delicious, that it would have vexed a man who smelled it to
abstain from tasting it; but whoever tasted it, it was able to raise his
courage to the height of heroic deeds. Taking with them a goat-skin

134
flagon full of this precious liquor, they went into the recesses of the
cave. Here they pleased themselves a whole day with beholding the
giant’s kitchen, where the flesh of sheep and goats lay strewed, his
dairy where goat-milk stood ranged in troughs and pails, his pens
where he kept his live animals; but those he had driven forth to pasture
with him when he went out in the morning. While they were feasting
their eyes with a sight of these curiosities, their ears were suddenly

d
deafened with a noise like the falling of a house. It was the owner of

he
the cave who had been abroad all day feeding his flock, as his custom

pu S
is
was, in the mountains, and now drove them home in the evening

be TB
bl
from pasture. He threw down a heap of firewood, which he had been
gathering against supper-time, before the mouth of the cave, which

to K
occasioned the crash they heard. The Grecians hid themselves in
©
the remote parts of the cave, at sight of the uncouth monster. It was
Polyphemus, the largest and savagest of the Cyclops, who boasted
himself to be the son of Neptune. He looked more like a mountain crag
than a man and to his brutal body he had a brutish mind answerable.
ot

He drove his flock, all that gave milk, to the interior of the cave, but
N

left the male sheep and the he-goats without. Then, taking up a stone
so massy that twenty oxen could not have drawn it, he placed it at the
mouth of the cave to defend the entrance, and sat him down to milk
his female ewes and his goats; which done, he hastily kindled a fire,
and throwing his great eye round the cave (for the Cyclops have no
more than one eye, and that placed in the midst of their forehead), by
the glimmering light he discerned some of Ulysses’ men.
“Ho, guests! What are you? Merchants or wandering thieves?” he
bellowed out in a voice which took from them all power of reply, it was
so astounding.
Only Ulysses summoned resolution to answer, that they came nei-
ther for plunder nor business, but were Grecians, who had lost their
way, returning from Troy. Yet now they prostrated themselves humbly
before his feet, whom they acknowledged to be mightier than they and
besought him that he would bestow the rites of hospitality upon them.
He replied nothing, but gripping two of the nearest of them as
if they had been no more than children, he dashed their brains out
against the earth, and (shocking to relate) tore in pieces their limbs,
and devoured them, yet warm and trembling, making a lion’s meal of

135
them, lapping the blood: for the Cyclops are man-eaters, and esteem
human flesh to be a delicacy far above goat’s or kid’s, though, by
reason of their abhorred customs, few men approach the coast,
except some stragglers, and now and then a shipwrecked mariner. At
a sight so horrid, Ulysses and his men were like distracted people. He,
when he had made an end of his wicked supper, drained a draught of
goat’s milk down his prodigious throat, and lay down and slept among

d
his goats. Then Ulysses drew his sword, and half resolved to thrust

he
it with all his might in at the bosom of the sleeping monster; but

pu S
is
wiser thoughts restrained him, else they had there without help all

be TB
bl
perished, for none but Polyphemus himself could have removed that
mass of stone which he had placed to guard the entrance. So they were

to K
constrained to abide all that night in fear.
©
When day came the Cyclop awoke, and kindling a fire, made his
breakfast of two other of his unfortunate prisoners, then milked his
goats as he was accustomed, and pushing aside the vast stone, and
ot
shutting it again, when he had done, upon the prisoners, with as much
ease as a man opens and shuts a quiver’s lid, he let out his flock, and
N

drove them before him with whistlings (as sharp as winds in storms)
to the mountains.
Then Ulysses, of whose strength or cunning the Cyclop seems
to have had as little heed as of an infant’s, being left along, with the
remnant of his men which the Cyclop had not devoured, gave manifest
proof how far manly wisdom excels brutish force. He chose a stake from
among the wood which the Cyclop had piled up for firing, in length
and thickness like a mast, which he sharpened, and hardened in the
fire; and selected four men, and instructed them what they should do
with this stake and made them perfect in their parts.
When the evening was come, the Cyclop drove home his sheep;
and as fortune directed it, either of purpose, or that his memory was
overruled by the gods to his hurt, he drove the males of his flock,
contrary to his custom, along with the dams into the pens. Then
shutting the stone of the cave, he fell to his horrible supper. When he
had dispatched two more of the Grecians, Ulysses waxed bold with
the contemplation of his project, and took a bowl of Greek wine, and
merrily dared the Cyclop to drink.

136
 “Cyclop,” he said, “Take a bowl of wine from the hand of your
guest; it may serve to digest the man’s flesh that you have eaten,
and show what drink our ship held before it went down. All I ask in
recompense, if you find it good, is to be dismissed in a whole skin.
Truly you must look to have few visitors, if you observe this new
custom of eating your guests.”

d
The brute took and drank, and vehemently enjoyed the taste of

he
wine, which was new to him, and swilled again at the flagon, and
entreated for more; and prayed Ulysses to tell him his name, that

pu S
is
be TB
he might bestow a gift upon the man who had given him such brave

bl
liquor. The Cyclops, he said, had grapes; but this rich juice, he swore,

to K
was simply divine. Again Ulysses plied him with the wine, and the fool
drank it as fast as he poured it out, and again he asked the name of
©
his benefactor, which Ulysses, cunningly dissembling, said, “My name
is Noman: my kindred and friends in my own country call me Noman”
“Then,” said the Cyclop, “this is the kindness I will show thee, Noman:
ot
I will eat thee last of all thy friends.” He had scarce expressed his
savage kindness when the fumes of the strong wine overcame him,
N

and he reeled down upon the floor and sank into a deep sleep.
Ulysses watched his time while the monster lay insensible; and
heartening up his men, they placed the sharp end of the stake in the
fire till it was heated red-hot; and some god gave them a courage beyond
that which they were used to have, and the four men with difficulty
bored the sharp end of the huge stake, which they had heated red-hot,
right into the eye of the drunken cannibal.
He waking, roared with the pain so loud that all the cavern broke
into claps like thunder. They fled and dispersed into corners. He
plucked the burning stake from his eye, and hurled the wood madly
about the cave. Then he cried out with a mighty voice for his brethren,
the Cyclops, that dwelt hard by in caverns upon hills. They, hearing
the terrible shout, came flocking from all parts to inquire what ailed
Polyphemus, and what cause he had for making such horrid clamours
in the night-time to break their sleep. He made answer from within,
that Noman had hurt him. Noman had killed him, Noman was with
him in the cave. They replied, “If no man has hurt thee, and no man is
with thee then thou art alone; and the evil which affects thee is from
the hand of Heaven, which none can resist or help.” So they left him,

137
and went their way, thinking that some disease troubled him. He,
blind and ready to split with the anguish of the pain, went groaning
up and down in the dark, to find the doorway, which when he found,
he removed the stone, and sat in the threshold, feeling if he could lay
hold on any man going out with the sheep, which the day now breaking
were beginning to issue forth to their accustomed pastures. But Ulysses
made knots of the osier twigs upon which the Cyclop commonly slept,

d
with which he tied the fattest and fleeciest of the rams together, three

he
in a rank; and under the middle ram he tied a man, and himself last,

pu S
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wrapping himself fast with both his hands in the rich wool of one, the

be TB
bl
fairest of the flock. And now the sheep began to issue forth very fast:
as they passed, he felt the backs of those fleecy wools, never dreaming

to K
that they carried his enemies under them. So they passed on till the
©
last ram came loaded with his wool and Ulysses together. He stopped
that ram, and felt him, and had his hand once in the hair of Ulysses,
yet knew it not.
ot
N

When Ulysses found himself free, he let go his hold, and assisted
in disengaging his friends. The rams which had befriended them they
carried off with them to the ships, where their companions, with tears
in their eyes received them as men escaped from death. They plied
their oars, and set their sails, and when they were got as far off from
shore as a voice could reach, Ulysses cried out to the Cyclop: “Cyclop,
thou should not have so much abused thy monstrous strength as to

138
eat thy guests.” The Cyclop heard and came forth enraged, and in his
anger he plucked a fragment of a rock, and threw it with blind fury at
the ships. It narrowly escaped lighting upon the bark in which Ulysses
sat; but with the fall it raised so fierce an ebb as bore back the ship
till it almost touched the shore. “Cyclop” said Ulysses, “if any ask thee
who imposed on thee that unsightly blemish in thine eye, say it was
Ulysses, son of Laertes, the King of Ithaca am I called, the waster of

d
cities".

he
Then they crowded sail, and beat the old sea, and went forth with a

pu S
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be TB
forward gale.

bl
I. GLOSSARY :

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Ulysses : the hero of Homer’s epic “Odyssey”. He
©
was the king of the island of Ithaca in
Greece. After the Trojan war, he embarked
to return home, but met on the way
with a series of adventures, one of
ot

which is narrated here.

N

Cyclops : race of giants, having only one eye in the

middle of the forehead, who inhabited the
island of Sicily.
coasting on : sailing the ship along the coast
caprice : whim
fashioned : designed
betoken : indicate
contrivance : device
conjecturing : guessing
avail : advantage
infusion : mixture
vexed : annoyed
flagon : large leather container for serving wine
recesses : remote, secret place
strewed : scattered

139
ranged : arranged
occasioned : caused
uncouth : ugly
against supper-time : in preparation for supper
Neptune : the Roman god of the sea, identified

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with Poseidon of the Greeks

he
answerable : suitable

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summoned resolution : took courage

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bellowed : roared like a bull

to K
discerned : saw
traffic
©
: business
besought : requested
lapping : drinking with quick movements of the
ot

tongue (like cats)

N

esteem : consider
abhored : hateful
drained : emptied
stragglers : those who drop behind others
draught : amount drunk during one continuous
process of swallowing
prodigious : enormous
constrained : forced
abide : remain
quiver : archer’s sheath for carrying arrows
manifest : clear
stake : strong wood pointed at one end
mast : upright wooden support for a ship’s
sails
parts : roles

140
dam : mother of an animal
waxed : became
recompense : reward
in a whole skin : unharmed
swilled : drank in large quantities

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plied : offered repeatedly

he
cunningly : cleverly

pu S
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dissembling : hiding
cavern : cave

to K
claps : loud explosive noise
osier
©
: flexible willow twig
lay insensible : slept unawares
ot

hard by : close by
N

clamours : loud confused noise

disengaging : setting free
abused : misused
unsightly blemish : defect of blindness
waster : destroyer
II. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :
Answer briefly the following questions.
1. Who were Cyclops?
2. Pick any five details to show that they were not civilized.
3. Why did Ulysses and his men enter the habitation of the Cyclop?
4. Read the last four sentences of paragraph 2 and try to draw the
picture of Polyphemus (savage face, massive body, one eye….)
5. How strong was the Greek wine?
6. How did Ulysses introduce himself and his group to the Cyclop?

141
 7. What horrid response did the Cyclop give to Ulysses, request
for hospitality?
8. What prevented Ulysses from attacking the Cyclop with his
sword?
9. How did Ulysses prove that “manly wisdom excels brutish force”?

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10. What ‘gift’ does the Cyclop offer Ulysses in return for the wine?

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11. How do the brave Greeks blind the Cyclop?

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12. Why didn’t the fellow Cyclops help Polyphemus when he cried

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out for help?

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13. How did Ulysses help his men escape from the cave?
©
14. How did Ulysses himself escape from the cave?
15. How did Ulysses introduce himself to the Cyclop at the end of
the story?
ot

II. Do you remember any story from our own epics where the hero
N

destroys a wicked giant? Narrate the story to the class.

III. NOTE ON THE AUTHOR :
Charles Lamb (1775-1834) born in London, was a
great essayist (Essays of Elia), a poet and a much
loved story teller. He, with his sister Mary Ann Lamb,
wrote Tales from Shakespeare designed to make
Shakespeare familiar to the young. His Adventures
of Ulysses from which Ulysses and the Cyclops is an
extract, was another successful attempt aimed at
familiarising the Greek epic The Odyssey to the young.
IV. SUGGESTED READING
1. Tales from Shakespeare – Charles and Mary Lamb.
2. The Adventures of Ulysses - Charles Lamb.

****

142
 N
©

143
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Appendix-I

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is
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 Appendix - II
Concord : Subject-Verb Agreement
Note : The most important type of agreement in English is the
agreement of number between subject and verb. And the question of
agreement arises only with
i) Present tense forms of the main verb: He comes. They come.

d
he
ii) Present and past tense forms of the primary auxiliary verbs: be,
have, do.

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is
iii) Personal pronouns: I am/You are/He is/They were.

be TB
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Area of Confusion

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Confusion arises where words come between the subject and the verb.
©
The following are examples of a few confusing areas of subject- verb
agreement :
1. Two subjects joined by “and” always take a plural verb:
E.g: Joshua and Noel are good at studies.
ot

However, when two nouns refer to the same person or idea, the verb
N

is singular.
Eg: i. The Governor and Chancellor of the University is the Chief Guest.
ii. Idli and sambar is good for breakfast.
2. When a singular noun is followed by expressions like with, along
with, together with, as well as, in addition to etc., the verb agrees with
the singular subject.
Eg. i. The teacher, along with her students, has gone to the science
exhibition.
ii.The bus, with all the 50 passengers, has fallen into the ravine.
3. Indefinite pronouns like each, every, everybody, everyone, someone,
anyone, no one, anybody, somebody, nobody, anything, something,
everything, nothing take a singular verb.
E.g. i. Nobody is above the law.
ii. Each of the students has done well in the test.
iii. Everyone has his/her own problems.
However, some indefinite pronouns like some, any, most take a
singular verb with non-countable nouns and a plural verb with
countable nouns.

144
E.g: i. Most of the advice goes unheeded.
ii. Some of the students are very courageous.
Indefinite pronouns like many, few, several take a plural verb.
Eg. i. Many agree that the rapists should be hanged in public.
ii. Several of the paintings were destroyed in the fire.

d
None takes either a singular or a plural verb depending on the

he
intended meaning

pu S
Eg. i. None of them are to be blamed.

is
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ii. None of this money is mine.
4. When subjects are connected by either.... or, neither.... nor, the

to K
verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
©
Eg. i. Either Vivek or Joshua is going to come.
ii. Neither Noel nor his friends have come.
iii. Neither he nor I am responsible.
ot

5. In sentences beginning with no one or one in the verb agrees with

N

the subject closest to it.

Eg. i. No one, except Joshua, has agreed to come.
ii. One in every ten of them are uninterested.
6. Some words ending with- “s” look plural but are singular in meaning
and hence take a singular verb: Mathematics, Statistics, Economics,
politics, measles, news, cards etc.
Eg. i. The news is not as bad as expected.
ii. Measles is not a serious disease.
7. Articles of dress and tools which have two equal parts joined at
one end, also called pair words, take a plural verb: scissors, trousers,
tongs, pyjamas etc.
Eg: i. My trousers are loose.
ii. The tongs are on the table.
8. Collective Nouns normally take singular verbs.
Eg. i. The team is ready for the match.

145
But when members of the group are seen as a collection of people
doing things as individuals, such collective nouns take plural verbs.
E.g. i. The jury are divided in their opinion.
9. The expression “One of ....” is followed by a plural noun and takes
a singular verb.
Eg. i. One of my friends plays for the under- 16 state team.

d
he
10. When the expression “more than” is followed by a noun, the verb
agrees with the subject.

pu S
is
be TB
Eg. i. More than one player is injured.

bl
ii. More than ten students are absent.

to K
Appendix-III
Modals - their uses and meanings.
©
Modal auxiliaries are will, would, shall, should, can, could, may,
might, must, ought to.
ot

1. Will - “Will” is used to express :

N

a) Prediction (simple futurity) - It will rain tomorrow.

b) Willingness/intention - I'll do it for you.
Who will give me the pen?
c) Request or Order in Yes/No questions - Will you do me a favour?
Will you shut up?
d) Probability - He will be at home now.
e) Insistence - He will go.
f) General facts - Oil will float on water.
Pigs will eat anything
g) Characterstic habit
She will sit there for hours doing nothing.
Don't trust him. He will tell you all sorts of stories.
2. Would - “Would” is used to express :
a) Future in the past - He said he would give me lollipop.
b) Willingness - I would do that for you.
c) Requests in questions - Would you do me a favour, please?

146
d) Probability - He would be at home now.
e) Insistence - He would act the fool.
f) The empty use - I would like to stay at home today.
3. Shall - Shall is used to express :
a) Prediction (simple futurity) - I shall come tomorrow.
b) Promise - I shall take you out on Monday.

d
he
c) Suggestion in Yes/No questions.
Shall we go to a movie this weekend?

pu S
is
be TB
d) Volition of the listener in Yes/No questions

bl
Shall I come tomorrow?

to K
e) Insistence - a) He shall go. b) He shall be hanged.
©
4. Should - Should is used to express :
a) Duty/Necessity - You should do this homework.
b) The Tentative Use.
ot

Should you come early, you can get the book from her.
N

c) The empty use - I should love to have some chocolates.

5. Can - Can is used to express :
a) Capability a) He can lift an elephant. b) I can read Sanskrit.
b) Permission a) You can go home. b) He can do as he likes.
c) Request - Can you lend me your book?
d) Request for permission - Can I eat some ice-cream, ma?
e) Possibility - She can be hiding.
f) Empty use with verbs of sensation - I can see the moon.
I can hear music
6. Could - Could is used to express :
a) Capability (past time)
He could eat twenty chapathis when he was young.
b) Request - Could you lend me your book?
c) Request for permission - Could I eat some ice-cream, ma?
d) Possibility - He could be there now.
e) Empty use (past tense) - I could see the moon.
I could hear the music.

147
7. May - May is used to express :
a) Permission - You may go.
b) Request for permission a) May I go now? b) May I come in?
c) Benediction/Malediction - May God bless you.
May he go to hell.

d
d) Possibility a) She may turn up. b) He may be there now.

he
8. Might: - Might is used to express

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is
a) Request for permission - Might I come in, Sir?

be TB
bl
b) Possibility - He might be there now.

to K
9. Must - Must is used to express :
a) Obligation/compulsion - He must do as I say.
©
b) Conclusion - He must be mad to do it.
10. Ought to - Ought to is used to express :
ot
a) Duty - a) You ought to go now. b) You ought to help him.
N

(Source: C I E F L Notes)

*****

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Karnataka Textbook Society has sought permission to use
copyrighted materials from different sources. Anticipating
permission it wishes to thank with gratitude the publishers,
private as well as Government and authors of the materials
used in this Textbook.

- Karnataka Textbook Society (Regd).

Bengaluru

148
 Design of Activities and Exercises ( Only Prose)
Unit Title Language Activities Speaking Activities Grammar/Usage Re-visited
i) Vocabulary Exercises : Antonyms: Idi-
oms and Phrases
ii) Reference Skill-Dictionary Work 1.Role Play
A Wrong Man
iii) Sub-Skills of Reading : Skimming 2. Making requests i) Articles
01 in Workers’
and Scanning 3.Giving directions ii) Prepositions
Paradise
iv) Project: Data collection and 4.Conversation
PowerPoint Presentation
v) Picture collection and notice board display
i) Vocabulary Exercises: Matching words
with meaning. Antonyms
1.Correct pronunci-
ii) Media Transfer: Flow chart to i) Countable. Uncountable
02 The Elixir of Life ation of commonly
Paragraph: Pie chart to Paragraph Nouns
mispronounced words
iii) Report Writing and Presentation N
iv) Project: Data collection and Presentation
i) Vocabulary Exercises: Phrases and Idioms.
©

149
1.Correct Pronuncia-
ot
Antonyms
tion-words with silent
ii) Dialogue Writing i) Subject-Verb Agreement
to K
letters: Pronouncing
03 The gift of Magi iii) Reported Speech and Oral Reporting ii) Question-tags
word-endings.
iv) Presenting sequence in a logical order iii) Inversion
2. Narrating story
v) Letter Writing
be TB
from a picture.
vi) Variety in Syntax (Style)
i)Vocabulary Exercises: Antonyms:
pu S
Difference Between words.
ii)Passive construction i) .Joke session
Louis Pasteur.
bl
iii) Reporting ii) Words from the text
04 Conqueror of
is Rhetorical Patterns
iv) Identifying the disease for Pronunciation
Disease
v) Parts of body as verbs iii) Word Stress.
he
vi) Collocations d
vii) Project: PowerPoint Presentation
i).Vocabulary Exercises. Similar but different words:
What is Moral One- word Substitutes. Tenses: Present and past Tense
05 Group Discussion
Action? ii) Paragraph Writing forms Future time
iii) Note - Making
 Unit Title Language Activities Speaking Activities Grammar/Usage Re-visited
i) Vocabulary Exercises: Dictionary Work-:
i) Pronunciation;
Sound words
Word endings
The Eyes are ii) Report Writing
06 ii) informal expres- i) Modals
not Here iii) Group Work: going beyond the story
sions in conversation
iv) Project: collecting data and making a
presentation
i) Vocabulary Exercises: One-word
Substitutes: Word Formation i) introducing oneself
The Girl who ii) Frequency words ii) Interview
i) Modals
07 was Anne iii) Collocations iii) Reporting
ii)Verb form passive
Frank iv) Diary Writing, iv) Pronunciation
v) Paragraph Writing vowels
iv) Project: Data collection and Presentation
i) Vocabulary: Antonyms
ii) Punctuation N
A Village i) Narrating an event i) Synthesis of sentences
08 iii) Direct Speech
Cricket Match ii) Debate Simple to Simple
iv) Dictionary work ©

150
ot
v) Making humorous sentences
i) Vocabulary Exercises: Synonyms:
to K
One-word for definitions:
Antonyms: Differences between similar words.
be TB
Idioms.``Multi”-words i) Passive construction
i) Synthesis of sentences
Consumerist ii) Group Discussion ii ) Debate
09 Simple to Complex
Culture iii) Project: Conducting a survey and mak iii) Pronunciation:
pu S
Simple to compound
ing a presentation of the findings Shift in stress
v) Parts of body as verbs
bl
vi) Collocations
is
vii) Project: Power-point Presentation
i) Role Play
he
i) Vocabulary Exercises: Odd word out ii) Homophones d i) Passive construction
ii) Identifying different types of humor iii) Pronunciation: • describing an experiment
The Pie and
10 iii) Reporting food words • recipe.
the Tart
iv) Dialogue Writing iv) Weak forms in con • writing instructions
v) Project: Staging the play nected speech • comparing rules
v) Play reading