Rani Lakshmi Bai

Read and Answer

1.    1.   Little chabili was different from other girls of her age as she wanted to do things that girls at that time normally did not. She wanted to sit on an elephant as well as a horse. Her eyes sparkled with a confidence that was not seen in girls of her age.

2.   2.    Nana doted on his daughter and wished to provide her the love of both a mother and a father. He affectionately called her Manu. He was surprised as well as proud to see a rare confidence in her eyes. He married her off at the age of thirteen , as it was the tradition in that age.

3.  3.    Manu became Rani Lakshmi Bai when she was married to Raja Gangadhar Rao at the age of thirteen. After losing their son at a very young age, the couple adopted a son. Soon after her husband died of an illness. The responsibility of protecting Jhansi from the British fell on her shoulders after death.

4.       4.Lord Dalhousie wanted to annex states of kings who had died without a natural heir. He wanted to expand the British Empire and targeted Jhansi too.

Think and Answer

1.   1.    Chabili accepted her naturalness and was fortunate to have a father who led her do things that girls in that time normally did not. She encouraged naturalness against norms and traditions. She led the largest women’s army till date and is an inspiration to all of us. I have learnt from her character that I must not ashamed of who I am, but master my unique talents to stand out from the crowd.

2.   2.    Rani Laxmi Bai was playful and lively as a young girl. Her antics and escapades were attractive. Her laugh was full of mirth. As a queen , she proved to be mardani as she stood bravely against the British army to defend her Jhansi. She led the largest army of women till date. With her son tugged on her back, she led the soldiers of Jhansi.

3. 3.      Rani Lakshmi Bai was truly a unique leader. Many women leaders have personalities that make them stand out from the crowd. Like these leaders, Rani Lakshmi Bai proved her mettle in an age when women were not really at the forefront of an army. She not only accepted the challenge of protecting her state against British rule but also did it with a flair and panache on her own. Be it Indira Gandhi or Angela Merkel :they have all been strong and effective leaders. I wish to imbibe their diligence,focus and determination to do well in life.

4.    4.   Rani Lakshmi Bai is the epitome of women empowerment as she exhibited exceptional qualities of courage and physical prowess in an age when girls were limited to house work. She encouraged naturalness against norms and traditions. She led the largest women army till date and proved that the independence struggle was not just a men’s affair.

                               Reference To Context

(a)Manu said these words to Nana.

(b) She said these words on being told that girls did not ride elephants.

(c)She felt she would inspire other girls also to do things which they were not allowed to do traditionally.

(d) Nana felt proud of his little lovely daughter but also worried about her.

The Shoemaker

Read and answer

1.   1    Lucie discovered that her father, whom she believed to be dead, was alive and had been held captive for a long time in the North Tower.

2.    2   Mr. Lory was perhaps someone known to Mr.Manette. He could have been his banker or his servant, as suggested in the chapter.

3.   3    The reason behind Mr. Lory accompanying Lucie to the prison was to reunite Lucy and his father.

4.      4 Monsieur Manette is actually the old shoemaker’s name. May be due to some conspiracy or lack of evidence, he was imprisoned.

5.    5.   He had a white beard, raggedly cut but not very long, a hollow face and exceedingly bright eyes. The hollowness and thinness of his face would have caused them to look large under his jet dark eyebrows and his confused white hair, though they had been really otherwise, but , they were naturally large, and thus looked unnaturally so. His yellow rags of shirt lay open at the throat and showed his body to be withered and worn.

Think and Answer

1.     1.  The girl was the shoemaker’s  daughter  . she had seen signs of faint recognition in the shoemaker’s face as he spoke to Mr. Lorry and Mr. Defarge and also some signs of an active intelligence. All she felt was strong filial love and wished to nurse him back to life and hope.   She was not at all scared of him and knew he would not hurt her.

2.      2. Mr. Lorry did know Mr. Manette  as he mentioned ‘ old times’ to him. He was perhaps his banker or an old associate. He had accompanied his daughter Lucie with the purpose of recognizing the captive as Mr.Manette , which he could have done only if he knew him !

3.       3. Mr. Lorry wanted Lucie to have an uninterrupted , private moment with her father. Perhaps, the deep bond of filial love would be able to evoke some response from Mr.Manette. Lucie too could embrace him and give him hope.

Reference to the Context

1.       (a) Monsieur Defarge said these words to the shoe maker, who was actually Mr.Manette.

(b) The visitor is Mr.Lorry.

(c)  Mr. Manette could not recognize the visitor initially and showed him a lady shoe that he was making.

(d) Mr. Lorry  try to jog Mr. Manette’s memory by mentioning past times, but there was only a fleeting recognition in Mr. Manette’s eyes.

                                                                                HOTS

The shoe maker had been held captive for so long that he may have lost his mental balance. He had not seen the light of day for years, nor met his family or friends. The conditions in the North Tower would not have been favourable.  He did repetitive actions like clenching his fists, looking about him gazing vacantly. These are signs of mental disturbance. That is why; he was not able to recognize the visitors who had come to meet him.

Christopher Columbus

1.      1.  Columbus was a navigator, colonizer  and an explorer from the Republic of Geneva.

5. Columbus had to face  the rough nature of the sea and the rebellious attitude of his crew members while accomplishing his mission.

6. It is celebrated to mark his discovery of and landing on the American Soil.

Crowded Home

Read and Answer

1.       Nasrudin’s neighbour was complaining about the lack of space in his cramped house as he shared it with his wife, three kids and mother-in-law.

2.       The man raised a fuss when Mulla Nasrudin asked him to put the goat with the rest of the animals. But, he was eager to follow Nasrudin’s advice and was convinced to put the goat in the house.

3.       Nasrudin’s neighbor put ten hens , two cows, a donkey and a goat in this house. The house would have become more cramped with his family and the animals inside it. People would have found it very difficult to go about their dairy chores and get things done. Everybody would have complained about the lack of space and would have been chaos and confusion inside the cramped space.

4.       Nasrudin’s neighbor was upset after following his advice as his family was annoyed with him. They argued angrily and compained about the lack of space. They were all miserable.

Think and Answer

1.       Nasrudin’s neighbor used the words ‘ as it is’ to express that his house was ‘already’ cramped ‘in the existing circumstances’ with too many people. It would be tough to accommodate the animals in it.

2.       The neighbour was desperate to find a solution to the problem of living in a cramped house and had full faith in Nasrudin’s wisdom. That is why ; he kept following Nasrudin’s suggestion despite not agreeing with them.

3.       Mulla’s plan worked like a charm as the neighbour’s family heaved a sigh of relief after the animals were moved out of the house. Finally, they felt content with the spacious house. Mulla nasrudin was wise enough to realize that the family members would appreciate the available space only after they had to share it with the animals.

Reference to the context

(a)     The neighbor said these words to Mulla Nasrudin.

(b)     ‘Everyone’ refers to the neighbour’s family members: his wife, three children, and his mother in law.

(c)     ‘Everyone’ is complaining about the cramped space becoming worse after the animals were put into the house.

(d)     Mulla Nasrudin advised his neighbor to move the animals out of his house. Finally, the family felt relieved and happy with the available space that they found insufficient earlier.

READ AND ANSWER   (Chapter- My unknown friend)

1.    1.   The narrator confessed that he found it hard to remember names and recall faces. He frequently failed to recall faces. He frequently failed to recall a person’s appearance or dressing style. Then he claimed that apart from these details , he never  forget anybody. The humor is that in reality it is impossible for him remember anybody if  he cannot  recall their name ,face or and appearance.          

2.     2.  The narrator flatly refused when asked about an old place because he had no idea which place was being referred to.

3.    3.   The narrator talked Billy and Pete as these  were very common names and any gang of friends had to have a Billy and a Pete.

4.      4. The narrator thought that the stranger meant a loss of the narrator’s fortune when he sympathized with him. He presumed that the stranger must have heard he had been completely ruined financially.

5.      5. The stranger mentioned how tough it would have been for the narrator to get over a sad death and showed surprise when the narrator mentioned the dead person had continued to smoke till his last days. The stranger made a clear mention of his grandmother for the narrator to finally realize that the loss was the death of his grandmother.

THINK AND ANSWER

1.       The truth about the fifty –dollar suitcase was that it had been stolen by the imposter to pretend he was a well-to-do person. He needed this to be able to dupe the narrator about his identity , make him believe what  he said and cheat him of some money.

2.       The narrator has absolutely no clue about the well-dressed man who has boarded the train compartment. Instead of showing surprise or confusion, he pretends to recognize him as an old friend .Which follows a hilarious scene where the narrator tries to recall his past that the narrator seems to know about. He tries to put two and two together by taking clues from the stranger’s mention of an old place, the old friends, and a loss he has suffered.

3.       The stranger outwitted the narrator in the story. The narrator thought he was being very smart in pretending to recognise him as an old man and deducing many facts by taking hints from stranger’s  talk. In his presumption, he failed to realize that stranger was an impostor who had donned this person to dupe him and get away with some money. The narrator was under the false impression of possessing coolness and intellect and the stranger had great presence of mind to see through the narrator’s pretend. He was able to outwit him and coolly walk off after having cheated him.

4.       The first of the two instances where the narrator’s  friend put him into spin of thoughts were first when he greeted him warmly. The narrator had a hard time placing him and just could not recognize him. The second was when he mentioned a loss that narrator had suffered. He wondered what grievous loss he had suffered that might have ruined him completely!

5.       Yes, the stranger feigned agitated expression and fumbled with the keys to finally rob the narrator of his money. After he was convinced that the narrator believed him to be an old friend who was well –off pretended to have missed his stop. Then, he behaved as if the lock of  the suitcase was giving him problems to make the narrator part off his money.

6.       The narrator  felt  he had scored the first point by curtly refusing ever revisiting the ‘old place’ . Now , he had something he could be the conversation upon: an old familiar place. Using his intellect might help him recognize the stranger after all.

REFERENCE TO CONTEXT

1.       ‘I’ is the narrator.

2.       The stranger is being referred to as an ‘Idiot’.

3.       He had missed his stop.

4.       Another well-dressed man entered the compartment with a porter. He recognized the fifty-dollar suitcase as his wife’s and said he had been looking for it all over the train car. 

                                                An Old Grudge

Ans 1- Ramesh’s mule was in the habit of kicking and did so very hard. That is why he has been described as the ‘ Kicking Mule’.

Ans 2- Ramesh told naresh that the mule could kick a fly off a man without hurting and he was taking him down to he market for betting purpose.

Ans3- ramesh bet naresh five thousand rupees that the mule could kick a fly off his shoulder without hurting. Naresh was fooled easily and readily stood behind the mule for him to kick a fly off his shoulder. As a result , he was kicked violently and rose high up in the air to land on all fours against a rail fence.

Ans 4- naresh exclaimed as he rose in a towering passiohn from his fall that he knew ramesh would lose the bet as his mule could not kick somebody without hurting them. He had told naresh a pack of lies and would have to pay him the sum of the bet which was five thousand rupees.

Ans5- ramesh was sharp and cunning. He had a grudge against his neighbour and fooled him with a clever play of words. He used language skillfully to suit his own purpose and hurt naresh physically and even extorted five thousand rupees from him. Naresh liked to brag and bet. He was a foolish man who could be duped easily by ramesh. Even after being hurt violently by the mule, he does not realize that ramesh has made a fool of him.

                                                Think and Answer

1.     1.  Ramesh encouraged naresh to bet in such a silly manner because he knew that naresh would not be able to resist an opportunity to bet if he could win easilys. He wanted to take revenge as he hekld an old grudge against naresh.

2.    2.   Ramesh chose to be at the mule’s head to instruct him to be completely clear of the  danger of being kicked by the mule.

3.   3.     The bet was misinterpreted with the play of words. Naresh thought the bet meant the mule could kick a fly off a person’s shouldwer without hurting that person. Ramesh claimed it meant  the mule would not be hurt in the whole process.

4.   4.    Naresh described ‘my fault’ as his fault that he had not understood the fact.

5.   5.    Bragging and betting are described as naresh’s weakness as he could not resist a chance to bet on the kicking mule to earn a quick buck. He bragged that it was usual for him to take on such bet very often.

Reference

1 (a) naresh is the speaker.

(b) Ramesh is referred to as “you”

© naresh asked ramesh to try getting a fly kicked off his shoulder by the mule without hurting.

(d) Ramesh said he had to stand at the head of the mule to instruct him. He asked naresh to stand behind the mule. The mule kicked naresh violently into the air.

                                 Lesson --A journey through desert

Ans1- The narrator met Ram and Gopal at a service station behind the petrol pump from where she filled petrol. She was attracted to them as despite being poor and not going to school. They always remained cheerful and could speak many languages.

2- Ram and Gopal were fourteen year old twin brothers. They were poor and did not go to school. They worked at service station to earn their livelihood. They worked for long hours except Sundays. Their mother worked as a labourer and did not have a father. They lived in  a slum with their uncle. They had learned many languages by interacting with different people and could speak Kannada, Tamil, Telugu  and Hindi.

3.The narrator used to like Ram and Gopal for their enthusiasm and started taking snacks and clothes for them. They were happy and grateful to receive these. But, when she took story books for them, their faces become pale and unhappy. They said that it took them lot of time to read as they ere not used to read it. They requested if she could read the stories to them some day at 4 pm when they got some free time. The narrator knew how much children loved to listen the stories as her own kids always insisted on telling them stories. She could not refuse and started telling them stories on Saturday evenings.

4. The first boy in the story had finished all his food and water half way through the desert. He found the weight of the stones he had collected too heavy to carry. He did not listen to the second boy who said they must cross the desert under all circumstances as their elders had advised. He went back and did not complete the journey.

Think and answer

Ans1. Ram’s life changed due to a story. He was inspired by the story told to him about a boy who crossed the desert inspite of all the odds. The narrator had explained that a student’s life was like the desert, examinations were the hot sun, difficulties were the warm sand and study was the hunger and thirst. As a student, they must collect knowledge and skill just as the boy collected stones. Ram was motivated and decided to study despite all the difficulties. He finished school, did an Automobile diploma and started his own garage with a bank loan.

2 (a) The narrator said these words when Ram said that a story told by her had made a big difference in his life.

 (b) The narrator was unable to remember the name of the story as ten years had passed since the time she had told that story to ram and Gopal.

3- The story is about the boys crossing the desert taught me that knowledge and skill that I acquire as a student will stand me in good stead all my life.it is the ticket to the good profession and a comfortable life. The story about the jackal and the shadow taught me that we must know and understand our abilities and capacity. Trying to do things beyond our 

EACH ONE TEACH ONE

READ AND ANSWER

1)On Teacher’s Day , we wish and thank our teachers. We also sometimes take gifts for them.

2)September 8 is celebrated as World Literacy Day.

THINK AND ANSWER

1)      A.)The social responsibility talked about here is the one to eradicate illiteracy.

B) I agree with the statement as we are all members of society and can contribute in our own ways .Ours is the very big country with a large population and the government alone cannot bring about change .

c) Yes , I intend to shoulder the responsibility of eradicating illiteracy as it will enlighten and empower the literate person. This will help our country to progress.

2.) As a country , we can hope to progress only when 100 percent literacy is achieved .

3.)India still has the largest number of illiterate people. It is a distinction that we can do without.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

A)     Child labour are referred to as ‘They’

B)      They work in carpet and firework services.

C)        They are paid poorly for their work ,much less than they deserve.

D)     They are kept away from their families so that they can work continuously for long hours.

HOT QUESTIONS

Literacy empowers and enlightens an individual. It makes him aware of the happening around him ,gives him knowledge .Literacy becomes a tool to acquire professional skills .A literate population is aware of its rights and duties .People are professionally qualified to do work that contributes in nation building .Literate people are hard to dupe or influence with false superstition  and dogma .Thus ,literacy contributes towards the progress and prosperity of a country.

 Poem

Me Only Cry: ‘ Close The Arms Factories’

Ans 1 – The poem is a touching appeal.

Ans2- In the last stanza, ‘ right wing politics’ means policies followed by a conservative political party. Be it right wing or left wing politics, they do no matter much to small children. Who suffer because of their decisions to allow manufacturing to arms and ammunition.

Ans3- The poet wants to convey to the adults the urgent need to stop manufacture of arms and ammunition as they cause widespread destruction and devastation. It is an appeal to the grown-ups of the world to make the Earth a peaceful and beautiful place so that the children may enjoy its abundant resources.

Ans 4- Yes, I agree with the poet as peace , fellowship and friendship will bring great dividends for all. If we keep making arms and ammunition , we will only end up hurting each other.

Ans 5 (a) The poet call the world ‘deaf’ as it cannot hear the cries of young children who are distraught at the devastation caused by adults as they use arms and ammunition.

(b) The child feels that their life is all about love and affection. But the destructive actions of the adults pit a ‘veil of dust’ over this fact. It is like a dirty and ugly cover of hatred and rivalry that the adults have created.

- Unit 5    - War And Peace

Section-1-  Old Man At The Bridge

ANSWER ORALLY

1.    1   The men, women and  children are moving towards Tortosa or Barcelona to escape the artillery during Spain’s Civil War. The soldiers are helping them as the bank is steep so that there is some sort of order and they can clear the bridge before the enemy caught up with them .

2.2       The narrator was a soldier .

READ AND ANSWER

1.       He was very old and tired. He had a grey dusty face, wore steel – rimmed spectacles and wore dusty clothes . His clothes were covered with dust  as he had travelled twelve kilometers on foot on the way where a mass movement of people had unsettled the dust

That covered him.

2.       The old man just looked after some animals like a cat, two goats and four pairs of pigeons in the town .

3.       He was tired as he had travelled twelve kilometers on foot.

4.       The other people were crossing the pontoon bridge in their carts and trucks away from Ebro towards Tortosa and Barcelona to escape the Fascists as the old man sat still in one place .

5.       The old man was worried about what would happen to the animals that he had left behind. He felt the cat would be able to look after itself, but what would happen to the goats and pigeons.

THINK AND ANSWER

1.   1    The pontoon bridge is the focal point of all the action that takes place in the story. It is a route for the people to escape towards safety from the advancing Fascists. The old chooses to sit there while the narrator speaks to him .

2. 2      War effects all. The old man was tired and worried constantly about the animals he had left behind. He is the representative of the people who are left alone to mourn their loss.

3.   3    He was the last one to leave the town as he was too old to make such a long journey. He had stayed back to look after the animals and did not wish to abandon them.

4.    4   He said it as he knew  the cat  could adapt to the situation, be aggressive and hunt for its food .

5.   5    The old man was concerned how the goats and doves would survive the artillery. HE knew them to be timid and helpless creatures, just like himself . He identified  himself with their plight and was worried about their well being.

.

The purple Children

Answers orally

Ans1- A sentry is a soldier stationed to keep guard or to control access to a place. He is a guard or a watchman.

Ans 2- A curfew is a regulation requiring people to remain indoors between specified hours, typically at night.  A curfew is enforced usually in case of riots or clashes to maintain law and order.

Read and answer

Ans1- Ariana showed up at the camp calling out to her cat. She claimed that it had slipped out of the house and entered that area when the sentry questioned her. She was a young girl of fifteen who requested innocently to the sentry to let her in so she may look for her cat. She even pretended to cry and melted the sentry’s heart to gain entry. She convinced him that she meant no harm, he could accompany her without any fear as he had a gun with him.

Ans2- The boy came to the spot to hoist the native’s flag on the pole inside the camp of the British rulers. The Flag represented the desire of residents of Cyprus to be free and reunited with Greece. It was a mark of protest against the foreign British rule.

Ans3- The Sentry was duped by the Girl’s pretence of looking innocently for her cat. It was actually a poly to distract his attention so that her partner in crime , Andreas could hoist their flag on the pole inside the camp. The sentry was pulled up by the Major for being so naïve and getting hoodwinked by a young girl.

Ans 4- The sentry was young and inexperienced man. He was easily duped by Ariana,s act of looking for her cat. He had not yet learnt the ways o0f the native people to realize that the girl was playing on the emotions and trying to evoke his sympathy. He opened the gate to let her in and even helped her looked for her cat., thus getting distracted from his job of keeping a lookout. He was naïve as opposed to the major who was well aware of the local style of warfare. The sentry was unprepared as was seen by his surprise when Ariana threw the cat on his face.

Ans 5- The young children were strong supporters of the native party that was against the foreign British rule. They worked in unison to distract the sentry at the foreigner’s camp and hoist their own flag on a pole there. Ariana distracted the sentry’s attention after gaining entry inside the camp and Andreas hosted the flag. He even left ten feet of the flagstaff coiled round with barbed wire.

Ans 6- The sentry had used a spray gun that had marked part of Ariana’s face with a purple dye. The vegetable dye could not be washed off; it had to wear off over time. Andreas thought of a clever plan to save Ariana. All the children of the senior class dyed their faces from the foreheads to their chins in the purple of the vegetable dye. The one distinguish mark of the offender was the splatter of purple dye and now the major was presented with a whole bunch of children bearing similar dye marks.

                                THINK AND ANSWER

Ana 1- Ariana tried to divert the sentry’s attention to give a chance to Andreas to enter the camp and hoist the flag of the natives unnoticed.

Ans 2- Ariana didn’t move after finding the cats as Andréas had not yet jumped down from the wall. Their mission had not yet been completed.

Ans3- Andreas ran head down for the gate so that the sentry would not be able to see his face and recognize him later as a culprit. It could also be to escape the possible spray of the gun.

Ans 4- Ariana screamed as she  saw the sentry getting the spray gun ready. She wanted to startle him so that he would miss the mark.

Ans 5- The sentry used the spray gun as he wanted to mark the errant children with a purple dye that would help identify them later.

Reference to context

a.       Andreas said  this to Ariana.

b.      All’ refers to all the young children who had planned the entry and flag hoisting inside the camp of the foreign rulers as a mark of protest. They that included Andreas, Ariana, Niko, Christo and other children of their age.

c.       The ‘act’ was the entry into the British camp where their flag was hoisted as a mark of protest.

d.       Andreas realized that the only way to save Ariana was to dye the faces of all the children of the senior class in the purple of the vegetable dye! The major came to the school looking for an offender whose face was dyed purple and saw fifty three students of the senior from looking alike with purple-dyed faces.

DC Model Sr. Sec. School

        Ferozepur Cantt

            Letter Writing

              CLASS VIII

Sample Informal letter(BBC Page no. 248)

You have got the news that a cousin of yours is going abroad for higher education. Write him/her a letter in about 120 words to

( Say how you got the news and how you feel about the development, find out wherever he/she is going and for what course, wish your cousin a safe journey)

121,The Mall

Ambala Cantt 

25^thJuly, 2017

Dear __

I hope you are having a whale of time and must be in cheerful spirits. Yesterday ,I received the letter from your mother and got to know that you are going abroad for higher education. It’s really a matter of pride for you and for our entire family as well.

Dear, no doubt you have left no stone unturned to achieve something big in your life and still you are continuously making strides towards progress. You have now become a source of inspiration for us all. My dear I would like to know in which institution have  you got the admission and what the course is all about. I am also willing to follow your foot steps and would like to start the preparations for admission in some prestigious institutions. I will wait for your letter.

Wish you  a happy and safe journey

Yours affectionately

DC Model Sr. Sec. School

        Ferozepur Cantt

            Letter Writing

CLASS VIII

       

Sample Informal Letter (BBC page no. 248)

Your friend has failed in the first terminal examination. She /he is feeling very low. Write a letter in about 120 words.

(Comfort and encourage him/her, enquire how it happened, suggest what he /she can do to make a comeback)

278- Rose Avenue

Delhi

27^thJuly, 2017

Dear Raj

Yesterday I received a letter from your mother in which she told me that you have failed in your first terminal examination. I am sure you must be feeling down in the dumps. Friend, life is full of peaks and valleys but we can face each situation bravely and learn from it.

We know that you have been shifted to a new school due to some unavoidable circumstances. The ambiance, teachers, friends all are new for you. Moreover I also got to know that you were suffering from high fever during exams and all these were the reasons of your failure.

Friend, now it’s time to pull up your socks and buckle down yourself with new zeal in you. Take healthy diet, make a proper time table and stick to it. Always keep your chin up whatever the situation is I am sure you have the courage and determination to come back and nothing can let you bog down.

All the best for your future  .

Yours affectionately

           It Couldn’t be done (poem)

Ans 1 (a) A difficult task that probably could not be done

(b) The difficult task that others claim cannot be done.

2 (a) In the poem ‘he’ is the person being discouraged to try doing tough things that others have failed to do. Ti could be the poet.

(b) The people told him that he was undertaking an impossible task and they had never seen anything do it.

(c) He replied by doing all those things which they said that couldn’t be done.

Ans 3- He undertook the task ‘with a bit of a grin’ as he  had a positive and cheerful attitude. The phrase is repeated to show his optimistic nature.

Ans 4- © an objection

Ans 5- I have the same attitude as the poet towards the ‘thing that couldn't be done’. I too feel that we cannot give up just because a task has never been done. Unless we try our hand at it, it will remain undone’. So, we need to be optimistic, put our head down, work hard and accomplish the ‘seemingly impossible’

Ans6- motivated

Ams7- The character in the poem is optimistic. He has a cheerful and positive attitude. He works hard to accomplish things that seem impossible. He is not one to give up easily. He is not deterred when others mock at him or prophesy his failure. He has strong will power . he is adventurous as he charts unfamiliar territory to conquer previously unaccomplished feats.

Ans 8- The poem is called ‘It couldn’t be done’ as it talks about how people usually shy away from seemingly impossible tasks. They even discourage others from trying to accomplish that which has never been done before. Another title of the poem could be; Try, try, try, till you succeed.

what katy did .... question answers

                                    What Katy Did

Ans 1- The room in which katy spent her time in bed was neat, but it was gloomy. It had a dismal look, with the chairs set up against the wall and a row of medicine bottles on the chimney piece. Katy made the aunt keep the blinds shut tight and there was no sunlight in her room. The gloomy room added to her depression.

Ans2- The author describes katy as forlorn when cousin Helen came to visit her. Her face had grown thin and her eyes had red circles under them because of continual crying. She had run her hands through her brushed hair and it stood out above her head like a frowzy bush. She wore a calico dressing gown that had an ugly pattern.

Ans 3-  The school of pain referred to a time of sorrow and suffering. It was the time that katy had to spend in bed as she was unwell. Cousin Helen told her that her classroom was that room. The rules of the school were hard, but good students who followed the rules found them to be kind and right after a while. The lessons were not easy but they were interesting.

Ans 4- The lesson of neatness demanded that school rooms to be kept in order. Katy may be sick, but she should be fresh and dainty as a rose. This would be different from how forlorn she looked presently with her ruffled hair, her thin face and her red eyes.

Ans 5- Katy had a splendid chance because she was always on hand, available to people as her illness had restricted her to one room. She could make sure that she gave everybody a loving reception, whether they were happy, sad or grieving. She could make everybody feel welcome in her room.

Think and answer

Ans1- Katy had become too self-absorbed to notice how kind and patient others were with her. She wallowed in self-pity and was unappreciative. She felt no gratefulness for all the efforts put in by Aunt izzie.

Ans2- The lesson of patience is one of the hardest to learn. When anyone is going through a hard time, it is very tough to be patient for things to change. one tends to become impatient, bitter  and forlorn. This is what happened to kity.

Ans3- Sun is one of the teachers of the lesson of hopefulness. We have to learn let him into our lives by opening up the drapes, stepping outside. He is a perfect example of walking up daily on a bright, warn and cheerful note.

Ans 4- It was important for katy to study by herself as then she would not slip back quiet so far in her education. She would be able to keep up with most of what was being taught at school.

Ans5- Katy could be of use to the children in many ways. She could make her room a delightful place where they felt welcome. Then, they would share their happiness, sorrow and feelings with her. She could do anything she wanted to with them as she had a lot of time on her hands now.

Ans6- A person whose life is laid aside, as katy’s was due to her being unwell, can help others by living their lives with them. He or she can listen to their happiness, sorrow or troubles patiently can offer them valuable advice, teach them something new to tackle their problems. He or she can offer them a place where they feel safe, secure and welcome at all times.

Reference to context

Ans (a) Cousin Helen said these words to katy.

(b) The speaker preached on how katy could be happy and help others even though she was unwell.

© Cousin Helen said so as preaching never did any good! She did not wish to moralize or give boring advice , instead she wished to motivate Katy.

(d) yes, the sermon influenced the listeners because cousin Helen give a hollow or boring sermon. She gave practical advice on how katy could feel better about her condition and help others. she gave her tips on how to keep her room bright, herself cheerful and make others feel welcome.

worksheet on tenses for 8thclass

Complete the following sentences using an appropriate verb form.

1. I ………………………. (wake) up several times in the night.

2. My mother …………………….. (cook) delicious meals.

3. She ……………………… (not know) the answer.

4. The boys …………………….. (play) in the garden when it started raining.

5. I ……………………….. (wait) for him.

6. I …………………………. (receive) the parcel yesterday.

7. I ………………………… (watch) that movie three times.

8. Goats and cows ……………………… (give) us milk.

9. Cows ……………………….. (feed) on grass.

10. I …………………………. (wait) for his call since yesterday.

11. I ………………………… (read) all the books written by Dickens.

12. She ……………………. (act) in two films.

13. He …………………….. (draw) nice portraits.