Now ask your partner questions about each picture.
(i) Where is the stag?
(ii) What is he doing?
(iii) Does he like his antlers (horns)?
(iv) Does he like his legs?
(v) Why is the stag running?
(vi) Is he able to hide in the bushes?
(vii) Where are the hunters now?
(viii) Are they closing in on the stag?
(ix) Is the stag free?
(x) What does the stag say about his horns and his legs?
(i) The stag is standing by the side of a pond
(ii) He is going to drink water. He sees the shadow of his horns in water
(iii) Yes, he finds them beautiful
(iv) No, the stag thinks that his legs are very thin and ugly
(v) The stag is running on seeing the hunters
(vi) No, he is not able to hide in the bushes because of his horns
(viii) The hunters are just behind the stag
(ix) Yes, they are closing in on the stag
(x) Yes, the stag is able to run fast because of his legs and is free now.
Complete the following word ladder with the help of the clues given below.
Now write the story in your own words. Give it a title.
(i) How much did you pay for that hilsa? The woman asked the man how much he had paid for that hilsa.
(ii) Why is your face half-shaven? Gopal’s wife asked him
(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty. Gopal told the king
(iv) I want to see the king. Gopal told the guards
(v) Bring the man to me at once. The king ordered the guard
Look at the pictures and read the text aloud.
Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
Find out the meaning of the following words by looking them up in the dictionary. Then use them in sentences of your own.
challenge mystic comical
courtier smearing
How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?
What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.
What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
What did Nishad give Mr Nath? Why?
Why did the king want to know answers to three questions?
What is the secret that Meena shares with Mridu inthe backyard
What was the author’s opinion about Mr Gessler as a bootmaker?
Why did the neighbours kill the dog?
What is “strange” about Mr Nath’s Sundays?
Messengers were sent throughout the kingdom
(i) to fetch wise men.
(ii) to find answers to the questions.
(iii) to look for the wise hermit.
(iv) to announce a reward for those who could answer the questions.
Mark your choice.
How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?
Why did the author visit the shop so infrequently?
Mark the right item.
(i) The old farmer and his wife loved the dog
(a) because it helped them in their day-to-day work.
(b) as if it was their own baby.
(c) as they were kind to all living beings.
(ii) When the old couple became rich, they
(a) gave the dog better food.
(b) invited their greedy neighbours to a feast.
(c) lived comfortably and were generous towards their poor neighbours.
(iii) The greedy couple borrowed the mill and the mortar to make
(a) rice pastry and bean sauce.
(b) magic ash to win rewards.
(c) a pile of gold.
What is “strange” about Mr Nath’s Sundays?
Each of the following sentences has two blanks. Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms of the word given in brackets.
He has to help me. Do you think
he will remember his ? (promise)
He has promised to help me. Do you think he will remember his promise?
(i) The said that only fresh evidence would make him change his .(judge)
(ii) I didn’t notice any serious of opinion among the debaters, although they from one another over small points. (differ)
(iii) It’s a fairly simple question to ,but will you accept my as final? (answer)
(iv) It isn’t that should always be the mother of invention. (necessary)
(v) Hermits are men. How they acquire their no one can tell. (wise)
(vi) The committee has to make Jagdish captain of the team. The is likely to please everyone. (decide)
(vii) Asking for is as noble as willingness to . (forgive)
Write appropriate question words in the blank spaces in the following dialogue.
Neha: ………… did you get this book?
Sheela: Yesterday morning.
Neha: ………… is your sister crying?
Sheela : Because she has lost her doll.
Neha: …………… room is this, yours or hers?
Sheela: It’s ours
Neha: ……………. do you go to school?
Sheela: We walk to the school. It is nearby.
Now let us look at the uses of the word break. Match the word with its meanings below. Try to find at least three other ways in which to use the word.
(i) The storm broke – could not speak; was too sad to speak
(ii) daybreak – this kind of weather ended
(iii) His voice is beginning – it began or burst to break into activity
(iv) Her voice broke and – the beginning of daylight she cried
(v) The heat wave broke – changing as he grows up
(vi) broke the bad news – end it by making the workers submit
(vii) break a strike – gently told someone the bad news
(viii) (Find your own expression. Give its meaning here.)
What was the author’s opinion about Mr Gessler as a bootmaker?
What was Mr Gessler’s complaint against “big firms”?
What were the hermit’s answers to the three questions? Write each answer separately. Which answer do you like most, and why?
Do you think Mr Gessler was a failure as a bootmaker or as a competitive businessman?
1. Match items in List A with their meanings in List B.
fainted: lost consciousness
A. B
(i) wounded. got up from sleep
(ii) awoke. give back
(iii) forgive. small patches ofground for plants
(iv) faithful. severely injured
(v) pity. pardon
(vi) beds. loyal
(vii) return. feel sorry for
Use any three of the above words in sentences of your own. You may change the form of the word.