SANT TUKARAM NATIONAL

iv Chhatrapati MODEL
Shikshan SCHOOL,LATUR
Sanstha’s

How Far is the River ?

Class :- VII Subject :- English

Name of the Teacher :-Mr. Digambar Balne

Contents:-
1. Introduction
2. About the Author
3. Main Concepts
and Sub Concepts
4. Gist of the lesson
5. Mind Map
6.Videos
7.Activity
8.Bibliography
9.Question Bank

Let’s Start the lesson: -

1. Introdution:-
This story deals with the curiosity a little boy
who wants to explore and enjoy the pleasure
of nature while trying to “find a river” all by
himself.
This story rightly explains the wanderlust found
in children and what kind of dedication and
planning they keep in store to execute it at the
first opportunity.
2. About the Author:-

Ruskin Bond is an award winning Indian

author of British descent, much renowned for
his role in promoting children’s literature in
India. A prolific writer, he has written over
500 short stories, essays and novels. His
popular novel ‘The Blue Umbrella’ was made
into a Hindi film of the same name which was
awarded the National Film Award for Best
Children's Film, in 2007. He is also the author
of more than 50 books for children and two
volumes of autobiography.
His childhood was marred by his parents’
separation and his father’s death. He sought
solace in reading and writing, and wrote one of
his first short stories at the age of 16. He then
moved to the U.K. in search of better prospects,
but returned to India after some years. He
earned his living by freelancing as a young man,
writing short stories and poems for newspapers
and magazines. A few years hence he was
approached by Penguin Books who published
several collections of his work, helping
establish him as a popular author in India. He
was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and
Padma Bhushan in 2014.
His Writings:-

3. Characters in the story:-

The Boy:- There was a boy of about twelve
years. He was sturdy with countrified hair and
black eyes. He liked walking barefoot. He had
a curiosity to visit the river which was beyond
the mountain. One day his parents went out of
the village leaving the boy alone at home with a
sketchy meal. He found an opportunity in it to
realize his dream of visiting the river.
The Woodcutter:- The wood cutter was a
strong, short and powerful man, with creased
and weathered face, and muscles that stood out
in hard lumps. The boy
met him and enquired
him how far the river
was. The wood cutter
replied that it was away
by seven miles. He also warned the boy that it
might be difficult to return before evening.
The Girl:- The girl held a scythe with which she had been cutting
grass, and there were rings in her nose and ears and her arms were
covered with heavy bangles.
The girl had probably never been to
the river , or she may have been
thinking of another one, because she
said.” Twenty miles” without any
hesitation. I did not give up when
the young girl tells me that the river
is twenty miles away.
The Shepherd :-
Presently he saw another boy ahead of him,
driving a few goats down the path. ‘How far is
the river?’ he asked. The village boy smiled in
a friendly way and said, ‘Oh, not far, just round
the next hill and straight down.’ The boy,
feeling hungry, unwrapped his loaf of bread and
broke it in halves, offering one portion to the
village boy.
They sat on the hillside
and ate in silence.
When they had
finished, they walked
on together and began
talking and talking;
the boy did not notice the smarting of his feet,
and the heat of the sun, and the distance he had
covered, and the distance he had yet to cover.
But after some time, his companion had to
diverge along another path, and the boy was
once more on his own.
4. Gist Of The Lesson:- ‘How Far is the River’ by
Ruskin Bond is a short story about a child who
wants to discover a river which he has never seen
in his life. Between the boy and the river, stands a
tall mountain full of shrubs, trees, and forest. The
boy is aware that beyond that mountain runs a
river and he has never seen that river. He craves to
see that, as children are most inquisitive among all
age people.
And one day he gets the opportunity to discover
that river. Seldom have his parents gone out for all
day. But today they have gone to meet some of
their friend. They will be back in dark, after
evening. To eat, he packs a loaf of bread. He starts
his journey naked feet. First, he meets a
woodcutter. Upon asking how far the river is, he
says that it is around seven miles. He also warns
that it will be difficult for him to come back home
before the day ends. He ignores his warning. Next,
he meets a girl coming from the opposite direction.
Apprehensively, she is lost in herself, without
hesitation she says that the river is twenty-five
miles ahead. The narrator feels bad and ignores her
information.
After walking in heat on the stony path, he meets
a local boy managing his cattle herd. This boy
provides the right information by saying that the
river is just around the mountain. They eat lunch
together.
Though frustrated and lonely, he keeps walking. He
thinks that if he returns home from this point then
it will become a shameful experience for him.
Without caring for time and suffering, he continues
walking. After some point, he hears the soft
gurgling of water. He runs to the sound – there is
the water of the river, he jumps in that. Though it
is cold like snow but he likes it.
Word Galaxy:-
1 Sparkle :- Shine brightly
A small stone that is round
2 Pebbles:-
and smooth
3 Foliage:- Cluster of leaves or plants
4 Swelling:- Becoming greater in
intensity, or volume
5 Brawling:- Fight in a noisy way
6 Chirpy:- Cheerful and lively
Acting or done quickly and
7 Impetuous:-
without thought or care
Moving of the upper layer of
8 Erosion:-
the soil
9 O’er:- Short form of over
Speaking in terms of indirect
10 Metaphorically:-
comparison
11 Irrationally:- Without any reason
12 Chirpy:- Cheerful and lively
13 Brimming:- To be full of something
14 Broad:- Covering a wide area
15 Motion:- To be in constant movement
That which will die and
16 Mortal:-
cannot live forever
The middle and the youthful
17 Prime:-
days of one's life
18 Headlong:- To rush in quickly
19 Dash:- Move in a faster pace
20 Eternity:- Something that lasts forever
21 Gush:- To flow in great quantity
The place where someone is
22 Destination:-
going
That which does not last
23 Transient:-
long
24 Sail:- To travel via a ship or boat

5. Videos:-
1. https://youtu.be/Z2Vz_u3mFiM
2. https://youtu.be/8shZi9vQbEY
3. https://youtu.be/wvvbqW5BjJc
6.MindMap:-
7. Activity:
You‘ve read the story “How Far is the River?
Now, try to remember the story and
complete the following suitably:-
 8. Bibliography:-
Enhanced English Alive
Literature Reader-7

Now It’s Time to learn

9. Question Bank:-

1. According to the author, why is it important to walk close to nature?

2. What prevented the boy from seeing the river?

3. Why did the boy have a desire to know the river personally?
Or

What did the boy hear about the river from the villagers?
4. Why did the boy like to walk barefooted?

5. How did the boy get a chance to see the river?

6. Did the woodcutter encourage the boy to go to the river?

Describe the appearance of the woodcutter.

7. Why was the boy sure that he had covered half the way?

8. Describe the girl whose hands spoke a language of their own.

9. What were the problems that the young adventurer faced?

10. What made the last part of boy’s journey easy?

11. Why did the boy feel discouraged?
12 ‘The boy slipped and stumbled, but still he ran.’ Why?

13. What did the boy hear about the river from the villagers answer?

14. What is the story of the lesson How far is the river?

15. What is the moral of the story How far is the river by Ruskin Bond?
Q16. Tick the correct Answers:-

1. Who is the author of the story “HOW FAR IS THE RIVER”?

a.WILLIAM BLAKE b.RUSKIN BOND

c.R K NARAYANAN d.EDWARD LEAR

2. Who is the main character of the story?

a. wood cutter b. girl

c. shepherd boy d. the boy

3. What was the ambition of the boy?

a.to touch the river b.to see the mountain c.to walk
barefooted d.to enjoy nature walk

4. What prevented the boy from seeing the river?

a.thickly forested mountain b. city

c. wild dahlia d. village
5. Did the wood cutter encourage the boy to go to the river?
a. YES

b. NO

6. Find the one word for "feel of pain" from the story?

a. kick b. smarting
c. wound d. trickle

Answerkey
1. According to the author, why is it important to walk close to nature?
Answer: According to the author, it is important to walk close to nature to have a better
understanding of life. It is because
we first emerged from the natural world and to which we still belong.

2. What prevented the boy from seeing the river?

Answer: The thickly forested mountain prevented the boy from seeing the river.
3. Why did the boy have a desire to know the river personally?
Or

What did the boy hear about the river from the villagers?
Answer: The boy had never seen the river with his own eyes. He had only heard from
the villagers of it, of the fish in its waters, of its rocks and currents and waterfalls so, he
wanted to explore the river personally.
4. Why did the boy like to walk barefooted?
Answer: The boy liked to walk barefooted because he used to feel free with his bare feet.
He also liked the feel of warm stones and cool grass. Moreover, it also saved him the
trouble of taking the shoes off.

5. How did the boy get a chance to see the river?

Answer: The boy got a chance to see the river because his parents had gone to visit their
friends for the entire day and if he came back before dark, they wouldn’t know where he
had been.

6. Did the woodcutter encourage the boy to go to the river?

Answer: No, the woodcutter did not encourage the boy to go to the river.What three
things did the wood cutter remind the boy of? What was the intention behind his
reminders?

Answer: The three things that the wood cutter reminded the boy of were:

i. The distance of seven miles that the boy had to cover to reach the river.
ii. It would take three hours to cover that distance.
iii. It would be dark by the time the boy would come back.
iv. He also warned the boy that the road was not easy.
7. Describe the appearance of the woodcutter.
Answer: The woodcutter was a short, powerful man with a creased and
weathered face and muscles that stood out in hard lumps.

8. Why was the boy sure that he had covered half the way?
Answer: The woodcutter told the boy that it would take him two hours to reach the river.
Now, he had walked for over an hour so, he was sure that he had covered half the way.

9. Describe the girl whose hands spoke a language of their own.

Answer: The girl had a scythe with which she had been cutting grass. There were rings
in her nose and ears and her arms were covered with heavy bangles. Her bangles made
music when she moved her wrists as though her hands spoke a language of their own.
10. What were the problems that the young adventurer faced?
Answer: The problems that the young adventurer faced were:

v. He felt hungry and thirsty during the travel.

vi. His feet were scorched by the hot stones as he was bare feet.
11. What made the last part of boy’s journey easy?
Answer: The village boy made the last part of boy’s journey easy. They both sat on the
hillside and ate bread in silence. They walked together and talked. The boy forgot the
pain in his feet, the heat of the sun and the distance he had covered and the distance he
had yet to cover.
12. Why did the boy feel discouraged?

Answer: The boy missed the village boy and there was no one else in sight. His home
was hidden from view by the side of the mountain and there was no sign of the river. So,
he felt discouraged.

13. What reminded him of his fatigue and isolation?

 Answer: The boy thought that if someone had been with him, he would not have faltered.
But alone, he was conscious of his fatigue and isolation.

14. Why did the boy find the silence impressive but frightening?
Answer: The boy found the silence impressive but frightening because as a nature-lover,
the silence impressed him. However, the thought that he was alone filled his heart with
fear.
15. ‘The boy slipped and stumbled, but still he ran.’ Why?
Answer: The boy reached his goal after two hours of the adventurous trip. When he saw
the river, his heart leapt up and, in the excitement, to touch the river, he ran.

16. What was the woodcutter’s reply?

Ans:- The woodcutter told the boy that it would take him two hours to reach the river.
Now, he had walked for over an hour so, he was sure that he had covered half the way.

17. What did the boy hear about the river from the villagers answer?
Ans:- He heard the villagers speak of the fish in the mountain's waters and of its rocks
and of the beauty of the river.

18. What is the story of the lesson How far is the river?
Ans:- 'How Far is the River' by Ruskin Bond is a short story about a child who wants to
discover a river which he has never seen in his life. Between the boy and the river, stands
a tall mountain full of shrubs, trees, and forest. The boy is aware that beyond that
mountain runs a river and he has never seen that river.

18. What is the moral of the story How far is the river by Ruskin Bond?
Ans:- He will not allow his freedom to be overshadowed by anything he might find as an obstacle when
he is travelling to the river. Where some might feel disillusioned by the fact they have been told it is
twenty miles to the river. The boy feels free enough in himself not to be deterred.
Q10.Tick the correct Answers:-

1. Who is the author of the story “HOW FAR IS THE RIVER”?

a. WILLIAM BLAKE b. RUSKIN BOND

c. R K NARAYANAN d. EDWARD LEAR

2. Who is the main character of the story?

a. wood cutter b. girl

c. shepherd boy d. the boy

3. What was the ambition of the boy?

a. to touch the river b.to see the mountain c.to walk

barefooted d.to enjoy nature walk

4 What prevented the boy from seeing the river?

a. thickly forested mountain b. city c. wild dahlia d. village

5. Did the wood cutter encourage the boy to go to the river?
a. YES

b.NO

6. Find the one word for "feel of pain" from the story?

a. kick b. smarting

c. wound d. trickle