The Sound of Music - I

Meanings:

jostle= push roughly

slight= small and thin

daunting= frightening, Scary

teenager= a person who is in his teens

aspiring musician= a person who wants to be a musician

Profoundly deaf= absolutely deaf.

gradual= in phases

conceal= to hide

Specialist= a doctor specializing in a particular part of the body.

Deteriorated= worsened, reduces

Urged= requested

impaired= weakened

pursue= to follow

xylophone= a musical instrument with a row of wooden bars of different lengths

percussionist= a person who plays the drum, the tabla, etc., a person who play different musical instruments

potential= quality or ability that can be developed

youth= Young people, people like who are in college or high school

orchestra= group of musicians

auditioned= gave a short performance so that the director could decide whether she was good enough

orchestral work= group performance, performing in a group of musicians

Solo= to perform single, alone.

most sought after= most popular, in demand

intriguing= fascinating and curious

flawlessly= without a fault or mistake

lilt= a way of speaking like we say accent

tingles= causes a slight prickling or stinging sensation

resonances= echoes of sounds

workaholic (informal)= a person who finds it difficult to stop working

enormous= big

accomplished= achieved

Summary:

Evelyn Glennie is a multi-percussionist. She mastered over a thousand musical instruments despite being completely deaf. She could do this because she had learned to feel the music through her body instead of ears.

Evelyn was interested in music. She was taking piano lessons. When Evelyn was eleven years old she had lost her hearing ability because of nerve damage. The specialist advised her to wear hearing aids and join in a school for the deaf. But, she was determined to lead a normal life and continue with her music lessons. She was discouraged by her teachers. The master percussionist, Ron Forbes discovered her potential. He guided Evelyn to feel the music through vibrations. Evelyn found that she could sense different sounds through different parts of her body.

Evelyn got admitted to the Royal Academy of Music, London, and scored the highest marks in the history of the academy. According to Evelyn hard work and dedication towards her goal helped her achieve success. Evelyn gives solo performances and even gives free concerts for hospitals and schools. In the year 1991, she won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious ‘Soloist of the Year’ Award. Evelyn’s story is an inspiration for the differently-abled people. Her achievement is a motivation for the people who want to fulfill their dreams.

Summary of The Hundred Dresses – I

Introduction:

The story of the Hundred Dresses is believed to be based on personal experiences of the author El Bsor Ester aka Eleanor Estes. It is about an immigrant girl who is teased by her classmates. Her name is Wanda. She claims that she has one hundred dresses. Her classmates make fun of her as her claim is evidently false. They think that her name is funny. The truth about her hundred dresses revealed when she submitted her hundred different drawings of colorful dresses in a drawing competition.

Summary:

The important characters of the story are Wanda Petronski and her classmates Peggy and Madeline. Wanda Petronski is a Polish immigrant, and she has arrived in America with her family. She attends an American school. Her classmates find her name to be strange because it is an uncommon name.

Wanda is a poor girl and she always comes to school in a faded blue dress. She is a quiet girl. She sits in the corner seat of the last bench along with boys who do not get good marks. She comes to school with mud-caked feet. She doesn’t have friends. Other girls of the class, led by Peggy and Maddie make fun of Wanda. Peggy is a rich girl. She is the most popular girl and Maddie is her best friend. They mockingly ask Wanda about her dresses and shoes. Wanda answers that she has one hundred dresses and sixty pairs of shoes. Wanda never complains of their teasing.

The story also represents the viewpoint of Maddie, who is the best friend of Peggy, the main player in the daily taunting and teasing of Wanda. Maddie is also a poor girl though she is not as poor as Wanda. They wait for Wanda’s arrival to school to make fun of her. Maddie doesn’t like the game of teasing Wanda. At the same time, she doesn’t have the courage to stop the game. She fears that she might be the next target of the game. She wants Peggy to stop making fun of Wanda.

Peggy is not a cruel girl. She has no ill intentions in teasing Wanda. She doesn’t want to hurt Wanda. She wants to know why does Wanda lie about her dresses and shoes. She readily accepts the fact that Wanda is the best in drawing after looking at the wonderful collection of Wanda’s drawings of dresses.

The truth about Wanda’s hundred dresses is revealed on the day the teacher announced the results of the drawing competition. The room is filled with one hundred drawings each one worthy of winning.  True to Wanda’s words, she has one hundred dresses and all lined up. Peggy and Maddie, along with other students of the class are awestruck. They feel bad that they have not treated Wanda nicely.

This story tells us that we should not judge people by our standards. We should not mistreat anyone for being different or weird. We have to understand that people are different in several aspects. We have to accept them as they are. We have our own weaknesses and strengths.

Meanings:

Scuffling of feet =  noisy, dragging movements of the feet on the ground

Didn’t hang right =  didn’t fit properly

Hopscotch =  a game in which children hop into and over squares marked on the ground

Nudge =  a gentle push

Incredulously =  showing unwillingness to believe

Courteous =  polite, respectful

Stolidly =  calm, dependable, and showing little emotion and animation

Shrieks =  scream

Exaggerated =  overemphasize

Her eyes dull =  having eyes wanting brightness, liveliness, and vivacity Absentmindedly =  distracted Shuddered =  shake, tremble

Disguise =  to give a different appearance to conceal its identity Scarcely =  hardly; barely

Trimmings =  decoration

Sash =  a long strip or loop of cloth worn over one shoulder or round the waist, especially as part of a uniform or official dress

Pretended =  not genuine

Admiration =  respect and warm approval Drizzling =  rain lightly

Hurried =  quick Gasped =  catch one's breath with an open mouth, owing to pain or astonishment.

Ledge =  shelf

Windowsill =  ledge or sill forming the bottom part of a window

Dazzling =  extremely impressive, beautiful, or skillful

Lavish =  gorgeous

Murmured =  say something in a low or distinct voice

Admiringly =  in a way that shows respect or warm approval

Assembled =  gather together in one place for a common purpose

Mending Wall - Robert Frost

Answers to Textual Questions on Page No: 34

1. Does the wall between the neighbour’s farms serve a practical purpose? Support your view with evidence from the poem?

No. The wall between the neighbour’s farms doesn’t serve any practical purpose.

Here are the evidences from the poem: 1. The author tells us that, ‘his apple trees cannot go to his neighbour’s farm and the neighbour’s pine trees cannot come to his farm. 2. There is nothing to wall in or out. 3. There are no cows.

2. How do the hunters damage the wall?

Hunters hunt for rabbits with the help of their dogs. They damage the wall while they are chasing the rabbits accompanied by their dogs.

3. How would you describe the poet and his tone?

The poet doesn’t want the wall between him and his neighbor. He is thoughtful and sad. He gets angry and he doesn’t like boundaries between neighbors as boundaries do not serve any practical purpose. He rebels against the customs but finally, he accepts the reality and helps in mending the wall.

4. What does the neighbour mean by ‘good fences make good neighbours’? Do you agree? In a relationship, what does a wall stand for?

The neighbour means that good neighbours always mind their own business and do not involve in their neighbours’ affairs. When we have definite boundaries like walls, we can keep up our individuality and privacy.  We can have nice communication when we meet our neighbours at the time of repairing the wall.

A wall in a relationship means that something is not nice between people. There is a hurdle between them which is preventing pleasant communication.

5. What does the wall represent for each neighbour? Pick out evidence from the text to support your analysis?

The author thinks of mending wall is just ‘an outdoor game’. He feels that the wall is an unnecessary barrier between the neighbours.

His neighbour thinks that the wall is important because it protects his privacy and individuality. He believes what his father told him, ‘good fences make good neighbours’.

Rules for Editing - 5

Rule No: 5

This rule deals with articles. You are aware that there are two kinds of articles in the English language. They are 1. Definite Article and 2. Indefinite Article.

Articles are a kind of Adjectives. They modify nouns.

1. Definite Article: ‘The’ is the Definite Article.

The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns.

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific book.

Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

2. Indefinite Articles: ‘a’ and ‘an’ are Indefinite Articles.

a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns.

using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog

an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle

an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour

Important:

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

The can be used with uncountable nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

"I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).

"He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

"I need a bottle of water."

"I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.

Geographical use of the

There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.

Do not use the before:

names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States

names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami

names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.

names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes

names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn

names of continents (Asia, Europe)

names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific

points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole

geographical areas: the Middle East, the West

deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Omission of Articles

Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")

Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball

Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science

You can find several online exercises with different difficult levels here: Click here for exercises 

The Hundred Dresses – I

Textual Questions and Answers:

Oral Comprehension Check:

Q1. Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?

A. Wanda used to sit in a corner of room number thirteen. She used to sit with the rough boys, who got the lowest marks. No one ever knew why she sat there. The reason might be that she didn’t want to spoil the remaining with the dirt and mud she carried to the class with her feet.

 Q2. Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?

A. Wanda lived in Boggins Heights. It was a part of the city where poor people lived. The place was not paved properly and it was filled with mud and dirt. This was why Wanda’s feet were covered with caked mud.

Q3. When and why do Peggy and Maddie notice Wanda’s absence?

A. Though Wanda was absent to the school since Monday, Peggy and Maddie noticed her absence on Wednesday. They were late to the class waiting for Wanda on that day as they wanted to have to some fun with her. They came to know about Wanda’s absence then.

Q4. What do you think “to have fun with her” means?

A. “To have fun with her” means to tease her and to belittle her. Wanda was from a poor immigrant Polish family attending a school in an American city. The other children wanted to tease Wanda led by two close friends, Peggy and Maddie.

Q5. In what way was Wanda different from the other children?

A. Wanda was an immigrant Polish girl who was quiet and shy. She was poor and friendless. Her name was unique. It was funny to her classmates. She always wore the same dress.

Q6. Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why do you think she said she did?

A. No, Wanda could not have one hundred dresses as she was a poor girl. She knew that her classmates were making fun of her. She wanted to let them have the fun and said that she was having one hundred dresses in her closet all lined up.

Q7. Why is Maddie embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda? Is she also like Wanda, or is she different?

A. Maddie is embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda. It doesn’t mean that she cares about Wanda. It is because she is afraid that one day she may be treated just like Wanda is being treated now. Maddie is also a poor girl but not as poor as Wanda.

Q8. Why didn’t Maddie ask Peggie to stop teasing Wanda? What was she afraid of?

A. Though Maddie didn’t like teasing Wanda, she never asked Peggie to stop teasing Wanda. Maddie was afraid that Peggy might start teasing her. Because Maddie was also poor and she was wearing clothes previously used by Peggy. So, she was an unwilling partner to the children who teased Wanda.

Q9. Who did Maddie think would win the drawing contest? Why?

A. Maddie thought that her friend Peggy would win the drawing contest as ‘she drew better than anyone else in the room’. Peggy could draw a film star’s head or images from magazines that were easy to recognize.

 Q10. Who won the drawing contest? What had the winner drawn?

A. The poor immigrant girl from Poland, Wanda Pentronski had won the drawing contest. She had drawn and submitted a hundred different dresses including a blue dress with colorful trimmings and a forest green dress with a red sash. All her drawings were neatly lined up in the room.

Thinking about the text:

Q1. How is Wanda seen as different by the other girls? How do they treat her?

A. Other girls saw Wanda as a different kind of girl. This is because she had a strange name. She was an immigrant girl. She was poor and lived in a poor locality called Boggins Heights. She had no friends and she rarely talked with others. She sat on the corner seat of the last bench along with noisy boys who didn’t get good marks. She came to school wearing the same dress and muddy feet.

Other girls used to tease Wanda led by Peggy and Maddie. They usually had fun with Wanda.

Q2. How does Wanda feel about the dresses game? Why does she say that she has a hundred dresses?

A. Wanda felt bad and embarrassed about the dresses game. She felt insulted when other girls mockingly enquired about her dresses. To shield herself from those insults and jokes, she said that she had a hundred dresses all lined up in her closet. What she said was truth as she had a hundred dresses with her. Those dresses were drawn on wrapping paper to be submitted as her entries for the drawing and coloring competition.

Q3. Why does Maddie stand by and not do anything? How is she different from Peggy? (Was Peggy’s friendship important to Maddie? Why? Which lines in the text tell you this?)

A. Maddie stands quietly and watches as Peggy humiliates Wanda because Peggy is powerful and popular. Even being teased Wanda has never resented the game. So, Peggy is not doing anything bad. Moreover, Peggy is not a bad girl, and could never be wrong.

Unlike Peggy, Maddie is not rich. Maddie was not as poor as Wanda. She was afraid that she could be the next target for the girls to mock at. So, Maddie does not object to the game they are playing with Wanda.

Yes, Peggy’s friendship was important to Maddie. The lines which indicate this are:

‘She was Peggy’s best friend, and Peggy was the best-liked girl in the whole room. Peggy could not possibly do anything that was really wrong.’

Q4. What does Miss Mason think of Wanda’s drawings? What do the children think of them? How do you know?

A. Miss Mason thinks that Room number thirteen should be proud of Wanda’s drawings as each of them is different and beautiful. She says that the judges have felt that each of them is worthy of winning.

The children too are surprised by seeing the dazzling paintings lined up in the room. Even the boys, who have no interest in dresses, are whistling and stomping their feet. Peggy, who is supposed to win the competition as she is the best artist, accepts that Wanda’s drawings are great.

Thinking about the language:

Combine the following to make sentences like those above.

1. This is the bus (what kind of bus?). It goes to Agra. (use which or that)

2. I would like to buy (a) shirt (which shirt?). (The) shirt is in the shop window. (use which or that)

3. You must break your fast at a particular time (when?). You see the moon in the sky. (use when)

4. Find a word (what kind of word?). It begins with the letter Z. (use which or that)

5. Now find a person (what kind of person). His or her name begins with the letter Z. (use whose)

6. Then go to a place (what place?). There are no people whose name begins with Z in that place. (use where)

Answers:

1. This is the bus which goes to Agra.

2. I would like to buy the shirt that is in the shop window.

3. You must break your fast at a particular time when you see the moon in the sky.

4. Find a word that begins with the letter Z.

5. Now find a person whose name begins with the letter Z.

6. Then go to a place where there are no people whose name begins with Z.

1. Here are two other sentences from the story. Can you say whose point of view the italicized words express?

(i) But on Wednesday, Peggy and Maddie, who sat down front with other children who got good marks and who didn’t track in a whole lot of mud, did notice that Wanda wasn’t there.

(ii) Wanda Petronski. Most of the children in Room Thirteen didn’t have names like that. They had names easy to say, like Thomas, Smith or Allen.

Answers:

(i) The italicized words express the point of view of Peggy and Maddie.

(ii) The italicized words express the point of view of the narrator.

Other such adverbs are apparently, evidently, surprisingly, possibly, hopefully, incredibly, luckily. Use these words appropriately in the blanks in the sentences below. (You may use a word more than once, and more than one word may be appropriate for a given blank.)

1. _____________ , he finished his work on time.

2.  _____________, it will not rain on the day of the match.

3.  _____________, he had been stealing money from his employer.

4. Television is  _____________ to blame for the increase in violence in society.

5. The children will  _____________learn from their mistakes.

6. I can’t  _____________lend you that much money.

7. The thief  _____________ had been watching the house for many days.

8. The thief  _____________escaped by bribing the jailor.

9. _____________, no one had suggested this before.

10. The water was  _____________hot

Answers:

1. Surprisingly, he finished his work on time.

2. Hopefully, it will not rain on the day of the match.

3. Evidently, he had been stealing money from his employer.

4. Television is possibly to blame for the increase in violence in society.

5. The children will hopefully, learn from their mistakes.

6. I can’t possibly lend you that much money.

7. The thief apparently had been watching the house for many days.

8. The thief possibly escaped by bribing the jailor.

9. Surprisingly, no one had suggested this before.

10. The water was incredibly hot.

Rules for Editing – 4

Rule : 4

Helping verbs is/am/are; was/were; and willbe/shall be are followed by V1+ing [gerund form or present participle form] of the verb if the sentence is in Active Voice,

Helping verbs is/am/are; was/were; and willbe/shall be are followed by V3  [past participle form] of the verb if the sentence is in Passive Voice,

Examples:

A letter was writing by Chandana. [Wrong]

A letter was written by Chandana [Correct] [The sentence is in Passive Voice]

Chandana was written a letter. [Wrong]

Chandana was writing a letter. [Correct] [The sentence is in Active Voice]

My grandparents will be visit us after corona lockdown. [Wrong]

My grandparents will be visiting us after corona lockdown. [Correct] [Thye sentence is in Active Voice]

We will be visited by our grandparents after corona lockdown. [Correct] [The sentence is in Passive Voice]

The dogs were chaged the fox. [Wrong]

The dogs were chaging after the fox. [Correct] [The sentence is in Active Voice]

The fox was chaged by thedogs. [Correct] [The sentence is in Passive Voice]

Now, correct the errors if any in the following sentences. Write “Correction is not necessary” if you think that there is no error in the sentence.

1. I am wrote the assignemnt given by Mathematics teacher, Sri Sastry sir.

Your answer:

2. The students are listened to the class of Sociial Studies taken by Siva Prasad sir.

Your answer:

3. The thief was catching by the police last night.

Your answer:

4. ‘We shall be finishing this chapter by Thursday’, our Sanskrit sir told us.

Your answer:

5. The window panes were breaking by some michievous students.

Your answer:

6. Pakistan was defeating by India in1972 war.

Your answer:

7. I am taking vitamin tablets to boost my immunity in order to fight corona virus.

Your answer:

8. The police are not allowed people to go out in Red Zones.

Your answer:

9. You are not learn how to swim, are you?

Your answer:

10. When will you be complete your homework?

Your answer:

The Secret of Machines - Rudyard Kipling

NEW PATHWAYS - LITERATURE READER - 8

Answer the following questions.

a. The poem highlights many things that machines can do for us. Mention four tasks which machines can perform for humans.

According to the poem 'The Secret of Machines', machines can perform several tasks for humans. They are pulling, hauling, pushing, lifting and driving. Machines can print, plough, weave, heat and light. They can also count, read and write.

b. Compare the last two stanzas of the poem. What difference do you see in the attitude of the machines towards humans?

In the last but one stanza of the poem, machines say that they are very powerful. They say that they have no feelings. They see no difference between people and kings. Machines suggest that humans should be humble with them. 

In the last stanza of the poem, machines admit that they are 'nothing but children of human intelligence'. Without humans all their power is useless.

c. Is this poem a warning to humans or does it highlight the superior power of humans? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

This poem is both a warning to humans and it also highlights the superior power of humans.

The poem gives warning to humans in the following lines:

'We are not built to comprehend a lie,

We can neither love, nor pity, nor forgive,

If you can make a slip in handling us you die!

The poem highlights the superior power of humans in the following lines:

'for all our power and weight and size,

We are nothing more than children of your brain!'

d. Poems make use of imagery to appeal to the reader's sense of sight, hearing, touch, etc. Images make poetry powerful. Given below are two examples of images from the poem. Read the poem again and find other examples of imagery in it. Fill the table accordingly.

Visual Images	Aural Images
Iron ore being dug out of mines	Iron being hammered
being cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit	hearing the crackling sound on the phone
pulling, hauling, pushing, lifting	dynamite and drills
mountains baring their heads	has he answered?