Lesson - 1 (Anshi and the singing Bird)

★ (Reference to Context)

1. "Anshi loved going to collect water."

(a) Who is Anshi?

Ans:- Anshi is a young girl who lived in a small village
near the Western Ghats.
(b) Why was she going to collect water?
Ans:- Anshi was going to collect water from the water
pump as the normally long period of drought had dried up
the water resources in the area and the villagers were
forced to look at other alternative such as collecting water
from the nearby water pump in order to meet the daily
water requirement.
(c) Give two reasons why she liked going to collect water.
Ans:- Anshi liked going to collect water since she enjoyed
the serenity of the area with the cool breeze blowing, the
setting sun and all the greenery around her. Further, going
to collect water "was like her 'me time' and it was much
quieter than her own house which was filled with the
chatter and noise of her sibling.

2. "Don't be afraid little one."

(a) Who said these words to whom?

Ans: The Malabar Whistling Thrush said these words to
Anshi.
(b) Who is referred to as the little one?
Ans: Anshi is referred to as the little one.
(c) Why did the speaker think that the little one would be
afraid?
Ans: The bird thought that Anshi would be afraid as she
would not be used to birds talking like humans.
(d) At first, whose words did the little one think they were?
 Anshi thought this might have been her imagination, and
then she thought it might be one of her brothers playing a
prank on her."

3. "Be kind to animals for kindness will surely be returned by

them"
(a) Who is the speaker?

Ans:- Anshi is the speaker.

(b) When were these words spoken?

Ans:- Many years later, when Anshi became a great

singer she always ended her performance with these
words.

(c) What is the significance of the above line?

Ans:- By saying this, Anshi wanted to express

gratitude to the little bird who has taught her to sing
so well. It was also a self reminder to Anshi to always
stay humble and not forget her roots and her fame

SCAN TO ANSWER:-

Q1) What did Anshi often dream about?

Ans:- Anshi often dreamt of becoming a great and popular singer.

Q2) Describe the beauty of the thrush?

Ans:- The bird was a beautiful Malabar Whistling Thrush which

has been described as having a black head with patches of bright
blue feathers running across till its shoulders singing a beautiful
melody.

Q3) How did Anshi help her family?

Ans:- Anshi wanted to help her family by winning the singing
contest. Being aware of the prize money, and the amount being
six hundred rupees, she tried her best and gave her best shot to
help her family.

Q4) How did Anshi get water from the spigot?

Ans:- In order to get water from the spigot, Anshi first grasped the
pump's handle with both her hands using all the strength that she
could gather. The muscles in her thin arms strained as she
coaxed water from the deep underground store, which then
collected in the metal bucket that she had already

Q5) How did Anshi give the bird water to drink?

Ans:- To give the bird water to drink, Anshi began to pump the
handle fast. A small stream of water spurted out of the end of the
spigot and splashed into the end of the bucket. Then, Anshi
stopped just long enough to cup her hands to catch some of the
water in her palms. Finally, she thrust out her hand towards the
bird, offering it the water. The small bird lowered its beak into her
hand and drank thirstily.

CHAP:- Anshi and the Singing bird.

(ANSWER TO ANSWER)

Q1) Why did Anshi want to win the singing contest?

Ans:- Anshi wanted to win the singing contest because it was her
childhood dream to become a famous singer. Also, she wanted to
help her family as the prize money was a considerable amount.
Q2) How did Anshi overcome her fear of singing before the
students?

Ans:- Determined to conquer her stage fears she recollected

everything that the thrush had told her. She closed her eyes and
sang imagining that everyone in the audience was a bird.

Q3) Why did Anshi think her mind was playing tricks?

Ans:- Anshi heard the little bird talk like a human.

– She was lost in her thoughts at that moment.
– She remembered her school lesson about this bird.
– The bird was called the ‘Whistling School Boy’.
– So, she thought her mind was playing tricks.

Q4) Why did the birds flock to hear Anshi?

Ans: – Even after becoming a great singer, Anshi stayed humble.

– She believed in kindness and never forgot the little bird.
– She was thankful to the bird for teaching her to sing.
– She believed her kind act of giving water was returned.
– The bird’s help made her dream of singing come true.

Think And Answer:

Q1) Even when she became a great singer, what did Anshi
believe?

Ans:- – Even after becoming a great singer, Anshi stayed humble.

– She believed in kindness and never forgot the little bird.
– She was thankful to the bird for teaching her to sing.
– She believed her kind act of giving water was returned.
– The bird’s help made her dream of singing come true.

Q2) "Be kind to animals, for kindness will surely be returned by

them." Give an example of this idea from Anshi's life.
Ans:- Anshi saw a little bird that was thirsty.
– She kindly gave the bird a sip of water.
– The bird, in return, gave her singing lessons.
– This helped her become a famous singer.
– Her small kindness brought a big reward.

(HOME ASSIGNMENT)

Q1) Write a summary of the story in about 30-40 words. Use the
hints below :-

Young girl - bucket in hand - hand pump - small bird singing -

gave water to bird - singing lessons in return - great and popular
singer...

Q2) Choose the correct option for the following Assertion -

Reasoning.

Assertion (A) - The story 'Anshi and the Singing Bird' conveys a
message about kindness and empathy. Reasoning (R) - It
highlights the importance of understanding the minds and feelings
of others, including animals.

(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and R is the correct explanation of
(A). (b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct
explanation of (A).

(C) (A) is true but (R) is false.

(D) (R) is true but (A) is false.

Poem) (If by Rudyard Kipling)

Read the lines below:

 If you can dream — and not make dream your master;

  If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;
 If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster,

You see that every line begins with 'If'. Repeating this word each
time gives stress and power to the ideas that the poet wants to
express in his poem. This is known as repeating and is used in
both Prose and Poetry.

(Reference to Context)

1. "Are losing theirs and blaming it on you".

(a) What is being lost in this line?

Ans:- The lines refer to people losing their head, or their

sanity especially in a critical situation.

(b) Who is 'you'?

Ans:- 'You' refer to the readers.

(c) What is being blamed on 'you'?

Ans: The people are blaming the readers for everything

that is going wrong in a situation and for the fact that they
are losing their minds.

2. "Or watch their things you gave your life to broken and stoop
and build 'em up with worn out tools"

(a) What should you do to the broken things?

Ans:- The poet says we should fix broken things using our
spirit, strength, and determination, even if they are old or
weak.
 (b) What is meant by "gave your life to"?

Ans:- "Gave your life to" means the things people are
worth that we have given our full time, attention, efforts
and dedication.

(c) Why are the tools "worn out"?

Ans:- The tools are worn out because the dream that they
were shaping has been broken or has remained
incomplete due to one thing or another.

3. "If you can fill the unforgiving minutes with sixty seconds'
worth of distance run; "

(a) Why is the minute called unforgiving?

Ans: The minute is unforgiving in nature because a minute

is sixty seconds. Time once lost, will never come back
which is why it is unforgiving to those who have lost it.

(b) What is the distance run?

Ans: Literally the distance run refers to the run by the

needle of the clock to complete sixty seconds.
Metaphorically, it refers to all the distance one can go, all
that one can achieve, or could have achieved if one had
not lost that minute. It refers to learning the value of time
and utilizing it to the full.

(c) Give another word for worth?

Ans: Another word for worth is value.

Scan to Answer)

Q1) How should you behave with people who doubt you?
Ans:- According to the poem 'If', when others doubt you, you
should trust in yourself, which is also making reason for their
doubting.

Q2) How should we react when we lose or win?

Ans:- The poet says we should treat both victory and loss in the
same way. We should not feel too proud when we win or too sad
when we lose.

Q3) Why should we not make dream our master?

Ans:- The poet says we should have dreams, but not let them
control our life. If they don’t come true, we should stay strong and
keep moving forward.

Q4) What quality is required to speak the truth?

The only quality required to speak the truth is to be able to hear

the truth from others as well.

Q5) If a person has all these qualities. What are the two things he
will achieve?

Ans:- If a person has these qualities, the entire Earth and

everything in it will be his, because now his perspective towards
"success" and "achievement" would have changed. Also, he will
mature enough to become a man.

Q6) If one hears lies or faces hatred. What should one do?

Ans:- According to the poet, we should be ready to face lies and

hatred. Even if others lie, we must stay truthful. If someone hates
us, we should not hate back, as there is already enough hatred in
the world.
Q7) How can you walk with king's and not lose the common
touch?

Ans:- The poet says that one should always remain grounded,
hold onto one's principles, stick to one's roots and be true to
oneself in all of life's interactions. One must not change one's

Q24: What does the Poem - 'If' teach us about dreaming? Choose
the correct option:

a) One should do everything - good or bad - to fulfill one's dream.

b) One should live in the world of dreams only.

c) One should remain open to things others than their dreams.

d) One should not dream at all for they with toil.

Q25: If you agree with the line - "Nor yet don't look too good, nor
hear her talk too wise"? What is wrong with being / thinking too
wisely and why should you not be so?

Ch-4 An Unlikely Hero

Reference to context

1. The only proof of his presence in our lives was the class
photographs. a. Whose presence is the actor referring to?

Ans. The writer is referring to Prashant's presence.

 b. Why is the narrator looking for proof?

Ans. The narrator is looking for proof because, though he

remembers his friend, there is no clear sign he ever existed.
This is surprising, as the friend was once the most popular
boy in school.

c. What part of speech is the word "photograph"?

Ans. 'Photograph' is a nou

n.

2. "You obviously did well" a. Who is the speaker? Prashant is

the speaker of this line.

b. How does the speaker know that the person did well?

Ans. Prashant knew Sanjay did well because of his neat and
proper appearance. Though Sanjay wasn’t popular in school,
he had worked hard and built a good life.

It must be interesting, this work?

a. Who is the speaker?

Ans. The narrator, Sanjay, is the speaker.

b. What is interesting work?

Ans. The interesting work is dressing up as different

characters and enjoying the attention as people come up to
request photographs.

b. Was the work really interesting?

The narrator thought the work would be interesting for

Prashant, as he loved acting and attention, and was
 making people happy. But in reality, Prashant looked
tired and worn out, and it wasn’t what he had dreamt of
doing.

SCAN TO ANSWER:

1. What did Prashant find in the narrator through instinct?

Prashant found a hidden melancholy in the writer through

instinct and perhaps that's what formed the basis of their
friendship.

2. Why was the narrator thinking about Prashant?

Ans. The narrator was thinking about Prashant because he

was headed to America and he had heard at school that
Prashant also lived there. Prashant's memories had crossed
the narrator's mind a few times this week.

3. How did Prashant look under the mask?

Ans. Under the mask, Prashant looked tired and way older
than the narrator could imagine. This may be because of the
struggles of his life.

4. Where did Prashant tell the narrator to look out for him?

Ans. Prashant told the narrator to look out for him in the
coming year, as he was hoping to become a famous actor.

Infer to answer.

1. Why did Prashant never let anyone in as a young boy?

Ans. – As a young boy, Prashant had a magnetic and

charming personality.
– But he was also an introvert and liked being alone.
– He didn’t easily let people into his inner world.
 – The narrator bonded with him because he felt a quiet
sadness in him.

How were the two friends different?

Ans. – The narrator was a quiet, studious boy and the class
topper.
– He was not very popular and was called the 'class mouse'.
– Prashant was the opposite — confident, smart, and
popular.
– He made everyone laugh by mimicking teachers.
– The narrator was thin and small, while Prashant looked
good and loved acting.
– Prashant also dreamt of becoming an actor.

2. Explain what made the narrator realize that fame lives on.

Ans. The narrator saw many lookalikes of Elvis Presley and

Marilyn Monroe.
– These celebrity clones were walking around the Hall of Fame
in different styles.
– People were excited and clicking pictures with them.
– This made the narrator realize that fame continues even after
the famous people have died.

"My heart lurched." Why did the Narrator's heart lurch?

Ans. – The narrator’s heart lurched because he did not

expect to see Prashant.
– Prashant was dressed as Spider-Man on the Walk of
Fame.
– This was the same Prashant who once dreamt of
becoming a famous actor.
– The narrator had been thinking about him for the past
week.
– He knew Prashant had settled in America.
– He was secretly hoping to see him there, but not like this.