Class IX - Beehive - Chapter 2 - The Sound Of Music - Part 1- Evelyn Glennie - Deborah Cowley.

Thinking About The Text

I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?

Answer. Evelyn was seventeen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music in London .

2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?

Answer. Evelyn's deafness was first noticed when she was eight year old and was waiting to play the piano and when they called her name she didn't move. It was confirmed by she was eleven years old and her marks deteriorated and her headmistress urged her parents to take her to a specialist.

II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30-40 words).

1. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?

Answer. Percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential and helped her continue with music. He began by tuning two large drums to different notes and asked Evelyn to not use her ears to listen instead try feeling it with some other part of her body. Forbes repeated this exercise and soon Evelyn discovered that she can fell the vibrations in her other body parts.

2. Name the various places and the causes for which Evelyn performs.

Answer. Apart from regular concerts Evelyn also gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She also gives high priority to classes for young musicians.

III. Answer the questions in two or three paragraphs (100 - 150 words).

1. How does Evelyn hear music?

Answer. When percussionist Ron Forbes asked Evelyn to try and sense the music some other way and she tried and soon realised that she could feel the vibrations of higher drum from the waist up and the lower one from the waist down.

She explains that music pours in through every part of her body It tingles in the skin, her cheekbones and even in her hair.

On a wooden platform she removes her shoes so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.

Class IX - Beehive - Poem - The Road Not Taken - by Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken

Thinking about the Poem

I.   1. Where does the traveller find himself? what problem does he face?

Answer. The traveller finds himself at the diversion of two roads. Being one traveller he could not travel both the roads so he had to chose between them and this was the problem that he was facing.

2. Discuss what these phrases mean to you.

   (i) a yellow wood

Answer. Yellow wood represents the autumn season.

   (ii) it was grassy and wanted wear.

Answer. Road not used much.

   (iii) the passing there.

Answer. The people who used to walk on the roads.

   (iv) leaves no step had trodden black.

Answer. Both roads were the same as no one walked on them and turned the leaves on the road black.

   (v) how way leads on to way.

Answer. How a person becomes busy in life.

3. Is there any difference between the two roads as the poets describes them:

(i) in stanzas two and three?

(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?

Answer. (i) in stanzas two and three there is not much difference as in the second stanza both the roads were grassy and wanted wear and in the third stanza both the roads were covered with leaves and looked alike.

(ii) Yes there is a lot of difference in the two roads in the last two lines as the poet describes that he took the one less travelled by and that is the difference.

Class IX - Beehive - Chapter 1 - The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov

Thinking About the Text

I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

Q1. How old are Margie and Tommy?

Answer: Margie is eleven years old and Tommy is thirteen .

Q2. What did Margie write in her diary?

Answer: On the page headed 17 May 2157,Margie wrote ,"Today Tommy found a real book!"

Q3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?

Answer: No, Margie had never seen a real book before.

Q4. What things about the book did she find strange?

Answer:Margie found out that the words on the book weren't moving the way they are supposed to on a screen instead they stood still. And when she turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when she read it the first time.

Q5. What do you think a telebook is?

Answer: A telebook is an e-book or electronic book which we can read in computers. 

Q6. Where was Margie's school? Did she have any classmates?

Answer: Margie's school was right next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates. 

Q7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

Answer: Margie and Tommy learned geography, history and arithmetic.

II. Answer the following with reference to the story.

Q1. "I wouldn't throw it away."

(i) Who says these words?

Answer: Tommy says these words.

(ii) What does 'it' refer to?

Answer: 'it' refers to the books in the television.

(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?

Answer: 'it', refering to the ebooks is being compared to the old book by Tommy.

Q2. Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn't a regular teacher. It was a man.

(i) Who does 'they' refer to?

Answer: 'they' refers to the students of old time.

(ii) What does 'regular' mean here?

Answer: According to Margie and Tommy a regular teacher was a mechanical teacher.

(iii) What is 'it' contrasted with?

Answer: 'it' is being contrasted with the techer who is a man.

III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

Q1. What kind of teacher did Margie and Tommy have?

Answer: Margie and Tommy had a mechanical teacher at their home which taught them subjects like geography, history and arithmetic. The mechanical teacher was big and black and had slots for inserting homework and test papers which Margie had to write in a punch code.

Q2. Why did Margie's mother send for the County Inspector?

Answer: Margie always hated school, but now she hated it even more because it had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worst and worst. That's why Margie's mother sent for the County Inspector .

Q3. What did he do?

Answer: The Inspector was a round man with a little red face. He informed Margie's mother that the geography sector had geared a little too quick and that he had slowed it up to an average ten-year level.

Q4. Why was Margie donig badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?

Answer: Margie was doing badly in geography because the geography sector had geared up a little too quick and it had been giving her test after test. The County Inspector slowed it up to an average ten-year level.

Q5. What had once happened to Tommy's teacher?

Answer: Once Tommy's teacher had been taken away for a month because it's history sector had blanked out completely.

Q6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?

Answer: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school except for Saturday and Sunday because her mother said that little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

Q7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of schools?

Answer: Tommy describes the school as a special building where all the kids went and they had a teacher who was a man. The teacher gave the kids homework and asked them questions.

Q8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?

Answer: The old kind of teachers were human beings and not computers. They taught the kids in a special building and asked them questions.

(IV). Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100-150 words).

Q1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?

Answer: The mechanical teacher is large and black with a big screen and is kept in the schoolroom right next to her bedroom.

 It asks them questions of different subjects and has a special slot for submitting the tests and homework .Eveyday the mechanical teacher was on at the same time except for Saturday and Sunday.

Q2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?

Answer: Margie hated school because she did not like the mechanical teacher. Everyday she had to sit in the same schoolroom on the same time. She also did not have any classmates to discuss her homework with. She was thinking how in the old time children went to school, studied the same thing and after school discussed their homework.

Q3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story?

Answer: Yes, I agree that schools today are more fun because students get to study with friends and classmates. Also the interaction between the student and teacher is important so that the student can understand things better. The students not only learn their syllabus but also learn moral values like sharing, helping, descipline, etc.

Thinking about Language

Adverbs

Read this sentence taken from the story :

         They had once taken Tommy's teacher

           away for nearly a month because history

           sector had blanked out completely.

The word complete is an adjective. When you add -ly to it, it becomes an adverb.

1.   Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.

        awfully    sorrowfully     completely    

loftily   Carefully    differently   quickly 

                      nonchalantly 

Answer:-

 (i) Awfully: 'Thet turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to - on a screen you know.'

(ii) Sorrowfully: 'The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.'

(iii) Completely: 'They had once taken Tommy's teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.'

(iv) loftily: 'He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully,''centuries ago."

(v) Carefully: 'He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully,"centuries ago."

(vi) Differently: " But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.

(vii) Quickly: " I didn't say I didn't like it," Margie said quickly.

(viii) Nonchalantly: "May be," he said nonchalantly.

2.    Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

        (i) The report must be read ______ so that performance can be improved.

   Answer: Carefully

        (ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions _______ shrugging his shoulders.

    Answer: Loftily

       (iii) We all behave ______ when we are tired or hungry.

    Answer: Differently

       (iv) The teacher shook her head _____ when Ravi lied to her.

  

     Answer: Sorrowfully

       (v) I _____ forgot about it.

     Answer: Completely

       (vi) When I complemented Rethavi on her success, she just smiled ______ and turned away.

      Answer: Nonchalantly

        (vii) The president of the company is _____ busy and will not be able to meet you.

      Answer: Awfully

        (viii) I finished my work _____ so that I could go out to play.

      Answer: Quickly

An adverb describes action. You can form adverbs by adding-ly to adjectives.

  Spelling Note: When an adjective ends in -y, the y changes to i when you add-ly to form an adverb.

 For example: angr-y angr-i-ly

3.    Make adverbs from these adjectives.

 (i) angry: angrily

 (ii) happy: happily

 (iii) merry: merrily

 (iv) sleepy: sleepily

 (v) easy: easily

 

 (vi) noisy: noisily

 (vii) tidy: tidily

 (viii) gloomy: gloomily

 

Imagine that Margie's mother told her, "You'll feel awful if you don't finish

11. If Not and Unless

• Imagine that Margie's mother told her, "You'll feel awful if you don't finish your history lesson."

• She could also say: "You'll feel awful unless you finish your history lesson." 

Unless means if not. Sentences with unless or if not are negative conditional sentences.

Notice that these sentences have two parts. The part that begins with if not or unless tells us the condition. This part has a verb in the present tense (look at the verbs don't finish, finish in the sentences above).

The other part of the sentence tells us about a possible result. It tells us what will happen (if something else doesn't happen). The verb in this part of the sentence is in the future tense (you'll feel/you will feel).

Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.

1. If I don't go to Anu's party tonight, I will regret it later.

2. If you don't telephone the hotel to order food, then I will order it myself.

3. Unless you promise to write back, I will not write to you.

4. If she doesn't play any games, she will become dull.

5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will eat it.

 

Writing

A new revised volume of Issac Asimov's short stories has just been released Order one set. Write a letter to the publisher, Mindfame Private Limited, 1632 Asaf All Road, New Delhi, requesting that a set be sent to you by Value Payable Post (VPP), and giving your address. Your letter will have the following parts.

  

MCQs - The Lament by Anton Chekhov - Class 11 - Woven Words - Elective English

Multiple Choice Questions - The Lament by Anton Chekhov- Class 11 - Woven Words - Elective English CBSE Latest pattern for online test/examination

1. “It is twilight.” in the opening lines of the story. It indicates that:

1. It was morning time

2. It was evening time

3. It was a cloudy afternoon

4. It was winter forenoon

2. The main character in the story is:

1. Lona Topatov

2. Iona Potapov

3. Iona Povatov

4. Oina Potapov

3. The story is set in ______________ season.

1. Summer

2. Spring

3. Rainy

4. Winter

4. The profession of the main character in the story is:

1. Hack driver

2. Cabdriver

3. Taxidriver

4. Horse driver

5. The entire opening paragraph paints a __________ picture in the story.

1. Gloomy

2. Joyous

3. Colourful

4. Blank

6. The horse (used by the main character) earlier worked in:

1. The armed forces

2. The police

3. Horse racing

4. Farms

7. Fill in the blank:
   “His little horse is also quite white, and remains motionless; its immobility, its angularity and its straight wooden-looking legs, even close by, give it the appearance of a gingerbread horse worth a_____________.”

1. Penny

2. Rouble

3. Kopek

4. Pi

8. While waiting for a fare, Iona and his horse hear the first call:

1. ‘Cabby for Viborg Way!’

2. ‘Cabby, to the Police Bridge!’

3. ‘Cabby, to Central Avenue!’

4. ‘Cabby for Downtown Street!’ 

9. The first fare call that Iona receives is from___________.

1. An officer

2. A policeman

3. Three young men

4. A passerby

10. Who says, ‘What are you doing, werewolf!’?

1. The humpback

2. A coachman from a private carriage

3. A furious passerby

4. None of the above

11. What is the name of Iona’s son in the story?

1. Bernie

2. Barin

3. Burn

4. Bob

12. Who among the following is Iona’s daughter?

1. Anissia

2. Amelia

3. Adele

4. Maria

13. The three youngmen wanted Iona to take them to____________.

1. Viborg Way

2. Police Bridge

3. Central Avenue

4. Downtown Street

14. The three young men offered Iona a fare of two____________ for their destination.

1. Griveniks

2. Kopeks

3. Roubles

4. Cents

15. Iona agreed with the fare offered by the three young men because___________________.

1. It was a fair price for the destination.

2. The three young men were very abusive and he feared they might harm him if he refused them.

3. He was very sad and to him, it was all the same as long as they were fares.

4. He thought it better to earn some money instead of sitting idle.

16. Among the three youngmen there were__________.

1. One lanky, one fat and a humpback

2. Three lanky fellows and a humpback

3. Two short and lean fellows and a humpback

4. Two lanky fellows and a humpback

17. ‘Last night at the Donkmasoves, Vaska and I drank the whole of four bottles of cognac.’ says one of the lanky ones. The other lanky man ____________.

1. Agreed with his statement

2. Got angry and said it was a lie

3. Said that he too enjoyed the drink

4. Became sad as he missed the drink

18. In response to Iona’s talk ‘‘My son… died this week.’ who said that ‘We must all die.’

1. Humpback

2. The officer

3. One of the lanky fellows

4. The hall porter

19. ‘Friend, what sort of time is it?’ Iona asks  ____________.

1. Humpback

2. The officer

3. One of the lanky fellows

4. a hall porter

20.  Iona tries to share his grief with many people in the story. Which one has the correct order? A: The Officer, B: The Three Youngmen, C: A Hall Porter, D:  A Young Cabdriver.

1. A B C D

2. D A B C

3. C A B D

4. D C B A

21. Match the columns
    
    

IONA’s Statement	Addressed to
‘But listen, mate—you know, my son is dead…Did you hear? This week, in the hospital…It’s a long story.’	1. The Officer
‘Friend, what sort of time is it?’	2. Three young men
‘My son… died this week.’	3. A hall porter
‘My son, Barin, died this week.’	4. A young cab driver

1. a:1, b:2, c:3, d:4

2. a:4, b:3, c:2, d:1

3. a:2, b:3: c:4, d:1

4.  a:3, b:4, c:1, d:2

22. How did Iona’s son die?

1. High fever

2. Road accident

3. Tuberculosis 

4. Snakebite

23.  Why does Iona think that it is better to talk to women?

1. they are patient listeners

2. They are more empathetic than men

3. They are more emotional

4. All of the above

24. Apart from being a cab-horse what other role does the horse play for Iona?

1. The horse also tills Iona’s farm

2. The horse acts as a good friend and companion to whom Iona finally shares his grief.

3. The horse has no other role

4. The gives him warmth on cold winter nights

25. What has been the most painful thing for Iona?

1. His son’s untimely death

2. The fact that he was not able to share his grief with anyone

3. The behaviour of people on the streets who constantly cursed him

4. The three young men who swore and made fun of him

KEY

B	6. D	11. B	16. D	21. B
B	7. C	12. A	17. B	22. A
D	8. A	13. B	18. A	23. D
B	9. A	14. A	19. D	24. B
A	10. D	15. C	20. A	25. B