CLASS 6 English A Pact With The Sun Revision Notes

      CLASS 6 REVISION NOTES         SUPPLEMENTARY BOOK   

6. The Monkey and the Crocodile

1.This story tells us about the famous monkey and crocodile story in which the monkey lives alone in a tree. The monkey eats the fruit of his liking to his heart’s delight.

2. The monkey does not have a friend to talk to and share the fruits with. One fine day, a crocodile comes there. The monkey offers him fruit to eat.

3. Thus, he begins visiting the monkey regularly and eat fruits with him. He also carries some of them for his wife.

4. The monkey and crocodile talk about everything from birds to animals. Further, they also talk about the villagers nearby and the difficulty they have in raising good crops because of the lack of rain.

5. One day, the crocodile’s wife expresses her wish to eat the heart of his friend, monkey.

6. She orders him to bring him over someday but the crocodile does not agree to it. He does not want to kill him. However, she finally manipulates him to invite him for dinner.

7. He  invites him over for dinner. The monkey happily accepts and rides the crocodile’s back to reach the middle of the river. However, the crocodile cannot lie to him and tells him about his wife’s plan.

8. Soon, the monkey realizes the situation and fools him. He tells him he has left his heart at the tree so he must go back to get it. When they reach the riverbank, the monkey quickly jumps back on the tree.

9. Then, he bids the crocodile goodbye. This saddens the crocodile as he has lost a dear friend and he starts crying. So, we see how the crocodile never got to taste the sweetness of fruits again.

Therefore, we learn how this story teaches about different human traits through animals. Traits like friendship, betrayal and wisdom. 

1. The monkey was happy living in the fruit tree, but his happiness was not complete. What did he miss?

Ans: The monkey was happy living in the fruit tree, but his happiness was not complete because he was lonely and missed a companion to talk to and share the fruits with.He

needed a friend badly.

2. What did the two friends generally talk about?

Ans: The two friends, the monkey and the crocodile, generally talked about birds and animals, about the villages nearby and the difficulties villagers faced in raising good crops

for lack of rain.

3. Why was the crocodile’s wife annoyed with her husband one day?

Ans: The crocodile’s wife was annoyed with her husband one day because that day the crocodile stayed with the monkey longer than usual. 

4. Why was the crocodile unwilling to invite his friend home?

Ans: Many a time the crocodile's wife had told him that she Would like to eat monkey's heart.The crocodile was unwilling to invite his friend home because he was his only friend.

5. What did the crocodile tell the monkey midstream?

Ans: The crocodile told the monkey midstream that he had to go under water as he wanted to kill him as his wife could not survive without eating his heart.

6. How did the monkey save himself?

Ans:  He calmly informed the crocodile that he would do anything for him but he hadn’t brought his heart along and so asked the crocodile if they could swim back so that he could bring his heart back from the tree. On the river bank the monkey jumped on to the tree with a deep sigh of relief and thus saved himself.

7. What does the last sentence of the story suggest? What would the crocodile tell his wife?

Ans: The last sentence of the story suggests that the crocodile was very sad as he now realized how foolish he had been in listening to his wife and in doing so he had betrayed the

only friend he had in the world.

                     7. The Wonder Called Sleep

1. The chapter is about the importance of sleep. 

2.  sleep is a state of unconscious rest. Our day to day activities causes a lot of tiredness. Thus, it is the most beneficial part of getting sleep. 

4.  When we sleep, out muscles become more relaxed as we enjoy a sound sleep.

5. Further, our heart beat becomes slower when we sleep.  Our blood pressure and temperature  go down because of it. Our brain also slows down when sleeping. Thus, we cannot think or act in a conscious manner.

6. However, all these things go back to normal when we wake up from our sleep. Sometimes, we dream when we are sleeping and do not remember it when we wake up. Dreams are an essential activity of our mind.

7. They are what allow us to sleep even when there is a noisy background. It is said that our dreams mostly reveal the problems we face. Sometimes, they also offer a solution to these problems.

8. Our dreams can never determine our future or foretell it. Nonetheless, this wonder does transport us into a strange land. So much so that we even forget about our close ones during sleep.

All in all, this chapter explores the wonderful powers of sleep. Further, it tells us how it is the sweetest and most common experience. Therefore, the chapter tells us how sleep is rightfully called a wonder.

Theme

It gives message that sleep is significant for leading a healthy life. Moreover, it tells us how we must all take a good sleep to get the most benefits.

1. What is the most obvious advantage of sleep?

Ans:

 It gives our tired body the rest it needs.It helps our body and brain to recover from fatigue caused by the day’s activities. After a good sleep we become alert and active again and ready for the normal activities of the day.

2. What happens to our body when we sleep?

Ans: Our muscles relax when we are in deep sleep.Our heartbeat slows down,body temperature and blood pressure also become normal. Our ever-active brain gets some rest 

3. Define a dream in your own words.

Ans: A dream is an activity of the mind that happens when we are asleep. It can also be defined as a series of thoughts, emotions and images that take place in a person’s mind

during sleep. 

4. Why are dreams important? Mention two reasons.

Ans: One is that dream can help us to sleep through noise or other disturbances. Secondly, dreams often reveal a great deal about one’s personality and its associated problem. If understood correctly, they can provide a key to the

solution of those problems.

5. Why has sleep been called a wonder?

Ans: Sleep has been called a wonder because it helps both our body and brain recover from fatigue caused by the day’s activities.It is a sort of escape from the reality of life.

                       8.  A Pact With The Sun

1. It is a story about a girl Saeeda whose mother suffers from fever, cough, body pain and joint pain and more. Even though a lot of physicians have treated her, she is not getting better.

2. Moreover, they forbid normal food and ask her to stay in a closed room so as  to avoid sunlight and fresh air. As expected, this does not work well for her. 

3. As people suggest her to consult a specialist, they agree despite being poor.  The specialist examines her and offers her costly yet effective medicines. Moreover, he does not forbid her from eating anything.

4. Most importantly, he asks her to get fresh air and sunlight. Thus, he asks her to move into a bigger room which gets the most sunlight. He advises her to sit in the sunlight for one hour every day.

5. Even though some people advise her against it, she does not listen to them. She makes the needed arrangements and wishes to sit in the sun for an hour. However, the next few days remain cloudy and there is no sign of sun.

6. She starts to lament and complain to God. Saeeda sees a spot of pale sunshine in the afternoon. She starts requesting the departing rays to come the next day and bring enough warmth and brightness.

7. Finally, the rays answer her prayer as her ailing mother needs their help. The rays plan to come out the next day as promised to Saeeda, but the sun tells them that it is their day off again as the clouds have blocked the road to the earth.

8. The ray which promised Saeeda tells the sun that it cannot stay back and it will pierce through the clouds to reach her courtyard. So, the rays revolt against the sun to keep their word.

9. They focus their heat and the clouds scatter away. Finally, they reach the earth and her mother is able to bask in the sun and breathe fresh air. This makes her pale face glow and as the doctor’s advice worked, she recovered fully.

Theme

It tells us the importance and healing powers of natural light and fresh air. 

1. What did the physicians ask Saeeda’s mother to do to get well? Did their advice help her? If not, why not?

Ans: The physicians asked Saeeda’s mother not to eat normal food and kept her under strict orders, to always remain in her small dingy room with doors and windows shut,if she

wanted to get well soon.

 No, the advice did not help. She became even more critical because she was not getting proper food, sunshine and fresh air which were essential for good health.

2. What did the specialist prescribe in addition to medicine?

Ans: The specialist prescribed a normal diet consisting of anything she wished to eat like chapati, vegetables, milk, fruits etc. In addition, he advised her to leave the dark room and

occupy a bigger room with doors and windows open, to sit in the sun every morning for one hour to get fresh air.He believed that sunshine and fresh air are more important than medicine.

3. What did Saeeda tell the sunrays to do?

Ans: Saeeda requested to come the next day with lots of warmth and brightness as her mother was ill and needed help to get well soon.

4. Why were the sunrays keen to go down to the earth the next day?

Ans: The sunrays were keen to go down to the earth the next day because they had promised Saeeda ,whose mother was ill and needed their help,that they would return the next day with more warmth and brightness.

Class 6 English Honey Suckle Revision Notes 2023 term 2

 

CLASS 6 REVISION NOTES 

                      5. A Different Kind of School 

1. It is a story of a unique school where children are taught how to sympathies with others and be helpful. The writer of the story has heard a lot about Miss Beam’s school.

2. Upon reaching there, he notices a girl whose eyes are covered with bandages and a boy who is about four year younger, helping her. He finally meets Miss Beam who explains her teaching methods.

3. She tells him that her main aim of teaching in this school is to help children become more kind and thoughtful. 

5. In order to help her children appreciated and understand the less-fortunate, the school makes them share in their misfortune. So, they are made lame or their eyes are covered so they can realise the true essence of the misfortune.

6. Similarly, she tells other children to help them out. Thus, each term, every child has one blind, one lame, one injured, one dumb and one deaf day. Everyone plays this ‘game’ at school.

7. Miss Beam asks the author to spend some time with the girl having a bandage on her eyes. 

8. The girl tells the author how being blind for a day is the hardest thing to do. It is because movement becomes difficult and they always have to worry about getting hurt. They keep dodging things which are not even there.

9. Then, the writer goes for a short walk with the girl. After that, he realises that he has become ten times more thoughtful. Moreover, he also realises that describing things to people brings him great pleasure.

Theme:

A Different Kind of School lesson teaches us how to be respectful ,helpful and compassionate to others.We must be grateful for what we have and make the most of it.

1. Why do you think the writer visited Miss Beam’s school? 
Ans: The writer had heard much about Miss Beam’s new teaching method. So he visited her school to see the new play-way method personally.

2. What was the ‘game’ that every child in the school had to play? 
Ans: Every child in the school had to play the role of being blind, deaf, dumb, injured and lame once in a term. It was a sort of game and training.

3. “Each term every child has one blind day, one lame day …”. Complete the line. Which day was the hardest? Why was it the hardest?
Ans:  “… one injured day and one dumb day.” Being blind was the hardest day. The student felt that he/she was going to be hit by something every moment.

4. What was the purpose of these special days? 
Ans: The purpose of these special days was to give the children a personal taste of misfortune. They learnt to help the needy in society. Such training made them good citizens.

5. How was Miss Beam’s school different from other schools? What was the difference between Miss Beam’s school and the other schools?

Ans:Miss Beam’s school was different from another school because it teaches moral values, thoughtfulness and kindness apart from the general study while all the other schools focus on teaching subjects.  The school makes them share the misfortune of others in order to make them responsible citizens. 

6. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow choosing the best option from among the given ones.

Miss Beam was all that I had expected—middle-aged, full of authority, yet kind and understanding. Her hair was beginning to turn grey, and she had the kind of plump figure that is likely to be comforting to a homesick child. I asked her some questions about her teaching methods, which I had heard were simple.

i. Miss Beam was

a. attractive                                                                                  b. ugly                                                                                          c. what the author expected                                                        d. social

ii. Miss Beam seemed

 a. powerful but sympathetic                                                         b. angry yet kind                                                                         c. middle-aged and wise                                                           d. philosophical and thoughtful

iii. According to the author, a homesick child was likely to

  a. fear her                                                                                    b. hate her                                                                                  c. respect her                                                                            d. trust her

iv. The author asked Miss Beam about the way

  a. she lived                                                                                b. she taught                                                                              c. she handled children                                                            d. the children were taught

v. The word ‘understanding’ here means

  a. wisdom                                                                                  b. sense                                                                                    c. sympathetic                                                                          d. knowledge

Ans: i. (c), ii. (a), iii. (d), iv. (d), v. (c).

A.  Match the words and phrases with their meanings in the box below.

paragraph numbers

Ans:

                         6. Who I Am 

1. What reason does Radha's mother give for not allowing her to climb trees? Why?

Radha's mother says that it is not sensible for girls to climb trees. Probably she is scared that Radha might fall and hurt herself.

2. How did Serbjit control his anger?

Sarabjit controlled his anger by looking down at his shoes and count to ten so that he could hide his anger.

3. Why does Rohit want to go to Lakshadweep?

Rohit's ambition is to travel all over the world. In this spirit, he wants to see the beaches of Lakshadweep.

4. What was the favorite activity of Radha?

Radha's favorite activity was climbing the trees.

5. Why and what does Serbjit use to do when he is angry?

 Serbjit feels disheartened every time he is looked upon by everybody for lying even though he is telling the truth. So he has to look down at his shoes and count to ten to show that he is not angry with these false claims.

6. What is it that Nasir wants to find out and what prompted him to do that?

Nasir wanted to find out how to preserve seeds so that they can be used again. Every year his father had to spend a lot of money on buying seeds which prompted him to find out about their preservation.

7. Why was the second Sunday of every month was special in Peter’s life?

The second Sunday was special because on this day Peter’s family used to visit a cinema hall. His family members enjoyed peanuts and ice-cream.

8. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

My favourite activity is climbing trees. Just outside our house, there is a mango tree which I love to go up. Its branches spread out, so it is simple to climb up the tree, and I can sit comfortably in the fork of two branches. My mother tells me it is not sensible for girls to climb trees, but one afternoon she climbed up too, and both of us sat there talking and eating raw mangoes.

i. Who does 'My' refer to?

ii. What is her favourite activity?

iii. Where is the mango tree?

iv. What does her mother tell her?

v. Find a word from the above extract that means the same as to right.

Ans: i. ‘My’ refers to Radha from the lesson 'Who I am'.

ii. Her favourite activity is to climb trees especially climbing the mango tree just outside her house.

iii. The mango tree is just outside her house.

iv. Her mother tells her that it is not sensible for girls to climb trees.

v. The word is sensible.

                                   7. Fair Play

1. It is a story about two best friends, Jumman Shaikh and Algu Chowdhry. Their friendship is  famous throughout the village.

2. Jumman’s aunt transfers her property to Jumman. Her only condition is that he must take care of her for the rest of her life.

3. Jumman agrees but after some years, his behaviour changes. He does not treat her well and she has to face a lot of trouble. He does not give her food. When things go beyond limits, she asks Jumman to give her some money every month.

4.However, Jumman does not even listen to this and insults her. With no other option left, she takes the matter to the Panchayat.

5. Jumman’s aunt chooses Algu to be the head Panch of her case. As Algu becomes the head Panch, he decides to speak the truth without favouring his best friend. So, the judgement is given in the aunt’s favour.

6. This angers Jumman and he agrees to give her the fixed monthly amount as per the judgement. He starts hating Algu. Within a few days, Algu finds himself in a tough situation.

7. One of Algu’s pair of bullocks dies so he sells his other bullock to Samjhu Sahu. He had to pay the money within a month’s time but the sold bullock died before the expiry of the payment’s period.

8. Thus, Samjhu declines to pay the money to Algu. Now, Algu goes to the Panchayat to get justice. Samjhu Sahu appoints Jumman as the head Panch as he knows very well he is now Algu’s enemy.

9. But, when Algu sits at the position of the head Panch, he realises his responsibility  . He understands how his position is above everything in this world.

10. Even though Algu is afraid of losing the case, Jumman speaks the truth. Thus, the judgement is passed in the favour of Algu. Consequently, Sahu has to pay the money to Algu.

11. The feeling of bringing justice was so overwhelming to Algu that he declares how the voice of the Panch is the voice of God.

Theme

Fair Play lesson makes us realise that justice must be equal for all. Moreover, it tells us how we must all favour the truth and understand the responsibility given to us and act accordingly.

A.  Who says this to whom and why?

1. “My wife knows best how to run the house.”
2. “But is it right, my son, to keep mum and not say what you consider just and fair?”
3. “What have you to say in your defence?”
4. “I can’t pay you a penny for the wretched beast you sold me.”
5. “Victory to the This is justice.”

Answer

1. Jumman speaks these words to his aunt. He wanted to get rid of his aunt. He did not want to give her any allowance.
2. The old aunt says these words to Algu Chowdhry. Algu was unwilling to give his judgement against his best friend.
3. Algu said these words to Jumman when he occupied the seat of the head He was keen to do justice.
4. Sahu said this to Algu Chowdhry. Algu had sold his bullock to Samjhu Sahu. The bullock died because Sahu overworked and underfed the animal. When Algu demanded his money, Algu dishonestly refused to pay him a penny.
5. Jumman was the head He could easily give his verdict against Algu. But the seat of panch made him fair and just. He asked Sahu to pay the money to Algu. At this Algu shouted with joy and welcomed the fair judgement.

B. Answer the following questions.

1. “Then the situation changed.” What is being referred to? 
Ans: The situation changed after the transfer of property. Jumman forgot his promise to look after his old aunt. He as well as his wife began to ill-treat her.

2.When Jumman’s aunt realised that she was not welcome in his house, what arrangement did she suggest? 
Ans: Jumman’s aunt could not bear insults any more. She wanted to cook her food separately. She demanded monthly allowance from her nephew.

3. What was the villagers’ reaction when the aunt explained her case to them?
Ans. The old woman went to several villagers to explain her case and get their support. But some showed sympathy, and some laughed at her. A few advised her to make peace with Jumman.

4. Why was Jumman happy over Algu’s nomination as head Panch? 
Ans: Algu and Jumman were fast friends. So Jumman hoped to get the verdict in his favour. Naturally, he felt happy when the aunt named Algu to act as head Panch.

5. “God lives in the heart of the Panch”, the aunt said. What did she mean? 
Ans. The aunt meant that a person in the seat of a judge becomes fair and just like God. He is not guided by his personal likes and dislikes. He can not do any injustice. He is God’s representative.

6. What was Algu’s verdict as head Panch? How did Jumman take it? 
Ans: Algu heard the case and gave a fair judgement. He asked Jumman either to pay a monthly allowance to his aunt or transfer the property in her name. Jumman was stunned. He became Algu’s enemy. He decided to take revenge o

7. Algu found himself in a tight spot. What was his problem? 
Ans: Algu sold his bullock to Samjhu Sahu, a cart-man. Sahu promised to pay the price within a month. But during this period he took so much work from the animal that it died. Sahu became dishonest. He refused to pay the money.

8. Why was Algu upset over Jumman’s nomination as head Panch?
Ans: Algu was upset because Jumman was already annoyed with him. So he thought  Jumman would take his revenge.

9. What was Jumman’s verdict as head Panch? How did Algu take it?
Ans:  Jumman’s verdict was that Sahu had to pay the price of bullock to Algu. Because when Sahu purchased the bullock from Algu it was hale and hearty. This was a genuine decision. Algu took it happily and said it was a victory of the panchayat.

10. Which of the following sums up the story best?

(i)“I also know that you will not kill your conscience for the sake of friendship.”
(ii)“Let no one deviate from the path of justice and truth for friendship or en- , mity.”
(iii)‘The voice of the Panch is the voice of God.”
Give a reason for your choice.
Ans: I think the second statement sums up the story best.
The person in the seat of a judge becomes fair and just.

A. Replace the italicised portion of each sentence below with a suitable phrase from the box. Make necessary changes, wherever required.

                                   look after         swallow         make it up     keep mum     go into     ease one’s                                                  conscience     as ill luck would have it       a tight spot           take chances      my heart sank

1. The best way to avoid an unnecessary argument is to remain silent
2. Unfortunately, the train I was trying to catch was cancelled.
3. He has been told not to take risks while driving a car through a crowded street.
4. The patient needs to be properly taken care of.
5. Why don’t the two of you end your quarrel by shaking hands?
6. I was in a difficult situation till my friends came to my rescue.
7. When I saw a pile of dirty dishes, I felt very disappointed.
8. I will examine the matter carefully before commenting on it.
9. They criticised him in the meeting but he accepted without protest all the criticism.
10. It will free me from worry to know that I had done nothing wrong.

Ans.

1. The best way to avoid an unnecessary argument is to keep mum.
2. As ill luck would have it; the train I was trying to catch was cancelled.
3. He has been told not to take chances while driving a car through a crowded street.
4. The patient needs to be properly looked after.
5. Why don’t the two of you make it up by shaking hands?
6. I was in a tight spot till my friends came to my rescue.
7. When I saw a pile of dirty dishes, my heart sank.
8. I will go into the matter carefully before commenting on it.
9. They criticised him in the meeting but he swallowed all the criticism.
10. It will ease my conscience to know that I had done nothing wrong.

B. Look at the following phrases and their meanings. Use the phrases to fill in the blanks in the sentences given below.

set up                 —   put in place or start
set aside            —    save or keep for a particular purpose
set down           —    write or record
set out               —    start on a journey
set in                  _   begin and seem likely to continue

1. Why don’t you________________ your ideas on paper?
2. A fund has been_________________ for the soldiers’ families.
3. We should________________ a little money every month.
4. You should buy some woollens before winter___________________
5. They______________ on the last stage of their journey.

Ans:

set downgset up

1. set aside
2. sets in
3. set out.

10 The Banyan Tree

1.  The Banyan Tree" is a story about what the author saw, as a young boy. The author was staying at his grandfather's house. There was a big banyan tree in the yard. 

2.The boy was fond of reading books. So, he created a banyan tree library and he collected books like Treasure Island, Huckleberry Finn and The Story of Dr Dolittle. The boy became friends with a squirrel. He also fed it cakes and biscuits.

3. When the spring season began, the banyan tree started to produce small red figs. The tree branches were filled with different kinds of birds like red-bottomed bulbul, parrots, myna, and crows. All these birds used to fight with each other on the branches. The sounds that all these birds made, made the banyan tree the noisiest place in the garden.

4. The banyan tree story was about the fight of a cobra and a mongoose. Both animals are powerful opponents. The three spectators in the yard were, the author (boy), a myna and a wild crow. There was a fight between the cobra and the mongoose.

5. The cobra and the mongoose made three attempts to kill each other. In the third attempt, the mongoose was dodging the snake. Suddenly the crow flew down to attack the snake. Sadly, the crow was bitten by the snake, and it fell dead on the ground.

 

6. Still, myna was sitting on the cactus and watching the fight. After fighting for a long time, the cobra became tired and weak. The mongoose caught the cobra by its mouth and took it into the bushes in the yard. The myna flew down bravely and looked into the bushes. Then, she flew away with a congratulatory squeal. Finally, the fight was won by the mongoose.

A .Complete the following sentences.

 .1.The old banyan tree “did not belong” to the grandfather, but only to the boy, because_____________________________________ .

2.The small gray squirrel became friendly when_____________________________________
3.When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel
4.In the spring, the banyan tree_____________________________________________ and
__________________________________________ would come there.
5.The banyan tree served the boy as a____________________________________________ .
6.The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree____________________________________

Ans.

1. the old man was not strong enough to climb it
2.it found that the boy carried no catapult or air/gun in his hand
3.became bold enough to take pieces of food from his hand
4.was full of small red figs, birds of all kinds
5 reading room where he had made a rough platform to sit and read books
6.leaning against the tree, reading story books,

B.Answer the following questions.

1.“It was to be a battle of champions.” 
(i)What qualities did the two champions have? Pick out words and phrases from the paragraph above this line in the text and write them down.

Mongoose                                                          Cobra

(a)________________        (a) ______________

(b)_______________            (b) ______________

(c)_______________             (r) ______________

Ans.	(a) a great fighter	(a) skilled and experienced champion fighter
	(b) very clever and swift	(b) had a broad hood and poisonous teeth
	(c) made calculated move	(c) swift in speed and attack

(ii)What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to show their readiness for the fight?

Ans. The cobra produced a hissing sound to challenge the mongoose to a fight. It raised three feet of its body off the ground. It spread its broad hood. The mongoose bushed its tail. The long hair on its back also stood up.

2. Who were the other two spectators? What did they do? (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight?) 

Ans. In addition to the narrator, the two other onlookers of the fight were a myna and a wild crow. First of all they sat on the cactus plant to watch the outcome of the fight. In the end, they took part in the game. Both tried to pick up the cobra for their meal. The crow got bitten and died. The mongoose dragged the snake away into the bushes. The myna also flew away.

3.(i) What happened to the crow in the end? 
(ii) What did the myna do finally? 

Ans. (i) In the end, the crow got bitten by the cobra and it fell dead.

(ii) The myna flew to the ground, looked into the bushes, gave a shrill cry and flew away.

B.The words in the box are all words that describe movement. Use them to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

dived      gliding        sprang      darting

whipped…back        delving

1.When he began to trust me, the squirrel began_______________________ into my pockets for morsels of cake.
2. saw a cobra______________ out of a clump of cactus.
3.The snake hissed, his forked tongue______________________ in and out.
4.When the cobra tried to bite it, the mongoose________________________ aside.
5.The snake _________________  his head ________________  to strike at the crow.
6.The birds __________________ at the snake.

Ans. 1.delving / to delve
2.gliding
3.darting / darted                                                                        4.sprang
5.whipped, back
6.dived

C. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Though the house and grounds belonged to my grandparents, the magnificent old banyan tree was mine — chiefly because Grandfather, at sixty-five, could no longer climb it. Its spreading branches, which hung to the ground and took root again, forming a number of twisting passages, gave me endless pleasure. Among them were squirrels and snails and butterflies. The tree was older than the house, older than Grandfather, as old as Dehradun itself. I could hide myself in its branches, behind thick green leaves, and spy on the world below.

i. Name the story and its writer.

ii. How did the old banyan tree become the author's sole property?

iii. Name some of the creatures that amused the author.

iv. What did the author do there?

v. Find a word from the above passage that means opposite to ordinary.      

 Ans:

i. The story is The 'Banyan Tree' and its writer is Ruskin Bond.

ii. The author's grandfather was too old to climb the banyan tree. So it became the sole property of the author because he could climb the tree and hid himself behind the branches of the tree.

iii. Squirrels, snails, and butterflies moved about below. The sight of these playful creatures amused the author.

iv. The author used to hide himself in the tree's branches, behind the thick green leaves and spy on the world below.

v. The word is magnificent.

Class 10 English Grammar and Composition

 GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION

DETERMINERS

Definition of Determiners - Determiners are those words that are prefixed before nouns to determine their meaning. They can be divided into the following types:

1) Articles- a, an, the

2) Demonstratives- this, that, these, those

3) Possessives- my, your, our, his, her, its, their

4) Indefinite Adjectives- some, any, much, many, little, few, less

5) Others- all, each, every, both, neither, either, other, another, enough, most, several, one, two, etc.

1. ARTICLES (TYPE OF DETERMINER)

(1) The Definite Article (The)

"The" is called the definite article. It defines its noun as something specific (e.g., something previously mentioned or known, something unique, something being identified by the speaker).

 This is the lake.

(This is a previously specified lake, i.e., one already known to the readers.)

(2) The Indefinite Article (A, An)

"A" and "an" are called the indefinite articles. They define their noun as something unspecific (e.g., something generic, something mentioned for the first time).

 This is a lake.

(This is a previously unspecified lake.)

Important points to remember

i. The spelling of the word following the determiner is not important only the sound is important. Few

 words given below start with vowel letters but do not have vowel sounds. So the determiner ‘a’ is attached to them. For example: A union, A one rupee coin, etc

ii. There are a few words that start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds. They are preceded by the

determiner ‘an’. For example: an honest man, an honour.

2. Demonstratives (This, that, These, Those)

Note that demonstrative determiners can also be used as demonstrative pronouns. When they are used as determiners they are followed by the nouns they modify. Compare:

This is my camera. (Demonstrative used as a pronoun, subject of the verb is)

This camera is mine. (Demonstrative used as a determiner modifying the noun camera.)

The demonstrative determiners are used to talk about persons or things that have already been mentioned.

This and These refer to the things that are near and can be seen. ‘That‘ and ‘Those‘ are used to refer to the things that are at a distance but can be seen.

1. We lived in this house for four years.

2. I like this school.

This’ and ‘that’ are used for singular nouns and ‘these’ and ‘those’ for plural nouns.

1. Can you lift that box?

2. Would you like to buy those books?

3. Possessives (My, our, your, his, her, its, their)

The possessives are used to show possession.

Possessive determiners are different from possessive pronouns - mine, his, hers, yours, ours, theirs.

Possessive pronouns can stand alone and are not followed by nouns.

Possessive determiners, on the other hand, are followed by nouns.

Compare

This is my house. (my is a possessive determiner. It is followed by the noun house which it modifies)

Is that car yours? (yours is a possessive pronoun. It is not followed by a noun.)

4. Ordinals: first, second, next, last, etc.

The ordinals show what position something has in a series:

1. He is the first boy who has joined this school.

2. I shall meet him the next week.

3. He is the last man to help you.

5. Cardinals: one, two, three, hundred, etc.

Cardinals are ordinary numbers like one, two, three, etc. They show how many of something there are:

 There were only ten boys in the class.

 She lived for eighty years.

 He has two daughters.

6. Quantifiers: much, some, several, a lot of, both, all, etc.

The quantifiers refer to the quantity of things or amount of something.

 All children enjoyed the show.

 They didn’t make much progress.

 There was little water in the jug.

7. Distributives: each, every, either, neither.

Distributive determiners refer to each single member of a group.

1. Each is used when we talk about the members of a group individually and every when we make a general state-

ment. Both are followed by a singular countable noun:

  .He met each guest.

2. The minister visited every flood-affected area.

Either is used to talk about two things, but usually indicates that only one of the two is involved.

1. Either of the two girls should come here.

2. Neither is the negative of either:

Neither member came to attend the meeting.

3. Either can also mean

People stood in either side (both sides) of the road.

4.Neither is followed by a singular noun.

NARRATION: DIRECT & INDIRECT SPEECH

General Rules:

We remove inverted commas in Indirect speech.

We remove comma(,) used after the Reporting Verb.

No change in the Tense of Reporting Verb. If there is an object after Reporting Verb, change ‘said to’ into ‘told’.

Tenses, Pronouns and words denoting nearness of time or position are changed.

Rule-1 : If Reporting Verb is in Present or Future Tense, Tense of Reported Speech is not changed-

He says, “Hari is not well.”

He says that Hari is not well.

Rule-2 : If Reporting Verb is in Past Tense, Tense of Reported Speech is changed in corresponding past tense.

Tense of the Verb in Direct speech Tense of the Verb in Indirect speech

V1/V1 + (s/es)

Does/do + not + V1

Is/are/am + V1 (ing)

Has/have + V3

Has/have + been + V1 (ing)

V2

Did + not + V1

Was/were + V1(ing)

Will/shall/can/may +V1

Must/would/should/ought(to)/dare(to) +V1

V2

Did not + V1

Was/were + V1 (ing)

Had + V3

Had + been + V1 (ing)

Had + V3

Had + not + V3

Had + been + V1(ing)

Would/should/could/might + V1

Must/would/should/ought(to)/dare(to) +V1

*IF the sentence of Reporting speech is Universal Truth, Habitual actions, or Historical fact or any Proverb, the Tense of Reported Speech does not change though the Reporting Verb may be in the Past Tense.

My father said, “The Sun rises in the east.”

My father said that the sun rises in the east.

RULES FOR CHANGING PRONOUNS

RULES FOR CHANGING Adverbs of time and place

Ago => before Now => then Tonight => that night

Come => go This =>that Today => That day

Here => there These => those Yet => Still

Tomorrow => the next day / the following day

Yesterday => the previous day / the day before

Yesterday morning => the previous morning / the morning before

RULES OF CHANGING QUESTIONS (Interrogative Sentences)

-Reporting Verb ‘said to’ is changed to ‘asked’ or ‘enquired’ and ‘say to’ into ‘ask’.

‘that’ conjunction is not used.

-Interrogative Sentences is changed into Assertive Sentence. Sign of Interrogation (?) is removed and full Stop (.) is

used in its place .

He said to me, “Where is she?”

He asked me where she was.

-Pronoun, Verb and other words of Reported Speech are changed according to the rules of the Assertive Sentence.

If there is an auxiliary verb (is, am, are, was, were, do, does, did, shall, will, has, have, had, can/may) in the beginning of the Reported Speech, connective word ‘if’ or ‘whether’ is used.

Hari said to me, “Are you reading a book?”

Hari asked me if I was reading a book.

TENSES

Past Present Future

Simple action that ended in the past.

An action that is habitual or repeated.

A plan for an action in the future

Formula Painted Paints/Paint Will paint.

Person Nominative or Subjective form

Objective Form Reflexive form Possessive form

First Person

I We Me Us Myself Ourselves my, mine

our, ours

Second Person

You Yourself/yourselves Your, yours

Third Person

He She It They Him He It Them

Himself Herself Itself Themselves

His Her, hers Its Their, theirs

Word clue He painted yesterday She paints every weekend. She will paint tomorrow.

CONTINUOUS
(be)+ (verb) +ing.

An action that was happening(past continuous) when another action finished (simple past).

An action is in the process of happening now.

An action that will happen in the future for a length of time.

Will be painting

Formula Was/were painting Am/are/is painting

Word clue I was painting when I saw the accident.

She is painting now. They will be painting when you arrive tomorrow.

PERFECT
(have)+ (verb)3

An action that finished before another action or time inthe past.

An action that happened at an unsaid time in the past.

An action that will finish before another action or time in the future.

Formula Had painted. Have/haspainted Will have painted

Word clue We had painted the house before the rain started.

She has painted many portraits.

He will have painted the bedroom before his daughter comes home.

PERFECT CONTINUOUS

(have)+been +ing(verb)+ing

An action that happened over time in the past before another action.

An action that happens over time, starting in the past and continuing into the present.

An action that happens over time in the future before another action.

Formula Had been painting Have/has been painting Will have been painting

Word clue She had been painting for a while

when she started classes.

I have been painting landscapes since I started school.

We will have been painting for several hours before we can see how it looks.

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

1. If the subject is singular the verb must be singular too.

Eg 1: She writes neatly. Eg 2 : I sing in the evening.

2. If the subject is plural the verb must be plural

Eg : They play with agility.

3. When the subject of the sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns then use a plural verb.

Eg : The director and actors work hard to put up a good show.

4. When there is one subject and more than one verb, the verbs throughout the sentence must agree with a the subject.

Eg : The management is strict and is thinking of making some changes in the rulebook.

5. When a phrase comes between the subject and verb, the verb still agrees with the subject not with the noun

or pronoun in the phrase following the subject of the sentences.

Eg : The student with all the copies is allowed to enter the class.

6. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ use a singular verb.

Eg : The manager or the assistant manager approves the bill.

7. When a compound subject contains both a singular and plural noun joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ the verb should

agree with the subject that is closest to the verb.

Eg : The trainer or the officers write the report.

The officers or the trainer writes the report.

8. The following words and phrases require singular verb: each, everyone, each one, either, neither,

everybody, anyone, anybody, no body, somebody, someone, no one.

Eg : Each of the runners was given the kit.

Neither of you was exempted.

9. Uncountable nouns take a singular verb.

Eg : The information was disseminated by the researchers.

The research is essential for upgradation.

10. Some countable nouns such as earnings, goods, odds, surroundings, proceeds, contents and valuable only

have plural form and take plural verb.

Eg : The goods in godown are expensive.

The earnings need to be mentioned in the form.

11. In sentences beginning with there the verb agrees with what follows the verb.

Eg : There are many factors affecting the rise in temperature.

There is little to do in this field.

12. Collective nouns are considered singular and take singular verb. example group, committee, family and

class but if the focus is on individuals in the group then the verb will be plural. This is rare.

Eg : The group does the work everyday.

The team leaves at five in the morning.

MODAL AUXILIARIES

Modal are those auxiliary or helping verbs that are used to express the mode or manner of the actions indicated by

the main verbs. They express modes such as certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability. Here

are some characteristics of modal verbs:

1. They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing"...

2. They are always followed by an infinitive without "to" (e. i. the bare infinitive.)

Here is a list of modals with examples:

Modal Verb Expressing Example

1. Must Strong obligation You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.

Logical conclusion / Certainty He must be very tired. He's been working all day long.

2. Must not Prohibition You must not smoke in the hospital.

3. Can Ability I can swim.

Permission Can I use your phone please?

Possibility Smoking can cause cancer.

4. Could Ability in the past When I was young, I could run fast.

Polite permission/request Excuse me, could I just say something?

Possibility Accident could be avoided.

5. May Permission May I use your phone please?

Blessings May God bless you with a long life!

Possibility, Probability There are heavy clouds in the sky. It may rain today!

6. Might Guessing He might be sleeping at this time.

Lesser possibility, probability I might go on a holiday to Australia next year.

7. Need not Lack of necessity/absence I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of tomatoes in

of obligation the fridge.

8. Should/ Obligation I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a terrible headache.

ought to Advice You should / ought to revise your lessons

Logical conclusion He should / ought to be very tired. He's been working all day long.

10. Will Order You will do it just now.

Threat You will be punished.

Determination They/we will work hard to win the match.

11. Would Habitual action I would listen to music all day long.

Willingness I would work hard to come up to your expectations.