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