Solutions :

A Short Monsoon Diary

Comprehension Check (Page 115)

Questions:

1. Why is the author not able to see Bijju?

2. What are the two ways in which the hills appear to change when the mist
comes up?

Answers:

1. The author could not see Bijju because of the mist that concealed the hills. He
could only hear his voice but could not see him.
2. When the mist comes up, it covers the hills and spreads silence.

Comprehension Check (Page 117)

Questions:

1. When does the monsoon season begin and when does it end? How do you
prepare to face the monsoon?
2. Which hill-station does the author describe in the diary entry?
3. For how many days does it rain without stopping? What does the author do on
these days?
4. Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter? Why?
5. What did the author receive in the mail?

Answers:

1. The monsoon season in Mussorie begins from June 24/25. By August 2, the
people are fed up with rain. It ends by August 31. Then begins winter rains
which end by late March. We take out our rain coats and umbrellas to face the
monsoon.
2. Mussoorie
3. It rains non-stop for eight or nine days. The author keeps pacing the room and
looking out of the window.
4. The rodents and snakes take shelter in roofs, attics and godowns. They do so
because their holes are flooded with rain water.
5. The author received a cheque in the mail.

Working With the Text (Page 118)

Question 1:
Look carefully at the diary entries for June 24-25, August 2 and March 23. Now write
down the changes that happen as the rains progress from June to March.
Answer:
Rains in Mussoorie begin in June and end by March. June 24 is the first day of
monsoon mist which covered the hills and spreads silence. On August 2 it rained all
night and made sleeping difficult. By late March ends winter as well as the rains.

Question 2:
Why did the grandmother ask the children not to kill the Chuchundar?
Answer:
The grandmother told the children not to kill the Chuchundars because they brought
good luck and money.

Question 3:
What signs do we find in Nature which show that the monsoons are about to end?
Answer:
By the end of the monsoon the greenery is at its peak. The seeds of the cobra lily
turn red. A rainbow is formed in the sky.

Question 4:
Complete the following sentences.

1. Bijju is not seen but his voice is heard because__________ .

2. The writer describes the hill station and valley as _________ .
3. The leopard was’ successful in________ but had to flee when
4. The minivets are easily noticed because _________ .
5. It looks like a fashion display on the slopes when_________.
6. During the monsoon season, snakes and rodents are found in roofs and attics
because _________.

Answer:

1. dense mist covers and hides the hills.

2. ‘A paradise that might have been.’
3. killing a dog but had to flee when Bijju’s mother arrived crying curses.
4. of their bright colours.
5. they are covered by a variety of flowers.
6. their holes are flooded with water and these places provide them convenient
shelter.

Question 5:
‘Although tin roofs are given to springing unaccountable leaks, there is a feeling of
being untouched by, and yet in touch with, the rain.’

1. Why has the writer used the word, ‘springing’?

2. How is the writer untouched by the rain?
 3. How is the writer in touch with the rain at the same time?

Answer:

1. The word ‘springing’ is used to show suddenness with which water starts
leaking.
2. Because he is inside the room.
3. He hears the drumming of rain on the tin roof. He also looks out of the window
to see the rains.

Question 6:
Mention a few things that can happen when there is endless rain for days together?
Answer:
A long spell of rain makes life miserable. One is closed up in his room. Everything
becomes damp and soggy. Rodents, snakes and insects enter the house for shelter.

Question 7:
What is the significance of cobra lily in relation to the monsoon season, its beginning
and end?
Answer:
At first cobra lily appears with the arrival of the monsoon. When the cobra seeds
begin to turn red, it indicates the rains are coming to an end.

Working With Language (Page 118)

Question 1:
Here are some words that are associated with the monsoon. Add as many words as
you can to this list. Can you find words for these in your languages?

downpour floods mist cloudy powercuts cold umbrella

Answer:
rain, water, fog, raincoats, thunder, dampness, lakes etc.
In my language I find the alternative words like the following:
बौछार , बूंदाबाूंदी , तष
ु ार, धूंध
ु , सीत , छतरी, रेनकोट , आूंधी , इत्यादी l

Question 2:
Look at the sentences below.
(i) Bijju wandered into the garden in the evening.
(ii) The trees were ringing with birdsong.
Notice the highlighted verb.
The verb wandered tells us what Bijju did that evening. But the verb was ringing tells
us what was happening continually at same time in the past (the birds were chirping
in the trees).
Now look the at sentences below. They tell us about something that happened in the
past. They also tell us about other things that happened continually* at the same
time in the past.

Put the verbs in the brackets into their proper forms. The first one is done for you.

1. We (get out) of the school bus. The bell (ring) and everyone (rush) to class.
2. The traffic (stop). Some people (sit) on the road and they (shout) slogans.
3. I (wear) my raincoat. It (rain) and people (get) wet.
4. She (see) a film. She (narrate) it to her friends who (listen) carefully.
5. We (go) to the exhibition. Some people (buy) clothes while others (play)
games,
6. The class (is) quiet. Some children (read) books and the rest (draw).

Answer:

1. We got out of the school bus. The bell was ringing and everyone was rushing
to class.
2. The traffic stopped. Some people were sitting on the road and they were
shouting slogans.
3. I wore my raincoat. It was raining and people were getting wet.
4. She saw a film. She was narrating it to her friends who were listening carefully,
5. We went to the exhibition. Some people were buying clothes while others were
playing games.
6. The class was quiet. Some children were reading books and the rest were
drawing.

Question 3:
Here are some words from the lesson which describe different kinds of sounds.

drum swish tinkle caw drip

(i) Match these words with their correct meanings.

1. to fall in small drops.

2. to make a sound by hitting a surface repeatedly.
3. to move quickly through the air, making a soft sound.
4. harsh sound made by birds.
5. ringing sound (of a bell or breaking glass, etc.).

(ii) Now fill in the blanks using the correct form of the words given above.

1. Ramesh _______ on his desk in impatience.

2. Rain water_____ from the umbrella all over the carpet.
3. The pony______ its tail.
4. The_____ of breaking glass woke me up.
5. The_____ of the raven disturbed the child’s sleep.

Answer:
(i) (1) drip (2) drum (3) swish (4) caw (5) tinkle.
(ii) (1) drummed (2) dripped (3) was swishing (4) tinkle (5) caw

Question 4:
And sure enough. I received a cheque in the mail.
Complete each sentence below by using appropriate phrase from the ones given
below

1. I saw thick black clouds in the sky and___ ____ it soon started raining heavily.
2. The blue umbrella was___ ____ for the brother and sister.
3. The butterflies are___ _____ to get noticed.
4. The lady was___ _____to chase the leopard.
5. The boy was____ ____ to call out to his sister.
6. The man was____ ____ to offer help.
7. The victim’s injury was____ _____ for him to get admitted in hospital.
8. That person was____ _____ to repeat the same mistake again.
9. He told me he was sorry and he would compensate for the loss. I said, ‘___
_____’.

Answer:

1. sure enough
2. big enough
3. colourful enough
4. brave enough
5. anxious enough
6. kind enough
7. serious enough
8. foolish enough
9. Fair enough

Speaking (Page 120)

Question 1:
Do you believe in superstitions? Why, or why not? Working with your partner, write
down three superstitious beliefs that you are familiar with.
Answer:
Truly speaking, I don’t believe in superstitions. These are blind beliefs. The ignorant
and conservative people observe them. Superstitions have no scientific base or
proof. The common superstitions are:
(i) 13 is an ominous number.
(ii) Don’t start a new project on Saturday.
(iii) Stop if a black cat crosses your path.

Question 2:
How many different kinds of birds do you come across in the lesson? How many
varieties do you see in your neighbourhood? Are there any birds that you used to see
earlier in your neighbourhood but not now? In groups discuss why you think this is
happening.
Answer:
We come across different kinds of birds in this lesson. These are minivets, drongos,
tree creepers and crows. We see sparrows, pigeons, and nightingales in our
neighbourhood. Earlier we used to see big birds like kites and parrots in our
neighbourhood. But these have become extinct now.

Writing (Page 121)

Question 1:
The monsoons are a time of great fun and even a few adventures: playing in the rain
and getting wet, wading through knee-deep water on your way to school, water
flooding the house or the classroom, power cuts and so on. Write a paragraph
describing an incident that occurred during the rains which you can never forget.

Or
Write a poem of your own about the season of spring when trees are in full bloom.
Answer:
Attempt it yourself.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
What is a diary? What do the extracts from Ruskin Bond’s diary portray?
Answer:
A diary is a record of personal experiences/events that occur in one’s life. It is
written day after day over a long period of time. The extracts from Ruskin Bond’s
diary portray monsoon season and the changes that occur as the rains progress
from June to March.

Question 2:
How does the author describe the first day of monsoon mist?
Answer:
On the first day of monsoon mist all the birds suddenly fall silent and with it absolute
silence is spread. The hills got hidden by the mist. The forest is deadly still as though
it were midnight.

Question 3:
How does the author describe the scarlet minivets?
Answer:
The scarlet minivets are seen during rainy season. They flit silently among the leaves
like brilliant jewels. No matter how leafy the trees, these brightly coloured birds
cannot hide themselves.
Question 4:
Why couldn’t the author sleep on August 2 night?
Answer:
On August 2 it rained throughout the night. The rain had been drumming on the
corrugated tin roof. There had been a steady swish of a tropical downpour. The
author, therefore, couldn’t sleep.

Question 5:
What happened on August 12?
Answer:
Heavy downpour started on August 12. The rain continued for eight or nine days.
Everything got damp and soggy. The author had to stay inside during these days.

Question 6:
Name the flowers that you come across in the lesson.
Answer:
Wild balsom, dahlias, begonias, ground orchids, cobra lilies etc.

II. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
Who are the seasonal visitors? How does the author describe them?
Answer:
The seasonal visitors are a leopard, several thousand leeches and different kinds of
birds. The leopard created nuisance. It lifted a dog from near the servants’ quarter
below the school. In the evening, it attacked one of Bijju’s cows. The scarlet minivets
flitted silently among the leaves like brilliant jewels. No matter how leafy the trees,
these brightly coloured birds could not conceal themselves. There was also a pair of
drongos. They looked aggressive and chased the minivets away.
A tree creeper moved rapidly up the trunk of the oak tree, snapping up insects, all the
way.

Question 2:
Sum up the main ideas of the author’s Monsoon Diary in about 100 words.
Answer:
The writer was in Mussoorie, a hill station in U.P. The first day of monsoon brought
mist. The birds got silent and the hills became invisible. On June 25, came the early
monsoon rain. He described the hill station as A paradise’ that might have been’ to a
school boy. With the onset of the monsoon one could see leopards and leeches and
the colourful minivet birds. There was no dearth of insects for the birds to eat. On
August 2, it rained heavily and non-stop. The roofs began to leak. The rain stopped
on August 3. The sunlight fell on the hills and the song birds began to sing. On
August 12, there was heavy downpour and mist for more than a week. Everything
was damp. Meanwhile wild flowers began to appear. August 31 saw the greenery at
its peak. Snakes and rodents came out of their flooded holes and hid in roofs or
godowns. Winter rain, hailstones and snow came on October 3. The author couldn’t
go outside and he felt very lonely in his room. Late March saw the end of winter. He
received a cheque in the mail

Honeydew (Poem)

On the Grasshopper and Cricket

Questions From Textbook
WORKING WITH THE POEM (PAGE 123)

Question 1:
Discuss with your partner the following definition of a poem.
A poem is made of words arranged in a beautiful order. These words, when read
aloud with feeling, have a music and meaning of their own.
Answer:
Very true. Poetry is different from prose because it arranges best words in a musical
order. However, a poem being short, musical and interesting is easy to learn by heart
and to remember for a long period.

Question 2:
The poetry of earth’ is not made of words. What is it made of, as suggested in the
poem?
Answer:
The poetry of earth is made of the chirping of birds in trees, and a grasshopper’s
sound. They sing joyfully without a long break.

Question 3:
Find in the poem lines that match the following:

(i) The grasshopper’s happiness never comes to an end.

(ii) The cricket’s song has a warmth that never decreases.

Answer:

(i) He has never done with his delights.

(ii) The cricket’s song in warmth increasing ever.

Question 4:
Which word in stanza 2 is opposite in meaning to ‘the frost’?
Answer:
“warmth’
Question 5:
The poetry of earth continues round the year through a cycle of two seasons.
Mention each with its representative voice.
Answer:
The two major seasons in a year are summer and winter. Both are rich in music. In
summer, the representative voice is that of the birds and the grasshoppers. In winter,
the cricket is the prime singer.

EXTRA QUESTIONS
Question 1:
Which insect is the music provider in summer?
Answer:
The grasshopper is the music provider in summer.

Question 2:
What do birds do in winter? Why?
Answer:
Birds remain silent and hide in the winter. It is because they don’t feel comfortable in
the cold weather.

Question 3:
Which insect breaks silence of the winter? How?
Answer:
There is silence all around in the winter. This silence is broken by crickets.
They start singing for merry making.

English:

It So Happened

solutions for Jalebis

Comprehension Check (Page 65)

Questions:

1. Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to school?
2. (i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?
(ii) Do you think they were misguiding him?
 3. Why didn’t he take the coin’s advice? Give two or three reasons.
4. (i) What did the oldest coin tell him?
(ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?
5. He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?

Answers:

1. The boy couldn’t pay the school fees on the day he brought to school because
the teacher Master Ghulam Mohammed was on leave.
2. (i) The coins in the boy’s pocket urged him to buy hot and fresh jalebis.
(ii) Yes, the coins were misguiding him because the money was meant for
paying school fees.
3. Initially, the boy didn’t take the advice of the coins seriously for a couple of rea-
sons. He could not spend the money meant for paying school fees on jalebis.
Secondly, the boy knew the harsh nature of the master and the punishment.
4. (i) The oldest coin convinced him that they were telling him for his own good.
He can pay his fee next day with his scholarship money. So he should not
suppress his desire for jalebis. .
(ii) He didn’t follow his advice. He was a promising student. He was from a
good family of repute. He didn’t want to get defame for it
5. After reaching home he couldn’t suppress his temptation for fresh Jalabis. He
rushed to the shop of halwai. He bought jalebis and enjoyed them.

Comprehension Check (Page 68)

Questions:

1. (i) Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought?

(ii) What did he do with the remaining Jalebis?
2. “The fear was killing me.” What was the fear?
3. “Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” What do you understand by
that? Do you agree?
4. How did he plan to pay the fees the next day?
5. When it is time to pay the fees, what does he do? How is he disobeying the
elders by doing so?

Answers:

1. (i) He had bought jalebis for one rupee. But he couldn’t eat all of them because
of their quantity.
(ii) He distributed the remaining jalebis among the boys from the
neighbourhood.
2. He had eaten so many jalebis that there was the problem of digesting them all.
His fear was that one jalebi or two would come out with a burp.
3. It means that children have the capacity to digest a lot of things that they
overeat. I agree with the statement but only partly.
4. He planned to pay the fees the next day when he would get his monthly
scholarship.
 5. When the time draws near to pay the fees, he tucked the bag under his arm and
slips out of the school. He had disobeyed his elders by crossing the railway
track.

Comprehension Check (Page 72)

Questions:

1. What was the consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money?
2. His prayer to God is like a lawyer’s defence of a bad case. Does he argue his
case well? What are the points he makes?
3. He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game?
4. Did he get four rupees by playing the game? What did he get to see under the
rock?
5. If God had granted his wish that day, what harm would it have caused him in
later life?

Answers:

1. As a result of spending his fees money on jalebis, he had to be absent from

school for the first time in his life.
2. He tries to please God with his requests and the recitation of the
entire namaz. He admits that he made a mistake. He wouldn’t have spent his
money on jalebis if he had known about the delay in scholarship. Thus, he
argues his case like a lawyer.
3. The game is that he will go upto the signal, touch it and come back. And in the
meantime God should put four rupees under a big rock.
4. No, he didn’t get four rupees by playing the game. When he lifted the rock, he
saw a worm instead of coins.
5. If God had granted his wish that day he wouldn’t have learnt a lesson to do no
wrong in future. He would have been like a bird and learnt no skill.

EXERCISE (PAGE 72)

Work in small groups.

Question 1:
Select and read sentences that show

(a) that the boy is tempted to eat jalebis.

(d) that he is feeling guilty
(c) that he is justifying a wrong deed.

Answers:

(a)
 • Jalebis are meant to be eaten, and those with money in their pocket can eat
them.
• But then, these jalebis are no common sort of Jalebis They’re crisp, fresh and
full of syrup.
• My mouth watered. I rushed out of the house bare foot and ran towards the
bazaar.

(b)

• My head started to spin.

• When the recess bell rang I tucked my bag under my arm and left the school.
• Now for the crime of eating a few Jalebis, for the first time in my life I was
absent from school.
• Sitting under a tree, at first I felt like crying.

(c)

• I didn’t eat them all by myself, and I fed them to a whole lot of children.
• Allah Miyan! I am a good boy. I have memorised the entire namaz and the last
– ten surats of the Quran by heart.

Question 2:
Discuss the following points.

(a) Is the boy intelligent? If so, what is the evidence of it?

(b) Does his outlook on the jalebis episode change after class VIII? Does he see that
episode in a new light?
(c) Why are coins made to ‘talk’ in this story? What purpose does it serve?

Answers:

(a) The boy is definitely intelligent. The first evidence is that he has won a schol-
arship. He is a promising boy. He knows what is right and what is wrong. He argues
his case before God like a lawyer.
(b) Yes, his outlook changed after class VIII. He later realised that nothing comes
without a price. If God were to grant all one’s wishes for the asking, man would not
learn any skill. He would be no better than birds.
(c) The coins are made to talk because they reflect the conflict going on in his own
mind

EXTRA QUESTIONS

I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
How did the coins persuade the boy to buy jalebis?
Answer:
The coins told the boy that the jalebis were fresh, crisp and syrupy. They were meant
to be eaten and only those with money in their pocket could eat them.

Question 2:
How did the boy respond to the coins?
Answer:
The boy didn’t heed to the coins. He was a good and intelligent boy. He told the
coins not to misguide him. He got so much at home that he considered even looking
at something in the bazaar a sin.

Question 3:
Why did the boy hold all the four coins tight in his fist?
Answer:
All the four coins began to speak at the same time in order to make the boy ready to
buy the jalebis. There was such a clamour that passersby in the bazaar stared at him
and his pocket. So, the boy grabbed all of them and held them tight in his fist to
make them silent.

Question 4:
Did the boy eat all the jalebis by himself? How can you say?
Answer:
The boy didn’t eat all the jalebis by himself. He ate himself to his heart’s content and
distributed the rest among the boys from neighbourhood.

Question 5:
Why did the boy’s head start to spin in the school?
Answer:
As soon as he reached the school, he came to know that the scholarship was going
to be paid the following month. This news intensified his tension so much that his
head started to spin.

II. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
Comment on the significance of the jalebis in the story.
Answer:
Jalebis are central to the story. These are hot, fresh and syrupy. A school boy falls to
the sweet temptation of jalebis. He spends all his school fees money in
buying jalebis. He eats himself and also distributes them among children. He regrets
his weakness later. He prays to God to send him four rupees. But he gets no help
from God. He realises in later life that God cannot meet everybody’s demand. Were
he so generous, man would not have developed the skill of making jalebis.
Question 2:
Write a short note on the character of the schoolboy in Jalebis.
Answer:
The schoolboy in the story Jalebis carries four rupees to school to pay the school
fees. He is honest, God fearing and brilliant student. He has won a scholarship also.
He has never been punished. He enjoys prestige. He feels shy of standing in the
bazaar and eating jalebis. But the coins in his pocket persuade him to go wrong. And
he repents his foolishness. He asks for God’s help. He can recite the namaz and
some portions from the Quran. His experience, however, teaches him a valuable
lesson

Question 3:
How does the schoolboy try to please God to come to his rescue?
Answer:
The schoolboy faces a crisis after he has spent his school fees on the jalebis. He
turns to Allah Miyan for help. He apologises to God. He promises to never repeat that
mistake, and recites the namaaz and few verses from the Quran. He hopes in vain
that God will put money under the rock. He plays a game with God. But he finds no
coins but a hairy worm under the rock.

Ancient Education System of India

Answers
Comprehension Check (Page No 92)

Question 1: Why were travellers attracted towards India?

Answer: The fame of Indian culture, wealth, religions, philosophies, art,

architecture, as well as its educational practices had spread far and wide.
Also, the education system of ancient times was regarded as a source for
the knowledge, traditions and practices that guided and encouraged
humanity. So to the travellers, India was a land of wonder and they were
attracted towards our country

Question 2: What were the sources of the ancient education system?

Answer: The ancient system of education was the education of the Vedas,
Brahmanas, Upanishads and Dharmasutras. Medical treatises of Charaka
and Sushruta teachings were the sources of learning.
Question 3: What were the features of education system in ancient India?

Answer: Some of the features of education system in ancient India

included the following:

(i) Teaching and learning followed the tenets of Vedas and Upanishads
fulfilling duties towards self, family and society, thus encompassing all
aspects of life

(ii) Education system focused both on learning and physical development

(iii) Education in India had a heritage of being pragmatic, achievable and

complementary to life.

Question 4: What was the role of guru in pupils’ lives?

Answer: The Gurus and their pupils worked conscientiously together to

become proficient in all aspects of learning. In order to assess pupils’
learning, shastrartha (learned debates) were organised. Also, pupils at an
advanced stage of learning guided younger pupils.

Comprehension Check (Page No 97)

Question 1: Where did nuns and monks receive their education?

Answer: Monks and nuns received their education in monasteries which

were the centres of art and learning.

Question 2: What is Panini known for?

Answer: Panini was a Sanskrit grammarian who gave a comprehensive and

scientific theory of phonetics, phonology, and morphology. He was an
expert in language and grammar and authored one of the greatest works
on grammar called Ashtadhyayi

Question 3: Which university did Xuan Zang and I-Qing study at?
Answer: Nalanda, when Xuan Zang visited it, was called Nala and was a
centre of higher learning in various subjects

Question 4: Which subject did Xuan Zang study in India?

Answer: Xuan Zang studied logic, grammar, Sanskrit, and the Yogacara
school of Buddhism during his time at Nalanda.

Question 5: How did society help in the education of the students?

Answer: Financial support came from rich merchants, wealthy parents and
society. Besides gifts of buildings, the universities received gifts of land. This
form of free education was also prevalent in other ancient universities like
Valabhi, Vikramshila and Jagaddala.

Exercise

Discuss the following questions in small groups and write your answers.

Question 1: Which salient features of the ancient education system of India

made it globally renowned.

Answer: Some of the salient features of the ancient education system of

India that made it globally renowned are listed as below:

(i) The ancient education system of India focused on the moral, physical,
spiritual and intellectual aspects of life

(ii) Teaching and learning followed the tenets of Vedas and Upanishads
fulfilling duties towards self, family and society, thus encompassing all
aspects of life.

(iii) It emphasised on values such as humility, truthfulness, discipline, self-

reliance and respect for all creations.

Question 2: Why do you think students from other countries came to India
to study at that time?
Answer: Students from other countries came to India to study because:

(i) In ancient times, monasteries/viharas were set up and around these

viharas, other educational centres of higher learning developed, which
attracted students from other countries.

(ii) In ancient times, Takshashila was a noted centre of learning, including

religious teachings of Buddhism, for several centuries. It continued to
attract students from around the world.

Question 3: Why is education considered ‘a way of life’?

Answer: In ancient India, both formal and informal ways of education

system existed. Indigenous education was imparted at home, in temples,
pathshalas, tols, chatuspadis and gurukuls. There were people in homes,
villages and temples who guided young children in imbibing pious ways of
life, that is why education is called a way of life.

Question 4: What do you understand by holistic education?

Answer: Holistic education is based on the premise that each person finds
identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the
community, to the natural world, and to spiritual values such as compassion
and peace.

Question 5: Why do you think Takshasila and Nalanda have been declared
heritage sites?

Answer: Takshashila was an ancient Indian city, It is an important

archaeological site and the UNESCO declared it to be a World Heritage Site
in 1980. Nalanda was one of the oldest universities of the world and
UNESCO declared the ruins of Nalanda Mahavihara, a world heritage site.