A Day in the Zoo (Gerald Durrell) 

         Short Answer Type Questions

1) What is the source of the piece ' A Day in the Zoo'? 

Ans- The piece ' A Day in the Zoo' is an extract from ' Menagerie Manor'. 

2) How long does a zoo owner have to work? 

Ans- A zoo owner has to perform his duty twenty- four hours a day. 

3) When does the day begin in a zoo?
Ans- In a zoo, the day begins just before dawn.
4) Whose song can be heard early in the morning?
Ans- The song of Robin can be heard early in the morning.
5) How has the author described the cries of the tauracos?
Ans- The cries of the touracos has been described as rich, fruity & slightly hoarse by the author.
6) What do the peahens do?
Ans- On the velvet green lawns the peahens search for food in the dewy grass.
7) How does a male peahen dance?
Ans- A male peahen dances with its burnished tail raised like a fountain.
8) When do the zoo staff arrive?
Ans- The zoo staff arrive at 8 o'clock in the morning.
9) How do the zoo staff start their day?
Ans- The zoo staff start their day by cleaning the zoo.
10) Where do the monkeys and other mammals live?
Ans- The monkeys and other mammals live in the long, two storied granite house. 

Write a paragraph about Aacharya Jagadish Chandra Bose. 

Ans- Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose is one of the greatest scientists of all time. He was born on November 30, 1858 at Rarikhal, Dhaka( now in Bangladesh). His father's name is Bhagwan Chandra Bose. He started his early education from the village Pathshala at Faridpur. After coming to Calcutta, he got admitted in St. Xavier's School & later in St. Xavier's college. He earned his BSc & DSc degrees from the University of Cambridge, London. He started his career as a professor in Presidency College. Sir J. C. Bose researched on electromagnet & plant's life. They feel pain like human beings do. He also invented wireless telegraph. He set up the Bose Institute in Calcutta in 1917. This great scientist breathed his last on November 23, 1937.

    Asleep in the Valley by Arthur Rimbaud

1)  Justify the title of the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’.

Ans- nding te soldier lay in the poem ‘Asleep in the   The title of the poem “Asleep In The Valley” tells us about someone who is sleeping in a calm, peaceful valley in close contact with Nature. The nature is very pleasant with its slow stream, the flood of sunlight, flowers, greenery and buzzing insects. In the title, the two main words represent different meaning other than their surface meaning. ‘Asleep’ denotes the eternal sleep i.e. (that is) death and ‘valley’ symbolizes a paradise like place. The title seems ironical. It brings out the futility and brutality of war in a gentle implicit way. Actually the title suggests that the soldier is not taking rest but has been brutally killed in the war. Thus the title is apt and suggestive to the theme of the poem.

2) Write the theme of the poem ' Asleep in the Valley'.                      Or

Consider ' Asleep in the Valley' as a war poem.

                                    Or

Discuss 'Asleep in the Valley' as an anti-war poem. 

Ans-The theme of the poem ' Asleep in the Valley' is the futility of war. Rimbaud, being himself a soldier had witnessed the horror of war, and in this poem he has expressed the pity of war. The poem presents before us a picture of a soldier who is resting in a valley amongst the flowers and humming insects. With one hand on his chest, the soldier lies open-mouthed smiling like an innocent child. This picture suddenly turns into a brutal one when we find the ' two red holes' in his side. The bullet marks at the side of his body sets the soldier in contrast with the whole landscape. The beauty of nature is abruptly changed because its warmth can't revitalize the young soldier whose life is destroyed before it was fully bloomed. The recurrent image of the sun is perhaps the remainder of its incapability to revive the dead soldier. The valley signifies the landscape transformed into a valley of death. With all these symbols and images the poet tries to show the futility of war which is the theme of this poem. 

3) Give a brief description of the surrounding the soldier lay in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’.

Ans-The poem is written like a telescope which focuses on different parts of the valley and zooms in on the details. The poet focuses on a panoramic view of the valley, from which he moves to the mountains and then the body of the soldier in the meadow. A small stream is flowing through the valley. There are various types of flowers and bushes in that valley. He zooms in on the soldier's feet which are among the flowers. His pillow is made of fern. Rimbaud waits until the last line of the poem to reveal that the soldier is dead. 

4) " A soldier, very young, lies open-mouthed, " —Where was the soldier found lying and how? How does the poet describe the soldier's face? Why, according to you, was he lying open-mouthed? 

Ans- The soldier was found lying in a small green valley under the open sky. 

          The young soldier was lying open-mouthed with his head placed on a pillow made of fern. His feet were covered with the flowers of the valley. He was sleeping peacefully in the warmth of the sun and one of his hands was upon his chest. 

           The soldier's face was looking pale against the brightness of the sun. There was a gentle and innocent smile on his face like an infant's smile. 

            According to me, the soldier was lying open-mouthed because he was dead and nothing could disturb his peaceful, eternal sleep. 

                    

Valley’

               Thank You Ma'am 

                                    -Langston Hughes

1) Justify the title of the story 'Thank You Ma'am'. 

Ans- The word 'thank you' expresses gratitude but the title expresses more than just gratitude. This story is about a boy named Roger who decides to steal a purse to buy a pair of blue suede shoes. But this attempt of stealing changes his life and helps to understand the worth achieving something through hard work. When he tries to snatch Mrs. Jones' purse, but he is caught and dragged to her house. Then she freshens him up, makes him comb his hair and offers him food. Moreover, she advises him never to engage himself again in any evil activities. She even gives him ten dollars so that he could buy suede shoes. So Roger's respect for her and his desire to express a lot as homage to the kind-hearted lady makes him utter ' Thank You Ma'am' . Thus, the title of the story is appropriate. 

2) " Do you need somebody to go to the store,....? " — Who is the speaker? To whom did the speaker say this? Why did the speaker want to go to the store? What did they have in supper? 

Ans- The speaker of the above quoted line is Roger, who attempted to snatch the purse of Mrs Jones.                                              The speaker said this to Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones. 

          Roger was so moved by Mrs Jones' motherly affection that he wished to earn a place in her heart by becoming helpful and good. Hence, he asked her if she needed someone to go to the store maybe to get some milk or something. 

             Mrs Jones heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made cocoa out of canned milk and cut her ten-cent cake. The two had all these in supper. 

3) Why did the boy in "Thank You Ma'am" not run away though he found the door open? 

Ans- When Mrs Jones caught Roger, he pleaded with her to set him freed and looked for an opportunity to run away. Later after being taken to Mrs Jones' house, he got an opportunity to escape as the door was open but he did not feel the urge to. He got another chance to flee with Mrs Jones' purse when she was busy preparing supper, but he didn't do so. Mrs Jones' kindness, her caring attitude towards him, her addressing him as 'son' and above all the unfolding of her past, brought a change in Roger. He didn't want to lose her trust again. Hence he didn't run away despite getting a few opportunities to do so. 

4) " You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. "– Who speaks to whom? Did the speaker manage to teach what he/she claimed to teach? Give reasons for your answer. 

Ans- Here the speaker is Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones and she is speaking to a boy named Roger. 

        The speaker, Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones tried to teach Roger what is right and what is wrong. Roger wanted a pair of blue suede shoes and so he attempted to snatch her purse but got caught. Mrs Jones when came to know that he had nobody to teach him, took the responsibility of teaching him. She took him home, fed him like her own son and gave him ten dollars so that he could buy blue suede shoes. Her motherly affection moved him so much that he didn't try to escape from her house or steal money from her purse in spite of getting an opportunity to do so. Instead he wanted to help her in her work. Mrs Jones told him to avoid wrong means to fulfil his desires. Therefore, from the above discussion it can be said that the speaker managed to teach him what she claimed & reformed Roger. 

             HS 2020 ENGLISH SUGGESTION 

            "On Killing a Tree" By Gieve Patel

1) Justify the title of the poem " On Killing a Tree ".

Ans- The word " killing" means complete destruction of an object's existence from the earth. In this poem, the poet describes how man encourages deforestation, defying the eternal bond between the earth and the tree . When someone hacks and chops a tree, it does not die but bleed. This indicates that they are the living beings. But man ignores their usefulness and to fulfill their needs involve themselves in cutting down the trees, which according to the poet is, akin to murder. Thus the poet keeps his protest before us against this disgusting crime through a unique ironical criticism, wherein the murderers are more harsh and vigorous in their act of killing a tree. The title appropriately indicates the very essence of the poem and thus the title is appropriate. 

2) " It takes much time to kill a tree"-- Why does it take much time to kill a tree? According to the poet how is the tree finally killed? 

                                     OR 

How does a tree offer resistance to its destruction? How does its resistance fail? 

Ans- To kill a tree, killer needs to follow some discreet process. No amount of "hacking and chopping" will be enough as a tree will heal its wound soon. Small twigs will sprout again and will grow slowly to regain its former structure thereby offering resistance to the destruction of a tree. 
         To stop this, the tree should be uprooted entirely. As the earth has been acting as its anchor for ages, it should be separated from the earth. A strong rope must be tied around it, and with its help it should be snapped out from the ground. Thus the strength of the tree— the root will be exposed, and then it must be left to die slowly in the scorching sun where it will gradually turn brown, hard, twisted and withered. This is how a tree's resistance will be failed and the entire killing process will be completed. 
3) "And then it is done"—What does 'it' refer to? How it is done? 
Ans- Here 'it' refers to the act of killing a tree.
         A tree has life and man out of greed and selfishness wants to destroy it completely. Since the tree has grown for years slowly consuming the earth, therefore it can't be killed with a simple jab of the knife. The tree will overcome 'hacking and chopping' by growing small stems which will give the tree life again. So by creating a deep hole in earth man pulls out the root which is the strength of the tree. Then they scorch and choke the tree in the sun and air, then make it undergo the process of browning and hardening. At last, they triumphantly say that "it is done".
4) The poem ' On Killing a Tree' describes man's cruelty and violence to nature. — Discuss. 
Ans- A tree is man's greatest friend as it helps the latter to sustain, by providing food and oxygen. But man treats it like a foe to fulfill their needs. Man doesn't think how much harm they cause to themselves. Act of killing the trees destroys the ecological balance. The poet builds up the irony by presenting the act of cutting down a tree in the form of an explicit account of killing the same. The mindless act of deforestation is no less than a heinous crime, committed by the greedy man. That is why the poet in this poem has made the tree itself receive punishment in the hands of its murderers. This is the irony behind the meticulous act of killing a tree as depicted in the poem.

              HS 2020 ENGLISH SUGGESTION

       Descriptive Type Questions and Answers              From Strong Roots By APJ Abdul Kalam

1) Describe the locality where APJ Abdul Kalam lived in his childhood. 

Ans- Kalam had spent his childhood in their ancestral house in Rameswaram with his parents and siblings. The famous Shiva Temple of Rameswaram was located in their locality. The locality was predominantly Muslim, yet quite a lot of Hindu families lived in peace with their Muslim neighbours. Kalam, along with his father visited a very old mosque in their locality for evening prayers. The People of all religions gathered outside the mosque after their evening prayers to receive Kalam's father's blessings to get cureness the invalids because they believed that he possessed the healing power. Many people would cure and went back to thank him. The high priest of the Shiva temple of Rameswaram Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, had high regard for Kalam's father and discussed spiritual matters with him. This spirit of brotherhood was prevalent in the town. 

2) What did Kalam's father tell him about the relevance of prayers. 

Ans- In APJ Abdul Kalam's prose piece 'Strong Roots', we

see that when Kalam was a child, he was convinced that their prayers reached God. When he grew older, he asked his father about the relevance of prayers. Kalam's father gave a meaningful answer. He said that prayers help us to transcend our body and become a part of the cosmos

which knows no division of wealth, age, caste or   creed.

So prayers help us to overcome the narrowness of mind

, separatist tendencies and control negative emotions like anger and hatred. Kalam's father also conveyed complex spiritual concepts in lucid Tamil. He pointed out that every human being is a specific element within the whole of the manifest divine being. Hence one should not be afraid of sufferings and problems, rather try to analyse its relevance and reasons. Adversities should be treated as opportunities for introspection. Thus, he enriched  young Kalam with spiritual wisdom.
3) " I normally ate with my mother. " -- Who ate with his mother? Name his mother. Where did he eat with his mother? What did he eat with his mother? 
Ans- The great Indian scientist and 11th   president       of India , Dr APJ Abdul Kalam ate with his mother. 
           His mother's name is Ashiamma. 
           Abdul Kalam usually ate with his mother, sitting on the floor of the kitchen of their ancestral house. 
           Kalam and his mother ate South Indian food . His  mother would place a banana leaf before him, on which she then ladled rice and aromatic sambar, a variety of sharp, home-made pickle and a dollop of fresh coconut chutney. 
4) "Why don't you say this to the people who come to you..... " -Who says this and to whom? What is referred to by the word 'this'? Why do the people come to the person spoken to? 
Ans- Abdul Kalam says this to his father, Jainulabdeen . 
Jainulabdeen has explained to his son that every human being is an integral part of the entire spiritual cosmos. He has said that one should not be afraid of difficulties, sufferings and problems, in human life as adversity provides people with opportunity for introspection. This philosophical teaching of Jainulabdeen is referred to as 
'this'. 
          The distressed people come to Jainulabdeen for they consider him to be medium in their effort to please the demonic forces with prayers & offerings. 
5) What do you mean by "fear-ridden vision of destiny"? What is the other vision? Which is to be preferred and why? 
Ans- In APJ Abdul Kalam's " Strong Roots", Jainulabdeen speaks of two dissimilar visions of destiny. "fear-ridden vision of destiny" refers to fate which is created out of fear of the divine being, i,e, God. 
          The other vision of destiny is the vision that makes us able to search for the enemy of fulfillment existing within ourselves. People must understand that all their sufferings and problems are a result of their drawbacks. 
           The second vision of destiny is to be preferred. In the opinion of Kalam's father none should fear troubles and failures. On the contrary they should consider adversity as an opportunity for introspection. Once an individual is able to spot his/her drawbacks, he or she will will be able to search out the enemy of fulfillment within oneself. Thereby, writing one's own destiny all by oneself. 

       "All about a Dog"By A.G.             Gardiner

    MCQ Type questions & answers

                      Class---IX

1) The narrator was travelling  by- bus.                                                         2) The night was- very cold. 

3) The wind was blowing from the-east. 

4) The younger woman carried a little- Pekinese dog. 

5) The younger woman was suffering from- cough. 

6) The bell was pulled by the-conductor. 

7) The conductor had a general grievance against- the passengers. 

8) The conductor shivered-at the door. 

9) The conductor stepped on to the-pavement. 

10) Passengers of the bus were on the side of-the lady and her dog. 

11) The dog sat- blinking. 

12) The passengers wanted to get back their-fares. 

13) The number of constables joining the policeman was- two. 

14) The conductor's behaviour was like that of- a victorious captain. 

15) The number of policeman to whom the woman expressed her anger was- three. 

16) The problem the bus faced was with the- engine. 

17) The last passenger of the bus was- the narrator. 

18) The conductor said ' Good Night' to the author quite- amiably. 

19) Law should be followed- in true spirit. 

20) To the policemen, the woman passenger expressed her --anger.