Tea from Assam - Multiple Choice Questions

 

Q No	Question	Choice A	Choice B	Choice C	Choice D
1	Which is the correct statement?	Rajvir is a native of Assam.	Pranjol is a native of Deli.	Rajvir and Pranjol are classmates.	Rajvir and Pranjol are studying in Assam.
2	Which statement is not correct?	Assam is famous for its tea.	Rajvir’s father owns a tea garden in Assam.	Pranjol and Rajvir are going to Assam.	Pranjol and Rajvir are going to Assam on a train.
3	Pranjol buried his nose in his detective book again. It means that _______	he is asleep covering his face with an open book	he is enjoying the smell of the book	he is scratching his nose with a book	he is immersed in reading the book
4	How can you say that tea is very popular in the world?	because about 80 crore cups are being drunk	because it is sold in railways stations	because everyone in the compartment is drinking tea	because tea is a very healthy drink
5	Select a word that gives an opposite meaning to the word ‘ardent’	passionate	eager	having interest	having no interest
6	Rajvir had never seen so much greenery before because ….	he never travelled in a train	he is a native of Delhi, a city where there are no trees	he doesn’t like greenery	Pranjol never invited him to Delhi
7	The specialty of Assam is ……	it has the largest concentration of tea plantations	it is very far away from Delhi	it is in the north-east of India	it has several rolling hills
8	How many legends are mentioned about the discovery of tea?	1	2	3	4
9	‘to last a lifetime’ means …..	enough for a lifetime	not enough for a lifetime	what we can do in a lifetime	none of these
10	The _____ emperor boiled his drinking water.	Japanese	Mongolian	Chinese	Arab
11	Who first drank tea according to the lesson?	Indians	Europeans	Americans	Chinese
12	Who was Bhodhidharma?	A Buddhist saint	A Chinese sage	An Indian rishi	A Chinese emperor
13	The legends say that the source of tea was …..	a kind of twig	eye lids of a man	both are true	both are false
14	Europeans started drinking tea only as a …….	beverage	medicine	health drink	diet drink
15	Tea drinking began in China around ……	2700 BC	2500 BC	2000 BC	1500 BC
16	Tea made its way to Europe in _____	17th century	18th century	16th century	15th century
17	Which phrase in the text gives the opposite meaning of ‘pulled out of’?	pushed into	entered into	arrived at	clattered into
18	Which quality of tea is emphasized in the Chinese legend?	taste	avoiding sleep	energy	flavor
19	Which quality of tea is emphasized in the Indian legend?	taste	avoiding sleep	energy	flavor
20	Bodhidhrama cut off his eyelids because	he didn’t need eyelids	his eyelids were infected	he was falling asleep when meditating	All the saints do like this
21	The people who are picking tea leaves are ….	having bamboo baskets on their backs	wearing plastic aprons	both are correct	both are wrong
22	‘to scoff’ means …..	to appreciate	to belittle	to warn	to scold
23	Mr Barua is ………	Pranjol’s father	Rajvir’s father	the owner of tea estate	the head of the plantation
24	The best yield of tea is in the ……	first-flush	third-flush	second-flush	fourth-flush
25	The best crop of tea can be had from	May to June	May to July	April to July	June to July
26	Why Mr Barua is surprised?	because Rajvir came to their home	because the friends visited the tea plantation	because Rajvir knows a lot about tea	because Pranjol knows a lot about tea
27	A vendor	is a seller	is a maker	is a tea boy	is a collector
28	The tea plantation is in ……	Mariani	Dhekiabari	Shillong	Delhi
29	Why was Pranjol was not as enthusiastic as Rajvir upon looking at the tea plantations?	He was bored	He was not interested	His father was the manager of the plantation	He was born and brought up in a tea plantation
30	How do you think that Rajvir got to know so much about tea?	He has been reading books	He has been surfing the internet	He has been watching Youtube videos	Pranjol told him about tea

 

Answers:

Q No	Ans	Q No	Ans	Q No	Ans
1	C	11	D	21	C
2	B	12	A	22	B
3	D	13	C	23	A
4	A	14	B	24	C
5	D	15	A	25	B
6	B	16	C	26	C
7	A	17	D	27	A
8	B	18	D	28	B
9	A	19	B	29	D
10	C	20	C	30	A

 

Into the Snake Pit

 

Answers for the homework given: MCB Page 99 and 100

Reading 1

1. a. III b. iii. c. iv. d. iii

2. Answer the following questions.

a. Mac Tootle’s fears about Africa were mitigated by two things the narrator told him. What did he tell him?

The two things told by the narrator to Mac Tootle to mitigate his fears about Africa were:

1. Even though he had spent several months in Africa, he could see only five snakes.

2. The majority of snakes are easy to catch.

b. Why did the writer not have the heart to refuse the Irishman’s offer?

The writer did not have the heart to refuse the Irishman’s offer because the Irishman was very happy about the specimens of snakes he had found for the writer’s collection. Moreover, he told highly about the snake catching skills of the writer to his friends.

c. ‘Eventually eight of us walked our way through the banana plantation and seven were laughing and chattering excitedly…’ Who was the eighth one? Why was he not excited?

The eighth one was none other than the narrator. He was not happy or excited as he was the person who had to enter into the snake pit in the middle of the night. So, the narrator was anxious.

d. The narrator tries twice to escape his dreadful situation. What are the two reasons or excuses he tries to offer?

The first reason he tried was about lighting. As there was no torchlight, he wanted to back off from going into the snake pit. The second reason was the lack of proper clothing and shoes. He said that they could not offer proper protection to him against snakes.

e. After the pit ordeal, the writer concludes that animal collecting is as dangerous an occupation as one’s stupidity allows it to be. What do you think, he means by this?

After the pit ordeal, the writer concludes that an animal collector should not take stupid risks without proper preparation and equipment. It was not necessary for him to accept Mac Tootle’s offer and attempt to catch snakes at midnight. That too without proper lighting, clothes , and shoes. The writer was criticizing himself for being such a fool.

f. Bring out the humor in the last part of the account, relating to Mac Tootle and his brother.

They had waited for the brother and sister-in-law of Mac Tootle before they began the ordeal. Mac Tootle didn’t want his brother to miss the once in a lifetime opportunity to watch wild snakes being caught. The narrator had taken a great risk and entered into the snake pit. After all the trouble taken by the narrator to catch the snakes, Mac Tootle said that his brother hadn’t the courage to watch the ordeal. During the entire ordeal, they were not aware of the narrator’s misery or the difficult situation he faced.

Reading 2:

Give reasons for the following statements.

1. Going into the pit at night made the writer’s task more difficult for two reasons. What were these two reasons?

Going into the pit at night made the writer’s task more difficult for two reasons. They are: 1. Poor lighting. There was no sufficient light at the bottom of the pit. 2. There were Gaboon vipers in the pit. These deadly snakes are very quick and active at nights.

2. Do you think that the writer was relieved when Mac Tootle offered his clothes? Give a reason for your answer.

No. The narrator was not relieved when Mac Tootle offered him clothes. The narrator had hoped that he could back off from going into the snake pit by telling them that he was not having proper protective clothes.

3. The fact there were Gaboon vipers in the pit the narrator’s task ever more perilous. Why? Give two reasons.

Here are the two reasons that made the narrator’s task more perilous. 1. Gaboon vipers are among the deadliest snakes in the world. They hunt for food during night times. So, they are very active and quick at night. 2. The vipers have brown, silver-pink, and cream colored blotches on their skins. It is very difficult to find them as they are invisible in the background of leaf mould.

My Childhood - Abdul Kalam

 

Introduction:

This lesson is taken from Abdul Kalam’s biography, ‘Wings of Fire’. In this lesson, APJ writes about his childhood, his family background, his friends and customs of society.

A.P.J Abdul Kalam was born into a middle-class Tamil family and his place of birth was Rameswaram. It is an island town in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Meanings for some words and phrases:

erstwhile: former

innate: inborn; (a quality or feeling) in one’s nature

generosity of spirit: his soul sought to help others who were needy

undistinguished: ordinary or common

Pucca House means a house made of bricks, cement, and limestone.

austere: simple, strict, and severe

secure: safe

Materially means in terms of things like clothes food, medicine

emotionally means in terms of love and affection

princely sum: generous amount (here, ironic)

anna: an old Indian coin, worth about six paise

Dinamani: a Tamil daily newspaper.

isolated: lonely, cut-off

Allied Forces: the armies of the U.K., U.S.A., and Russia during the Second World War. They fought with Axis Forces led by Germany.

casualty: loss

suspension: to bring to an end, to stop, to discontinue

halt: stop

filled the slot: fit into a place easily

pride: sudden increase in the feeling of satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements.

Half a century later means after a period of 50 years

figures of authority: A person who had authority over another person; a person who has the power to give orders or make decisions.

Inherited means a characteristic, or a quality which you have got from your parents or ancestors.

socio-economic means in terms of social status and wealth

orthodox: following the traditional rules or beliefs of a religion, philosophy, or practice

could not stomach: could not tolerate

downcast: sad or depressed, feeling low

summoned: called

bluntly: speaking in a direct and honest way, even if this offends or upsets people.

apologise: seek pardon, to say sorry

quit: to leave

conviction: a strong opinion or belief

convey: communicate

rigid: strict

segregation: separation

conservative: traditional, unwilling to change

rebel: in opposition

Mingle: interact with each other.

on par: at the same level

ritually pure: kept protected from all outside influences for the observances of religion

perturbed: upset

hesitation: doubt, delay

confronted: faced, tackled

imminent: about to happen

Unprecedented: never done or know before.

Optimism: hope, belief that good is going to happen

Longing: desire

Summary:

This lesson is taken from Abdul Kalam’s biography, ‘Wings of Fire’. Kalam was a great scientist and also the 14th President of India. He was born in a middle-class Muslim family in 1931 in the island town of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. In his childhood, he was greatly influenced by his parents, his teachers, and his friends. His father, Jainulabdeen was not highly educated but he was a generous and kind person. He was not rich but provided a secure childhood to Abdul and his siblings. Abdul inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father and faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother.

When he was 8 years old, the Second World War broke out. The demand for tamarind seeds had increased for unknown reasons. Kalam used to collect those seeds and earn an anna. Kalam earned his first wages by working as a helping hand to his cousin, Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram. Kalam used to fetch the newspaper bundles thrown from a moving train.

In his childhood, he had three close friends. They were Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan. Later Ramanadha Sastry became the head priest of the temple, Aravindan became a transport businessman and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

Once when he was in the fifth standard, a new teacher asked him not to sit in the front row along with the Brahmin boy, Ramanadha Sastry. Kalam found Ramanadha Sastry weeping as he went to the last row. This made a lasting impression on Abdul. Lakshmana Sastry, the father of Ramanadha Sastry told the teacher not to pollute the young minds with social inequality and communal intolerance.

Kalam was also greatly influenced by his science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer. He learned the lesson of breaking social barriers from him. Iyer invited him to his home for a meal. His wife refused to serve food to a Muslim boy in her pure kitchen. Iyer served him with his own hands and sat down beside him to eat his meal. He could convince his orthodox wife and changed her conservative attitude.

For higher education, Abdul Kalam sought permission from his father to leave Rameswaram and study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram. His father said that Abdul had to go a long way in life just like a seagull. He calmed down APJ’s reluctant mother by quoting Kahlil Gibran. He told her that children could not be dominated because they had their own thoughts. Children did not belong to parents. Children are a result of life’s desire for itself.

Question and Answers:

Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.

1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?

A. Abdul Kalam’s house was located on the Mosque Street in the town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu state.

2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.

2. Dinamani is the name of a newspaper. It is a local Tamil daily. The reason for this is that Kalam wrote that he traced the stories of the war in the headlines of the Dinamani. We have headlines only in dailies.

3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?

A. During his childhood, Abdul Kalam had three friends. Their names are Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan. When they grew up, Ramanadha Sastry became the priest of the Rameswaram temple, Aravindan started a business of transporting pilgrims to and from the Rameswaram temple and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the railways.

4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?

A. Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by fetching the bundle of newspapers thrown out of the moving train at the Rameswaram station. He helped his cousin in distributing newspapers in Rameswaram.

5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?

A. When the second World War started, there was a great demand for tamarind seeds. Kalam would collect them and sell them to a grocery store located on Mosque Street. He would earn an anna for a day’s collection of the seeds.

Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words):

1. How does the author describe: (i) his father, (ii) his mother, (iii) himself?

A. (i) Kalam’s father’s name was Jainulabdeen. He was not educated and was not a wealthy man. Kalam says that despite this, his father possessed innate wisdom, honesty and he was a generous man. He did not believe in wasting money on luxuries but provided them with all the necessities of life like food, clothing, and medicine.

(ii) Kalam’s mother’s name was Ashiamma. She was an ideal helpmate to her husband. She was a kind – hearted woman. Kalam recollects that his mother would feed meals to numerous people. He inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness from her.

(iii) Kalam was short and had ordinary looks while his parents were tall and looked handsome. He was brought up in a secure atmosphere. He grew up to become honest and self-disciplined man. He believed in goodness and deep kindness.

2. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?

A. Kalam’s inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father. His mother imbibed in him faith in goodness and deep kindness.

Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.

1. “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups,” says the author.

(i) Which social groups does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for example, by the way they dressed)?

A. The social groups mentioned by Kalam were the Hindus and the Muslims. Yes, these groups were easily identifiable by the way they dressed. As Kalam was a Muslim, he wore a cap. Hiss Hindu friends who wore the sacred thread. Thus, they were easily identifiable.

(ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and experiences? (Think of the bedtime stories in Kalam’s house; of who his friends were; and of what used to take place in the pond near his house.)

A. No, they were not aware of any differences. Kalam and the other children listened to bedtime stories from their mother and grandmother. These were from both the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet. The family participated in the Hindu festival of Shree Seetha Rama Kalyanam by arranging boats for transporting the idols from the temple to the pond located near their house.

(iii) The author speaks both of the people who were very aware of the differences among them and those who tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?

A. The people who were aware of these differences were the young new teacher who came to teach Kalam’s class in the fifth standard. He ordered Kalam to sit on the last bench as he belonged to a lower caste. His science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife was an orthodox Hindi Brahmin. She refused to serve him food as she felt that his presence would render the kitchen impure.

The people who bridged these differences were Ramanadha Sastry’s father Lakshmana Sastry and Sivasubramania Iyer. Lakshmana Sastry was the priest of the Rameswaram temple. He scolded the young teacher and asked him to apologize for sowing the seeds of social inequality and communal intolerance into the innocent minds of the children. Upon his wife’s refusal to serve food to Kalam, Sivasubramania Iyer served food to Kalam with his own hands and sat beside him to eat which reformed his wife.

2. (i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?

A. Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram and go to Ramanathapuram for higher studies.

(ii) What did his father say to this?

A. His father said that he knew Kalam had to leave home as he had to fulfill his dreams. He gave the example of the Seagull which flies endlessly and does not have a nest too. He calmed down APJ’s reluctant mother by quoting Kahlil Gibran. He told her that children could not be dominated because they had their own thoughts. Children did not belong to parents. Children are a result of life’s desire for itself.

(iii) What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?

A. Abdul Kalam’s father’s words had a deep meaning. He inspired Kalam to follow his dreams, to fly high like the seagull. He wanted him to pursue higher studies and so, allowed him to go to Ramanathapuram. He explained to Kalam’s mother to allow him to go and pursue higher education. He spoke these words to encourage Abdul Kalam and to control the emotional attachment of his mother.

No Men Are Foreign

 

Introduction:

It is clear from the title of the poem, ‘No men are Foreign’ that the poet wants to promote universal brotherhood. The title means that no men belong to another country. That implies that all men are the same, and all men are equal.  All the people, irrespective of where they live eat, live, die the same way. The gifts of nature like, sunshine, air, and harvests are the same. This poem is written by James Kirkup, an American poet.

Meanings:

Beneath: under

Strange: unknown

starve: to be without food

betray: expose, victimize, reveal information about

condemn: criticize

dispossess: dislodge; deprive

outrage: to make extremely angry

Rhyme Scheme: There is no rhyme scheme in the poem. The poem is written in free verse.

Literary Devices:

Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound in two or more closely placed words is called alliteration. The instances of alliteration in the poem are….

Stanza 1 - Body, breathes ‘b’ sound is repeated

Stanza 2 – war’s, winter ‘w’ sound is repeated

Metaphor:

Stanza 1 - Uniform refers to the military of different countries

Stanza 2 – wars time is compared to the winter season

Repetition: It is used throughout the poem.

‘Remember’ word is repeated 5 times in this poem.

‘Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign’ is repeated in stanza 1 and stanza 5

Enjambment: Enjambment is running lines of poetry from one line to the next without using any kind of punctuation to indicate a stop. Instances of enjambment in the poem are as follows …..

Stanza 1 – line 2, 3 and 4

Stanza 2 – line 3 and 3

Stanza 3 – line 1, 2, and 3

Stanza 4 – line 1 and 2

Stanza 5 – Line 2 and 3

Summary:

It is interesting to note that the poem ‘No Men Are Foreign’ begins and ends with the same line, ‘Remember no men are strange, no countries foreign’. The poet wants to emphasize on the fact that all the people living on this Earth are the same. We have created distinctions by erecting borders and fences.

While we are alive, we walk on the same Earth and upon our death, we will lie in our graves in the same earth. The poet tells us about some more similarities.  We enjoy good food during peace and starve during the war and in wintertime. We have the same kind of hands and we use them to do hard work. All of us have eyes that are open when we are awake and close when we sleep.

The poet asks us to remember that we hear somebody saying that we are different. We are told to hate, disown, victimize, attack, and criticize others who are foreign. If we do like that, we will be cheating and hating ourselves. We will be taking weapons against ourselves.

We are segregating ourselves. We are polluting our innocence and goodness with hatred and intolerance.  We are making the earth impure with our narrow mindedness. We have to remember that no men are foreign.

Questions and Answers

1. (i) “Beneath all uniforms. ..” What uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about?

(ii) How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?

A. (i) The uniforms refer to those worn by soldiers belonging to different countries who take part in wars and fights.

(ii) The poet says that all the people are the same in the following ways: we belong to one human race, we walk on the same Earth, upon death, we will lie in our graves in the same Earth, during peace we all enjoy the bounties of nature, during the war and in the winter season, we all starve due to the shortage of food, we all do hard work with our hands, and we have eyes which function in the same way.

2. In stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.

A. The five words which indicate that we are all alike are: We walk, we breathe, we have eyes, we work with our hands, and we enjoy the gifts of nature.

3. How many common features can you find in stanza 2? Pick out the words.

A. There are three common features in stanza two. They are: 1. We enjoy the gifts of nature and eat good food during peace. 2. We starve during the war and in the winter season. 3. We have similar hands which we use for doing work.

4. “...whenever we are told to hate our brothers ...” When do you think this happens? Why? Who ‘tells’ us? Should we do as we are told at such times? What does the poet say?

A. The leaders of any country tell the masses to hate the people of another country. They say so for their own benefit. The poet says that we should not follow them because when we hate our brothers, we hate and belittle ourselves. When we indulge in wars, we pollute Earth with our hatred and intolerance.