More than True by Rabindra Nath Tagore - Literary Reader 7 - New Learning to Communicate - Word Meaning - Summary and Q&A

Summary of "More-than-True"

In the story "More-than-True" by Rabindranath Tagore, a grandfather tells his grandchild, Didi, about his amazing adventures that he imagined while studying geography. He describes a journey that starts with the name of a river, Yang-tse-kiang, which makes him picture caravans and camels. He imagines traveling through many cities, deserts, and jungles, meeting a princess in China. He pretends to be the crown prince of Bengal to impress her. They share tea and, in the end, he says he married the princess and got half her kingdom. The story is filled with fantasy and shows how powerful and fun imagination can be.

Difficult Words and Their Definitions

1. Geography: The study of the Earth, including countries, landscapes, and places.
2. Caravan: A group of people and animals traveling together, often across a desert.
3. Conjured: Made to appear in the mind as if by magic.
4. Pavilion: A fancy outdoor building or tent.
5. Incense: A substance that is burned to produce a pleasant smell.
6. Censer: A container in which incense is burned.
7. Yak: A long-haired animal found in Asia.
8. Vineyards: Fields where grapes are grown to make wine.
9. Chrysanthemums: A type of flower that is often used in tea.
10. Fusung Bird: A fictional bird created by the grandfather's imagination.
11. Hachang Tree: A fictional tree created by the grandfather's imagination.
12. Perched: Sat or rested on something high.
13. Marble: A type of stone that is smooth and often used in buildings.

Let's Infer

1. Why would the geography conjured up by the Yang-tse-kiang river not help anyone to pass an exam?

   • ANSWER: The geography conjured up by the Yang-tse-kiang river was filled with imaginative and fantastical elements, like long caravans and camels, which are not factual or useful for answering exam questions based on real-world knowledge.

2. Did Grandpa do any of the following things?

   • a. ride a camel
   • b. travel to foreign countries
   • c. cross many deserts
   • d. enter a jungle at the foot of Ush-khush mountains
   • e. confront a white bear

   (All these options should be ticked as correct because Grandpa described all these things in his imaginative story.)

3. a. What was the princess doing when Grandpa saw her?

   • ANSWER: The princess was feeding her milk-white peacock with pomegranate seeds while her maids were attending to her.

   b. What did he tell the princess about himself? Why did it 'save' him?

   • ANSWER: Grandpa told the princess that he was the crown prince of Bengal. This "saved" him because it made the princess curious and respectful, preventing her from dismissing him or having him thrown out.

4. "That's the sort of person I am." What sort of a person was he?

   • ANSWER: Grandpa was a person with a vivid imagination who enjoyed creating and telling fantastical stories. He was spontaneous and inventive, often making things up as he went along.

5. Do you find more-than-true details in

   • a. a book on science?
   • b. fairy tales?
   • c. fables?
   • d. the balance sheet of a bank?

   (Tick the right answer.)
   ANSWER: 

• b. fairy tales
• c. fables

Let's Discuss

1. Fairy tales and fables appeal to children alone.

   Argument for the statement:

   • Fairy tales and fables are often written with simple language, imaginative plots, and moral lessons that are easily understood and appreciated by children. The magical elements and clear distinctions between good and evil resonate well with a child’s sense of wonder and justice.

   Argument against the statement:

   • Fairy tales and fables also appeal to adults. Many adults enjoy these stories for their nostalgic value, their deeper moral and philosophical meanings, and their cultural significance. Fairy tales and fables can offer valuable lessons and insights at any age, and their timeless nature means they can be appreciated by people of all generations.

2. Children love listening to stories, not reading them.

   Argument for the statement:

   • Listening to stories can be more engaging for children, especially younger ones who may not yet have strong reading skills. The act of listening allows children to use their imagination more freely without the struggle of decoding text. Additionally, the emotional and expressive delivery of a storyteller can make the story more captivating and memorable.

   Argument against the statement:

   • Many children also love reading stories. Books with colorful illustrations and simple texts can attract young readers and encourage a love of reading. As children grow older and become more proficient readers, they may enjoy the independence and immersion that reading stories on their own can provide. Reading can also help develop their language skills and creativity.

In conclusion, while fairy tales and fables have a strong appeal to children, they are also cherished by many adults. Similarly, children can enjoy both listening to and reading stories, depending on their age, reading abilities, and personal preferences.

Poem: The Magical Earth by Gulzar - New Learning to Communicate - Literary Reader 7

The Magical Earth

An Interactive Guide by Gulzar

Contents

• Poem Text
• Difficult Words with Definitions
• Summary of the Poem
• Questions & Answers
• Important Questions
• Interactive Quiz

Poem Text

There is something indeed in the earth of my garden

Is this earth magical?

The earth knows how to do magic!

If I sow a guava seed, it gives me guavas

If I put in a jamun kernel, it gives me jamuns

A bitter gourd for a bitter gourd, a lemon for a lemon!

If I ask for a flower, it gives me pink flowers

Whatever colour I give to it, it returns that to me

Has it hidden all these colours in the soil below?

I dug a lot but found nothing

The earth knows how to do magic!

The earth knows how to do magic

It shows so many tricks

When it balances these long coconut trees on its fingers

It does not even let them fall!

The wind does its best, but the earth does not let them fumble!

A sherbet, or milk, or water

Anything may fall, it absorbs them all

How much water does it drink?!

It gulps down whatever you give

Be it from a jug or a bucket

Amazingly, its stomach never fills

I have heard that it can even hide a river inside!

The earth knows how to do magic!

Are there sugar godowns under the earth?

Or rocks of lime?

How does this earth put sweetness into fruits?

From where does it get all this?

Pomegranates, plums and mangoes—in all of them

Sweetness, but different kinds

The leaves tasteless but the fruits sweet

The musambi sweet, the lemon sour

Undoubtedly, it knows magic!

Otherwise, why is the bamboo tasteless,

and the sugarcane sweet?

Difficult Words with Definitions

1. Magical: Having special, mysterious, or supernatural qualities.

2. Kernel: The inner, softer part of a seed, nut, or fruit stone.

3. Fumble: To handle something clumsily.

4. Sherbet: A sweet flavoured drink.

5. Absorb: To soak up or take in a liquid or substance.

6. Godowns: Warehouses or storage places, especially in South Asia.

7. Musambi: Sweet lime, a citrus fruit.

8. Undoubtedly: Without doubt; certainly.

Summary of "The Magical Earth"

In "The Magical Earth," Gulzar expresses a childlike wonder at the mysterious and magical qualities of the earth. He observes how the earth acts like a magician, transforming seeds into their corresponding plants and fruits—a guava seed becomes a guava tree, a jamun kernel becomes a jamun tree. It even returns flowers in the exact color planted. The poet marvels at the earth's physical strength, personifying it as a skilled performer balancing tall coconut trees against the wind.

The earth's capacity seems endless; it absorbs any liquid poured into it without ever getting full, as if it could hide a whole river inside. The ultimate magic, for the poet, lies in the earth's ability to create different flavors. He wonders how it infuses fruits with various kinds of sweetness while keeping leaves tasteless, and how it can produce a sweet sugarcane right next to a tasteless bamboo. This constant display of mysterious power convinces the poet that the earth truly knows how to do magic.

Questions & Answers

1. This is a poem in praise of the magical powers of earth. Do you agree?

   Yes, the poem is a celebration of the earth's seemingly magical and wondrous abilities.

2. The word earth in the poem refers to:

   c. the substance that plants grow in.

3. Say whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F).

   • a. If you plant a guava seed, you will get a guava later. - True
   • b. If you plant the seed of a particular vegetable, the earth will give you that vegetable later. - True
   • c. If you want a flower of a particular colour, the earth will give you flowers of different colours. - False
   • d. When the wind does its best to make a coconut tree fall down, the earth prevents it from happening. - True
   • e. The earth absorbs only sweet-tasting liquids like sherbet. - False
   • f. The earth has huge quantities of groundwater. - True
   • g. The earth stores large quantities of sugar. - False
   • h. The earth puts the same sweetness into all fruits. - False
   • i. Even though both the bamboo and the sugarcane are tropical plants, only the latter tastes sweet. - True

4. Personification is a literary device... Pick out any two examples of the tricks that 'magician earth' performs.

   Two examples of tricks the 'magician earth' performs are:

   1. It balances tall coconut trees "on its fingers" and doesn't let them fall, even when the wind blows hard.
   2. It "gulps down" any liquid you give it from a jug or bucket, and its "stomach never fills."

Important Questions

1. Why does the poet call the earth ‘magical’?
   The poet calls it magical because it performs wonders like turning a tiny seed into a fruit-bearing tree, producing colorful flowers, and absorbing endless water without ever filling up.

2. How does the earth balance the tall coconut trees?
   It is personified as holding them steady on its "fingers," preventing them from falling even when the wind tries to push them over.

3. What question does the poet ask about sweetness in fruits?
   He wonders how the earth creates so many different kinds of sweetness for fruits like mangoes, plums, and pomegranates, and where this sweetness comes from.

4. What is the contrast between bamboo and sugarcane that puzzles the poet?
   The poet is puzzled that although both plants grow from the same earth, the bamboo is tasteless while the sugarcane is full of sweetness.

5. What message do you learn from this poem?
   The poem teaches us to look at the natural world with a sense of wonder and appreciation. It reminds us that everyday processes, like a seed growing into a plant, are truly magical and mysterious.

Interactive Quiz

1. What is the main theme of the poem "The Magical Earth"?

a) The challenges of gardening b) The scientific process of plant growth c) The wondrous and mysterious powers of the earth d) The different types of soil

2. What literary device is most prominent in the line "When it balances these long coconut trees on its fingers"?

a) Simile b) Personification c) Metaphor d) Alliteration

3. According to the poet, what happens if he plants a jamun kernel?

a) It gives him guavas b) It gives him jamuns c) It gives him pink flowers d) It gives him lemons

4. What puzzles the poet about the flavors of plants?

a) Why all fruits are sweet b) Why leaves are sweet but fruits are tasteless c) Why bamboo is tasteless while sugarcane from the same earth is sweet d) Why all flowers taste the same

5. What does the poet mean when he says the earth's "stomach never fills"?

a) The earth has a small appetite b) The earth can absorb a seemingly infinite amount of water c) The earth only drinks milk d) The earth is always hungry for soil