ENG C.T.-2 Q and A

Life on the Island –A New Experience

Q-How did Robinson arrive at the new island?

a. Robinson was on a voyage in a ship. The ship was caught in a storm and Robinson was washed ashore on a deserted island.

Q-Describe the new island and its climate?

b. The island was deserted, no humans lived there. The climate on the island was different from that of his native place. There were only two seasons-the rainy season and the summer season. The summer season was very dry and unsuitable for farming. Hunting was difficult during the rains.

Q- Since Robinson could not build a house made of bricks what was the next best thing that he did? How did he protect his goats?

c. Since Robinson could not make brick houses, he learnt to make fences by growing sturdy plants in the ground. He chose a field, fenced it and looked after his goats inside the fenced ground. Thus, he protected his goats.

Q-Why and how did Robinson learn to make baskets?

d. Robinson needed baskets to store the grains he cultivated in the fields. He remembered observing a basket-maker who used dry branches and shrubs to make baskets. So, he tried to make baskets from the branches of trees.

These rough baskets could hold only large crops. Then, he made clay pots and fitted them into the baskets to hold the small grains.

Q-How did he make bread?

e. Robinson grounded some grain into flour using two stones. He kneaded the flour into soft dough. He heated a large flat stone, placed the dough over it and covered the dough with a broken pot. Thus, he learned to bake  bread.

Extra Questions

1. Why did Robinson cultivate crops? (To survive on the island he needed to eat, so

he began to cultivate crops.)

2. What did he do to make pots that could hold water? (He set to work to make a

container which could hold water.)

3. Did these containers hold water? (No, these containers did not hold any water.)

4. How did he make containers to hold water? (One day a clay pot fell in the fire. He saw that the pieces of the broken clay pot did not burn; they were as hard asstone. Next day he put all his clay pots in a pile and put some dried wood around it and set it on fire. He took one of the newly baked pots and filled it

with water.)

5. Where did Robinson find himself? (Robinson found himself on a deserted island.)

6. How did he make the clay pots ‘hard as stone’? (He made the clay pots ‘hard as

stone’ by baking them on the fire.)

7. What did he cook in the newly-baked pot? (He cooked in the newly-baked pot a

delicious soup.)

8. With what did he make the baskets? (He made the baskets with the branches of

trees.)

9. How did Robinson make some clothes for himself? (Robinson made a hat by using

animal skins. He sewed two pieces of skin together and made clothes for himself.

For this, he used an animal’s nail as a needle and a thin strip of skin as thread.)

10. When did Robinson get the idea to bake the clay pots on fire? (One day, when

Robinson was roasting some meat for dinner, a clay pot fell into the fire and

broke. He could not remove the broken pieces of the pot as the fire was very hot.

Later, Robinson found that the broken clay pots had become very hard because of

the heat of the fire. Thus, he got the idea of baking the clay pots to make them

hard and strong to hold water and liquids.)

Work Book

1. Robinson’s ship was caught in a storm, he found himself in a deserted island.

2. Hunting was difficult during the rains, so Robinson learnt to preserve things.

3. One of the clay pots fell into the fire, so Robinson learnt baking could make the clay pots harder.

4. Why did Robinson preserve things? He preserved things because hunting was difficult during the rains.

5. How did he make fences? He made fences by growing sturdy plants in the ground.

6.  Why did he need a basket? He needed a basket to carry the grains home from the field.

Old Rocking Horse

1. Do you think the rocking horse loved his master? How do you know this? (Yes, he did as

he promised his master that he would always be with him.)

2. Describe the rocking horse. (The rocking horse was old, had eyes like sapphires and

stood by the fire.)

3. What strange mythical creatures does the poet mention in the poem? (The mythical

creatures mentioned in the poem are dragons, fairies, witches.)

Memoirs from the Land of Pharoahs

Q1 What was the exciting news that Sanjay wanted to share his family?

a) Sanjay had to travel to Egypt the following week to write a travelogue on

the ‘Pyramids of Giza’. He planned to take the family along as the summer

vacation had begun.

Q2 Why did their father ask them to sleep early and wake up early when they reached Cairo?

b) Father asked the children to sleep and wake up early because they had to

reach the Pyramids early as the ticket counter opened at 8:30 am and only

300 visitors were allowed per day.

Q3 Why was Rahul eager to be their guide while visiting the Pyramids?

c) Rahul was eager to be their guide because he had been reading a lot about

the Pyramids ever since father had spoken about the trip.

Q4 Who were the three Pharaohs whose tombs are the most famous Pyramids now?

d) The three Pharaohs whose tombs are the most famous pyramid were

Prince Khufu, Prince Khafre Chephren and Prince Menkaura.

Q5 What was Shruti so surprised about? Why did her brother’s answer surprise her even more?

e) Shruti was surprised that the pyramids were the tombs of the pharaohs.She found it fascinating to learn that the belongings of the deceased person and some food was also buried along with the body for life after death.

Extra Questions

1. Who are Aditi and Sanjay? (Aditi and Sanjay are Shruti and Rahul’s parents.)

2. Which magazine did Sanjay write for? (Sanjay wrote for the magazine-Love to

Wander)

3. From where did Sanjay and his family take the flight to Egypt? (They took the flight

from Indira Gandhi International Airport.)

4. How long did it take to reach Egypt from Delhi? (It took them eight hours to reach

Egypt from Delhi.)

5. How many visitors are allowed to go inside the Pyramids everyday? (Three hundred

visitors are allowed to go inside the pyramids every day).

6.Why are the pyramids a wonder? (They are a wonder because they were made by a

civilization that did not have any advanced equipment.)

7.Why were the belongings of the deceased buried along with the body? (The Egyptians

believed in life after death. The belongings of the deceased were buried along with

the body so that he could use them in the journey beyond.)

8. Why did the size of the grave increase? (The size of the grave increased depending

on the status and wealth of a person.)

9.Why were the graves covered with mounds of mud and sand? (The graves were

covered with mounds of mud and sand to protect them from scavengers.)

Work Book

1. Which magazine did Sanjay write for?

Sanjay wrote for a magazine –‘Love to Wander’.

2. Which is the oldest, the largest and the grandest pyramid? When was it

built?

The Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops is the oldest, largest and grandest

pyramid. It was built in 2140 B.C.

3. What were the graves covered with and why?

The graves were covered with mounds of mud and sand to protect

them from scavengers.

4. What do the pyramids remind us of?

The Pyramids stand as a reminder of the strong, ancient Egyptian

belief in life after death.

5. What is the name of the Pharaoh in the third pyramid?

The Pharaoh in the third pyramid is known as Menkaura.

The Snare

Q1 Why was the rabbit crying?

a.       The rabbit was crying in pain because its paw was caught in a snare.

Q2 Why was the narrator unable to help it?

b.      The narrator was unable to help the rabbit because he could not find it.

Q3 How do you feel after reading the poem?

c.       I feel upset and will try not to harm any animal.

Q4 What kind of atmosphere was created by the cry of the rabbit?

d.      The rabbit’s painful cries had created an atmosphere of fear and pain. The rabbit’s distress and pain could be sensed in the surrounding atmosphere and this further added to the agony and distress.

Q5 Do you think the speaker was kindhearted? Give reasons for your answer?

e. The poet was kind-hearted because the moment he heard the rabbit’s cries,he started searching for the rabbit. Even though he could not find the rabbit he did not give up his search and continued to search for it.

Extra Questions

1Who is crying? (The rabbit is crying.)

2Why is the rabbit crying? (The rabbit is crying because it is caught in a snare.)

3What kind of a cry does the poet hear? (The poet hears a painful cry.)

4What happens to the rabbit’s face when it cries? (The rabbit wrinkles its face when it cries.)

5How does the rabbit feel in the snare? (The rabbit feels frightened, sad etc.)

1. What did the poet hear?

The poet heard a sudden cry of a rabbit in pain.

2. What was it that made everything afraid?

The frightened cry of the rabbit made everything afraid.

3. Write all the words or phrases through which the poet has tried to describe

that the rabbit is in pain.

sudden cry of pain hear the cry again

calling out for aid crying on the frightened air

wrinkling up his face cries again for aid

4. How did the rabbit’s face look when crying for aid?

The rabbit’s face was wrinkled up in pain when crying for aid.

Raja Harishchandra-The Virtuous King

1) Why was Sage Vishwamitra angry with Harischandra and what did he demand from Harischandra?

a) Sage Vishwamitra was angry with Harishchandra because Harishchandra had dared to

enter the sage’s ashram and disturb its sanctity. Harishchandra apologized to the sage

but Sage Vishwamitra was known for his hot temper and so for trespassing he

demanded from Harishchandra his entire kingdom.

2) What was the reason that made Harischandra go to the slave market along with his wife and son?

b) Sage Vishwamitra wanted one month’s dakshina from Harishchandra in a month’s time.

Harishchandra had given his kingdom to the sage. He had no employment. The month

was coming to an end. Harishchandra’s wife Taramati requested Harishchandra to sell

her as a slave to raise money for the dakshina. That was the reason for Harishchandra

to go to the slave market with his wife and son.

3) Describe the scene at the slave market.

c) At the slave market a Brahmin decided to buy Taramati as a slave. While she wasbeing led away, their son Rohitaswa began to cry. Harishchandra was unable to see tears in his son’s eyes and so he begged the Brahmin to take his son along with his wife. Harishchandra could not bear to see his wife and son being led away and held back his tears till they were no longer in sight.

4) Why did Harischandra refuse to go to heaven?

d) Harishchandra refused to go to heaven as he said while his people on earth suffer he

could not go to heaven.

5) What is the moral of the story?

e) The value learnt from the story is that of truth, and to never tell a lie, or go back on your word.

Extra Questions

1. Why did Harishchandra decide to sell himself too as a slave?

Ans-Harishchandra decided to sell himself as a slave because he did not have enough money to pay for the dakshina.

2.       Why did Harishchandra face so many difficulties?

Ans -Harishchandra faced such difficulties because the gods wanted to test his truthfulness and virtuousness.

3.       Why did Harishchandra refuse to go to heaven?

Ans- Harishchandra refused to go to heaven as he said while his people on earth suffer

he could not go to heaven.