DELHI PRIVATE SCHOOL- SHARJAH

GRADE XII
ENGLISH

ACADEMIC WINDOW
2022-23

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 MONTH-WISE SYLLABUS BREAK-UP

PROSE POEM WRITING

THE LAST
LESSON NOTICE WRITING

LETTER TO EDITOR
MARCH

LOST SPRING MY MOTHER AT ARTICLE WRITING

SIXTY-SIX
THE THIRD
APRIL LEVEL

THE ENEMY KEEPING QUIET JOB APPLICATION LETTER

DEEP WATER
MAY

THE TIGER A THING OF INVITATION & REPLIES

KING BEAUTY

JUNE GOING PLACES

THE RATTRAP

SUMMER BREAK

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 Memories of
Childhood REVISION REVISION

SEPTEMBER REVISION

INDIGO

POET AND
PANCAKES
OCTOBER
ON THE FACE
OF IT

Journey to the end

of the Earth

THE INTERVIEW AUNT JENNIFER'S

TIGERS REPORT WRITING
NOVEMBER A ROADSIDE
STAND

REVISION REVISION REVISION

DECEMBER

WINTER BREAK

REVISION REVISION REVISION

JANUARY

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 MARKING SCHEME AND QUESTION PAPER PATTERN FOR CBSE GRADE 12
Total Marks-80 +20=100

Section A- READING 20 MARKS

1. COMPREHENSION: (10)
MCQ – 1x10

2. COMPREHENSION: (10)
MCQ – 1x10

SECTION B - WRITING- 20 MARKS

3. NOTICE WRITING- 5 (50 WORDS)

4. FORMAL/INFORMAL INVITATION AND REPLY-5 (50 WORDS)
5. LETTER TO THE EDITOR/JOB APPLICATION LETTER- 5 (120-150 WORDS)
6.ARTICLE WRITING/REPORT WRITING- 5 (120-150 WORDS)

SECTION C - LITERATURE- 40 MARKS

7. RTC (Poetry)- 1x6=6

8. RTC (Prose-FLAMINGO)- 1x6=6
9. RTC(Prose-VISTAS)- 1x4=4
10. Short Question and Answer (FLAMINGO)- 2x5 =10
11. Short Question and Answer (VISTAS)- 2x2 =4
12. Long question from FLAMINGO (150 words) = 5x1 = 5
13. Long question from VISTAS (150 words) = 5x1 = 5

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

Assessment of Listening Skills - 05 marks.

Assessment of Speaking Skills – 05 Marks
Project Work-10 Marks

ENGLISH CORE CODE NO. 301 CLASS – XII 2022-23

Section A
Reading Skills 20 Marks

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Reading Comprehension through Unseen Passage

I. One unseen passage to assess comprehension, interpretation, and inference. Vocabulary and inference of
meaning will also be assessed. The passage may be factual, descriptive, or literary.
(10x1=10
Marks)
II. One unseen case-based passage with verbal/visual inputs like statistical data, charts etc.
(10x1=10 Marks)

Note: The combined word limit for both the passages will be 700-750 words. Multiple Choice Questions /
Objective Type Questions will be asked.

Section B

Creative Writing Skills 20 Marks

The section has short and long writing tasks.

i. Notice up to 50 words. One out of the two given questions to be answered. (5 Marks: Format: 1 / Organisation
of Ideas: 1/Content: 2 / Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar: 1).

ii. Formal/Informal Invitation and Reply up to 50 words. One out of the two given questions to be answered. (5
Marks: Format: 1 / Organisation of Ideas: 1/Content: 2 / Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar :1).
iii. Letters based on verbal/visual input, to be answered in approximately 120-150 words. Letter types include
application for a job with bio data or resume. Letters to the editor (giving suggestions or opinion on issues of
public interest). One out of the two given questions to be answered. (5 Marks: Format: 1 / Organisation of
Ideas: 1/Content: 2 / Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar :1).

iv. Article/ Report Writing, descriptive and analytical in nature, based on verbal inputs, to be answered in 120-
150 words. One out of the two given questions to be. (5 Marks: Format: 1 / Organisation of Ideas: 1/Content:
2 / Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar :1).

Section C
This section will have variety of assessment items including Multiple Choice Questions, Objective Type
Questions, Short Answer Type Questions and Long Answer Type Questions to assess comprehension,
analysis, interpretation and extrapolation beyond the text. 40 Marks

Reference to the Context

i. One Poetry extract out of two from the book Flamingo to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis
and appreciation. (6x1=6 Marks)

ii. One Prose extract out of two from the book Vistas to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis and
appreciation. (4x1=4 Marks)

iii. One prose extract out of two from the book Flamingo to assess comprehension, interpretation, and
analysis. (6x1=6Marks)

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iv. Short answer type question (from Prose and Poetry from the book Flamingo), to be answered in 40-50
words. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. Five questions out of the six
given are to be answered. (5x2=10 Marks)

v. Short answer type question, from Prose (Vistas), to be answered in 40- 50 words. Questions should elicit
inferential responses through critical thinking. Any 2 out of 3 questions to be done. (2x2=4 Marks)

vi. One Long answer type question, from Prose/Poetry (Flamingo), to be answered in 120-150 words. Questions
can be based on incident / theme / passage / extract / event as reference points to assess extrapolation beyond
and across the text. The question will elicit analytical and evaluative response from student. Any 1 out of 2
questions to be done. (1x5=5 Marks)

vii. One Long answer type question, based on the chapters from the book Vistas, to be answered in 120-
150 words to assess global comprehension and extrapolation beyond the text. Questions to provide
evaluative and analytical responses using incidents, events, themes as reference points. Any 1 out of 2
questions to be done. (1x5=5 Marks)

Prescribed Books

1. Flamingo: English Reader published by National Council of Education Research and Training, New Delhi
(Prose)
• The Last Lesson
• Lost Spring
• Deep Water
• The Rattrap
• Indigo
• Poets and Pancakes
• The Interview
• Going Places

(Poetry)
• My Mother at Sixty-Six
• Keeping Quiet
• A Thing of Beauty
• A Roadside Stand
• Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

2. Vistas: Supplementary Reader published by National Council of Education Research and Training, New Delhi
• The Third Level
• The Tiger King
• Journey to the end of the Earth
• The Enemy
• On the Face of It
• Memories of Childhood
○ The Cutting of My Long Hair
○ We Too are Human Beings

SECTION – A
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 READING COMPREHENSION

➢ Comprehension means understanding or perception.

➢ So, go through the passage carefully and arrive at the general idea of the passage.
➢ Read again to get a better understanding of the passage.
➢ Arrive at the meaning of difficult words by relating them to the preceding and following
sentences.
➢ Underline relevant words and phrases of the passages which can help you deduce the answers.
➢ Read the questions carefully.
➢ Answer precisely, using simple language.
➢ Answers should reveal your understanding of the passage.

SECTION A: READING

UNSEEN COMPREHENSION
1. Read the passage given below and then answer the questions which follow:

Passage 1
I. Food is an important part of our identity and culture. We are known by what we eat. It reflects the
geography to which we belong, and the locally available resources used in our cuisine. Adivasi food
systems are deeply embedded in local culture and traditions, given that the way of life of these
indigenous peoples is so closely linked to nature and its resources.
II. Jharkhand is a natural abode and home to numerous Adivasi communities constituting a little over
25% of the total population. These communities, in addition to their rich social and cultural traditions,
practice immensely diverse food practices which are based on locally available resources and
techniques. Such Adivasi food systems have been instrumental in maintaining the sovereignty and self-
reliance of these communities. They have taken many varieties of vegetables and tubers, wild or grown,
to enrich their diet and to meet their requirements of calcium, iron, minerals and vitamins.
III. The realm of medicinal plants and herbal products is even vaster. According to the All India
Coordinated Research Project on Ethnobiology, tribal communities are acquainted with the use of over
9,000 species of plants including food plants, while specifically for the purpose of healing they know
the use of around 7,500 species of plants.
IV. The Adivasi food of Jharkhand may be defined in terms of a few characteristic features: food is
influenced by physiological needs and geographical conditions and the habit is closely associated with
habitat. This means food habits are guided by locally available resources. Adivasis consume boiled
food like rice, pulses, herbs or ‘saag’ and on some occasions, animal or bird meat is roasted on a fire.
Because of these consistent food habits that are based on locally available resources, instances of serious
diseases are considerably lower among Adivasis.

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V. Nutrition Value: Ingredients used in Adivasi food are a great source of nutrition in addition to taste.
Studies have revealed that Adivasi food provides high immunity to diseases and protection from
deformities. Food like tubers, shoots, berries, nuts, etc. are a good source of protein and fat. The
consumption of meat, fish, egg, shellfish, etc., provides good quality protein apart from important
vitamins and minerals. Widely consumed wild or grown tubers enrich their dietary requirement of
calcium, iron, mineral elements and vitamins.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any eight out of ten questions by choosing the
correct option.
(i) The mention of medicinal plants and herbal products makes the writer seem.
(a) Commend (b) Thankless (c) Appreciative (d) Critical

(ii) Alliteration refers to the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or
closely connected words.
Select the option that contains a word from the passage that will form an alliteration with ‘Adivasi food
of Jharkhand’.
(a) Sovereignty (b) Ingredients (c) Features (d) Medicinal

(iii) Select the option that suitably completes the given dialogue as per the context on the passage.
Jaya That seminar about the Adivasis was very informative but I don’t think I can ever eat what they
eat.
Rishi Why are you saying that? Their food ……….
(a) is so different from ours (b) is so rich in nutrition
(c) is made up raw materials (d) is obtained from medicinal plants

(iv) What is the relationship between (1) and (2)?

(1) Such Adivasi food systems have been instrumental in maintaining the sovereignty and self-reliance
of these communities.
(2) This means food habits are guided by locally available resources.
(a) (1) is the reason for (2).
(b) (2) elaborates the problem described in (1).
(c) (1) gives the motive behind (2)
(d) (2) explains the problem discussed in (1)

(v) The sentence “We are known by what we eat” means that
(a) It’s important to eat good food in order to be healthy and fit.
(b) We become famous by the kind of food we eat.
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(c) Healthful and nutritious food is the reason behind our fame.
(d) People remember us because of our eating habits.

(vi) Select the option that states the reason behind the statement- “Adivasi food provides high immunity
to diseases and protection from deformities”.
(a) The food of Adivasis have more protein and fibre.
(b) The food of Adivasis have a rich balance of protein, vitamins and minerals.
(c) Adivasis grow their own food themselves.
(d) Adivasis know the use of around 7,500 species of plants.

(vii) Which of the following statements is/are true in the context of the passage?
1. Studies have revealed that as the Adivasi food is rich in nutrients, it provides high immunity to
disease and protection from deformities.
2. Most of the Adivasis have frequent cases of serious diseases due to their consistent eating habits.
3. Adivasi food provides ample amount of proteins, vitamins, and minerals to boost the immune
system of the eater.
4. Adivasi communities cover more than 34% of Jharkhand- which is their natural house.
(a) Only 1 (b) Both 1 and 2 (c) Both 1 and 3 (c) Only 4

(viii) Which quote summarizes the writer’s feelings about the Adivasi’s food and culture as described
in the passage?
(a) If you keep good food in your fridge, you will eat good food. –Erick Mc Adams
(b) It’s health that is real wealth and not pieces of Gold and Silver. –Mahatma Gandhi
(c) Eating healthy food fills your body with energy and nutrients. Imagine your cells smiling back at
you and saying: ‘Thank You!
–Karen Salman Sohn
(d) A Journey of thousand miles begins with a single step. –Lao Tzu

(ix) Select the option that lists what we can conclude from the passage.
(1) Adivasis are self-reliant and have a good immune system as they eat nutritious food that is available
as per their natural resources.
(2) Adivasis are self-reliant and have good immune system as they eat every kind of food that is given
to them by their governing agencies.
(3) Adivasis are self-reliant, modern and have good knowledge of healing properties.
(4) Adivasis are not self-reliant but have good immune system as they eat nutritious food that is
available as per their natural resources.

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(a) Only (1) is true (b) Both (1) and (3) are true
(c) Both (2) and (3) are true (d) Only (4) is true

(x) The writer mentions that ‘food is an important part of our identity and culture’. Pick the option that
closely gives the meaning of the statement.
(a) Culture is what makes everyone different from who they are and where they originate.
(b) Food is family treasure in a way that the recipes are passed on from one generation to another.
(c) As the world becomes more globalized, it is easier to access cuisines from different cultures.
(d) How we eat and talk about food is a different key part of our
identities

Passage 2
I. There are some places which seem as cute and welcoming, some formal and intimidating. And
weren’t we glad that Potboiler fell into the first category. We had dived into the coffee shop after being
caught in a sudden sharp shower. High ceiling supported by old-fashioned columns, daylight pouring
in from the wide windows, fairy lights, simple but comfortable seating arrangements and we were
instantly struck by its inviting ambience.
II. As we were shown to our seats, we discovered there was more to the coffee shop than coffee.
There were shelves of books around us, framed photographs of well-known authors and wall decoration
sporting quotes from famous books. We could pick up any book (it was quite an eclectic collection)
and read it while we sipped and munched, we were informed by the service staff.
III. As we scanned the menu and tried to figure out what to order, up walked a young girl to help us
choose. Patiently she walked us through the varieties of coffee, about the journey of the beans from the
farm to the cup, how it is roasted and brewed. Much later into the conversation we realized we were
talking to the owner Sonali Lakhotia, who also happens to be a certified barista. And it is her love for
books and coffee which forms the heart and soul of Potboiler. Even the brews and the food on the menu
have been tweaked to give a literary turn.
IV. “I am an avid reader who loves cafe hopping,” Lakhotia would say later. “I always wanted to
create a safe, escapist space where each and everyone felt like they belong to. A place they could step
into to keep their worries away.”
V. Incidentally, Potboiler showcases three to four coffee bean options from different roasters for a
wholesome experience. It being a relatively uncrowded afternoon, we learned about where and how the
coffee is grown, how it is roasted and brewed, and what impacts the final cup. How one should be
careful about the brewing method, the water temperature, the size of the ground coffee beans and their
storage, and the water-coffee ratio. And it is not only the coffee. While the beverage menu has been
designed with some coffee experimentation, the food menu too has been revamped to suit a wide range
of palate.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any eight out of ten questions by choosing the
correct option.
(i) The use of the word ‘intimidating’ in the first line of the above passage suggests that the place
is
(a) friendly (b) unapproachable (c) responsive (d) distant

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(ii) A collocation is a group of words that often occur together. The writer says that the book
collection at potboiler was an eclectic collection.
Select the word from the options that correctly collocates with ‘eclectic’.
(a) Antique (b) Show (c) Coffee (d) Approach

(iii) Select the option that lists what we can conclude from the passage.
(1) One needs to be careful about the brewing method for better taste of the coffee.
(2) The coffee shop was full of books and had an inviting ambience.
(3) Potboiler was a restaurant having palatable list of dishes to eat.
(4) The writer is fond of drinking tea and reading books while traveling.
(a) (1) and (2) are true (b) (2), (3) and (4) are true
(c) (2) and (4) are true (d) (1), (3) and (4) are true

(iv) Which quote summarizes the writer’s feelings in the best manner after visiting the Potboiler?
(a) Coffee has given me unrealistic expectations of productivity. –Dorinda Jones
(b) As long as there was coffee in the world, how bad could things be? –Cassandra Clare
(c) I like coffee because it gives me the illusion that I might be awake. –Lewis Black
(d) Given enough coffee I could rule the world. –Terry Pratchett

(v) Which of the following statements is/are not true in the context of the passage?
1. Sonali Lakhotia, the owner of Potboiler coffee shop, was a certified barista.
2. The owner of the coffee shop was an avid reader of books and a lover of coffee.
3. Potboiler showcases three to four coffee bean options from different roasters for a wholesome
experience.
4. The writer had to wait their turn to have a cup of coffee in the packed and congested crowded
places.
(a) Only 1 (b) Both 1 and 2
(c) Both 1 and 3 (d) Only 4

(vi) Select the option that states the meaning of the statement- “As we were shown to our seats, we
discovered there was more to the coffee shop than coffee.”
(a) The coffee shop had different varieties and flavors of coffee.
(b) They met the owner of the coffee shop, who was a presentable lady.
(c) The coffee shop had good ambience and was full of books and photographs.
(d) The coffee shop had good ambience, decorative books and attractive menus of fast-food items.

(vii) Pick the option that correctly states what did not happen after the writer checked in the coffee
shop-
(a) The writer found the ambience of the shop very appealing and inviting.
(b) There were shelves and shelves of books around him, framed photographs of well-known
authors.
(c) The writer was welcomed by the owner of the shop who was an entrepreneur.
(d) The writer did not like the stuffy and dilapidated look of the shop.

(viii) What is the relationship between (1) and (2)?

(1) ……… weren’t we glad that Potboiler fell into the first category.

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(2) …… shelves of books around us, framed photographs of well-known authors and wall
decoration sporting quotes from famous books.
(a) (2) is the reason for (1) (b) (1) repeats the situation described in (2)
(c) (2) elaborates the problem described in (1). (d) (1) sets the stage for (2).

(ix) Select the option that suitably completes the given dialogue as per the context in paragraph III.
Writer: I am unable to choose what to order.
Young Girl: Shall I help you, (1) ………………….
Writer: There’s a lot of variety in the menu, isn’t there?
Young Girl: (2) Let me show you something more.
(a) (1) I am Sonali Lakhotia, the owner of the Potboiler. (2) The essence of the beautiful is unity
in variety.
(b) (1) I am Sonali Lakhotia, the owner of this place. (2) Variety is the spice of life.
(c) (1) What could I offer you to drink? (2) Variety is the spice of love.
(d) (1) I’m sure I can help you in choosing the right option. (2) It is a coffee house, there should
be ambiguity.
(x) The writer mentions- the food menu too has been revamped to suit a wide range of palate.
Pick the option that closely gives the meaning of the statement.
(a) The food menu had variety of delectable food now.
(b) The food menu did not have any variety of food.
(c) The food menu only had a list of some palatable beverages.
(d) The food menu did not have any variety of food that could please the guests.

Passage 3

I. The federal government is starting to recommend third shots of COVID-19 vaccines to large
numbers of vulnerable people living in the US. But the truth is that many people have already taken it
upon themselves to get boosted, whether they are in priority groups or not. They say their side effects
are, by and large, a lot like the ones they had after a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna. More than 2.3
million Americans have gotten booster doses already, according to CDC data, a number that most
certainly includes people who are not immunocompromised.
II. More than 21,900 people have reported their third dose side effects using the CDC’s v-safe text
messaging system. In general, reactions to third doses of the two mRNA vaccines appear quite similar
to second doses, though third dose side effects may be slightly milder.
III. By far the most common side effect felt after a third COVID-19 dose is arm pain at the injection
site. Fatigue and other muscle aches (myalgia) are also common in the week after a third mRNA
injection. Data that Pfizer presented to the CDC this week also suggested that more people may have
swollen lymph nodes after the third dose of the vaccine than after the first or second, but that is
temporary and only happened about 5% of the time in their trials.

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IV. The CDC is also suggesting that other adults who’ve had Pfizer, if they wish, may receive a
third shot at least six months after their initial vaccination course if they:
• are 18-49 years old with underlying medical conditions
• are 18-49 years old and are at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission “because
of occupational or institutional setting”
• (e.g., healthcare workers, prisoners, and other frontline workers). The CDC stresses adults under
the age of 50 should make their decision about a booster “based on their individual benefits and risks.”
Independent advisors to the CDC were torn about recommending booster shots to younger adults who
are at higher risk of catching COVID-19 at work, like healthcare workers, frontline workers and prison
guards.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the eight questions by choosing the correct
option.

(i) Select the option that displays the true statement with reference to Fig 1.
(a) After the 3rd dose of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine, the most solicited reaction is joint
pain and chills among the people.
(b) Around 70% of the people have reported pain at the injection site after getting the 3rd dose of
Moderna Vaccine.
(c) Around 50% of the people have reported headache after getting the 3rd dose of Pfizer-
BioNTech Vaccine.
(d) After the 3rd dose of BioNTech Vaccine, the least solicited reaction is fatigue and headache.

(ii) The term ‘immunocompromised’ refers to the

(a) People having a strong immune system.
(b) People who do not make any compromise to boost their immune system.
(c) People having an impaired immune system.
(d) People who are strong and do not carry infection to others.

(iii) Read the two statements given below and select the option that suitably explains them.
(1) More than 2.3 million Americans have gotten booster doses already, according to CDC data.
(2) A number that most certainly includes people who are not immunocompromised.
(a) (1) is the problem and (2) is the solution for (1)
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(b) (1) is false but (2) correctly explains (1)
(c) (1) summarizes (2)
(d) (1) is true and independent of (2).

(iv) Select the correct inference with reference to the following.

‘In general, reactions to third doses of the two mRNA vaccines appear quite similar to second doses,
though third dose side effects may be slightly milder.’
(a) The side effects of the first and second doses of the two mRNA vaccines were less severe than
the third dose.
(b) The third dose of the two mRNA vaccines is creating more immunity amongst its receivers so
its side effects are less severe.
(c) The reactions to first and second doses of the vaccines are less severe than the third booster
dose.
(d) After getting the booster dose of the mRNA vaccine people are reporting more reactions.

(v) Select the central idea of the paragraph preceding paragraph II.
(a) Many Americans have not taken the booster dose of the vaccination to protect themselves
from diseases.
(b) The people who have taken the first and second doses of the vaccinations had fewer side-
effects as compared to the third one.
(c) American people wish to wait for instructions from the US Government before getting the
booster dose of vaccination.
(d) Many Americans have themselves taken the booster dose of the vaccination to protect
themselves from diseases.

(vii) The data shared by Pfizer with the CDC, suggests that
(a) many people may have temporary swollen lymph nodes after second dose of the vaccine than
after third one.
(b) many people may have permanent swollen lymph nodes after second dose of the vaccine than
after the third one.
(c) many people may have permanent swollen lymph nodes after third dose of the vaccine than
after first or second one.
(d) many people may have temporary swollen lymph nodes after third dose of the vaccine than
after first or second one.
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(viii) Based on your reading of the I, select the appropriate counterargument to the given argument.
Argument I think I was right to get the third booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as I heard
about it. It is imperative that we all stay vaccinated.
(a) I will get vaccinated as soon as possible before they run out of the vaccines.
(b) The third dose has many side-effects and I think I should wait before rushing in to get the
wrong vaccine.
(c) This situation is temporary and happens only 5% of the time and thus, doesn’t demand any
dire steps.
(d) I think if I am vulnerable and in the priority group, I’ll get the shot too, otherwise if I am not
immunocompromised, I don’t need it

Passage 2

I. The 21st century will be ruled by data. Data Science has become an indispensable part of many
businesses and industries. It provides valuable insights into customer behavior that can lead to increased
conversions, more detailed market analysis for competitive advantage in pricing strategies or product
development, improved operational efficiency and minimized risk exposure through accurate
forecasting models.
II. The emergence of disruptive technologies like IoT, digital media platforms, smartphones,
artificial intelligence, big data analytics, blockchain and quantum computing has ushered in an era
where Data Science will be central to organizational success. As organizations are turning towards
Machine Learning, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, the demand for data science roles is seeing a
sustained and accelerating upward surge. Since 2012, the Data Science sector has witnessed a massive
hike of 650%, far outpacing other sectors.
III. Therefore, transitioning to data science is a smart move as it fetches far higher comparative
returns. For instance, transitioning from a marketing analytics job to a data science job leads to a 37%
salary growth on average.

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IV. Similarly, the expected salary growth when people switch from digital analytics to data science
is 31% on average. For someone transitioning from a data engineering role to a data science role, the
salary hike could be as high as 44%. According to recruitment firm Michael Page’s 2021 India Talent
Trends report, data science professionals with 3-10 years of experience get annual salaries in the 25-65
lakh range, while those with more experience can command pay packages upwards of 1 crore.
V. Professionals with over 15 years of experience can get paid up to 1.8 crores. Similarly, the
average annual pay hike for data science professionals falls between 20-30% compared with 15-20%
for professionals from other backgrounds. India Inc is witnessing the rapid digitization of businesses
and services, making it the second-largest hub for data science in the world. Analysts predict that the
country will have more than 11 million job openings by 2026. In fact, since 2019, hiring in the data
science industry has increased by 46%.
VI. Data Science and Machine Learning have a steep learning curve. Even though there is a huge
influx of data scientists in India every year, very few people have the required expertise and
specialization. As a result, there is a surging demand for professionals with specialized data skills.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any six out of the eight questions by choosing the
correct option.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the eight questions by choosing the correct option.

(i) Select the option that displays the true statement with reference to Fig 1.
(a) The Data Science professionals with a working experience between 5-10 years are the highest
paid professionals in the market today.
(b) The Digital Analytics professionals who have a work experience of 6–10 years are the most
paid.
(c) The Data Science professionals with a working experience of more than 15 years are the
highest paid professionals in the market today.
(d) The Digital Analytics professionals who have a work experience of more than 10 years when
move towards Analytics Consulting easily get a hike of 5 lac per annum in their salaries.

(ii) According to the passage, one of the reasons for why Data Science has become an
indispensable part of many businesses and industries is that
(a) people are getting hike in salaries after learning data science analytics.
(b) it provides valuable insights into the understanding of the customer behavior.
(c) it helps in analyzing the unpredictable patterns of the market and consumers.
(d) transitioning to data science is not a smart move as it does not fetch higher comparative
returns.

(iii) Read the two statements given below and select the option that suitably explains them.
(1) Data Science and Machine Learning have a steep learning curve.
(2) Even though there is a huge influx of data scientists in India every year, very few people have
the required expertise and specialization. As a result, there is a surging demand for professionals with
specialized data skills.
(a) (1) is the problem and (2) is the consequence. (b) (1) is false but (2) correctly explains (1)
(c) (1) summarizes (2) (d) (1) is true and (2) is the reason for (1)

(iv) Based on your reading of the passage, select the appropriate counterargument to the given
argument.
Argument One should always decide one’s career and professional field based on the financial perks
of the field.

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(a) A person’s choice of career should depend on the overall growth including learning aspect,
financial benefits, communicational benefits, that the field offers.
(b) A person’s choice of career should solely circulate around the growth offered in the financial
aspect of the career.
(c) Choice of career is not as integral as the financial profits in a particular field.
(d) Data science is the field that offers the most financial profits and thus, should be chosen as a
person’s career.

(v) Select the central idea of the paragraph preceding paragraph IV.
(a) The transitioning to data science is not a smart move and should not be encouraged.
(b) The transitioning from a marketing analytics job to a data science job leads to a plunge in the
salary on average.
(c) The transitioning from a marketing analytics job to a data science job leads to a boost in the
salary on average.
(d) The transitioning to data science leads to organizational success by minimizing the attrition
rate.

(vii) The demand for is seeing a sustained and accelerating upward surge.
Which demand is being referred to here?
(a) Robotics’ learning (b) Design Thinking (c) Nanotechnology (d) Data Science

(viii) Select the correct inference with reference to the following

‘…the average annual pay hike for data science professionals falls between 20-30% compared with
15-20% for professionals from other backgrounds.’
(a) There is a lot of scope of annual increment for professionals from any other background than
data science.
(b) There isn’t much scope of annual increment for professionals from any other background than
data science.
(c) There is a lot of scope of annual increment for data science professionals.
(d) There isn’t much scope of annual increment for data science professionals.

SECTION-B: WRITING

SHORT COMPOSITIONS:

18
1. NOTICE
2. INVITATIONS AND REPLIES

NOTICE WRITING (5 Marks)

A notice gives information regarding an event that is to take place in the future. It can be on any news
related to students, trips, tours, school magazine, functions etc.

MARKING SCHEME:

Format: 1 mark
1. Name of the organisation
2. The word Notice
3. Date of issuing the notice.
4. Heading
5. Signatory authority- name and designation of the person issuing the notice.

Organization of ideas: 1 mark

Content: 2 marks
1. Specify the purpose
2. Details of the event
3. Whom to contact for further details.

Expression: Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar-1 mark

SAMPLE:

PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
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1. You are Rohit/ Rani of Lovely Public School, Agra. Your school plans to arrange an Inter School
Music competition in the school auditorium. As the cultural secretary of the school write a notice
informing the students about the competition and also inviting entries for the participants.
2. You are secretary of Eco. Club, of ABC School, Delhi. Your school is celebrating clean Delhi
campaign launched by the Chief Minister, NCT of Delhi. Write a notice in not more than 50 words
to inform the students regarding the Quiz competition your club is organizing to create awareness
in the city.
3. You are the Head Boy of Saraswati Public School. You need to meet the entire Prefectorial Board
to review the activities of the last month and to plan for the next month. Put up a notice for the
school notice board informing them about the meeting. Give necessary details.
4. Write a notice for the school notice board announcing a district level painting competition held
by the Arts Guild of the city. Give details of age limit, rules and regulations and other relevant
details.
5. You are the secretary of the English Literary Association of Vestry Hr. Sec. School, Trichy. Write
a notice for the notice – board, inviting names of those who would like to participate in the
proposed Inter-House Debate and Elocution contest.

INVITATIONS (5 MARKS)

Invitations are of two types: (a) Formal (b) Informal. They can be printed on cards or can be
drafted in the form of letters.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
An invitation gives complete information. It answers the questions: who, whom, when, where,
what time and for what. The important components of an invitation are:

The occasion, Name(s) of the invitee(s), Name(s) of the host(s), Date, time and venue, Name(s)
of the chief guest or special invitees, in case of an official invitation

MARKING SCHEME:

Format - 1 Mark
Content - name of the person(s) who is inviting, the invitee, date, day, chief, guest place Occasion etc.
- 2 marks
Organization of Ideas: 1 mark
Expression - Grammatical accuracy, Language – 1 mark

Formal Invitations

FORMAT OF FORMAL INVITATIONS

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 In case of formal invitations, each of the following is written in a separate line with fonts of
varying sizes. Names of the hosts Names of the invitee (in case of a formal letter of
invitation)) Formal phrase of invitation.

For example: - Request the pleasure of your benign presence/company. Seek your auspicious
presence. Solicit your gracious presence on the auspicious occasion
The date, time and venue of the event. The occasion/reason of the invitation.

CARD INVITATION:
1.Meant for a group of invitees.
These are written in the third person.
In case a VIP is invited as the chief guest, the name of the VIP must appear prominently.
Name of the invitee is not to be included. The addressee’s address is to be written only on the
envelope.
Simple Present Tense is to be used.
The date of writing is not to be given.
There is no signature of the host.
The abbreviation RSVP (French: repondez s’il vous plait) i.e. ‘please reply’ is written below on
the left with name(s)/ address &phone number of the host(s)
Put the invitation in a box & follow word limit.

FORMAL LETTER OF INVITATION

1.Meant for an individual

* Include the name of the invitee
These are to be written on run-on lines. The sentence is not broken into different words/phrases.
Other details are similar to mass-scale invitations.

Informal Invitations
Informal: -
* Written in letter form, in informal format. Such letters are very persuasive in nature
* Written in the first person
* Salutation is ‘dear + name’
* Complimentary close ‘your friend’
* Date of writing the invitation is given
* The sender’s address appears on the left-hand side

Replies

Formal - Accepting or Declining

- follow a set formula
- formal words — kind invitation’, ‘great pleasure’, ‘regret’ etc.
- Use the third person (‘they’) instead of first person (‘I’, we’)
- The address of the writer and the date to be written.

Informal - Accepting or declining

- Like an ordinary letter

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 - Do not use any formal expressions but use informal words and expressions
- Use the first person (‘I’, ‘We’)

PRACTICE QUESTIONS:

1. Your school is organizing the prestigious KVS National Level Social Science Exhibition in its
premises. Draft an invitation in not more than 50 words giving all essential details.

2. You are Dharma raj, son of Ramesh Patnaik, Bannerghatta, Bangalore. Your father wants you to
draft a formal invitation to be sent on the occasion of your sister, Sheela’s marriage. Prepare the
invitation.

3. You are Mohan/Molly. You have been invited by Rotary Club to act as one of the judges for an
Elocution Competition for students of classes XI and XII. But due to a previous engagement, you cannot
accept this invitation. Write a formal reply to the President of the Club regretting your inability to accept
the invitation.

4. You are Aakash/Varsha. You have been invited to attend the wedding of your friend’s sister during
the summer vacation. Respond to the invitation informally accepting it.

5. You have opened a restaurant in Uppal Road, Hyderabad. Draft an invitation for the inauguration of
the same, specifying the chief guest and other important details like date, time, and venue. Do not
exceed 50 words.

6. Your school is organizing a Book Fair on its sprawling playground. Draft an invitation giving all the
details including the chief guest.

LETTER WRITING (5 MARKS)

TYPES:

Letter to the Editor

Job Application Letter

Format:

FROM
TO
DATE
SALUTATION
SUBJECT
BODY

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COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE

Important points to remember while drafting letters:

➢ State your reason for writing in the first paragraph and stay on track.
➢ Be brief, clear and to the point.
➢ Informal expressions, greetings or contracted forms of words should not be used.
➢ The language should be simple, straight-forward and to the point.
➢ Use a proper format. Omit punctuation marks in address, date, salutation and complimentary close
➢ Leave a line/ additional space between paragraphs since no indentation is followed.
➢ In letters to the editor – Do not ask the editor to solve the problems.
➢ Even while lodging a complaint or making criticism in letter to the Editor, you should be polite
and formal
➢ In job application letters Curriculum-vitae (CV) /Biodata/ Resume/ should be written. It should
not be included in the body of the letter but after the complimentary close as enclosure.
➢ In the Letter to the Editor use ‘Yours truly’ as complimentary close.

Marking Scheme:

• Format 1 Mark
• Content (relevance) 2 Marks
• Logical Organisation 1 Mark
• Expression (Accuracy + Fluency) 1 Mark

PRACTICE QUESTIONS:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

1) After listening to Budget 2018, you realize that it is not favourable to the common man. The
price of essential items has increased by 50% – salt, sugar and palm oil. Write a letter to the
editor criticizing the budget.

2) In the city where you live, the public transport is always crowded, which makes it an ordeal for
school going children to get into or out of buses. Write a letter to the Editor of a local
newspaper, drawing the attention of the authorities to this problem. Give concrete suggestions
for the issue.

3) You are Ramesh/Ramola of 4 Civil Lines, Bareily Up. Write a letter to the editor of the times
of India, New Delhi expressing your concern about increase in the rate of road accidents, rash
driving and overcrowded road transport.

4) Write a letter to the editor of the Indian Express, New Delhi, complaining about the frequent
breakdown in the supply of electricity in your locality (Tilak Avenue). Sign yourself as Aravind.
23
 5) You are Rahim Khan of No.12, Koocha Prasad Nagar, Puran Kuan, Delhi. Write a letter to the
editor of a local daily about the problem of frequent water logging in your lane.

JOB APPLICATION LETTER

1. Bal Vidya Public School, Bhilai, urgently requires a post-graduate teacher to teach political
science for which they have placed an advertisement in The Bhilai Express. You are
Sanjay/Sanjana Sharma from 21, Vasant Marg, Bhilai. Draft a letter including a CV, applying
for the advertised post. (120 – 150 words) (CBSE 2018)

2. You are Ashish/Nimmi Dhar B – 94 Fort Road, Jammu. You have read the
advertisement given below. You are qualified for the job. Write an application in 120 –
150 words along with resume.
India Chemical Industries, New Delhi requires Accounts Officers, Qualification: M.Com. Experience:

Minimum 4 years. Job requirement: Maintaining books of accounts, preparation of Balance Sheet,

etc.

Salary - Best in the industry. Apply to: Managing Director, ICI, B – 12 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi

3. You are Anand/Arti of 14, Model Town, Delhi. You have seen an advertisement in
The Hindu for the post of Chief Chef in a 5-Star Hotel. Apply for the job with complete
biodata. Write in 125-150 words.
4. While going through the newspaper, you came across the following
advertisement advertising vacancies for TV anchors and newsreaders. Send in

24
your biodata, specifying why you are suited to the opening.

ARTICLES / REPORT WRITING-(5 marks)

TYPES: For school magazine

For Newspaper

Marking Scheme:

• Format (Title + Writer’s name) 1 Mark

• Content (relevance) 2 Marks
• Logical Organisation 1 Mark
• Expression (Accuracy + Fluency) 1 Mark

Article Writing

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Give a title that catches the attention of the reader.

Begin with a striking opening sentence which addresses the readers and gets them interested in the
topic.
Present a strong argument for your ideas supporting it with evidence or elaboration.
Use linking devices (however, therefore, although, even though, in order to…) to make the
composition appear wholesome.
Introduce a new point at the beginning of each paragraph that follows, to strengthen your ideas.
Develop your ideas as much as you can to make them interesting and substantial.

25
Conclude with your suggestion.
Use humor, emotive language, rhetorical questions to provide a special effect.

Practice Questions:

1) Write an article in 120-150 words on a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Input: Health is wealth, Regular exercise, Good thoughts, Good company, Savings on medicines
reduced.

2) During his visit to the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh, Harish is perturbed at the arbitrary felling
of trees and the dangerous consequences of deforestation. He writes an article for publication in
the newspaper on the harmful consequences of deforestation. Write his article in 120-150 words.

3) Promotion of the tourism industry can help a developing country like India towards the path of
prosperity and can boost its economy. Write an article making various suggestions.

(4) Recently your school had sent some of its dedicated students, including you, to a nearby old age
home to spend time with the elderly and make them feel you care, especially since they are mostly
neglected by the younger generation. Write an article for your school magazine based on your
experience and describing the predicaments of the old/elderly people in our society.

Report Writing

Value points:

• Provide a suitable title/heading.

• Write the name of the reporter and designation.
• Mention the place, date in newspaper report.
• Be factual and do not add any information on your own that may seem
fictitious.
• Write in indirect speech and preferably in passive voice.
• Write in third person form and avoid using pronouns like I, me or you.
• Avoid imposing your personal opinions and do not make any conclusions.
• Answer the questions to ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘why’, ‘what’, ‘who’ and ‘how’.
• Include eye-witness account as well.
• Develop ideas (causes, reasons, consequences, opinions) logically.
• Write in a less formal and more descriptive manner, while writing a report for a
school magazine.

SECTION C – LITERATURE

Flamingo- Poetry
My Mother at Sixty-Six – Kamala Das
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 Summary - While driving from her parent’s home to Cochin, Kamala Das notices that her mother
who was sitting by her, was sleeping with her mouth open. Her mother’s face was colourless like a
dead body and her thoughts far away. A sudden fear and pain crops up in the poet’s mind and she
realizes that her mother is old now and could easily pass away leaving her all alone. The reality is
hard to accept and at the same time, the realization is alarming. The poet puts her thoughts aside
and looks out at the trees which seem to be scurrying down the path. The trees racing past and the
speeding car, are grim reminders that time has flown by. She looks at the children playing outside
which gives her a respite and probably she is reminded of her childhood and the time when her
mother was young. After the security check at the airport, Kamala Das looks back at her mother
standing a few yards away, looking pale and grey like the winter moon. The poet senses a familiar
pain and her childhood fear of the thought of losing her mother. Beset with sorrow and fear, she
bids her old mother goodbye and keeps smiling to hide her real feelings.

Theme: Fear of loss: The poem composed in blank verse expresses the anguish of a daughter over her
mother’s advancing age and the fear of permanent separation from her. “My Mother at Sixty-Six”
symbolizes the fast running of life and the inevitable death of our childhood and youth. The poet is
agonized by her mother’s advancing age and her imminent death.
Nostalgia: The poet is carried away by the childhood premonition of losing her mother.

Reference to context:

1. “Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday

Morning, I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
Of a corpse and realized with pain
That looked as old as she was
But soon put that thought far away.”
a. Where is the poet at present?
b. How does she describe her mother?
c. What thoughts had she given away?
d. What was the reaction of the poet seeing her mother in this state?

2. “but after the airport’s

security check, standing a few yards

27
away, I looked again at her, wan,
pale as a late winter’s moon”
a. Who is ‘her’ here? What is the connection between the two of them?
b. Why does the poet look at her again?
c. Explain “pale as a late winter’s moon.”
d. Identify the figure of speech used in the last line.

Short Answer Questions

1. What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? What did she do to hide her feelings?
2. Why has the poet compared her mother to “late winter’s moon”?
3. What were the poet’s fears as a child? Why do they surface when she is going to the airport?
4. What is the significance of the parting words of the poet and her smile?
5. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children “spilling out of their homes”?
6. What were the thoughts of the poet while she was driving from her parent’s home to the
airport?

KEEPING QUIET- Pablo Neruda

Values – Introspection, Retrospection, Peace, Sensitivity to the environment, Universal brotherhood,

Unity, Empathy, Self-Awareness etc.

Poem by Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda, born Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto always wrote with
green ink which according to him, was the colour of hope. Columbian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez
once called him the greatest poet of the 20th century of any language. He appeals to readers to take
some time out of their busy lives for introspection and retrospection. The aim is to return to our routines
with renewed vigour and awareness of ourselves and our actions.

THEME: In this deceptively simple poem, the poet has emphasized the need to introspect and bring in
the spirit of brotherhood among the people of the world.

VALUES: Introspection, retrospection, universal brotherhood, sensitivity to the environment, peace,

empathy, unity etc.

Reference to the context

(i) Now we will count to twelve

and we will all keep still.
This one time upon the earth,
let's not speak any language,
let's stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much

1. Why does the poet want us to count to twelve?

2. What does the poet ask us to do?
3. What is the significance of ‘twelve’?
4. Why does the poet want us not to use our language and our arms?
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(ii) It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

1. Which exotic moment does the poet refer to?

2. Why does the poet feel that the moment would be exotic?
3. What does the poet want us to do away with?
4. Justify the statement: We would all be together in a sudden strangeness

(ii) Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm to the whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

1. What would the fisherman not do?

2. What would the man gathering salt do?
3. What transformation will these actions bring?
4. How does nature respond to man's actions?

(iii) Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

1. What are the different kinds of wars mentioned here?

2. What is the poet's advice to the warmongers?
3. Justify: 'Victory with no survivors'
4. What do the ‘clean clothes’ signify?

(iv) Perhaps the Earth can teach us

as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

1.What lesson can we learn from Earth?

2. The earth is the inactive hub of activity. Discuss.
3. What does the word 'alive' imply in this context?

Short answer questions:

1. How can man benefit from being still for a while?

2. Nature has its own ways of retaliation in response to human selfishness. Comment.
3. What do the warmongers do now? What would the poet have them do instead?
4. Why does the poet say that he wants no truck with death?
5. Which victory has no survivors? Which victory would make us 'alive' in every sense of the word?
6. What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?

29
7. How will the silence usher a feeling of brotherhood?
8. Identify the poetic devices used in the poem.
9. Discuss the lesson one may learn from Earth.
10. The poem is deceptively simple but carries a poignant message - Discuss

A THING OF BEAUTY-John Keats

SUMMARY: A beautiful thing is a source of eternal joy; its attractiveness grows with the passage of
time and its impact never fades away. It is as pleasant as a cool quiet bower or sound sleep with sweet
dreams; or robust health and mental peace. It provides the beholder with a haven of tranquillity and
solace. It is the beauty of nature that keeps us attached to this earth. Every morning we collect fresh
lovely flowers and prepare garlands. The fascination for flowers is our bonding with the earth. It helps
us steer clear of despondency and disappointments. We forget all our despair, of acute shortage of noble
souls, of misfortunes that overtake us to test our forbearance. Life is full of trials and tribulations and
we often find ourselves in the midst of gloom. It is at such depressing moments that a sight full of
beauty dispels the pall of sadness from our spirits making room for hope and optimism.
The objects of beauty are countless. These include heavenly bodies like the sun and the moon, the old
and young trees that provide cool shelter to sleep, the daffodil flowers encased in green leaves, the
streams that flow through a shady passage which they make themselves with plants, and the bushes that
bear fragrant flowers. These simple and even commonplace things lift the human spirit filling it with
joy and delight. In addition to these objects of nature, there are wonderful tales of our legendary heroes,
who lived and died heroically, which inspire us with their matchless beauty. These beautiful things are
metaphorically an endless source of nectar that pours down to us from heaven bringing eternal joy for
the soul’s grandeur. They are like an elixir of life, a never diminishing source of pleasure and delight,
an endless fountain of joy that seems to be a precious gift from Heaven.

Reference to context:

1. A thing of beauty is a joy forever

Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

a) How is a thing of beauty joy forever?

b) What does the mean when he says, “it will never pass into nothingness”?
c) Mention any two sources of joy which a thing of beauty provides us.
d) Do you think beauty dwells outside or it dwells within?

2. Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, inspite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall,
From our dark spirits.
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 a) What are the flowery bands that bind us to the earth?
b) What message do the above lines convey?
c) Are beautiful things momentary or long-lasting?
d) What according to the poet, has been made for our searching?

Short answer questions

1. Why is “grandeur” associated with the mighty dead?

2. What spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits? How is it removed?
3.What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
4.How does the poet express the idea that nothing can surpass the bounteous gift of nature or have the
same effect on man’s spirit?
5.What according to the poet, are the things that have a sublimating effect on the minds of humans?

A ROADSIDE STAND- Robert Frost

THEME: The poem A Roadside Stand depicts the lives of the rural poor. Robert Frost is critical of the
contemptuous way in which the city dwellers look at the villagers who yearn to sell their vegetables by
setting up a roadside stand by the side of the highway. He reminds us that the economic well- being of
a country depends on a balanced development of the villages and the cities.
Main Points:
Lines 1-22
The villagers have set up a roadside stand as an extension to their houses by the side of the highway.
Though they ache for some money to better their living conditions it would be unfair to say that these
poor folks implore for charity. They expect the rich city dwellers who pass by in their speeding cars in
the highway to stop and buy some of the local produce like berries or golden squash. But the humble
roadside stand fails to impress the rich city people. Instead of helping these deprived folks they
complain about the tasteless way in which it is painted or the signboards that are marked wrong. The
poet angrily says that the hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be his complaint. The poet conveys the ardent
desire of the rural poor to feel some cash in their hands which help them to expand their living
conditions. They may live the prosperous life depicted in movies which the party in power forbids them
to enjoy.
Lines 23-31
The poet openly talks about the exploitation that takes place in the villages. The villagers are lured with
the promise that they can stay near a theatre or a store and are Frost expands his theme by saying that
'good-doers' who want to re-locate the country people into the cities and lure them with the promise
that if they went there, they would be able to access stores and cinemas. Thus, they deprive them of
their reasoning skills and do more harm. They force these people to be dependent on others. The
exploiters and the exploited lose their sleep. The exploiters lose their sleep because those who have
earned their living by illicit means fail to have a good sleep at night. The exploited repent their foolish
decisions and pine over the way in which they were cheated by others and are not able to sleep at night.
Moreover, in the cities they are not able to work as they did in the rural places. Hence, they can’t sleep.
The poet finds it difficult to bear the pain of those who wait near the roadside stand with an open prayer
to make the speeding cars to stop. Some of the cars do stop but to reverse, to ask the way or to ask for
a gallon of gas. The poet listens to the voice of the countryside that complains of how the requisite lift
of spirit has not been given to it. It would be a great relief for him if he would be able to put them out

31
of their pain in one stroke. But the next day when he returns to sanity, he realizes that it is impossible
to happen and requests the reader to join him in his efforts.

Reference to Context:

1. “Offered for sale are wild berries in wooden quarts

Or crook necked golden squash with silver warts,
Or beauty rest in a mountain scene…”

(i) What articles are ‘offered for sale’ at the stand?

(ii) What qualities of the ‘offered articles’ make them unfit for sale?
(iii) What does, ‘beauty rest in a mountain scene’ mean?
(iv) How does ‘crook necked’ and ‘silver warts’ add to your understanding of the vegetables
offered for sale?

2. “The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint

So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid:
Here far from the city we make our roadside stand
And ask for some city money to feel in hand
To try if it will not make our being expand,
And give us the life of the moving pictures promise
That the party in power is said to be keeping from us.”

(i) Name the poem and poet

(ii) What is not a complaint for the poet?
(iii)What do the owners of the shack wish for?
(iv) How will it help them?

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:

a. What do you mean by ‘polished traffic?

b. Explain, ‘passed with a mind ahead.’
c. What are the usual complaints made by the city men when they stop at the roadside
stand?
d. State the reasons for which the cars from the city halt at the roadside stand?

AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS- Adrienne Rich

Aunt Jennifer’s tigers is a poem by Adrienne Rich illustrating her feminist concerns. In the male
dominant world, a woman of her time was only supposed to be a dutiful homemaker. This poem through
the world of Aunty Jennifer, tells us about her inner desire to free herself from the clutches of abusive
marriage and patriarchal society.

Summary: The first stanza opens with Aunt Jennifer’s visual tapestry of tigers who are fearless of their
environment. "Bright topaz denizen of a world of green" – evoke an image that these regal tigers are
unafraid of other beings in the jungle. Bright here signifies their powerful and radiant persona. There is
a sense of certainty and confidence in the way these tigers move as can be seen in the line – "They pace
in sleek chivalric certainty".
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In the second stanza, the reality of Aunt Jennifer is revealed as she is feeble, weak and enslaved, very
much the opposite of the tigers she was knitting. Her physical and mental trauma is depicted in the line
– "find even the ivory needle hard to pull". Even though a wedding ring doesn’t weigh much, "the
massive weight of uncle’s wedding band, sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand" signifies the amount
of dominance her husband exercised over her. This also means that her inner free spirit has been jailed
by the patriarchal society.
The last stanza starts on a creepy note about Aunt Jennifer’s death. Even her death couldn’t free her
from the ordeals she went through which can be seen in "When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will
lie still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by". But her artwork which was her escape route or in a
way, her inner sense of freedom, will stay forever, proud and unafraid.

Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.

1.Why are the tigers referred to as Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers?

2.What does ‘denizens’ mean? What is referred to by the phrase ‘A world of green’?
3.What is the significance of the third line?
4. Find out the oxymoron between her real life and that which is reflected in her creation.

Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool

Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.

1.What is aunt Jennifer doing?

2.Why are Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering?
3.Why does Aunt Jennifer create animals which are so different?
4.What do you understand by ‘the massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’/’sits heavily upon
Aunt Jennifer’s hand’?

Short Answer Questions

1.How do the words, ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers?
2.What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers when she is dead?
3.What is the significance of Uncle’s ‘wedding band’? Why does Aunt J find it heavy?
4.How does the poet suggest that Aunt Jennifer will always be haunted by the traumatic experiences of
life?
5.Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel? What do the tigers signify?
6.What will happen to Aunt J and her artwork after she is dead?
7.What does the poet suggest by saying that the tigers that she has embroidered will forever go on
prancing proudly?

FLAMINGO – Prose

33
 THE LAST LESSON -Alphonse Daudet

Background: The story is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian war. The French district of Alsace and
Lorraine were captured by Germans. The new master was to come the next day in a school in Alsace to
teach German in place of French. The story tells the effect of this news on the life at a school in Alsace.
The story at a glance - ‘The last lesson ‘written by Alphonse Daudet narrates about the year 1870
when the Prussian forces under Bismarck attacked and captured France. The French districts of Alsace
and Lorraine went into Prussian hands. The new Prussian rulers discontinued the teaching of French in
the schools of these two districts. The French teachers were asked to leave. The story describes the last
day of one such French, M. Hamel. Mr M. Hamel had been transferred and could no longer remain in
his old school. Still he gave his last lesson to his students with utmost devotion and sincerity as ever.
The story depicts the pathos of the whole situation about how people feel when they don’t learn their
own language and then losing an asset in M. Hamel. One of his students Franz who dreaded French
class and M. Hamel ‘s iron rod, came to the school that day thinking he would be punished as he had
not learnt his lesson. But on reaching school he found Hamel dressed in Sunday’s clothes and all the
old people of the village sitting there. It was due to an order on the bulletin board. That was the first
day when he realised for the first time that how important French was for him, but it was his LAST
LESSON in French.

Dominant Theme - LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM

“Chauvinism” is a devotion to or against something, just based on what you feel (not necessarily what
you may know). So, linguistic chauvinism is the idea that one’s language is superior to that of
others. This happens generally when the language is that of the ruling class.

Linguistic chauvinism is the overt preference for one language over others. Language is considered to
be the cultural identity of a particular group of people who use it. Hence, imposing some other language
on the people hammers their emotions and is a step to annex their relationship with their culture. The
language of any country is the pride of that country. It not only defines the culture but also tells us about
the people, literature and history of the country. Language for some people is just the medium of
communication but for others it is the question of life and death.

‘The Last Lesson’ very prominently raises the question of linguistic and cultural hegemony of the
colonial and imperial powers and their lust for controlling the world and influencing their cultures and
identities.
The Last Lesson raises the burning question very innocently through the words of little Franz that “Will
they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” This raises the question of immorality of imposing
imperial languages and cultures on the colonies. The child questions that when even the birds and
animals can’t be forced to abandon their language and speak others then what forces the man to think
that it would be prudent force other human beings to forcibly accept any language other than theirs.

The language of a country is not only a medium of communication for the people but also the link for
identity, once the native language is snatched away from the people. It’s not only the loss of convenient
communicating medium but also the loss of identity for people for what they have been and what they
might become. When a small child like Franz can think of the irrationality behind snatching away the
right of language and identity from people then why can’t the war lords and colonizers understand the
fact?

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Sub Theme: Attitude of teachers and students towards learning and teaching

Main Characters

1. M. Hamel - Sincere French teacher, knows subject well, Passionate about French, considers French-
clearest, most beautiful, logical, feels-key to person’s sense of freedom, advises to hold on to French,
Proud of being French, upset by occupation of Alsace by German, attached to town, school, people.
Hard Task Master, particular about discipline and learning, students scared last day – exercises on all
aspects of language, Sensitive, Honest, blames himself for selfishness, emotional by sound of Prussian
soldiers

2. Franz - Sensitive, Honest, blames himself for ignoring lessons, wonders if pigeons will coo in
German
Understands feelings of Hauser, loves outdoors, sunshine, birds, butterflies, collecting bird’s eggs
As a student, repents, Good observer, notices changes. Empathizes with M. Hamel, understands
emotions, accepts him with faults

RTC

“Passing the town hall, I saw a group of people gathered in front of the notice board.”
a) Who’s I in the above lines?
b) Why is the notice board so important for the people?
c) What news was displayed on the notice board that day?
d) Where is the town hall located?

“I started for school very late that morning and was in great dread of a scolding, especially because
M Hamel had said that he would question us on participles, and I did not know the first word about
them. For a moment, I thought of running away and spending the day out of doors. It was so warm, so
bright! The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods; and in the open field back of the sawmill the
Prussian soldiers were drilling.”

a. Who does “I” refer to?

b. Why was Franz afraid?
c. What was Franz tempted to do? Why?
d. Identify the meaning of “discipline” in the above context.

Answer the following in 30-40 words each.

1.Why was Franz afraid to go to school that morning?

2.What temptations did Franz overcome to proceed to school?
3.What was the significance of the bulletin-board in the town hall?
4.Why was Franz blushing and feeling frightened when he entered the classroom?
5.How and why was M. Hamel dressed differently that day?
6.Why were the old men of the village present in the classroom?
7.How was the order from Berlin going to make a difference to the lives of the students?
8.How did Franz’s attitude towards his books change after he heard about the order from Berlin? (p-4
,2nd last para)
35
9.How does M. Hamel praise the French language?
10.How is the mother tongue important for the enslaved people?
11.Why was Franz able to understand everything?
12.How had the school changed in the forty years of M. Hamel’s stay?
13.“I never saw him look so tall”. Who is the person mentioned? What does the speaker mean by the
above statement?
14.Why did M. Hamel make a gesture to the students to leave?
15.How does M. Hamel evoke feelings of patriotism in the class?

Answer the following in about 150 words each

1.Justify the title “The Last Lesson.”

2.In the story M. Hamel emerges not only as a dedicated teacher but also as a sensitive and
understanding human being”. Elaborate the character of M. Hamel considering the above statement.
3.“The importance of a thing dawns upon us when it is no longer with us”. Do you agree? Give reasons
based on the text.
4.Language becomes a tool in the lands of the conquerors to establish their superiority over the loser.
Critically analyse the statement with reference to the lesson.
5. M. Hamel grew tall in the eyes of his students, especially Franz on the last day. Referring to ‘The
Last Lesson,’ analyse the role of a teacher in shaping the thoughts of his students.

VALUE BASED QUESTIONS

1. Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school changed gradually by the end of the text, though he had
a great disliking for both in the beginning of the story. It is said that first impression is the last
impression. Is it true in context of “The Last Lesson”? Write a small paragraph of about 100 words
penning down your views on, ‘A person can be best judged in his first appearance only’.
2. Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? What do you understand by linguistic
chauvinism?

LOST SPRING- Anees Jung

Raju works at a roadside dhaba for sixteen hours a day. Idrees has lost his memory and bears on his
body the scars of being tortured at the carpet-manufacturing unit where he worked. Saheb scrounges
the garbage dumps on the streets of Delhi for his daily wages. Munni has travelled long distances from
her village home, looking for work as a domestic help in the city. Like Raju and Idrees, Saheb and
Munni, millions of children all over the country are doomed to a life of backbreaking toil. Half adult,
half children, victims of physical and mental abuse, they represent the dark underbelly of India’s
economic growth. In Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood, best-selling author Anees Jung exposes
a national shame: children cleaning floors and tables in shanty restaurants; making locks, slates and
fireworks; rolling bidis; weaving saris and carpets; packing and hauling loads in factories and stone
quarries. With her trademark sensitivity and insight, she analyses the grinding poverty and traditions
sanctified by caste and religion which condemn these children to a life of exploitation. In this bleak
world, the author also finds stories of resilience and fortitude—children who have refused to accept
their condition, thus opening new vistas for themselves and others like them. She also documents
incredible profiles in courage—individuals and institutions who battle not only governmental and

36
bureaucratic apathy but also social values and cultural norms that support and accept the concept of
child labour.

RTC

“Why do you do this?” I ask Saheb whom I encounter every morning scrounging for gold in the garbage
dumps of my neighbourhood.

a. What’s Saheb’s full name? What’s the hidden irony in it?

b. What does the author mean by scrounging for gold?
c. Which figure of speech has the author used in the above lines?
d. Instead of scrounging garbage dumps, what alternative does the author suggest to Saheb?

“Set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a distant memory…That’s why they left,
looking for gold in the big city where he lives now”.

a. Who is referred to as ‘his’?

b. Name the ‘big city’ referred in the above context.
c. Why did his family leave ‘the green fields of Dhaka’?
d. What does ‘gold’ over here refer to?

Short answer Questions

1. How did Saheb manage to embarrass the author?

2. What prompted the author to remark that promises like the one she made abound in every corner of
Saheb’s bleak world?
3. What was the full name of Saheb. Describe the irony of his fate?
4. What is special about the story of the man from Udipi?
5. Why do the rag pickers have ration permits but no identity?
6. Why did the rag pickers have to leave their green fields in their country?
7. ‘Garbage to them is gold.’ Why does the author say so about the rag-pickers?
8. Why does the author say that Seemapuri in spite of being on the periphery of Delhi was miles away
from it?
9. How do children of rag pickers become equal partners in survival?
10. Through the years, rag picking has acquired the ‘proportion of a fine art’ in Seemapuri. Justify the
statement.
11. How did garbage hold different meanings for adults and children?
12. How has “a dream come true” for Saheb but what is “out of his reach”?
13. What do bangles symbolize? What is ironical in making of bangles by Savita and wearing of bangles
by an elderly woman who has no light in her eyes?

Long Questions and Value based Questions

1. ‘Lost Spring’, is a sad commentary on the political system of our country that condemns thousands
of people to a life of abject poverty. Comment.

37
2. How is the line ‘few airplanes fly over Firozabad’ symbolically significant?
3. The life of bangle makers of Firozabad was full of obstacles which forced them to lead a life of
poverty and deprivation. Discuss with reference to Lost Spring
4. The bangle-makers of Ferozabad make beautiful bangles and make everyone happy but they live and
die in squalor. Elaborate
5. 'Lost Spring' explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands of
people to a life of abject poverty. Do you agree? Why / Why not?
6. Explain the significance of title ‘Lost Spring’.
7. “Seemapuri , a place on periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it metaphorically.”
Comment.
8. Bring out the significance of Mukesh’s dream of becoming a motor mechanic.
9. “There is a vast gulf that separates dreams from reality” Discuss with special reference to Mukesh
and Sahib.
10. ‘Lost Spring’ by Anees Jung brings out the condition of children in India. Even after sixty-five years
of independence we have children who do not go to school, work in inhuman conditions and live in
slums. As a nation we have somewhere failed in our duty. What values do we need to inculcate among
the people of this nation in order to bring back the ‘spring’ in the lives of these children.
11. None of them know that it is illegal for children like him to work in the glass furnaces with high
temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light.’ As citizens of this country what do you think is our
duty? What steps can youngsters like you take to reduce the scourge of poverty?
12. It is the lower class which helps the wheels of the economy to move smoothly, yet they are the
victimized ones. Elucidate with examples from the story- The Lost Spring.

DEEP WATER- William Douglas

Values Raised: Determination, optimism, perseverance, diligence, openness to challenges, courage,

persistence, endurance etc.
William Douglas, one of the most popular and powerful American Supreme Court Chief Justices in
the history, had an enemy since the childhood. He tried to defeat this enemy in all possible ways. First
he tried to overcome this enemy all by himself and later with the help of a trainer. Though he took years
to defeat the enemy, finally Douglas killed his enemy. He was not arrested or sentenced for this murder,
not because he himself was the chief justice, but because his murdered enemy was his fear of water

RTC

‘It had happened when I was ten or eleven years old. I had decided to learn to swim.’

a. Who is I in the above lines?

b. Where did he decide to learn swimming?
c. Did he have any prior fear of swimming? Elaborate.
d. Why did he not learn in the river?

Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Island, and swam two miles across the lake
to Stamp Act Island. I swam the crawl, breaststroke, side stroke, and back stroke.

38
 a. Why did he go to lake Wentworth?
b. Why was he determined to get over his fear of water?
c. What strategy did he imbibe to make his terror flee?
d. What was the lesson that he learnt ultimately?

Short answer questions –

1. What was the misadventure that William Douglas speaks about?

2. What was the writer’s first reaction on being flung into the pool?
3. Why did William Douglas hate the idea of getting into water?
4. How did the instructor build a swimmer out of William Douglas?
5. How did William Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?

VALUE BASED QUESTIONS AND HOTS QUESTIONS

1. It is Douglas’ will power that enabled him to overcome his fear of water. This reveals that with a
strong will human being can overcome all kinds of fear. Explain with two illustrations from real life.
2. Which experience made the writer feel terrified of water?
3. Explain in brief William Douglas’ attempt to come out of the pool.
4. How did the instructor help the writer learn swimming?
5. “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Discuss.

THE RATTRAP - By Selma Lagerlof

Characters - A tramp with rattraps.

A crofter
Master Smith in the Ramsjo Iron Mill in Sweden
Helpers in the Mill – blacksmiths
Iron mill owner
Edla Willmansson – daughter of the Iron Mill owner.

Justification of Title - “The Rattrap” is an appropriate title as it is the story of a rattrap peddler. The
author has used the metaphor of a Rattrap to highlight the human predicament. Just as a rat is fooled by
bait and gets trapped, most human beings also fall into the trap of material benefits. The story revolves
around the incident of a man getting trapped due to his greed. Hence, the title is an apt one.

THEME - The human beings are prone to fall into the trap of material benefits. It is human tendency
to redeem oneself from dishonest ways. Hence, the whole world is called a big rattrap which tempts the
people towards its materialistic benefits and brings about their doom and never-ending predicament.
It also highlights the themes like human loneliness, status and treatment meted out to have-nots and
callous attitude of society and government towards such people.
One of the themes is that man is inherently good by nature. The society and environment make them
bad. Human goodness and kindness can bring about the change in their attitude.

RTC

39
“Once upon a time there was a man who went around selling small rattraps of wire.

a. How did the man earn his living?

b. How did he make the rattraps?
c. Was his business profitable? Give two evidences to support your answer.
d. What other things did he do to support himself?

“Even so, his clothes were in rags, his cheeks were sunken, and hunger gleamed in his eyes. No one
can imagine how sad and monotonous life can appear to such a vagabond, who plods along the road,
left to his own meditations. But one day this man had fallen into a line of thought, which really seemed
to him entertaining.”

i “The business was not especially profitable. “What did the Rattrap seller do for his
livelihood?
ii Why did the peddler think that the world was a rattrap?
ii Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap?
iv In what sense was the world a big rattrap according to the peddler?

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Why was the peddler amused by the idea of “the world being a rattrap”?
2. How did the peddler betray the confidence reposed on him by the crofter?
3. What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?
4.What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the same person, the
ironmaster had thought he was?

VALUE BASED QUESTIONS

1. Edla Willmansson was the epitome of Christian values. Discuss with reference to 'The Rattrap'.
2. After reading the text ‘The Rattrap’, you feel that moral virtues can change a person’s life. These
play a vital role in the moral and spiritual development of a human-being. Therefore, write a paragraph
on ‘Needs for inculcating moral values’ in about 100 words.
3. The story “The Rattrap” suggests that the whole world is like a rattrap. What is your interpretation
of the statement? Write in about 100 words.
4. Edla Willmansson was more empathetic and compassionate than her father in the lesson ‘The
Rattrap’. How do the qualities of empathy and compassion bring out the best in our life for the
betterment of the society?

INDIGO - Louis Fischer

This is an excerpt from a book on Mahatma Gandhi entitled ‘The Life of Mahatma Gandhi’, adjudged
as one of the best books ever written on Gandhi. The excerpt deals with a series of events as recounted
to Louis Fischer by Gandhi himself, in Champaran, a district in the foothills of the Himalayas, that
resulted Gandhi to expedite the departure of the British from India.

40
This story portraits Gandhiji’s struggle for the poor peasants of Champaran. The peasants were
sharecroppers with the British planters. According to one old agreement, the peasants had to cultivate
indigo on fifteen percent of the land and give as rent. The British didn’t need the indigo crop anymore
when Germany had developed synthetic indigo. Just to release the peasants from the fifteen percent
agreement they demanded compensation. Some illiterate peasants agreed but others refused. Later
lawyers were appointed. At that time Gandhiji went to Champaran. He managed to get justice after a
year-long battle for the peasants. He also made arrangements for the education, health, and hygiene for
the families of the poor peasants. He gave them the lesson of self-reliance.

RTC

During the proceedings, Gandhi recounted, “A peasant came up to me looking like any other peasant
in India, poor and emaciated, and said, “I’m Rajkumar Shukla, I’m from Champaran and I want you
to come to my district!”

a. Name the lesson and the author.

b. Proceedings of which meeting is referred over here?
c. Why did he want Gandhi to visit Champaran?
d. What’s Rajkumar Shukla’s role in the story?

Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions. He saw the cultural and
social backwardness in the Champaran villages and wanted to do something about it immediately. He
appealed for teachers.

a. Identify a good quality of a leader in Gandhi from the above extract.

b. What did he plan to uplift the social and cultural backwardness in the village?
c. Why did he appeal for teachers?
d. Who were the teachers who contributed to this cause along with Gandhi?

Short Questions

1. How were Shukla and Gandhiji received in Rajendra Prasad’s House?

2. Why did the servants think Gandhiji to be another peasant?
3. How did Gandhiji begin his mission in Champaran?
4. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being resolute?
5. How was Gandhi able to influence the lawyers?
6. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement.

Long Questions

1. Give an account of Gandhiji’s efforts to secure justice for the poor indigo sharecroppers of
Champaran.
2. Describe how Champaran episode became a turning point in Gandhi’s life.
3. Gandhi was impressed by the sharecroppers’ tenacity and this led to a series of events, which had a
far-reaching impact on Indian freedom struggle – Discuss.
41
4. Mahatma Gandhi represented the sharecroppers of Champaran in their fight against the British,
seeking justice for themselves and release from the 15 % arrangement. He led from the front and
secured justice for the poor and oppressed. In the light of reading the lesson ‘Indigo’ by Louis
Fischer, write the text of a speech on ‘The qualities of a good leader’

POETS AND PANCAKES- Ashokamitran

Theme
An account of the events and personalities in a film company in the early days of Indian
cinema.
Sub-Theme
Poets and writers in a film company environment.
Main Points
• The Gemini studio was located in Madras (Chennai)
• The writer recounts his years in the company
• The make-up department was in the upstairs of a building that was believed to have been
• Robert Clive’s stables.
• Pancake was the brand name of the make-up material used by the artists in Gemini
• studios.
• The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with incandescent lights at all
• angles around half a dozen large mirrors, writer speaks about the ‘fiery misery’ ‘of those
• subjected to make-up.
• There was a great deal of ‘national integration’ in the department and a strict hierarchy
• was maintained there.
• The players who played the crowd were the responsibility of the ‘office boy’ in his early
• forties, a frustrated person, who turned all his anger towards Kothamanagalam Subbu.
• The author’s job was to cut out newspaper clippings and store them in files.
• Most people including the ‘boy’ thought author was doing ‘next to nothing’.
• S SVasan (editor of Tamil weekly AnanadaVikatan’) was the owner of the studios. Subbu
• was No.2.
• Subbu-a Brahmin, had the ability to look cheerful at all times, could be ‘inspired when
• commanded’, was tailor –made for films, had a separate identity as a poet and actor, had
• genuine love for others, was charitable, always seen with The Boss, attached to Story
• Department.
• Story Department-assembly of poets and writers, wore khadi
• A lawyer (legal adviser) -referred to as ‘the opposite’-caused the end of a brief and
• brilliant career of a talented actress, looked ‘alone and helpless’, man of cold logic in a
• crowd of dreamers, close to the Boss, wore pants, coat and a tie, attached to Story
• Department, lost his job when the Story Department was closed down.
• Gemini studios –favorite haunt of poets, excellent mess which supplied good coffee,
• Congress rule meant prohibition, almost everyone radiated leisure, wore Khadi and
• worshipped Gandhi, averse to Communism.
• Visit of MRA (a kind of counter movement to international Communism) in 1952-
• presented two plays ‘The Forgotten Factor’ and ‘Jotham Valley’ in a professional
42
 • manner, impressed Madras and Tamil drama community
• Another visitor-a poet from England, tall man, very English, addressed ‘a more dazed and
• silent audience’, visit remained an unexplained mystery, staff did not know whether he
• was a poet or an editor
• Author’s conviction about prose-writers –‘prose writing is for the patient, persistent,
• persevering drudge’, short story contest by a British periodical ‘The Encounter’-found in
• the British Council Library almost ‘untouched by readers’, discovered Stephen Spender
• was the editor
• Author bought ‘The God That Failed’ years later –six essays describing the
• disillusionment of six eminent men of letters with Communism, Stephen Spender one
• among them, author suddenly realized the relevance of his visit to Gemini studios.

RTC

(1) Gemini Studios was the favourite haunt of poets.’

a) Name any two poets who used to meet there regularly.

b) Why was the Gemini Studios the favourite haunt of poets?
c) Did the people at the studios have any political affiliations?
d) Find a word/phrase which means ‘a place often visited’

(2)"He is not a poet. He is an editor. That’s why The Boss is giving him a big reception.”

a) Who is ‘he’ being talked about?

b) Why was he invited to the Gemini Studios?
c) Who is The Boss?
d) Was ‘he’ able to make his visit meaningful?

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-
up’?
2. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
3. Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
4. Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.
5. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
6. Why was the Moral Re-Armament army welcomed at the studio?

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1.How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the
audience at Gemini Studios?
2.What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?

43
 THE INTERVIEW

THEME:
New invention- interview in the field of journalism
Sub Theme: Opinions of interview - methods – functions -merits
Main Points
Interview an ordinary convention in Journalism
Opinions on interviews vary
Some says it is a source of truth and in its practice an ART
Celebrities claim that they are the victims
An unwarranted intrusion into their lives, it diminishes them
Celebrity Opinion about Interview
V.S. Naipaul People are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves
Lewis Caroll Horror of being lionized
Rudyard Kipling It is immoral, crime, an offence against a person, an assault, merits,
punishment, cowardly and vile
HG Wells Ordeal
Saul Bellow Thumbprints on his windpipe
Denis Brian Our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are formed
through interviews
Mukund Padmanabhan from The Hindu interviews Umberto Eco.
Umberto Eco –Versatile genius-
Professor at the University of Bologna,
Scholar in Semiotics, literary interpretation and medieval aesthetics,
Author of the best seller Name of the Rose
Wide ranging written output - explains how he as one man does many works.
Pursues his philosophical interests

Eliminates interstices
Playful and personal quality in academic writing
Novels satisfied his taste for narration
Secret behind the success of the novel
Serious Novel,
Detective Yarn,
Delves into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. Difficult Reading Experience

RTC

1) “It is cowardly and vile. No respectable man would ask it, much less give it”
a) Who is the speaker?
b) What does the speaker refer to?
c) How did the speaker act contrary to his statement?
d) Who was the victim then?

2)“I can’t understand how one man can do all the things he does”
a) Who makes this remark?
b) Whom does he refer to?

44
c) How does’ he’ manage to do many things?
d) What are the many things that ‘he’ does?

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. What are some of the positive views on interviews?

2. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
3. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
4. What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his windpipe”?
5. Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?
6. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.
7. How does Eco find the time to write so much?
8. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?

Long Answer Question:

What made the American publisher think that the novel, ‘The Name of the Rose’ won’t sell in
America? What actually happened? What was the secret of its success?

GOING PLACES

Summary: The theme of this story is adolescent fantasising and hero-worship. The author A.R Barton
highlights the aspirations of youth, their ideals, along with the pain of unfulfilled promises and shattered
dreams. The story focuses on the complexities of human relationships, especially among different
members of the family.

The story revolves around the life of Sophie, a teenager, who, like others of her age, is filled with
fantasies and desires. She comes from a poor financial background but hopes to be sophisticated in the
future. Sophie dreams of owning a boutique one day or being an actress or fashion designer, but her
friend Jansie believes that both of them are earmarked for the biscuit factory. Jansie, who is more
realistic, tries to pull Sophie to reality, but in vain.

Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little Derek. Though she voices
her feelings and desires, her parents do not pay much attention to her desires, because they, unlike her,
are more mature and know the truths of life. Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brother
Geoff, who is tall, strong and handsome and reserved. She envies his silence and often wonders about
his thoughts and areas of his life that she doesn’t know about.

The centre of this story is that Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey, an Irish football player, whom she
had seen playing in innumerable matches. She makes up a story about how she met him in the streets
and tells this to Geoff. Geoff, who is more sensible than Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she
wants him to. It seems an unlikely incident for Sophie to meet the prodigy in their street, but when
Sophie describes the meeting in all her details, he begins to hope that it could be true. She tells him that
Danny has promised to meet her somewhere again.

Sophie gets so pulled into the story she made that she herself begins to believe that it’s true. She waits
for the Irish player, but obviously, he never arrives. Then, she makes her way home, wondering how
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her brother would be disappointed on knowing that Danny Casey never showed up. However, Sophie
still fantasises about her hero, unperturbed.

RTC

“When I leave,” Sophie said, coming home from school, “I’m going to have a boutique.”

a. Who is Sophie?
b. To whom these lines are spoken?
c. Comment on her ambition to own a boutique.
d. What advise did the listener give her?
“And afterwards you wait there alone in the arcade for a long while, standing where he stood,
remembering the soft melodious voice, the shimmer of green eyes. No taller than you. No bolder than
you. The prodigy. The innocent genius. The great Danny Casey. And she saw it all again, last Saturday-
saw him ghost past the lumbering defenders, heard the fifty thousand catch their breath as he hovered
momentarily over the ball, and then into goal, the sudden thunderous eruption of exultant
approbation.”

a. Name the chapter and the author.

b. Who is ‘the prodigy’ in the extract and where has Sophie to wait alone?
c. The word ‘admiration’ in the extract means …….. .
d. Why did she hear the fifty thousand of people catching their breath?

Answer the following questions briefly:

1.What were Sophie’s father’s expectorations of her? What does this tell you about him?
2.Why did she go to the canal after dark? Was she really going to meet Danny Casey?
3.How did Sophie plan to escape the monotony and squalor of her life?
4.What were Sophie’s thoughts as she waited by the canal?
5.Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. Compare and contrast their temperament and
aspirations.
6. Attempt a character sketch of Sophie as a girl who lives in her dreams?
7. What did Sophie’s brother Geoff symbolize? Why?
8. Contrast Sophie’s real world and her fantasies.

Long Answer Questions

1.Is it natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams? Discuss with reference to the story.
2.Analyse Sophie’s relationship with the members of her family.
3.I can see the future and now I will have to live with this burden – says Sophie. What is the burden
being referred to? What light does it throw on Sophie’s life?
4.To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act. To reach great heights dreams must
manifest into actions. Mere dreams without action remain an illusion. Sophie dreamed of owning a
boutique. What do you think should be the plan of action to fulfil such a dream?
5.The present generation is blinded by the glitz and glamour of the celebrities. They fail to realize the
hard work behind the making of a celebrity. With reference to the protagonist of the story ‘Going
Places’, how do we make them come out of the virtual world and help them face the realities of life.

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6.Analyze the role of the parents during the adolescent phase of their child, with reference to Sophie’s
father in the lesson – ‘Going Places’.

VISTAS – Prose

THE THIRD LEVEL-Jack Finney

Main Points

1.Grand Central Station of New York has two levels. But Charley, a thirty-one-year-old resident of
New York talks about a third level. He believes in the existence of this hypothetical third level
and claims to have been there.
2.Charley visits a psychiatrist friend to talk about this problem. The psychiatrist calls it a “waking
dream
wish fulfilment” and rationalizes Charley's experience by saying that the “modern world is
full of insecurity, fear, worry, and war...” and everybody wants to escape to some “temporary
refuge from reality.” According to him, even hobbies like stamp collection is a manifestation of
this escape. Charley thinks about his grandfather who didn’t need any refuge from reality.
Charley’s grandfather started his collection.
3. The fast-growing Grand Central station at times seems to be a maze to Charley. He had lost his
way a couple of times earlier too while taking the subway.
4. Once, he entered the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel while the other time he emerged at an office
building that was three blocks away. But this time when he loses his way, something unique
happens. He visits the third level!
5.Charley keeps walking in the quiet corridor, angling left and slanting downward, till he reaches
an architecturally old station that is completely different from the two familiar levels.
6. The antiquated small room with fewer ticket counters and train gates, a wooden information
booth, flickering open flame gas lights and brass spittoons remind him of the architecture of the
1800s.
7. He also finds that people are dressed in outmoded outfits. He notices that the date on the
newspaper ‘The World’ is printed June 11, 1894. As he tenders money to the clerk at the counter to
buy two tickets, he realizes that he needs to have old currency bills to do so.
8. He had always wanted to travel to Galesburg with his wife, Louisa. In his mind, it is “a
wonderful town still, with big old frame houses, huge lawns, and tremendous trees....” It is a place
with long and pleasant summer evenings and where people have time for each other.
9. So, the next day during lunch, he exchanges three hundred dollars for old style bills amounting
to some two hundred only.
10. The loss doesn’t bother him much as he believes that in Galesburg everything will be cheaper
and that he can manage even with a small amount. But he could never again find the corridor
leading to the third level.
11. His wife Louisa is worried after knowing all this and asks him not to look for the third level any
further. Suddenly Charley realizes that his friend, Sam Weiner, is nowhere to be found, so he and
his wife keeps looking for him in the weekends.
12. Philately is not just stamp collection but a broad term including the study of stamps, postal
history and other related items.
13. When a new stamp is issued, on the first day, people mail a blank paper to themselves and then
retain that unopened letter with the date on the postmark. Such an envelope is known as a ‘first day

47
cover’. Charley has inherited his grandfather’s collection of first day covers.
14. One day while fidgeting with his stamp collection, Charley comes across a letter that was not
there earlier. It bears the postmark on a faded six-cent stamp with a picture of the President
Garfield.
15. The envelope was sent on July18, 1894 to Charley's grandfather in Galesburg and was
addressed to Charley.
16. The letter was written by Sam Weiner, who was Charley's psychiatrist!
Sam has reached Galesburg and is having whole of a time there.
17. He also invites Charley and Louisa to Galesburg. When Charley goes to the stamp and coin
store, he is apprised of Sam's exchanging eight hundred dollars for the old currency bills.

RTC

“To be back there with the First world war still twenty years off, and world war II over forty years in
the future…. I wanted two tickets for that.”
a. Who is the narrator?
b. Where is the narrator bound to go and with whom?
c. Describe his wishful world where he is resolved to go.
d. Why does he want to leave his real world?

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1.Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why? /How did
Charley’s psychiatrist friend interpret his unique experience?
2. What is a first day cover?
3. What does the third level refer to?
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1.Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg
for himself and his wife?
2.What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?

THE TIGER KING- Kalki

Summary - The story 'The Tiger King' is satire on the conceit of those in power. Most of the time the
rulers are not interested in serving the people or work for the welfare of the public; instead they spend
their time foolish pursuits. Even the coteries who surround these power centres are interested in taking
advantage of the proximity for their own welfare. One of the ways in which these most powerful people
show off their waywardness is through game hunting. They are callous and indiscriminately destroy the
natural habitat. The story conveys the message that what is important for today is a new awareness
about ecology i.e. a realization that the earth is not our inherited property, but we have borrowed from
our future generations. Conservation of wildlife is therefore very necessary. There is a growing
awareness of the necessity of conservation and preservation of wildlife. Grass root environment
consciousness is also on the increase, and more and more people are stepping in towards contributing
to the conservation of wildlife. This story arouses a renewed interest in us regarding the preservation of
ecology.

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Kalki takes his readers to the days of autocratic and eccentric kings. These kings lived under the thumb
rule of British, hence they fear them. In order to make the story mysterious Kalki has added supernatural
element in the story. The haughty king disapproved the prophecy made by the astrologer about his
death, but his death from the wooden tiger (100th tiger) approved it.

‘The Tiger King’ is replete with irony that reveals the follies of autocratic and wilful rulers who flout
all laws and bend them to suit their selfish interests. The dramatic irony in the story is sharp when the
Tiger King alone is unaware that his bullet had not killed the hundredth tiger. The other characters and
the readers anticipate his doom as he celebrates his triumph over his destiny. We realize how misplaced
the King’s pride at killing the first tiger was. The astrologers had prophesied, “You may kill ninety-
nine tigers like this, but your death will be brought on by the hundredth tiger.” The King wanted to
prove the astrologer wrong and to save his life. Ironically, to avert death he actually invites it. The lofty
titles used to introduce the Tiger King, suggesting an invincible ferocity are indeed ironic for he is
finally killed by a cheap, crudely made wooden toy tiger which became the tool of Nature’s revenge.
He had killed a hundred tigers in vain and must be punished for it. Irony is indeed sharp when the
surgeons announce the operation successful and declare the king dead.

RTC

I’ve no intention of pretending to advance only to end in a strategic withdrawal. Even the thret of a
stuka bomber will not throw me off track.

a. Name the lesson and the author?

b. What is the narrator’s intention?
c. Explain stuka bomber.
d. Why has the author commented in such a way?

Short questions

1. Why does the Tiger King get this name?

2. What was the great miracle that took place? Why did the people stand stunned?
3. Describe the upbringing of the royal infant. When did he take the reins of the state in his hands?
4. How did the Maharaja feel when he killed his first tiger?
5. Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting? Why was it celebration time for tigers in
Pratibandapuram?
6. How was at one time the Maharaja in danger of losing his throne?
7. What was the unforeseen hurdle that brought the Maharaja's tiger hunts to a halt?
8. How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge upon the Tiger King?

LONG ANSWER TYPE AND VALUE BASED QUESTIONS

1. Draw a character-sketch of the Tiger King in your own words.

2. Why was the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram called the Tiger King? How did his campaign of tiger
hunting continue? How was he avenged by the hundredth tiger?
3. Kalki's 'The Tiger King' is a satire on the pride and unbridled power and rule of the stubborn Maharaja
of Pratibandapuram. Describe the use of dramatic irony leading to the death of the Tiger
King.
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4. The fascination for everything English is brought out beautifully in the lesson ‘The tiger king’ by
Kalki. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram is given an ‘English’ upbringing. How can love for one’s
country be inculcated against all odds?

JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE EARTH- Tishnani Doshi

Main Points
1. The writer visited Antarctica, the coldest, driest and windiest continent in the world, aboard the
Russian research vessel, Akademik Shokalskiy.
2. The journey, beginning at Chennai, passed through many areas, geographical, local, ecological and
temporal.
3. The writer’s first reaction to the continent was of relief, followed by wonder at its vastness,
seclusion and geological history.
Part of History
4. Before human evolution, Antarctica was part of a huge tropical landmass called the Gondwana
land, which flourished 500 million years ago.
5. Biological (flora and fauna), geological (changing continents) and geographical (climatic)changes
occurred and Antarctica separated and moved away evolving into what it is today.
6. A visit to Antarctica gave the writer a deeper understanding of mountains, the earth’s history,
ecology and environment.
7. The writer felt unsettled in two weeks’ time not only because she came from a much hotter place,
but also because all features of human civilization were absent from an already desolate landscape.
8. The long summers, the silence broken occasionally by cracking ice sheets and avalanches, the blue
whales and icebergs, all contribute to an ecological implication that the future for humans isn’t
good.
Human Impact
1. Humans, who are known to have existed for a mere 12000 years, have caused tremendous impact
and played havoc with nature.
2. Population explosion, putting a strain on available resources, carbon emissions, fossil fuels and
global warming have all resulted in climatic and ecological imbalances that have also affected
Antarctica.
3. Antarctica, though unpopulated, has been affected and there are concerns for its half a million year
old carbon records trapped under its ice sheets.
4. The ‘Students on Ice’ programme, an initiative of Canadian adventure educator, Geoff Green takes
students on expeditions to Antarctica, to create awareness in them, the future policy makers.
5. The stark proof of global warming and environmental threats help students attain an understanding
of ecosystems and biodiversity of our planet.
6. An amazing display of the food chain of the Southern Ocean helps in the understanding that further
depletion of the ozone layer will set off a chain reaction that will affect the global carbon cycle.
7. The simple truth is- take care of the small things and the bigger ones will automatically be taken
care of.
Walk on The Ocean
8. Before their return, the writer got an opportunity to walk on the ocean at 65.55 degrees south,
which made her realize that she was walking on 180 meters of ocean water, a rich kaleidoscope of
life.
9. Reaching home, she wondered whether Antarctica would ever be warm again, how much
difference a million years can make and, that each day makes a difference.

RTC
50
“The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica”.

a. What does the author mean by this?

b. Name the supercontinent of which Antarctica and India were a part.
c. How is the study of this region useful to us?
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
1.How does the geological phenomenon help us to know about the history of mankind?
2.What are the indications for the future of mankind?
3. How is the study of Antarctica useful to us?
4. Why does Tishani Doshi call her two weeks stay in Antarctica ‘a chilling prospect’?
5. Why does one lose all earthly perspective on reaching Antarctica?
6. How is present day Antarctica different from Gondwana?
7.What sort of brightness and silence prevail in Antarctica during summer?
8. "And for humans, the prognosis is not good". Explain why the writer comes to such a
conclusion.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the ‘Students on Ice’
expedition?
2. ‘Take care of small things and big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of
this statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?
3. What is the significance of the title ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’?
4. “A lot can happen in a million years but what a difference a day makes”. Discuss with
reference to the lesson ‘A Journey to the End of the Earth’.

THE ENEMY – Pearl. S. Buck

The story set during world war II deals with conflicting emotions caused by those defining moments in
one’s life when one is faced with difficult choices. At times one has to choose between assuming the
role of an empathetic human being and while ignoring sentiment, becoming patriotic citizens of a
country and letting one’s nationalist feelings dictate the action one takes.

Dr. Sadao and Hana stood outside their house. A man was suddenly seen in the ocean. They ran towards
him. They were shocked to see that he was an enemy soldier and badly in need of medical aid. He was
unconscious. As loyal citizens it was their duty to hand over the soldier to the officials but they took
him inside into their house. For this they saw rebel from their domestic helps. Though for such a deed
they could have been arrested but Dr. Sadao knew that he would not be arrested by the general as he
himself might need his services any time for an operation. The man recovered. Dr. Sadao desired to get
rid of him now. So as soon as he was out of danger, he told him to escape from the house.

RTC

51
“For this reason he had been sent at 22 to America to learn all that could be learnt of surgery and
medicine.”

a. Name the lesson and the author.

b. Who is ‘he’ in the above lines?
c. What had he learnt in America?
d. Who had sent him to America? Comment about his nature.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1 Why did the General overlook the matter of the enemy soldier?
2. Why was Dr. Sadao not sent with the troops?
3. How was the plan of the prisoner’s escape executed in the story?
4. Why did the servants leave Dr. Sadao’s house?
5. Who was the white man whom Dr. Sadao and Hana found?
6. ‘‘But Sadao searching the spot of black in the twilight sea that night, had his reward’’. What was the
reward?
7. What message does “The Enemy” give?
8. How did Dr Sudao rise above narrow prejudices of race and country to help a human being in need?

Long Answer Questions and Value Based Questions

1. How did Dr. Sadao rise above narrow prejudices of race & country to human being in need?
2. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the
circumstances?
3. There are moments in life when we have to make hard choice between our role as private individuals
and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the Enemy.
4.In view of the theme of the lesson “The Enemy”, which, according to you, is more important –
humanity or Patriotism? Write your answer in a paragraph with reason in 100 words.

ON THE FACE OF IT – Susan Hill

Summary : According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “On the Face of it” is an informal
expression used to say that something seems to be good, true etc. but this opinion may need to be
changed when you know more about it. This definition of the expression should leave us in no doubt
about the appropriateness of the title. An individual may be quite different from what we think of him
or what he or she may apparently appear to be at first glance. There is the imperative need for us to
view others by removing our glasses of prejudice, hatred, hearsay and dislike.

On the face of it, Mr. Lamb appears to be mysterious, lonely, lame old fellow who lives in a
neighbourhood house with a huge garden, but in reality he is very kind, generous, loving and altruistic.
Similarly, although Derek has an ugly looking scary face, he is fine lad of fourteen with a deep longing
for love. There is nothing wrong with Mr. Lamb and Derek. What is wrong is the way people in their
lives and around them view and treat them.

On the face of it, there is so much of diversity, so many differences and divides between the people and
other species of the world but underneath is a oneness, a sameness – all of them are created by God and
52
all of them need to live and grow together with love and mutual acceptance/ As the play progresses the
characters’ views about each other and our impression of them changes for the better.

Theme - People who suffer from disabilities must always look at the bright side of things and adapt
reality of life bravely. At the same time the actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical
impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person. The disabled need support
and acceptance and not our pity. The title ‘On the Face of it’ is used to mean that something seems to
be good, true etc. but that needs to be changed when you know more about it.

Appearances are deceptive and most often, we go on dealing with impressions and prejudices about
other without caring to know about them actually. People know Mr. Lamb as a lonely eccentric lame
old man but in reality he is a very kind and generous man who longs for company and he loves his
fellow human beings along with all the other creations of God. Similarly, Derek appears to be an
abominable ugly boy with a huge scar on his face whom no one loves or likes or befriends. He is the
object of other people’s hateful stares ridicules and neglect. Even his mother does not dare to kiss him
on the cheek with the scar. Yet this boy who is suffering from an acute inferiority complex has a tender
and sensitive heart. He wants to love and be loved. Fortunately, he meets Mr. Lamb who transforms
him with his healing touch.

RTC

Derry: What? Who’s that? Who’s there?

a. Who’s Derry?
b. Comment on his looks?
c. At present where was he and why?
d. Why did Derry get startled?

Short Questions

1. ‘I am not afraid, people are afraid of me’, why does Derry say so?
2. Mr. Lamb says to Derry; ‘it’s all relative, beauty and the beast’, what essentially does he mean by
that?
3. What does Derry know about the fairy tale ‘Beauty and the Beast’? Why is he not convinced by its
moral?
4. Mr. Lamb has successfully learned to cope with his loneliness. How?
5. What did Derry’s mothers think of Mr. Lamb?
6. How does Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry?
7. Comment on the moral value of the play
8. How did Mr. Lamb’s meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry’s life?

Long answer questions and value based questions

1. The lesson, ‘On The Face of It’, is an apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation
experienced by people on account of a disability. Explain.
2. Mr. Lamb in spite of his bravado is a lonely man. Comment.
3.“Acid…ate my face up. It ate me up.” Describe the miseries suffered by Derry after the unfortunate
incident he refers to.

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4. Mr Lamb says that he grows weeds and wonders why one green growing plant is called a weed and
another a flower. He says it is all life. In another instance, he says that bees don’t buzz, they hum and
hum means to sing. What can we learn about life from these observations of Mr Lamb?
5. Derry says “It’s not what you look like; it’s what you are inside.” What are the qualities this sentence
encourages people to have?

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD

Summary -The chapter contains two extracts from two different autobiographical episodes from the
lives of two women - Zitkala Sa and Bama. Both are victims of social discriminations. Zitkal Sa is the
victim of racial discrimination whereas Bama is the victim of caste discriminations. In both the extracts,
the writers look back on their childhood and reflect on their relationship with mainstream culture which
ill-treated them when they were child.

The Cutting of My Long Hair -- By Zitkala – Sa

This extract is a painful revelation of a particular period of the life which the writer had to suffer during
her hostel days. It was the first day of her boarding situated in the land of apples. The children were
given the task of apple picking in the bitter and biting cold. They were taken to the breakfast hall and
the girl was feeling stressed. She did not know the table manners. She was being watched very carefully
by a strange pale-faced woman. The girl felt very fearful and insulted.

Her friend who could understand some English, told her that the pale strange woman intended to cut
her long hair. Zitkala- Sa learned from her mother that hair would be shingled only for the unskilled
warrior, cowards and mourners. She decided to fight back and got herself hidden in a dim room under
the bed. Everybody looked for her and called her name but eventually caught. Her long hair was cut,
although she resisted a lot. She spent her rest of the life there like a small animal being a part of a herd,
which was driven by a herder.

We too are Human Beings - By Bama

Bama was a student of third class. She never heard of the word untouchability during her childhood.
Certain small events of her life made her feel that she was born in the marginalized caste. She was a
happy peppy girl and once when she was in the third class, while going home she saw her people
working hard for their land- lords. In spite of their hard work the landlords treated the workers very
humiliatingly. She saw from the direction of the market an elder from their community was coming
with a parcel in his hands. The manner he carried the poly bag, the manner he was carrying it with its
strings, without touching the vadas inside the parcel, really made him to be funny. He handed over the
parcel to the landlord very sacredly too. She narrated the incident to her brother, taking the incident as
humorous and funny. He told that it was not humorous but humiliating as the elderly person was not
supposed to touch the item inside the parcel. On hearing that Bama felt infuriated.

She saw her people bowing, to the upper caste people. She was enraged why her elders work so hard
for those people who despised them so much. She wanted her people to stop paying undue respect and
54
reverences to these upper caste people. Her brother told her that if they study hard and make progress
in their lives, it would help them in throwing away the indignities. Education is their weapon with which
they fight back the society. Bama did the same and got many friends in her life. Education made her as
double- sided sward to fight very sharply against the unjustified caste system.

RTC

A large bell rang for breakfast, its loud metallic voice crashing through the belfry overhead and into
our sensitive ears.

a. Who does ‘our’ refer to in the above lines?

b. Why was the bell rung?
c. Why has the author mentioned ‘sensitive ears”?
d. How did they respond to the ringing of the bell?

Short Questions

1. “I felt like sinking to the floor.” Who felt so and why?

2. How were the Indian girls dressed? (p-94,2nd para “These were Indian…………hair”)
3. What embarrassing situation arose when Zitkala-sa sat on hearing the first bell?
4.What information did Judewin give Zitkala-sa? (p-95, para-2, But this eating)
5.What were the indignities that the new girls were subjected to at Carlisle Indian School?
6. Why was Zitkala-Sa terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be cut short?
7. Why does the author feel that she has been deprived of freedom in the hostel?
8. Interpret Judewin’s personality on the basis of her comment “We have to submit, because they are
strong “.
9. Why was the girl, Zitkala tied to a chair in ‘Memories of Childhood’?
10. What did Zitkala-Sa feel when her long hair was cut?

Long Questions and Value Based Questions

1. Seeds of rebellion are sown early in life injustice even can’t escape the eyes of child. Justify the
statement with reference to the lesson and “Memories of childhood.”
2. Describe Zitkala-Sa’s ordeal in school on her first day.
3. It took almost an hour for Bama to reach back home from school. Why?
4.What were the ‘novelties and oddities’ in the bazaar which entertained Bama?
5. For people like Bama it is necessary to break the shackles that society burdens them with and come
out triumphant. What should one possess /acquire to help one live without fear?
6. Harijan- Hari jan (children of God) is what Gandhiji called the Dalits. Great stalwarts like the
Mahatma, Dr. Ambedkar and Ramanujam worked relentlessly for the upliftment of the Dalits. But,
unfortunately the caste bias still rears its ugly head in many parts of the country. What values need to
be instilled in individuals for the betterment and upliftment of the marginalized communities?

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