Class X - Supplementary Reader - Footprints without Feet L10-The Book That Saved the Earth

Class X - Supplementary Reader- Footprints without Feet L10-The Book That Saved the Earth

READ AND FIND OUT

• Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the Book’?
  
  The twentieth century was called the 'Era of the Book' because it this century knowledge was transferred and stored through books. There were books about everything and any imaginable topic.
• Who tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century?
  
  Martians tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century.
• What guesses are made by Think–Tank about the books found on earth?He guesses that the books found on earth are actually sandwiches. He later adds that these might be communication sandwiches used by the earthlings for communication.

THINK ABOUT IT

1. Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
   
   Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank while correcting his mistakes by not correcting him directly. He always gives Think-Tank that he is just proving an extra information to his boss and master. The master is smart enough to improvise and use that information and correct himself.
2. If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you handle Think-Tank’s mistakes?
   
   I would handle the Think-Tank's mistakes the same way as Noodle did because it is the best method to correct someone without offending him.
3. Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?
   
   Yes, I think that books are being replaced by electronic media. But it appears impossible to do away with books altogether in the near future.
4. Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion?
   
   Books are referred to as a man's best companion because books can be relied on in every situation. These guide and provide knowledge and provide solace to those who feel lonely.

Class XI - Elective English - 6. The Third and Final Continent - Jhumpa Lahiri

Class XI - Elective English - 6. The Third and Final Continent - Jhumpa Lahiri

APPRECIATION

1. Discuss the manner in which the author interweaves details of the narrator’s family with the flow of the main narrative.
   
   
   The details about the narrator's family is important for the readers in order to understand the psyche of the narrator. He had a very turbulent childhood and was brought up among very disturbed conditions at home. This is important for us to understand the bond he shared with Mrs. Croft. The words written by the author expresses that he was very attached to his mother and had fulfilled the role of an eldest son till the time she was cremated. He missed his mother a lot and recollected small incidents about she never forgetting to drape her head before coming in front of his father. When he came to know of Mrs. Croft's age which had crossed a century, he contemplated on how his mother couldn't adjust to his father's death and turned insane. Her insanity led to deterioration of her health. Her death gave him a heavy blow but he cared for her till the very last moment before cremating her. This shows his reason for growth of empathy towards Mrs. Croft because of her old age. Thus, his concern for Mrs. Croft grew which can be clearly reflected in the line: I was mortified. I had assumed Mrs. Croft was in her eighties...that this person was a widow who lived alone mortified me further still.
   
   
2. ‘Mrs Croft’s was the first death I mourned in America, for, hers was the first life I had admired; she had left this world at last,ancient and alone, never to return’—how do these lines encapsulate the bond that is possible between two strangers?
   
   A person usually feels very detached from people staying around him  abroad. Here is where originates the feeling of diaspora. The same happened with the narrator. He was away from his home and his family and, thus, never grew any feeling of affection towards anybody in America. He was quite alienated with the people of America. However, the course of action justifies his attachment and the emotional bonding which grew between him and Mrs Croft. In the foreign land, he grew a fondness towards the old lady because of various reasons. When he got to know that she was older than a century, he felt a sense of responsibility towards her. He was amazed and was quite awestruck at the idea of a widow of that age residing all alone, with nobody to take care of her . Taking up chores like heating her soup every evening or giving her eight dollars in the envelope every month satisfied him. All these instances and many more cite the fact that a very strong bond had developed between the lady and the narrator.
3. Examine the pieces of conversation in the story. How do they reflect the worldview of each of the speakers? The various conversations taking place in bits and pieces during the course of action of the story reflect a lot about people's perception on various issues and attitude towards each other and humanity in general. We see a very firm and hypocritical attitude prevalent in the tone of Mrs Croft when the narrator arrived at her place for the first time. This is when for the first time he realised that belonging to a very high standard place was important, anywhere such as Tech or Harvard. The greatness and biasness of Americans to be the first one to step on the moon, considering it an unattainable and impossibly splendid feat to be attained. However, she becomes mild for the first time when she receives the eight dollars from the narrator. Mrs Croft's orthodox ways become prominently visible when she objects to a lady and a man talking in private without a chaperone. Her conventional ways are quite evident keeping in mind the fact that she had already crossed hundred. The ways of the western world is shown to be in a very high contrast when we see Mrs Croft's daughter Helen being quite indifferent towards her mother's health or meals. Her casual tone when she says “she might have slipped” might disturb readers. However, even with the differences in opinions, perceptions and norms, the bond which had developed between the narrator and an American widow of a hundred years is worth appreciation.

Woven Words L5. Pappachi’s Moth - Arundhati Roy

Class XI - Arts - Woven Words L5. Pappachi’s Moth - Arundhati Roy

1. Comment on the relationship shared by Mammachi and Pappachi.
   
   
   Pappachi and Mammachi had a gap of 17 years. A retired high ranked officer, Pappachi was always jealous of Mammach's talent and of the attention she received. Whether it was pickle making or her violin classes in Vienna, Pappachi was always jealous of her. Despite of all the friction they had in their relationship, Mammachi bore with him. Mammachi was more used to Pappachi and was not exactly in love with him. Pappachi used to beat him with brass vases and still Mammachi could not let go of him. She wept bitterly on his funeral not because the man she had loved was gone but because he will not be around her any more. He was an old shoe for her and she could not let go of him. She was too attached to him, to having his slouching around the pickle factory, and of course, used to being beaten by him.
2. How does Mammachi stand out as an independent and resilient woman in the text?
   Mammachi was a woman who was always discouraged by her egoistic Entomologist husband. He never supported her and was jealous of her talent and any sort of attention she received. Probably it was so because of the frustration pent up inside his heart for not receiving the deserved fame of his discovery of the moth he wished to be named after him. However, her pickle recipe was a famous one and she was called by the Kottayam Bible Society to make some of her famous banana jam and tender mango pickle for an upcoming fair. It sold quickly and received more orders than she could cope with. Thrilled with her success, Mammachi decided to persist with the pickles and jam and was kept busy for the whole year. Gradually she set up a pickle factory and made a success of it.
3. Why does John Ipe consider retirement to be a dishonour? Benaan John Ipe, Pappachi, got retired from the post of Joint Director, Entomology. He was a reputed man. He was proud of being a high-ranking government officer; however, now retired he was finding it difficult to cope with the ignominy of retirement. He was seventeen year older than Mammachi and realised with a shock that he was an old man when his wife was still in her prime. He had always been a jealous man and he resented the attention his wife was suddenly getting. For him his retirement that was a constant reminder of his old age stung him deeply. A man who was once so strong to beat down his wife with brass vases was not put to a stop by his young son. He felt neglected and dejected. A once Imperial Entomologist was now reduced to a withered old man and this gave a jolt to his ego.
4. What was the underlying reason for John Ipe’s disgust with the world?
   John Ipe was disgusted with the world. He did not get his due. The moth, Pappachi discovered, was not named after him and it fuelled the fire that burnt within him, consuming him. He was ill humoured already, yet the fact that he was a retired government official without any fame, his wife who was seventeen years younger to him, still in her prime, was making good out of her pickle factory. This hurt Pappachi, it wounded his pride. He started beating Mammachi now regularly. Everything, from his never got fame to his wife's success wounded him badly and his frustration proliferated.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

1. Chacko’s firmness in dealing with the irrational behaviour of his father.
   Pappachi used to beat Mammachi with brass vases every other night until Chako came home for a summer vacation from Oxford. He had grown into a big and strong man. It had been a week to him since he arrived that he found Pappachi beating Mammachi in the study. Chacko strode into the room, caught Pappachi's hand by which he held vase and was beating Mammachi and twisted it around his back. He told loud and clear to Pappachi that he would not want the incident to happen again, ever! The father was flabbergasted. He never dared to touch Mammachi again and yet he never talked to her again till he lived. The firm attitude of the young son stopped the domestic violence that used to take place every day in the house. It was a good action taken by the boy. Men in our society beat their wives without any cause just to prove their physical superiority. The boy made it clear to the father that he is not the only one with muscles in the house putting a stop to the violence.
2. The contrast between the outward elegance of a person and his private behaviour.
   Benaan John Ipe, Pappachi, got retired from the post of Joint Director, Entomology. He was a reputed man. He was proud of being a high-ranking government officer; however, now retired he was finding it difficult to cope with the ignominy of retirement. He was seventeen year older than Mammachi and realised with a shock that he was an old man when his wife was still in her prime. He had always been a jealous man and he resented the attention his wife was suddenly getting. For him his retirement that was a constant reminder of his old age stung him deeply. A man who was once so strong to beat down his wife with brass vases was not put to a stop by his young son. He felt neglected and dejected. A once Imperial Entomologist was now reduced to a withered old man and this gave a jolt to his ego.

Class X Literature - Footprints Without Feet - L-6 The Making of a Scientist

1. What lesson does Ebright learn when he does not win anything at a science fair? Ebright learns that it is the experimentation that is important in science and not just showing the process. 
2. What experiments and projects does he then undertake? He undertakes projects which involved the insect work.. In his eighth grade Ebright tried to find the cause of a viral disease that kills nearly all monarch caterpillars every few years.
3. What are the qualities that go into the making of a Scientist? Curious mind, competitive spirit, determination and positive thinking are some of the qualities that go into the making of a scientist.
   
4. How can one become a scientist? One can become a scientist or expert in any other subject by observing, thinking and doing experiments.