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Theme 3: Lifeline (1st term)

5. A Farmer’s Greatest Treasure
Reading D: Think and answer.
1. It is obvious from the story that Maosha was a generous man. But was Aisu generous too? How do
you know this?
Ans - Maosha was thoughtful and generous when he saved the sack of wheat for the future. Initially, Aisu
could not understand why his father didn’t let them eat and satisfy their hunger. He listened to his father’s
words and shared the wheat grains with every other farmer in the village happily. This proves that he had a
big heart and he was not selfish in any way.

2. Do you think the village should have made preparations for the next year as Maosha did? Why do
you think so?
Ans – Yes, I think the villagers should have mage preparation for the year just the way Maosha had. They
realised that if they didn’t have grains to sow, they would be left without livelihood.

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Theme 3: Lifeline (1st term)
6. The Village School
Reading A: Answer these questions.
1. For whom did the three girls start a school?
Ans – The three girls start the school for the children especially girls in Sajoi, Varanshi who either dropped
out of the school or never went to school.

2. What was the biggest challenge the girls faced?

Ans - The biggest challenge they faced was to get the villagers to accept the School and to let girls attend
the school.

3. What was their plan to educate the girls of the school?

Ans: - The girls started a small tailoring centre at the school, so that the girls could learn to sew. While they
were there, they also started educating them.

4. What did the women of the village learn from the school?
Ans – The women in the village learned to sign their names.

5. What does the school do for the students instead of giving them degrees?
Ans – The village school gives them a good education helps them to connect to good school where they can
study further.

Reading C: Answer in detail.

1. How did the people of the village first react to the school? Did this change later?
Ans - The people of the village initially were angry with the three girls. To the villagers, education was not
important and did not serve any purpose. The believed that girls would have no use of education since they
would have to eventually help their mothers in household work or start working from an early age in order
to earn money. They shouted at the girls and said that they a negative influence on the others. They
humiliated them and asked them to leave the place. They forced them to teach from their own houses Yes,
this changed later. They came forward to support the girls, arranged for electricity so that the lights and fans
would work in the school.

2. How would you describe the determination and resilience of Tabassum, Tarranum and Rubina?
Ans - The determination and resilience of the three girls was inspiring and motivating for everyone who
knows and reads about them. The three girls were serious about their education and made it a point to
complete their school that made them realise the importance of at education. Their education empowered
them to emancipate other young girls in the village. Inspite of facing so many challenges, they did not up
their fight. Even after helping the children in the village, they did not lose focus on their own work. They
bad made it a point to complete their college education and work further towards the betterment of their
village.

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Theme 3: Lifeline (1st term)
Poem: The Bridge Builder
Reading A: Answer these questions.
1. Describe the stream which the old man crossed.
Ans - The stream which the old man crossed was sullen. It was extremely dark and threatening.

2. Why did the fellow pilgrim try to stop the old man?
Ans - The fellow pilgrim tried to stop the old man from building the bridge because he thought that the old
man had already crossed the dangerous chasm and there was no need for him to back to the other side.

3. “This chasm that has been as naught to me To the fair-haired youth may a helfall be;" Why does the
speaker that the chasm might be a pitfall for fair- haired youth? What does the old man do after
this? Why does he do that?
Ans - The speaker, the old man says that the chasm might be pitfall for the fair- haired youth because unlike
the old man who is experienced and knows the ways of the sullen stream, a young traveller would not know
the way to cross the stream and the chasm might prove dangerous for him. The old man therefore decides to
build a bridge spanning the tide. He does this in order to help the future generation of people to cross the
stream safely without any difficulty or danger.

4. Find the two instances in the poem which tell you about the unselfish nature of the old man.
Ans - The old man had built a bridge after he had crossed the chasm. He cared to look back and built a
bridge for other’s convenience. In spite of his old age, he took the trouble of building a bridge when it was
getting dark.

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Theme 5: Caring
9. The Last Leaf
Reading A: Answer in detail.
1. How did physical condition completely shatter her from within?
Ans - Joanna lost her will to live and associated the number of days left in her life to the number of leaves
left on the ivy vine growing on the brick wall against her apartment's window. She count the number of
leaves on the vine for she believed that the remaining leaves on the vine were equal to number of days left
for her to live. When the last leaf on the vine falls, it would signal her last day as well. She lost her will and
hope. Her life started depending on the falling leaves and she attached all her hopes to live to the last leaf on
the ivy vine.

2. What is Behrman's masterpiece? What makes Sue say so?

Ans - Behrman was a fierce old man who lived a floor beneath the apartment where Sue and Joanna lived.
He waited all his life to create a masterpiece but never quite made it. To bring back Joanna's lost confidence
and will power, he painted an ivy vine on a brick wall with one last leaf and placed it outside their window.
His masterpiece brought a lease of life for Joanna who at the time was in need of it.

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Theme 5: Caring
10. The Quarrel
Reading C: Answer these questions.
1. Jo is unable to move for a few seconds when she sees Amy fall. Can you describe how she was
feeling at that moment?
Ans - When Jo sees Amy finally into the water, it is one of her worst nightmare coming true. For a few
seconds, she is unable to realise that the situation is real and not imaginary. She is terrified that something
dangerous may happen to her sister. Her mind goes blank unlike Laurie and she is unable to act quickly and
reasonably.

2. Mrs March is like a mother, sister and teacher to her daughter. Justify this statement with
examples from the text.
Ans - When Mrs March finds out what Amy did to Jo's book, she did not yell at her or punish her. She
quietly teaches Amy that what she did was wrong. She explains to Amy how hard Jo worked on the stories
and how much she loved her book. She teaches her with compassion. When Jo cries to her mother after
Amy's rescue, Mrs March behave in a warm and loving manner. She comforts her without telling her what
she did was wrong. She praises her actions. She also listens to Jo cry about her temper carefully and teaches
her a lesson how to work at curing one's faults. She is wise patient and extremely loving.

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Theme 5: Caring
Poem: The Hero
Reading A: Answer in detail.
1. Describe the place through which the speaker and his mother are travelling.
Ans - The speaker and his mother are travelling through a strange and dangerous country. The land is barren
and the waste of Joradighi lying pale and grey before them. The landscape is full of spikey and prickly
grass.

2. "Don't be afraid, I am here ". Why does the speaker asks his mother not to be afraid?
Ans - The speaker asks his mother not to be afraid before on seeing the frightful and strange figures.

3. Describe the fight between the speaker and the dacoits.

Ans - When the villains attack, the speaker on his house gallops towards them and they fight fiercely. Many
of the villains run away in terror and many are cut to pieces by the speaker. By the time the fight is done, the
Speaker is all covered in blood.

4. What does the speaker want to prove? How does he want to prove that?
Ans - The speaker wants to prove that he is courageous and brave. He wants to prove that by defeating the
villains.

5. What does the speaker expects his brother and the village people to say after the fight?
Ans - The speaker expects his brother to wonder in disbelief and say, "Is it possible? I always thought he is
so delicate. The village people on the other hand would be thankful and say that it fortunate that boy was
with his mother.

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Theme 6: Food
11. The Vanishing Lunchboxes
Reading A: Answer these questions.
1. How does the Narrator describe his father's cooking? Did he enjoy eating what his father cooked?
Ans - The narrator described his father's cooking as not even remotely close to being good. No, he did not
enjoy what his father cooked for him. For him, meal times wore nothing less than nightmares. He had to
endure (Tolerate) sunny dal and burnt chapattis, potatoes as stones, spinach as soft as mush and onions as
dark as charcoal

2. Why was Class 5B in a furore?

Ans - Class 5B was in a furore because lunchboxes had been vanishing from the school bags of students
regularly. Moreover, the next day the lunchboxes reappeared with tasty smacks filled inside. None of the
students had been able to make out the mystery behind these thefts.

3. What did Jatin ask the narrator to do? What was the Narrator's reaction?
Ans - The class monitor, Jatin Kochar decided that everyone of them would have to keep a watch in class
whenever it was empty. All of them would have to take turns in doing that. He therefore asked the narrator
to keep a watch that week but the narrator was discomfort that decision.

4. What was the reaction of the narrator's mother after she returned home?
Ans - When the narrator's mother returned home, she felt very sorry for her son as he had to endure his
father’s unpalatable cooking. She was very angry when she learned about their cook's disloyalty. She also
turned yellow when she tasted the food cooked by her husband. She became extra affectionate towards her
son and cooked his favourite dishes. She convinced her husband to take a break from his kitchen duties and
concentrate on his office work.

5. What is the narrator doing at present?

Ans - The narrator at present is father of a ten-year- old boy and he is preparing his lunch which comprises a
vegetable burger and homemade potato chips. He proudly says that unlike his father, he learned to cook as
he did not want his son to be a lunchbox thief like him.

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Theme 6: Food
12. A Fondness for Cheese
Reading C: Answer in detail.
How were the people in the railway station and inside the railway carriage affected by the smell of the
cheeses?
Ans - The narrator's friend Tom had bought a couple of ripe and strong smelling, cheeses from Liverpool
which he requested his friend Jerome to carry back to London since he would be delayed by a one day or
two. Jerome willingly took the cheeses with him in spite of their strong and overwhelming smell. Once he
reached the railway station with the packet of cheese, people started moving away from him. The boarded a
crowded train and got inside a carriage which already had seven passengers. After a little while, so the old
gentleman and the man next to him starting sniffing and eventually left the compartment unable to wear the
small any longer. After them, a lady got up, packed her belongings and left the compartment complaining
about the way she had been harried. A man remarked that the smell reminded him of a dead body. On
hearing this, the three other passengers rushed to get out of the compartment, ran into each other and hut
themselves. The only remaining gentleman in the compartment at first smiled and remarked that people
make fuss over little and insignificant things. However, after some time, he too started feeling
uncomfortable and eventually left the compartment.
Crew onwards, the narrator had the compartment to himself even though the rust of the train was crowded.
As the train stopped at different stations, the people on seeing his empty carriage, rushed to take a seat,
carrying their heavy bags. But the movement they opened the door, the smell hit them and they moved
away.

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Theme 6: Food
Poem: Candy Man

Reading A: Answer these questions.

1. What miracles does the candy man create with candies and sweets?
Ans - The candy man create wonders with candies and sweets. He can take dew sprinkled sunrise; cover it
with chocolate and a dash of miracles. He can also take a rainbow, wrap it in something as unhappy as a sigh
soak it in the cheerful sun and make a strawberry-lemon-pie out of it

2. Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh Soak it in the sun and make a strawberry-lemon pie
a. Who is the poet talking about?
Ans - The poet is talking about the marvels which the candy man can make. Out of it is talking a rainbow,
covering it in sigh, soaking it in the cheerful sun and creating a strawberry-lemon-pie from it.

b. What makes the person do what he does?

Ans – Candy man creates these out of love as he wants the world taste good.

3. Why does everything that Willy Wonka bakes, tastes delicious and satisfying?
Ans - Willy Wonka bakes everything satisfying and delicious because he bakes with love. He bakes
everything in such a way that one can forget sorrows and savour the joys of life.

4. What can Willy Wonka do? How can he do that?

Ans - Everything baked by Willy Wonka because as delicious as the dearest of childhood wishes, so much
so one can even eat the dishes. He can do that by talking tomorrow and dipping it in the sweetest of dreams.

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Theme 7: Surviving the Elements
13. Fire Stones
Reading A: Answer these questions.
A. Answer these questions.
1. What was the island boy admiring on the day of the tsunami?
Ans - On the day the tsunami struck, the island boy was admiring the beauty of sea. The sight that unfolded
before him reminded him of the father's words that it was like "God is in the water."

2. Why was the Shompen boy forced to pick the island boy's pocket?
Ans - The island boy refused to listen when the Shompen said that it was time to leave the beatch. So, the
Shompen boy was left with no choice but to pick the boy's pocket, which contained a pouch with money and
ran away He did this in order to get the attention of the island bay.

3. Pick out lines in the text that show that the island boy was an obedient son.
Ans - The lines, Mother My mother had always told me never to follow a shompen anywhere, especially
into the forest. I did not intend to disobey her. I twined my back on the boy. Over conversation was over,"
show that the island boy was an obedient son.

4. The Shompen boy believed that he had done his best in the situation. How does he prove it?
Ans - The shompen boy made sure that the both of them reached the summit of the hill on the time time
where the waves would not be able to hit them. He climbed a tree on the summit and dragged the island boy
with him not on it. Eventually, the Shompen boy's wisdom and mental and physical ability saved their lives.

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Theme 7: Surviving the Elements
14. The Hummingbird That Lived Through Winter
Reading D: Answer in detail.
How does the bird get a new life with the help of Dikran and the narrator?
Ans - On a freezing, cold day, Dikran found hummingbird in a pathetic and helpless state. The narrator was
certain that it way dying and that there was no hope left for the bird. Dikran, however did not give up in any
hope. He took the bird in his palm, lifted his hand to his mouth and blew warm breath on it. Both of them
went to Dikran's kitchen where Dikran instructed the narrator to put a tablespoon full of honey over the gas
fire and subsequently pour it in his hands. A few minutes later, the bind started moving. The warmth and
comfort of the room and the honey worked their magic and the bird regained its lost will and strength to live.
After taking a few dabs of honey, the bind shot up in the air. It moved above the kitchen for some time, went
over to the window and eventually became restless. Dikran was certain that it would live and therefore he
asked the narrator to open the window and let it go.

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Theme 7: Surviving the Elements
Poem: Courage! Courage! Courage!
Reading A: Answer these questions.
1. When does the speaker ask the readers to call on your courage and see the thing through?
Ans - The speaker asks readers to call on their courage, and see thing through when the burden on them
grows extremely heavy and they experience difficulties. They should call on their courage when they do not
get expected results in spite of putting in their best, when they are growing tired of trying and when all
situation and circumstances are growing against them
2. Who battles for victory ventures defeat. Misfortune is something we all have to meet
a. What is the speaker trying to say in these lines?
Ans - In these lines the speaker is trying to say that when people strive for victory, it is possible that they
may not experience success at the very first go. Set back and failures are something which every individual
has to face at some point of time.

b. According to the speaker, what can be done to come out of this misfortune?
Ans - According to the speaker, when people experience failure, they should take it in their stride, handle it
gracefully and not complain or whine about it. They should call on their courage and even though they may
have unsuccessful in their work, they should never be failures as human beings.

c. Do you agree with the line Misfortune is something we all have to meet?
Ans - Yes, I agree with the line 'Misfortune is something we all have to meet.’ In order to achieve
something, it is possible that one may fail in the first few attempts. However, it is the determination and
courage of the people which count and their attitude of not giving up which ultimately matters.

3. How does the speaker ask the readers to gracefully handle their loss?
4. According to the speaker, what should be the test of one's courage?