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Test mastery of English verb tenses with this interactive quiz. Identify the tense used in each sentence—covering affirmative, negative, interrogative, and interrogative-negative forms—while tracking time, progress, and score. Get immediate feedback with clear reasoning after every attempt, and finish with a named result to share with peers or a teacher.
Tense Master
Question 1 of 500%
10:00
Identify the tense used in each sentence. Options include Present, Past, and Future forms across Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous. Read the feedback to see the time clue, auxiliary verb, or verb form that signals the correct tense. Good luck and have fun identifying the correct tense.
Here you will find a detailed summary, analysis of themes, character sketches, and solved question answers for the chapter "New Blue" from the New Blue Literary Reader for Class 6. This story follows the experiences of Parvati, a young girl navigating the challenges of a new school in a foreign country. Students searching for "New Blue Class 6 summary," "Parvati's first day at school story," or "New Blue chapter solutions" will find this guide helpful.
"New Blue" is about a fifteen-year-old Indian girl, Parvati, and her tough first day at a new school in Malaysia. Everything feels strange: the uniform, books, language, and people. The day starts with embarrassing moments.
First, a nun mispronounces her name as "Poverty," making other students giggle. She also feels awkward because her hair is oily after she overslept and rushed her morning routine.
Next, a friendly classmate, Kim Lan, gives her dried ginger. The taste is too strong and makes her eyes water. Her teacher, Miss Goon, sees her and thinks she is crying from sadness, making Parvati feel even more pathetic.
The biggest embarrassment happens when she needs a games uniform. The games captain, Fawzia, tricks her by teaching her a Malay phrase. Fawzia tells her it means "I want a games uniform," but it really means "I want to marry your elder brother".
Parvati says this to Gillian Chew, the girl in charge of uniforms. Gillian gets angry until she realizes it's a prank. Instead of getting upset, Parvati handles it with grace. The story ends with her hoping her embarrassing day is finally over.
Themes of the Chapter
Fitting In: The story shows how hard it is to be in a new place. Parvati feels like an outsider because of the new culture, language, and school, which makes her feel lonely.
Facing Embarrassment: Parvati has many embarrassing moments. But she stays strong and even finds some humor in her bad day, showing she is resilient.
Making Friends: The story looks at how teenagers interact. Kim Lan is kind, but Fawzia is mean. It shows that making friends in a new place can be complicated.
Miscommunication: Language barriers are a big theme. Parvati gets into trouble because she doesn't know Malay, which shows how easily misunderstandings can happen when people can't communicate.
Character Sketches
Parvati Chopra: The main character, a 15-year-old girl who feels shy but is also strong inside. She tries hard to fit in and handles a mean prank with maturity.
Fawzia Ahmed: The games captain who plays a prank on Parvati. She seems tough and enjoys making the new girl feel uncomfortable, showing a mean side.
Gillian Chew: The student with the uniforms. She is angry at first but becomes understanding and kind once she realizes Parvati was tricked. She even shares a laugh about it.
Kim Lan: A friendly classmate who tries to be nice to Parvati by offering her ginger. Her gesture shows that there is kindness to be found in the new school.
Word Meanings
Word
Meaning
Pinafore
A loose dress with no sleeves, worn over a shirt or blouse.
Inauspicious
Showing signs that the future will not be good.
Muted
Quiet, not as loud as usual.
Tendrils
Long, slender, and curling ringlets of hair.
Pungent
Having a strong taste.
Inevitably
As is certain to happen.
Nestling
Hiding.
Pathetic
Making you feel sad.
Beamed
Gave a wide and happy smile.
Namby-pamby
A weak and emotional person.
Steely
Strong, hard, and unfriendly.
Hassle
Annoy somebody or cause trouble.
Drawled
Spoke slowly with vowel sounds that were longer than usual.
Griped
Felt annoyed.
Meekly
Without saying what she really felt.
Enunciating
Pronouncing words clearly.
Blanched
Became pale.
Contorted
Became twisted.
Indiscreet
Inappropriate or rude.
Question and Answers
Let's Infer
1. How was Parvati feeling when she came to her new school? Pick out words from the story which express her feelings.
Parvati felt nervous and out of place. The story uses phrases like her "heart was sinking and skipping," she "felt extremely silly," and she "felt all at sea in a leaky boat" to show her anxiety.
2. Why was the nun not able to say Parvati's name correctly? Why didn't Parvati correct her?
The nun, being a Malaysian Chinese, could not pronounce the hard rolling 'r' sound in "Parvati." Parvati did not correct her because she was new, felt shy, and didn't want to cause a fuss in front of the whole class.
3. Why do you think Miss Goon misunderstood Parvati's situation? What did she do to put Parvati at ease?
Miss Goon saw Parvati with tears in her eyes and assumed she was sad about being in a new school. She didn't know the spicy ginger was the real reason. To help, she put a reassuring hand on Parvati's shoulder and spoke kindly.
4. What prank did Fawzia Ahmed play on Parvati? Why do you think she did it?
Fawzia tricked Parvati by teaching her a Malay phrase that meant "I want to marry your elder brother" instead of "I want a games uniform." She likely did it to bully Parvati and amuse herself, seeing her as an easy target.
5. Which of the following words describe Parvati? Give reasons for your answer.
Words that describe Parvati are nervous, trusting, forgiving, friendly, and respectful. She was nervous on her first day, trusted Fawzia's "help," forgave the prank, tried to be friendly with everyone, and respectfully accepted Kim Lan's gift.
Let's Discuss
1. Do you think the girls at Parvati's new school were insensitive?
Some of the girls were insensitive. Fawzia was cruel with her prank, and others giggled at Parvati's name. However, Kim Lan and Annette were friendly from the start, and Gillian became understanding. So, the school had a mix of both sensitive and insensitive students.
2. It is natural for a new student to be nervous on the first day of school. What should we do to make him/her comfortable?
To make a new student feel comfortable, we can be friendly and welcoming. We should smile, introduce ourselves, and invite them to join our conversations or games. Showing them around and offering to help with schoolwork are also great ways to make them feel included.
Class 11 Elective EnglishWoven Words Poem 10Dilip Chitre
Felling of the Banyan Tree poem summary, explanation, word meanings, theme, poetic devices, questions and answers, MCQ ideas, Hindi meaning, and PDF-style notes for Class 11 Elective English Woven Words by Dilip Chitre; includes simple line-by-line explanation, NCERT Q&A, and exam-ready points for students searching for “felling of the banyan tree poem”, “summary in English/Hindi”, “questions and answers MCQ”, “poetic devices”, “theme”, and “summary PDF”.
About the Poet Dilip Chitre
Dilip Chitre (1938–2009) was a noted bilingual writer from Baroda who wrote poetry in Marathi and English, besides short stories, essays, and impactful translations such as an anthology of Marathi poetry; he viewed poetry as an expression of the spirit and later lived and worked in Mumbai.
Felling of The Banyan Tree Summary
The poem recalls a family’s move from Baroda when the father clears tenants’ houses and orders many trees cut, though the grandmother called trees sacred; the sheoga, oudumber and neem fall first, but the vast banyan with roots “deeper than all our lives” resists.
Workers saw branches for seven days, birds and insects flee, and fifty men chop the massive trunk showing two hundred rings, a scene the speaker watches in terror and fascination as if a raw myth is revealed; soon they shift to Bombay where real trees seem absent except the one that grows and seethes in dreams.
Felling of The Banyan Tree Word Meaning
Word/Phrase
Meaning (easy English)
Tenants
People renting the nearby houses.
Demolished
Broken down completely.
Sacred
Holy; worthy of respect and care.
Felling
Cutting down trees.
Massacred
Killed in a brutal way; shows violence to nature.
Sheoga / Oudumber
Local trees mentioned with neem as being cut.
Scraggy
Rough and thin-looking; used for aerial roots.
Aerial roots
Roots hanging from branches towards the ground.
Circumference
Distance around the trunk.
Rings of two hundred years
Growth marks that show great age.
Raw mythology
Ancient, powerful feeling like a legend revealed.
Seethes
Boils with strong feeling; stirs in dreams.
Felling of The Banyan Tree Theme
Central idea: a clash between tradition that treats trees as sacred and modern development that clears land, showing loss of roots, memory, and environment; the banyan symbolises heritage and deep connections that are hard to cut.
Tone and message: the violent felling appears like a slaughter, making readers feel sorrow and awe; after moving to Bombay, the tree survives only in memory, warning about urban growth that forgets living nature.
Felling of The Banyan Tree Explanation
“My father told the tenants to leave… Only our own house remained and the trees.” — The speaker shows the father’s firm decisions before moving, as homes go down and nature stands as the last obstacle.
“Trees are sacred my grandmother used to say… But he massacred them all.” — Tradition calls trees holy, yet the father ignores this belief and clears them, showing conflict between faith and progress.
“But the huge banyan tree stood like a problem… Whose roots lay deeper than all our lives.” — The banyan is ancient and rooted, harder to remove than the rest; it represents long history and family ties.
“Its trunk had a circumference of fifty feet… Sawing them off for seven days.” — Vivid numbers show size and labour; cutting takes a week and drives birds and insects away.
“Fifty men with axes chopped and chopped… rings of two hundred years.” — Many men hack the trunk, exposing age rings that tell a long life, turning work into a shocking scene.
“We watched in terror and fascination… raw mythology revealed to us its age.” — The act feels like killing a legend; fear mixes with wonder as the tree’s history appears in front of them.
“Soon afterwards we left Baroda for Bombay… Which grows and seethes in one’s dreams.” — After the move, the living tree is gone; only a restless dream-tree remains, showing deep loss.
Understanding the Poem (Q&A)
Page numbers follow the Woven Words text; answers are concise for exams.
Page 133
1. Identify the lines that reveal the critical tone of the poet towards the felling of the tree.
Lines such as “he massacred them all,” “sawing them off for seven days,” “insects and birds began to leave,” “fifty men with axes chopped and chopped,” and “we watched in terror and fascination this slaughter” show a sharp, disapproving tone.
2. Identify the words that help you understand the nature of the poet’s father.
Expressions like “structures were demolished,” “massacred them all,” and “my father ordered it to be removed” present him as practical, forceful, and focused on action over sentiment.
3. ‘Trees are sacred my grandmother used to say’— what does the poet imply by this line?
It shows a traditional belief that trees deserve reverence and should not be harmed, suggesting a cultural and moral duty to protect them, which clashes with the father’s plan.
4. ‘No trees except the one which grows and seethes in one’s dreams’— why is the phrase ‘grows and seethes’ used?
The words suggest the banyan survives in memory with strong, restless feeling; though the real tree is gone, its image keeps stirring the mind with pain and life.
5. How does the banyan tree stand out as different from other trees? What details of the tree does the poet highlight in the poem?
It is three times taller than the house, fifty feet in girth, with long aerial roots and age rings of about two hundred years; its deep roots and grandeur make it unique.
6. What does the reference to raw mythology imply?
It means the tree’s great age and sacred aura feel like an ancient legend laid bare during the felling, turning labour into a ritual of loss.
7. ‘Whose roots lay deeper than our lives’— what aspect of human behaviour does this line reflect?
It shows how people often ignore long-standing bonds with nature and heritage, cutting them for quick progress even when those roots outlast human lives.
8. Comment on the contemporary concern that the poem echoes.
The poem warns about urban growth that destroys ecosystems and cultural memory; it urges care for nature against blind development.
Try This Out
Page 134
1. Most of us have had this experience of seeing trees in our neighbourhood being mercilessly cut down in order to build a house or a public building or to widen a road. Describe any such experience you have had of the felling of a tree you were attached to, with reasons for your special attachment to the tree.
Sample answer: Near the lane, a neem was removed for a wider turn; it gave shade after school and held sparrows’ nests, so its loss felt like losing a friend; the empty spot stayed harsh and hot through summer.
2. Find out the equivalents for sheoga, oudumber and neem in your language and English and the equivalent of banyan in your language.
Example approach: Check a local botany list or dictionary and note regional names; for English, write “sheoga (regional), oudumber (cluster fig), neem (Indian lilac), banyan (Indian banyan).” Adapt names to the home language list.
3. The adjective ‘scraggy’ is used to describe ‘roots’ in the poem. Find out two other items which could be described as ‘scraggy’.
Possible choices: a scraggy beard; a scraggy fence with thin, uneven slats.
4. Use the following adjectives to describe suitable items: raw, aerial.
Examples: raw emotion after the tree fell; aerial walkway among tall trees.
Exam Pointers
Quote ready: “We watched in terror and fascination this slaughter” to show tone.
Numbers to mention: seven days, fifty men, fifty feet, two hundred rings for evidence.
Keywords: sacred vs progress, deep roots, urban shift to Bombay, memory and loss.
Poem Midnight Wood by Raymond Wilson - Summary Q&A Word meanings - Class 6 Literary Reader Chapter 5: A child-friendly guide with meanings, solved answers, and a quick quiz for revision.
The poem takes the reader into a dark forest at midnight, asking what the eyes see, the ears hear, and the river hides. Strange shapes, whispering plants, and shrieking owls make the forest feel dangerous. The final warning from owlets suggests that anyone entering must choose the wood or river—and may be lost forever.
The poem shows how fear grows in darkness: normal things seem scary, and sounds feel louder. It is not only the forest, but the night and imagination that create a chilling mood.
Word Meanings of the Poem Midnight Wood
Word/Phrase
Meaning (Simple English)
Meaning (Simple Hindi)
Mist
Very light cloud near the ground that makes it hard to see
हल्का कुहासा, जमीन के पास हल्का धुंध
Hunchback shapes
Shapes that look bent or hunched, like curved backs
झुकी‑झुकी आकृतियाँ, कूबड़ जैसी
Frond
Large leaf, usually of a fern or palm
बड़ी पत्ती (आमतौर पर फर्न/खजूर की)
Fern
A plant with feathery leaves that grows in shade
फर्न—छाँव में उगने वाला पौधा
Clutching grass
Grass that seems to grab or hold as one walks
पकड़ने जैसा लगता घास
Snigger
To laugh quietly in a rude or teasing way
दबी हँसी, खिल्ली उड़ाना
Otter
Water animal with webbed feet and brown fur
ऊदबिलाव
Owlets
Baby owls
उल्लू के बच्चे
Whispering fear
Soft sounds that make one feel scared
धीमी आवाज़ें जो डर पैदा करें
Drift
To float and move with water or wind
बहना, सरकना
Shriek
To cry out in a loud, high-pitched voice
चीखना
Dead of night
The darkest, quietest time late at night
रात का सबसे गहरा समय
Let's enjoy the poem (Q&A)
1. Did you notice that each of the four stanzas in the poem describes one group of things that might make us afraid when we are alone in a wood at night? Can you list them?
a. The things we see: mist, moonlight, star, cloud, hunchback shapes.
b. The sounds we hear: thin wind, frond and fern, clutching grass sniggering.
c. The things the river hides: otter, water‑rat, old can, bones of fish and man.
d. The threats we face: owlets warn that whoever comes is lost forever.
2. What do these phrases mean?
a. ‘hunchback shapes’: bent, crooked shapes that look like hunched backs in the dark.
b. ‘clutching grass’: grass that feels like it is grabbing at one’s feet while walking.
3. Look at stanza 3. Which of the objects mentioned would you normally not expect to see in a river? How do you think they got there?
The “old can” and “bones of man” are unexpected in a river; the can suggests human littering, and “bones of man” is likely an imagined fear image, used to make the scene feel dangerous and mysterious.
4. If you believe what the owlets are actually saying, would you want to go to the wood?
No, because the owlets warn that whoever enters must choose between wood and river and will be lost, which makes the place feel unsafe at night.
5. Why do you think the poet repeats the phrase ‘dark in the wood’ several times?
The repetition builds rhythm and a strong mood of fear, reminding that darkness changes normal sights and sounds into something scary.
6. Are the sounds and sights described in the poem frightening in themselves? Does darkness have something to do with the way we feel in a wood at night?
Most things are ordinary (plants, wind, river, owls), but in the dark they seem dangerous. Yes, darkness and imagination make everything feel scarier.
7. If you found yourself all alone in a wood at midnight, would you be frightened?
Yes, because limited light and unfamiliar sounds can cause fear; staying calm, using a light, and thinking logically would help reduce that fear.
This chapter, “The Bus Stop That Ate Children” by Susan Gates, is a
suspenseful story set near a giant baobab tree used as a bus stop. In this
blog post you will find the story summary, word-meanings, Q&A and an
interactive quiz for better understanding and exam prep!
Precious must wait alone at a bus stop made inside a huge baobab tree
while going to the market for rice, cassava, and beans. Her brother Kapito
once told frightening tales that the “witch tree” eats children, making
her feel nervous. When a tapping sound comes from a bump on the trunk,
Precious panics—until a tiny hornbill chick squeezes out through a hole.
She realizes the “witch’s larder” is just a bird’s nest sealed with mud.
Relieved, she boards the bus, wiser about how stories can scare and also
entertain.
Word Meanings
Word/Phrase
Meaning (Simple English)
Meaning (Simple Hindi)
Baobab
A very large African tree with a thick trunk and hollow space
बहुत बड़ा अफ्रीकी पेड़ जिसकी मोटी तना और खोखला भाग होता है
Hollow
Empty space inside something
अंदर से खाली
Witch (witch tree)
A magical, scary woman in stories; here, a scary idea about the tree
डायन; यहाँ पेड़ के बारे में डरावनी कल्पना
Nightmare
A very scary dream
डरावना सपना
Responsibility
Duty to do something important
ज़िम्मेदारी
Lumpy / Warty
Having many bumps or lumps on the surface
उभरा‑उभरा / मस्सेदार सतह
Scowling face
An angry-looking face
गुस्से वाला चेहरा
Thatch
Roof made from straw or reeds
फूस/घास‑फूस की छत
Guzzle
To drink or eat quickly and greedily
हड़बड़ी और लालच से पीना/खाना
Prowl
To move quietly while hunting or sneaking
दबे पाँव घूमना
“Scared out of your wits”
Extremely frightened
बहुत ज़्यादा डरे होना
Larder (witch’s larder)
A place to store food; here, bumps called a “store” in the scary tale
खाने का भंडार; यहाँ डरावनी कहानी में “भंडार”
Piping voice
Very high, thin sound
पतली, ऊँची आवाज़
Hornbill
A bird with a hard, horn-like beak
एक पक्षी जिसकी चोंच सींग जैसी होती है
Sealed
Closed tightly so nothing can go in or out
कसकर बंद
Exhausted
Very tired
बहुत थका हुआ
Cassava
Starchy food made from a tropical plant’s root
कसावा—एक कंद से बना स्टार्चयुक्त आहार
Rumpled
Looking crumpled or untidy
सिकुड़ा/बिखरा‑सा
Tap, tap
Light, repeated knocking sound
हल्की‑हल्की ठक‑ठक
Let's Infer (Q&A)
1. The baobab tree “was the kind of tree you could believe all sorts of
things about”. What sorts of things does the author have in
mind?
Because the tree is huge, ancient, lumpy, and hollow, people imagine it as
a “witch tree” that can hide spirits, trap children, or swallow
them—mysterious powers that turn an ordinary bus stop into a scary legend.
2. A gullible person is someone who is willing to believe anything or
anyone. Is Precious gullible? How can you tell?
Precious is not fully gullible. She feels scared by Kapito’s stories, but
she also questions them and finally checks the bump herself. When the
hornbill chicks appear, she changes her belief using real evidence.
3. Think of appropriate words to describe Kapito. (Support your choices
with reasons.) Do you think he enjoys scaring his little sister?
Kapito is imaginative, playful, and dramatic. He clearly enjoys scary
storytelling and likes teasing Precious with ghostly details, so yes—he
enjoys giving her harmless scares through his tales.
4. Which words would you use to describe Precious when she is waiting
at the bus stop? How does she feel when she realizes that the bus stop
is not a witch?
At first she is anxious, cautious, and responsible. After seeing the
chicks, she feels relieved, amused, and confident, understanding how
stories can seem real but be explained by nature.
5. When you saw the title “The Bus Stop That Ate Children”, what kind
of story did you expect? How would you describe the story now that you
have read it?
The title suggests a horror story. After reading, it feels like a gentle
mystery that turns into a realistic explanation, teaching critical
thinking and courage in a fun, child-friendly way.
Let's discuss (Q&A)
1. Is Kapito doing the right thing by telling Precious scary stories?
Should Precious tell scary stories about the child-eating bus stop to
her new brother or sister?
Scary stories can be fine if told kindly and followed by the truth, so
children learn to ask questions. If Precious tells such stories, she
should also explain the real reason (the hornbill nest) so younger kids
feel safe and curious, not terrified.
2. Do children enjoy reading or listening to scary stories? Do you
enjoy reading a frightening story?
Many children enjoy a little safe fright—it’s exciting and builds
imagination. The best scary stories end with sense and comfort, helping
readers become brave and thoughtful about what is real.
The Bus Stop That Ate Children – Comprehension Quiz
