Imagine you are the king. Narrate the incident of your meeting the hermit. Begin like this: The wise men answered my questions, but I was not satisfied with their answers. One day I decided to go and meet the hermit...
I left my bodyguard behind. I went alone to the hermit’s hut. I found him digging beds. He was old and looked tired. I asked him my questions but he did not answer. I took the spade from him and began to work in his place. When l had dug two beds, l repeated my questions but he did not answer. Several hours passed and the sun went down. Now, I decided to take leave of the wise man. Suddenly we saw a wounded man running towards us.
What were the hermit’s answers to the three questions? Write each answer separately. Which answer do you like most, and why?
How did the king and the hermit help the wounded man?
Why did the king want to know answers to three questions?
(i) Who was the bearded man?
(ii) Why did he ask for the king’s forgiveness?
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.
Why was the king advised to go to magicians?
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)
Complete the following sentences by adding the appropriate parts of the sentences given in the box.
1. Many wise men answered the king’s questions,
2. Someone suggested that there should be a council of wise men
3. Someone else suggested that the king should have a timetable
4. The king requested the hermit
5. The king washed and dressed the bearded man’s wound,
• but the bleeding would not stop.
• to answer three questions.
• but their answers were so varied that the king was not satisfied.
• and follow it strictly.
• to help the king act at the right time.
Imagine you are the hermit. Write briefly the incident of your meeting the king. Begin like this: One day I was digging in my garden. A man in ordinary clothes came to see me. I knew it was the king...
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.
What did Nishad give Mr Nath? Why?
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 king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
Why did the neighbours kill the dog?
What is “strange” about Mr Nath’s Sundays?
How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?
Why did the author visit the shop so infrequently?
What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
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.
The words helper, companion, partner and accomplice have very similar meanings, but each word is typically used in certain phrases. Can you fill in the blanks below with the most commonly used words? A dictionary may help you.
(i) business
(ii) my on the journey
(iii) I’m mother’s little .
(iv) a faithful such as a dog
(v) the thief’s
(vi) find a good
(vii) tennis/ golf / bridge
(viii) his in his criminal activities
What was the author’s opinion about Mr Gessler as a bootmaker?
What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Add im- or in- to each of the following words and use them in place of the italicised words in the sentences given below.
Encircle the correct article.
A: Would you like (a/an/the) apple or ‘ (a/an/the) banana?
B: I’d like (a/an/the) apple, please.
A: Take (a/an/the) red one in (a/an/the) fruit bowl. You may take (a/an/the) orange also, if you like.
B: Which one?
A: (A/An/The) one beside (a/an/the) banana.
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.
Read the following sentences.
It was a cold morning and stars still glowed in the sky.
An old man was walking along the road.
The words in italicised are articles. ‘A’ and ‘an’ are indefinite articles and ‘the’ is the definite article. ‘A’ is used before a singular countable noun. ‘An’ is used before a word that begins with a vowel.
Use a, an or the in the blanks.
There was once ………… play which became very successful. ………… famous actor was acting in it. In ………. play his role was that of ……….. aristocrat who had been imprisoned in …………. castle for twenty years. In……… last act of ……….. play someone would come on ……… stage with ………… letter which he would hand over ……….. to prisoner. Even though …………. aristocrat was not expected to read ………. letter at each performance, he always insisted that ………… letter be written out from beginning to end.
Look at the pictures and read the text aloud.
Fill in the blanks in the following paragraph.
Today is Sunday. I’m wondering whether I should stay at
home or go out. If I (go) out, I
(miss) the lovely Sunday lunch at home. If I (stay) for lunch, I (miss) the Sunday film showing at Archana Theatre. I think I’ll go out and see the film, only to avoid getting too fat.
What is the significance of the title? To whom or to what does it refer