ENGLISH

LITERATURE
(Class-VI)

Publication Division
D.A.V. College Managing Committee
Chitra Gupta Road , New Delhi-110055

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 Contents
S.No. Topic Page No.

1. How Daddy Decided What He Wanted to Be 1

2. The White Elephant 7

3. Leisure 15

4. My Experiments with Truth 20

5. Today and Tomorrow 26

6. The Helpful Young Man 29

7. Bharat Desh 37

8. Hanuman and I 42

9. Our Tree 51

10. Attila 54

11. The Case of Copied Question Papers 60

• Suggested Readings 69

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 How Daddy Decided
What He Wanted to Be
by Alexander Raskin

1. What is your father's profession?

2. What profession would you like to choose?
3. What is the reason for your choice?

Read the following story and find out how the narrator's Daddy decided what he
wanted to be.

When Daddy was little he was often asked: 'What do you want to be when you grow up?'
Daddy always had an answer ready. But each time his answer was different. At first, Daddy
wanted to be a nightwatchman. He liked to
think that while the whole town was asleep, the
nightwatchman was up. And he liked to think
that he could make a noise when everyone was
sleeping. He was quite certain he wanted to be a
nightwatchman when he grew up. But then the
ice-cream man came along with his bright green
cart. Why, he could push a cart, he could eat all
the ice-cream he wanted to!

'I'll eat a stick of ice-cream for everyone I sell!' Daddy thought. 'And I'll treat little children
to free ice-cream.'

Little Daddy's parents were very surprised when they heard that their son wanted to be
an ice-cream man. It was quite funny for them. But he thought it would be a very tasty
way of being grown-up.

Then one day little Daddy saw a man at the railway station. The man kept playing with
the cars and locomotives. But these were real cars and real locomotives! He'd jump on
to the platforms and crawl under the cars, playing a strange and wonderful game.
locomotives: railway engines

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 'Who's that man?' Daddy asked.

'He's the shunter,' he was told.

Now little Daddy knew what he wanted to be! Just think! He would shunt railway cars!
What in the world could be more interesting? Nothing, obviously. When Daddy said that
he would be a shunter, someone asked him:
'But what about the ice-cream?'
This was a problem. Daddy had decided to become a shunter, but he did not want to give
up the bright green ice-cream cart. At last, he found a way out.

'I'll be a shunter and an ice-cream man!'

Everyone was very surprised. But little Daddy
explained it all quite clearly: 'That's not hard
at all. I'll sell ice-cream in the morning. After
selling it for a while, I'll go to the station.
There I'll shunt some cars and go back to sell
some more ice-cream. Then I'll go back to the
station and shunt the cars again, and then
I'll sell some more ice-cream. It won't be hard,
because I'll park my cart near the station and
I won't have far to go to the trains.'

Everyone laughed again. Then little Daddy

got angry and said:

'If you're going to laugh at me, I'll be a

nightwatchman, besides. After all, there's
nothing to do at night.'

It was all settled. But

then Daddy wanted
to be a pilot. Then he
wanted to be an actor.
But after Grandpa
took him to a factory
he decided to be a turner. Besides, he wanted to be a sailor. Or at least a shepherd and
spend his days walking about with the cows, cracking his whip loudly.

shunt: to move a carriage from one track to another turner: a person who operates a lathe
cracking: making a sharp noise with a whip

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 Finally, he decided that he really
wanted to be a dog. All that day he
ran around on all fours, barking
at strangers. He even tried to bite
an elderly lady when she wanted
to pat his head. Little Daddy
learned how to bark very well , but
he couldn't learn how to scratch
behind his ear with his foot,
though he tried very hard. He thought that if he went outside and sat next to Rover
he 'd learn more quickly. That's exactly what he did.

Just then an officer came walking down the street. He stopped and looked at Daddy. He
watched him for a while and then he asked:

'What are you doing?'

'I want to be a dog,' little Daddy said.
'Don't you want to remain human?'
'I've been a human being for a long time,' Daddy said.
'What sort of a human being are you, if you can't even be a dog? Is that what a human
being is like?'
'Well, what is he like?' Daddy asked.
'You think about it yourself,' the officer said and walked away.

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 He wasn't laughing and didn't even smile. But little Daddy suddenly felt much ashamed
of himself. And he began to think. He thought and thought and the more he thought, the
more ashamed he was of himself. The officer had not explained anything to him, but he
suddenly understood that he couldn't change his mind everyday. And , what was most
important, he realised that he was too small to know what he wanted to be. The next
time he was asked the same question he remembered the officer and said:
'I want to be a human being!'
No one laughed. And little Daddy understood that this was the best answer of all. He still
thinks so. First of all, you have to be a good human being. This is most important for a
pilot and a shepherd and an ice-cream man. And after all, a human being does not really
have to know how to scratch behind his ear with his foot.

11111> Understanding the Story

A. Little Daddy wanted to pursue various professions. Complete the table below
citing one reason for his choice of these professions:

4. shepherd

5. dog

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 B. Answer the following questions briefly:
1. Why did Daddy want to be a nightwatchman?

2. What was Daddy's plea in favour of being an ice-cream seller? How did his
parents react to it?

3. What efforts did Daddy put in to be a dog?

4. Why was Daddy ashamed of himself after meeting the officer?

5. What did Daddy finally decide to be when he grew up?

C. Little Daddy thought-

• if he were a nightwatchman, he would keep awake all night and make a noise.

• if he were an ice-cream seller, he would eat all the ice-cream he wanted to.

• if he were a shunter, he would jump on to the platforms and crawl under the cars.

Think about yourself.

1. If you were an architect, you would _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

2. If ______________ detective, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

3. If ______________ cricketer, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

4. If ______________ mariner, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

5. If _____________ dress designer, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

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 Why do little children keep changing their mind every now and then?

IIIJTI, Life Skills

A. Discuss with your partner what is the right age to decide what you wish to be when
you grow up . What are the advantages of making an early decision?
B. Is it practically possible (or even desirable) to practise two or three professions
simultaneously? Discuss .

. . . Values
'First of all, you should be a good human being.' What according to you should be the
traits of a good human being?

ia. Writing Skills

After meeting the officer, Daddy feels ashamed of himself. He makes a resolution.
Imagine yourself to be Daddy and write a dairy entry expressing your feelings.

Alexander Raskin is a famous Russian writer. The story How Daddy Decided What
He Wanted to Be is taken from a book of the same title. Raskin used to narrate
his stories to his daughter Sasha when she was sick. The stories are interesting,
realistic and funny. They contain every day scenes from Raskin's childhood.

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 The White Elephant
by Ruskin Bond

1. Do you like animals?

2. Have you ever been to a zoo? What is your attitude towards the caged animals?
3. Do you watch them standing very close to them or from a safe distance?
4. What would you do if you found someone troubling or teasing an animal? Would you-
(i) not bother at all?
(ii) try to save the animal yourself?
(iii) inform P.F.A. (People For Animals) authorities?
5. Given below is a zig-zag puzzle. Find out the names of at least ten animals or birds hidden in it
horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

a C X m e a a C e I

b s p b I a C w g i

s e a I e a a p 0 0

d C I I p a s I a n

f 0 m r h i n 0 t 0

r w g p a r r 0 t n

0 k 0 z e b r a k p

g t 0 r t 0 i s e e

z j s I p a w 0 I f

m q e 0 n a u t z I

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 Now read the story about a white elephant.
Long ago , a great herd of elephants lived in a forest near the Himalaya mountains. The
finest elephant in the tribe was a rare white animal.

Unfortunately, the mother of this elephant was old and blind. Although her son gathered
sweet wild fruits for her every day, he was often angry to find that the other elephants
had stolen his mother's food.

'Mother,' he said, 'it would be better if you and I were to go and live alone in a distant
cave I have discovered.'
The mother elephant agreed and for a time the two of them lived happily in a peaceful
spot near a glade of wild fruit trees until one evening they heard loud cries coming from
the great forest.

'That is the voice of a man in distress ,· said the white elephant. 'I must go and see if I
can help him.'

'Do not go, my son,' said his mother. 'I am old and blind but I know the ways of human
beings towards us. Your goodness will be rewarded by treachery.'
glade: an open place in a forest distress: extreme danger that needs urgent help
treachery: an act of wilful betrayal

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 But the white elephant could not bear
to think of anyone in trouble and he
hurried down to the lake in the direction
of the cries, where he discovered a man
who was a forester.

'Don't fear me, stranger,' he said. 'Tell

me how I can help you.'

The forester told the white elephant that

he had been lost for seven days and
nights and could not find his way back
to Benaras where he lived.

'Climb on my back,' said the elephant

cheerfully, 'and I will carry you home.'

The elephant carried the man swiftly

through the forest until they reached
open country; then he left him on the
outskirts of the city before returning to
his cave.

The forester was a greedy and cunning

man. He knew that the king's favourite
elephant had died . The king would
reward me richly,' thought the man, 'if
I capture this fine animal for him. ' He
straightaway asked for a royal audience.

The king was delighted when he heard the description of the white elephant, 'I would
love to possess such a fine creature. Go back to the forest with a band of my most skilful
trainers and if they succeed in capturing this rare elephant, you shall be well rewarded.'

The forester had cunningly noted landmarks while riding back to Benaras and he led
the trainers to the lake where the white elephant was gathering bamboo stems for his
mother's evening meal. When the elephant saw the forester with the band of trainers, he
knew he had been betrayed.

He tried to escape but the trainers pursued him and soon succeeded in capturing him.
Then they led him through the forest and entered Benaras in triumph.

outskirts: bordering areas betrayed: deceived triumph: victory

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 The poor mother elephant, waiting for her son to return, felt certain that he had been
captured.

'What shall I do without him?' she cried. 'Who will bring me food and lead me to the lotus
lake for water?'

The heart of her son was equally

heavy. 'What will she do without me?'
he thought, 'if only I had listened to
her advice. '

In spite of his unhappy look, the

elephant found favour with the king,
who declared he would ride no other
animal. The elephant's stable was
richly decorated in his honour and
the king rode him in state through
the city.

But a few days later, the trainers came to the king in great distress saying, 'Your Majesty,
the white elephant is very sick and will eat nothing. '

The king hurried to the stable and when he saw the elephant's look of despair, he said,
'Good animal, how you have changed! Why do you refuse to eat? Anything you wish will
be granted to you. '

despair: loss of hope

10

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 'Great King,' answered the elephant mournfully, 'all I desire is to return to my poor blind
mother in the forest, for while she is alone and starving, how can I eat?'

Now the king was a good king and

although he badly wanted the elephant
for himself, he said at once, 'Noble animal,
your goodness puts mankind to shame.
I give you your freedom to return to your
mother at once.'

The elephant thanked the king with a loud

trumpeting, and left the city and went
crashing back through the forest. When he
reached the cave, he found, to his joy, that
his mother was still alive.

'Ah, my son!' she said when he told

her his story. 'You should have
listened to me. Human beings have
always brought harm to our race.'

'Not all of them, mother,' he said

triumphantly. The king is noble and
generous or I should still be in
captivity. Let's forget the treachery
of the forester and think only of the
king's goodness!'

Illa> Understanding the Story

A. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each:
1. How did the white elephant help the forester?

2. Why did the white elephant's mother advise him not to help the man in
distress?

mournfully: sorrowfully starving: suffering from hunger captivity: imprisonment

11

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 3. How did the forester respond to the white elephant's good deed?

4. Why did the white elephant refuse to eat anything in the palace?

5. How did the king help the white elephant?

B. Given below are some incidents from the story. Enter the thoughts/reactions
of each character to the given situation. In the space given below, write what
personal qualities of the characters are revealed through these reactions. The
first one has been done for you.

(a) Elephant's reaction Mother's reaction

wants to help forbids him

the man to go

Incident
Voice of a man in distress

Elephant's character Mother's character

suspicious ,
helpful
experienced

(b) Forester's thoughts King's thoughts

Incident
The forester informs the king
about the white elephant.
Forester's character King's character

12

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 (c) Elephant's thoughts Mother's thoughts

Incident
The king's men capture
the white elephant.

Forester's reaction King's reaction

(d) King's reply Elephant's feelings

Incident
The elephant requests
the king to help him.
King's character Mother's feelings

. . HOTS
'Noble animal, your goodness puts mankind to shame.' Discuss the characters of the
forester and the white elephant in the light of this comment by the king.

13

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 IJT9> Life Skills
'Let us forget the treachery of the forester and think only of the king's goodness.· Discuss
with your partner the importance of developing such a positive attitude towards life.

111)> Values
Imagine yourself to be the king. Deliver a speech to your countrymen highlighting the
importance of love for animals and condemning man's cruel treatment of animals.

~ Writing Skills
On behalf of the mother elephant, write a request letter to the king pleading for the
release of her son.

Ruskin Bond is an Indian short story writer and

novelist. He has played a pioneering role in the growth
of children's literature in India. He writes about the
simple hill folk of Uttaranchal living in close proximity
with nature. He is a prolific writer. Do read the stories
contained in The Blue Umbrella and Uncles, Aunts and
Elephants. You will also love The Adventures of Rusty
and Crazy Times with Uncle Ken.

14

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 Leisure
by W.H. Davies

1. What do you do in free time?

2. List at least five things that you want to do but cannot do because of lack of time.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(v)
3. Do you enjoy the fast and hectic life of a metro city or the slow and peaceful village life far away
from a city?
4. Make a list of at least five places (hill stations) that you would like to visit.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(v)

Why would you like to go to these places?

15

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 Now read the poem.

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see , when woods we pass ,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass,

No time to see , in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Note: W.H. Davies has personified the beauty of the world around us , which many often fail to
observe because of a lack of leisure. Dancing feet and Enchanting smile symbolically refer to various
aspects of the beauty around us.

16

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 . . . Understanding the Poem
A. Answer the following questions briefly:
1. What does the speaker miss because of lack of time?

2. What do 'stars in the stream' (line 8) refer to?

3. List the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.

B. In the poem 'Leisure', the poet depicts various things and animals as attributes
of nature. Read the poem and complete the chart given below by filling in the
names of appropriate things/animals in the bubbles:

C. Now complete the chart given below by filling in the names of various animals/
things that you relate to city life.

17

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 Now bring out the contrast between the nature and city life .

. . . HOTS
The phrase 'no time' has been repeated in the poem. Why has it been repeated?

IJTI,> Life Skills

Why do people in cities normally face shortage of time? Is all the work they are busy
doing productive? Discuss with your partner.

~ Values
A. Point out the beauties of nature that can be a source of pleasure for man in his day
to day life.
B. Whenever the poet sees the streams in broad daylight, he is reminded of the skies at
night. Explain why. How do you feel when you see-
1. squirrels dancing and running.
2. ants moving in a line.
3. the sky full of stars.
4. birds flying in the sky.
5. sunshine on water ripples.

~ Writing Skills
Last summer you went to 'Jim Corbett National Park' with your friends. You enjoyed
watching animals in their natural habitat. Write a letter to your brother describing to
him the satisfaction you derived from watching them.

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 'No time to see, when woods we pass'

In the above extract, the sound /w / occurs repeatedly. This occurrence of the same
sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words is called alliteration.
The use of alliteration gives a musical effect to the poem. Read the poem and find out
two other examples of alliteration.

Given below is an amusing example of alliteration (in the form of a tongue twister).
Try to speak it aloud three times without stopping.

"Betty bought some butter but the butter was bitter, so Betty

bought some better butter to make the bitter butter better."

W.H. Davies was an English poet born in a poor family

in Wales. He has written mostly about nature or life on
the road. He writes in a natural, simple, earthy style. His
poem 'Leisure' depicts the predicament of the modem
man who has gained the whole world but lost his own
soul.

19

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 My E x p e r i m e n t s wit h T
by M .K G a n d h i

To err is human. All human beings make mistakes. But th e best o f th e lo t le

~j
th
arn from eir mistakes
and improve.
1. Have you ever made any mistake?
2. What did you learn from it?
3. What do you do when you find a drawback o r w e a k n e s s -
(i) tr y to improve yourself?
(ii) tr y to forget it and d o n 't care at all?
{iii) tr y to hide it from others?
(iv) tr y to lay th e blame on others?
\

o m y te a c h e rs o r to my
b o o k s a n d m y lessons
h o u r a n d to ru n back
 pil gri ma ge . Th e boo k and the pic tur e
left an und yin g im pre ssi on on my
mi nd . 'He re is an exa mp le for you to
cop y, ' I s aid t o my sel f.

An oth er sim ilar pla y-H ari shc han dra -

cap tur ed my hea rt. 'Wh y sho uld not
all be tru thf ul like Ha ris hch and ra? '
wa s the que stio n I a s k ed my sel f day
and nig ht.

To foll ow tru th and to go thr oug h all ord eal s Ha ris hch and ra we nt thr oug h wa s the
on e ide al it ins pir ed in me .

The re wa s ano the r suc h inc ide nt dur ing the tim e wh en I wa s in the sev ent h sta nda rd.
Do rab ji Gim i, the hea dm ast er, wa s ver y pop ula r am ong the boy s, as he wa s a
dis cip lin ari an, a ma n of me tho d and a goo d tea che r. He had ma de gym nas tics and
cri cke t com pul sor y and I dis like d bot h. I nev er too k par t in any exe rcis e bef ore the y
we re ma de com pul sor y. I the n had the fals e not ion tha t gym nas tics had not hin g to do
wit h edu cat ion . To day I kno w tha t phy sic al tra ini ng is as im por tan t as me nta l tra ini ng.
Th e rea son for my dis lik e for gym nas tics wa s my kee n des ire to ser ve as nu rse to my
fat her . As soo n as the sch ool clo sed , I wo uld hur ry hom e and beg in ser vin g him . No w
it hap pen ed tha t one Sat urd ay, I had to go fro m hom e to the sch ool for gym nas tics
at fou r o'c loc k in the aft ern oon . I had no wa tch , and the clo uds dec eiv ed me . Wh en
I rea che d the sch ool all the boy s had alr ead y left . Th e nex t day , on bei ng ask ed the
rea son for abs enc e, I tol d Mr Gim i wh at had hap pen ed. He ref use d to bel iev e me . I wa s
con vic ted of lyin g! Th at dee ply pai ned me . Ho w wa s I to pro ve my inn oce nce ? Th ere wa s
o wa y. I lea rnt tha t a ma n of tru th mu st als o be a ma n of car e. Th is wa s the firs t and
t ins tan ce of my car ele ssn ess in sch ool . ·

: a journey to a holy plac e ordeals: pain ful exp erie nce s

But th re is another n eglect for which I am still paying the penalty. I d o not know wh "'n I
g l th notion that good handwrit ing was not a necessar y part of educatio n, but I retained
it until I went to England. When later, especiall y in South Africa, I s aw the beautiful
handwrit ing of lawyers and young men, I was ashamed of myself and repented of my
n gl ct. I saw that bad handwrit ing was regarded as a sign of imperfec t educatio n. I tried
later to improve mine, but it was too late. I could never repair the neglect of m y youth.
There is another incident which I must share. I committe d a theft when I was fifteen. I had
run into a debt of about twenty-fi ve rupees. My brother had on his arm an armlet of solid
gold. I stole a bit of gold out of it and the debt was cleared. But this became .more than
I could bear. I resolved never to steal again. I also made up my mind to confes s it to my
father. But I did not dare to speak. Not that I was afraid of my father beating me. I was
afraid of the pain that I should cause him. I decided at last to write out the confessio n. In
this note not only did I confess my guilt, but I also asked adequate punishm ent for it. I
also promised never to steal in future. With tremblin g hands I handed the confessio n to my
fat~er. He read it, and pearl-dro ps
trickled down his cheeks, wetting
the paper. Those pearl drops of love
cleansed my heart, and washed
my sin away. A clean confessio n,
combine d with a promise never to
commit the sin again is the purest
type of repentan ce. This incident,
for me, was an object lesson in
'Ahimsa'.

an. Und~ndfng the Story

A. Answer the followin g question s briefly:
1. Which two books inspired Gandhiji a lot during his childhoo d?
2. Pick out the extract from the text which tells that Gandhiji was punctua l.
3. Why did Gandhiji dislike games and gymnast ics?
4. What made Gandhiji feel ashamed of himself during his visit to South Africa?
5. Why did Gandhiji steal gold from his b~other' s armlet?
-" · on?
.... 1_ the cou.1ess1
6. Why did he confess his guilt to his father? How did h e mi:U\..e
7. What, accordin g to Gandhiji , is the purest type of repentan ce?
 0

who is truthful wm d no eVil.

ing on . , mi iak to n , par nt
scrib Ga ndhiji a a brav boy? needs great mental strength . Would you

Life Skills

teal training i a importa nt a mental training. ' Discuss with your partner the
nee of physical training in lifi .

Values
ery incident of Gandhij i's life taught him somethin g. Given below are some
ctdents from his life. Read these incident s and write the values that Ga ndh iji
btbed from them.

He saw the picture of Shravan a

carrying his parents on pilgrimag e

He read the play Harishch andra.

His headma ster convicte d him of

lying.

He observed the good handwri ting

people in South Afrlca.
B. We beco me the book s we read .' How far is read ing good book s inst rum enta] in
build ing good char acte r? Disc uss.

Writing Skills
A. The chap ter 'My Expe rime nts with Trut h' is a colle ction of Gan dhiji 's real-life
incid ents and expe rienc es at scho ol, whic h taug ht him wha t one shou ld or shou ld
not do at scho ol.
List at leas t five thing s that you thin k a stud ent shou ld do whil e a t scho ol. Also write
at lea st five thing s that a stud ent shou ld not do at scho ol.

1. A stud ent shou ld

2.

3.

4.

5.

1. A stud ent shou ld not

- - - - - - - - - - - - - --
2.

3.

4.

5.
 andhiji's father expe1ien ces mixed £ . .
note. He pens down his ~e . . eehngs for his son on receiving the confessio n
1 1 e11ngs 1n the fo f .
rm O a diary entry. Imagine yourself in his
place and write a diary e t .
n ry in about 80 - 100 words.

andas Karamc hand Gandhi, lovingly called the

er of the Nation', was born on October 2 , 1869, at
dar, a small town on the western coast of India.
born in a middle class family of Vaishya caste.
the world over, he is known to his many followers
or 'the great-so uled one'. His concept of active non-violent resistanc e
ed the Indian struggle for independ ence. The Essential Gandhi, AU Men are
and Freedom 's Battle are some of his popular books.
 Today an d To m or ro w
by J.E. Car pen ter

1. Have you ever been punished for not doing your home work? Yes/No
2. Do you know anyone who is always regular in their work? Talk to them and find out the secret
of their regularity.
3. If you are half asleep and your moth er tells you to pack your bag before sleeping, will you -
(i) get up and pack it immediately?
(ii) tell her to wait for ten minutes?
(iii) tell her that you will pack it in the morning?

Now read the poem .

Don' t tell me of tomorrow;
Give me the man who' ll say,
That whe n a good deed 's to be done
"Let's do the deed today ."
We may all com man d the pres ent,
If we act and neve r wait ,
But repe ntan ce is the phan tom
Of a past that com es too late!
Don 't tell me of tomo rrow
Ther e is muc h to do toda y,
That can neve r be acco mpli shed ,
If we throw the hour s away ,
Every mom ~nt has its duty ,
Who the futu re can foretell?
Then why put off till tomo rrow
Wha t toda y can do as well?
 d th Pom
Tbe poem 'Today and Tomorro w' highli h . .
8Dd some famous proverb s b d g ts the importa nce of time. Can you
. . · ase on
. the sam .d "
e 1 ea. One has been given below.
for none.
. Time ~d tide wait-:....::..= .:::._ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~~~ '

Answer the followin g questio ns briefly:

1. What sort of man does the poet like?
2. How can we 'comma nd the present' ?
What happen s if we throw the hours away?
Why should we not put off any work/ good deed till tomorrow ?
• Find out the four pairs of rhyming words in the poem.

• What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

HOTS
ay is dead, tomorro w is unborn but today is a gift. That's why it is called 'present '.
one make one's present a worthy gift?

a bit lazy and keeps delaying his work. He also gets scolded by his parents
e teachers for being so disorgan ised. What suggesti ons can you give him
D"tilll!I'le?
W ha t ac co rd ing to yo u is th e be st wa y of sp en di ng tim e ou t of th e given op tio ns ? Give
re as on s for yo ur ch oic e.
(a) gr oo mi ng yo ur se lf
(b) ga ini ng kn ow led ge
(c) en ter tai nin g yo ur se lf
(d) tea ch ing so m eo ne
(e) he lpi ng th e n ee dy

Writing 51dJls
A. W rit e a let ter to yo ur br ot he r living in a ho ste l to ma in tai n a ba lan ce be tw ee n
pla yin g ga me s an d stu dy ing sq as to ma ke th e mo st pr od uc tiv e us e of hi s tim e.
B. W rit e a sh or t sto ry to ill us tra te th e pr ov er b-
'A sti tch in tim e sa ve s nin e.'

J.E . Ca rp en ter ha s wr itt en only a few po em s bu t th ey ar e

mo stl y on th e im po rta nc e of ma ki ng th e be st us e of th e
pr es en t mo me nt. It is a great iro ny th at we ar e alw ay s
c o m p ~ ab ou t th e sh or tag e· of time. Yet we wa ste it
as if we ha d an in ex ha us tib le sto re of it.
 Th e H elp fu l Yo un g Man
by Sha hary ar

1. If you find an old man trying to cross a road, will you-

(i) come forwa rd and help him?
(ii) ask someone else to help him?
(iii) not bothe r abou t it at all?
2. When you help a needy person, do you-
(i) boast of it to your friends?
(ii) expe ct him to pay you back for your help?
(iii) keep it to yourself?

Now read the stor y of a boy who help ed

the need y and fina lly got rewa rded for his
good ness .

Onc e upo n a time ther e lived a peas ant who had

seve n sons and plen ty of land . One morn ing whe n
the peas ant wok e up, he foun d _hims elf blind .
A num ber of doct ors were cons ulted and muc h
mon ey was spen t, but in vain .
One day a stra nge faqi r visit ed the blin d peas ant
end said that he coul d see agai n if the ash of
e eyes of a ·par ticu lar fish coul d be arra nged
d rubb ed in his eyes . So it was deci ded that
of his sons wou ld go- to fetch the fish. Six of
elde r sons got scar ed. Ther efor e, they were
· t to go for the purp ose. They advi sed
fath er to send the youn gest son for it. The
man sent for him and aske d him to fetch the
=t-~-111.1'1- fish.
The young man set out for the remote ocean. On his way, he met with numerous
calamiti es. But his determin ation and power bore fruit. He reached the destination.
When the young man took the fish out of water, it cried , 'O ·wise man, please drop me
back into th e ocean . Tell me what you want. I promise you that I will be at your mercy, if
I do not fulfil my promise.'
The young man threw the fish back into the ocean and said, 'I want your eyes.' He
n arrated the whole story to the fish and the purpose for which he needed its eyes.
'I an1 at your mercy, my lord. If you are determin ed to take out my eyes, I am ready. But
if I restore your father's eyesight without losing my eyes, will you spare my life?' it asked.
'How is it possible? ' the young man
asked.

'Take some sand in your hand and

touch my closed eyelids with it.
Take the same sand with you and
touch the closed eyelids of your
father with it. He will get his eyesight
back. I pray for your father's health.
Rememb er me in your hard times.
I may prove helpful to you,' it said
assuring ly.
Well, I will leave you, but in case my
father does not get his sight back,
your life will not be spared. It is not
just an idle threat. I suggest that one
must honour one's words.' Saying so,
he took the sand with him.
As soon as the fa0,er's eyelids were
touched .as advlsea, his eyesight was
restored. Other six brothers got the
amazing news and ru~hed to their
father.

reaote: distan~ far away eaJarntties: misfortun es, disasters amazing: surprising , astonishin g
 Y gre w j ealous of the ir you nge s t b rot h er . The y fea red t.hat. he wo uld be the hei r lo ih
f. the r's pro per ty. The eld est bro the r cam e forw ard and s aid , 'Th ank s, O Lor d, you hav e
r tor ed our fath er 's s igh t. Bu t dea r fath er , ma y I ask our you nge st bro the r wh ere are
th eye s of th e fish you nee ded . He has tou che d you r eye lids jus t wit h san d. It. is a me r
cha nce tha t you r eye sig ht has bee n res tor ed. It wa s pos sib le t.ha t the tou ch of the san d
wo u ld h ave cau sed you inju ry.'

Oth er bro the rs sto od by him . The y com pel led the ir fath er tha t he sho uld b e a ske d to bri ng
the eye s of the fish . The ir pla n we nt wel l. The goo d son wa s dis gra ced to leav e the h ous e
for his dis hon esty . He left the hou se and roa me d aim less ly as he had now her e to go.

On e day , as h e wa s pas sin g

thr oug h a for est, he not ice d tha t
a bla ck bu ck cam e run nin g to
him . The sm all ani ma l sto od by
him and spo ke in a trem blin g
voi ce.

·oe ar sir, the hun ter s are afte r

me . Ple as~ sav e me . I wil l hel p
you wh ene ver you cal l me .'

The you ng ma n tru ste d the

buc k. 'Go int o thi s ditc h and
I will cov er you wit h gra ss and
lea ves . Wh en the y go awa y,
I will cal l you bac k.' The buc k
cte d upo n his adv ice . Wh en the
ter s cam e, the y ask ed him ,
you see n any buc k thi s

foo l doe s not kno w wh at a buc k is. Hu rry up les t we sho uld mis s the opp ort uni ty,'
ey sai d.
e out now . Th ey hav e gon e aw ay. ' Th e buc k tha nke d him and pro mis ed to hel p him
en he wa s in dis tre ss. Th e boy con tin ued his jou rne y.

som ethi ng buck: dee r (male)

After some time, he heard a cry. He stopped and
looked in the direction from wh ere th e cry had
ome. He discover ed that a jack al was being
chased by hunt ers. Th e jackal a pproach ed him
for help. The young man helped it too. The jackal
too promised to help him in his hour of need.

The young man kept on wanderi ng for many

d ays. He was tired and hungry and wanted to
take s ome rest. He spotted a strange palace.
He decided to go inside the palace and meet its
owner. The palace belonged to a princess who
was very beautifu l.

She was famous for a magic mirror. She could see everythin g in it. She had proclaim ed
that she would marry the man who could evade his reflection in the magic mirror. Bu
he would be beheade d if traced in the mirror.

The young man saw human skulls of many young men who had failed in this adventur ous
task. But he was not afraid. He went to the princess fearlessly and accepted the challenge .
'Now that you have come,' the princess smiled, 'do you know the condition s?'

'Of course,' was his reply.

'All right, hide yourself tonight.' Her voice was as sharp as a double-e dged dagger.

At night, the young man went to the sea-shor e and called forth the fish for help.

'Sure, sure,' said the fish, 'I will hide you in my stomach and go deep into the ocean.'

The princess took up the mirror. She rotated it in every direction . At last she succeede d
in tracing him. In the morning when the young man came, she told him his hiding place .
.
'Should you be beheade d now?' The princess paused for a moment and said, 'Well, yoL
appear to be an interesti ng person. I -give you another chance.'

This time the young man went to the woods and called for the buck.

'Hello, master, what can I do for you?' asked the buck.

On hearing the whole story, it said, 'Master, sit on my horns. I will tak~ you to the remot«
hills.'

Next morning , the princess told him that he was hiding in the hills.

evade: to avoid
'One chan ce more , but it will be the
last, ' she warn ed.

He retu rned to the fores t and calle d for

the jack al and narr ated his sad story .
·o Mas ter, don' t worr y. I will do my
best,' assu red the jack al.

The jack al calle d for his fellow jack als,

and within no time ther e were hund reds
of jackals all arou nd him. The jack als
d a conf eren ce. They prop osed that
youn g man shou ld hide hims elf
er the prin cess 's bed. How coul d he
there with out the know ledg e of the
P~~~? It was plan ned that a tunn el
d be dug. Its othe r end shou ld be right unde r the bed of the princ ess. The plan was
ted imm edia tely and the youn g man was right unde r her bed.
J)lincess wok e up, took the mag ic mirr or in her hand and rotat ed it. But to her
IISJtunent, she coul d not trace the youn g man . She repe ated the proc ess a num ber
but in vain . At last she got sick of this job. She sma shed the mirr or agai nst the
t. ·com e out youn g man , I have lost the gam e,' she cried .
mom ent the youn g man cam e out from unde r her bed. The prin cess was
at his intel ligen ce. She acce pted her defe at and agre ed to man y him.
the youn g man lived. with his wife happ ily.
 Understanding th e Story
A. A n sw er th e fo ll o w in g q u es ti o n s briefly:
1. W h y d id th e y o u n g m a n go t o th e re m o te se a ?
2 . W h y d id th e el d er b ro th er s b ec o m e je al o u s o f th e ir y o u n g es t b ro th e r?

3 . H o w d id th e y o u n g m a n sa v e th e b u c k a n d th e ja c k a l?
4. W h at p ro cl am at io n h a d th e p ri n ce ss o f th e st ra n g e p al ac e m ad e?
5 . H o w d id th e th re e a n im a ls -t h e fi sh , th e b u c k a n d th e ja ck al , re p ay th e k
in d n es s
o f th e y o u n g m a n ?
6 . H o w d id th e y o u n g m a n fi na ll y co n q u er th e p ri n ce ss ?

B. G iv en b el o w in th e b o x es is th e st o ry y o u h a v e re a d in a ju m b le d fo
rm.
R ea rr a n g e th e ju m b le d se n te n c e s a n d re co n st ru ct th e st o r y in y o u r n o teb
ook.
A ls o m a rk th e ro u te o f th e y o u n g m a n 's a d v en tu ro u s jo u r n e y in th e m a p
g iv en
on page 35.

h e lp s a b u c k a n d a ja c k a l
. . HOTS
Why did the princess allow the young man extra chances to hide himself?

~ life Skill•
Given below are some adjective s. On the basis of your compreh ension of the story, put
these in appropri ate boxes under suitable characte rs. You can also add some more
adjective s.

clever brave cowardly greedy honest

kind courageo us daring jealous helpful
intelligen t beautifu l cruel wicked

y.oungm an his brothers the three animus the princess

these qualities enabled the young man to succeed in life?

 Values
A. H ow di d th e yo un g m an 's go od ne ss fe tc h hi m su pp or t in th e ti m e of ne ed ?
B. H av e yo u ev er he lp ed an yo ne in di st re ss ? G et in to gr ou ps of fo ur . T ak e tu rn s to
de sc ri be ho w yo u he lp ed th e ne ed y on es .

W ri ti n g Skills
Im ag in e yo ur se lf to be a m in is te r of th e pr in ce ss . W ri te a no ti ce in fo rm in g ev er yo ne ab ou t
th e st ra ng e co nd it io n la id do w n by th e pr in ce ss for he r m ar ri ag e.

S ha ha ry ar is a P ak is ta ni di pl om at bo rn in th e pr in ce ly
st at e of B ho pa l in th e pr e- pa rt it io n ·d ay s. H e h as be en
as so ci at ed w it h th e L ah or e U ni ve rs it y of M an ag em en t
Sc ie nc es . 'The H el pf ul Yo un g Man, th ou gh w ri tt en li ke a
fa ir y ta le , re al is ti ca ll y de pi ct s hu m an na tu re an d te ac he s
gr ea t hu m an va lu es .
 BharatDesh
by Su br am an ia B ha ra ti

Working wi th yo ur friends, lis t th e names of any fiv e na tio na l he ro es an d th e rea so n fo r th ei r

fame.

National Heroes Reason fo r Fame

1.

2.
No w rea d the poe m.
\ it h t 11 nan1 of Bh ara t De sh on our lips ,
let us . hak off our fea rs and pov erty ,
and ove n 0111 our arr ow s and ene mie s.
\ c ·ha ll . lr 11 on the sno w-c lad silv ery hei ght s of the Him ala yas .
Ou r 'hip --ha ll ail acr oss the hig h sea s.
W sha ll . t up sch oo ls- all sac red tem ple s for us,
and pro udl y thu mp our sho uld ers and utt er
th nam of thi s lan d of our s, Bh ara t.
Wi th the nam e of Bh ara t De sh on our lips ,
1 t u sha ke off our fea rs and pov erty .
W . hal l ma ke too ls and we apo ns.
We sha ll pro duc e pap er.
We shall ope n fac tor ies and sch ool s.
We sha ll nev er be laz y or we ary .
W sha ll be eve r gen ero us.
We sha ll alw ays spe ak the tru th.
Wi th the nam e of Bh ara t De sh on our lips
let us sha ke off ou r fea rs and pov erty .
Bo th scr ipt ure s and sci enc es we sha ll lea rn,
the hea ven s and oce ans we will exp lore ;
the my ste rie s of mo on we sha ll unr ave l,
the art of stre et- sw eep ing , too , we sha ll lea rn.
Wi th the nam e of Bh ara t De sh on our lips .
let us sha ke off ou r fea rs and pov erty .

IIIU'llvel: to disc ove r

 Underst and ing the Poem ·

read the gist of the poem give n belo w. Fill in the blan ks . .
rcts or phra ses: . WJ.th appr opna te

ugh the poem Bha rat Desh , the spea ker wan ts us to
fears and __ __ __ _ __ and s et up
-- -- -- - off

- - - - - - - - for the stude nts.

us to prod uce tools , _ __ _ _ _ _ _ and pape r. He advis es us not

_ __ _ _ _ _ _ or _ _ _ _ __ _ _ and try to be _ _ _ _ _ _ __

wan ts his coun trym en to know more abou t

~ - - -- - - - and _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Following all this , our coun try shall

the basi s of your · und erst andi ng of the poem , mat ch the follo wing phra ses
ropr iatel y (as don e in the exam ple):

B
myst eries of moo n
scrip tures and scien ces
the truth
gene rous
heav ens and ocea ns
fears and poverty
lazy or wear y
t-ools and weap ons
our shou lders
 C. R ea d th e fo ll ow in g ex tr ac ts :
(a) We sh al l se t up sch ools
al l sc ar ed te m pl es

(b) We shal l se t up sc ho ol s
al l a s sa cr ed as te m pl es .
In ex tr ac t (a) th e co m pa ri so n be tw ee n sc ho ol s an d te m pl es is no t di re ct b u t impl ie d. T his
im plied com pa ri so n is ca ll ed a m et ap ho r.
In ex tr ac t (b) th e sc ho ol s ar e be in g co m pa re d to te m pl es di re ct ly . T hi s di re ct com pa rison
be tw ee n tw o th in gs is ca ll ed a si m il e.

D. G iv en b el ow ar e a fe w ex am p le s o f m et ap ho r. C om p le te th es e b y Cilling in the
b la n k s w it h ap pr op ri at e w or ds fr om th e b ox gi ve n b el ow . O n e h as b ee n d on e for
yo u as an ex am p le .

1. T he ba by ha s a so ft sk in . H er ra bb it sk in fa sc in at ed m e.

2. R av i is th e br av es t so ld ie r in th e ar m y. H e is a _ _ _ _ _ am on gs t ot he rs .

3. S hi v is a ve ry sw if t ch il d. H e is th e _ _ _ _ _ of hi s cl as s.

4. C h in tu im it at es hi s el de r br ot he r. H is br ot he r ge ts ir ri ta te d by th is
li tt le -= ~ = -- -= -- --..........- -

HOTS
W ha t sh ou ld be o u r ~r io ri ty -- ou r pe rs on al gr ow th ·o r ou r m ot he rl an d' s gr ow th ? W hy ?

UfeSldJJs
A. S om e ch il dr en of yo ur cl as s of te n sp ea k ab ou t going ab ro ad fo r fu rl he r st ud ie s
an d th ei r pl an s to se tt le th er e. Y ou st ro ng ly feel th at on e sh ou ld st ay jJ \ on e's own
co un tr y. H ow w il l yo u he lp th em se e yo ur-p oi nt of vi ew ?

B. W hy is it impGrt.av.t to le ar n sc ri pt ur es as well as sciene es ? IJ

pa rt ne r.
 Value
m · h a rat D , h highligh ts rt in imp rtant values, which the citizens of a
. .lllary need to mb d in th ,m 1v to 1nak th ir country progress . Can you shortlist

WritingSk
hort paragrap h : 'I m proud to b an Indian.'

Bharat! enjoys the

among the English
poetry is remarka ble for its
 Han uma n and I
by Rupa Gupta

Pre-reading Task

1. Have you ever dreamt of performin g on stage?

2. If you are asked all of a sudden to perform in the Annual Day Programm e, will you-
(i) perform successfully and confidentl y?
(i i) refuse to perform without practice?
(iii ) perform nervously?

Rupa, a small girl, has a strong desire to act on stage. She is very confide nt about
herself. Luckily, she gets a chance to act on stage on the Annual Day. Does she
perform well? Read the play and find out.

Cbaracten
Teacher
Rupa
Anu (Rupa's friend}
Suman: Rama
Radhika : Sita
Alka: Hanuman
Ravana
Chowktd ar
[A scen e in a class room .]

Do you know , Rup a, prep arati ons have begu n for our Scho ol Ann ual Day?
Yes! Juni or sect ion is goin g to enac t The Stor y of Ram a'.
Rad hika wou ld certa inly get Sita 's role. She's so prett y!
I wish I coul d get Ram a's role.

You are shor ter than Rad hika and have a shri ll voic e . I don' t thin k the
teac her will give you Ram a's role.
I reall y wan t to act in the play . I am sure that once on stage , I wou ld give
a brill iant perf orm ance .
Well, why don' t you talk to the teac her? She migh t give you Lak shm ana' s
role.
Oh reall y! How exci ting it wou ld be actin g on stag e with a bow and
arro w slun g on my shou lders ! How surp rised my pare nts wou ld be! I can
almo st hear my fath er sayin g, We have such a talen ted daug hter !'
[The teac her ente rs the class room .]
 Pu pil Good mo rni ng, madam .
eth ing exc itin g for you tod ay. I
Te ach er Go od mo rni ng, stu den t s. I hav e so ~ . the pla y 'Th e Sto ry of
• 11 f u cer tai n rol es in
am goi ng to ass ign a o yo Ra dhi k a you Will b
, ·n lay the rol e of Ra ma . ' e
Ra ma . Sum an, you WI p u wil l ena ct La ksh ma na's
Sit a. Alka, you wil l be Ha num an. Ne ha, yo
par t.

Ru pa (Disap poi nte d) I kne w I wo uld n't get any role ·

to u
Te ach er An d Ru pa (Smiling), I hav e a role for you too . Yo u wil l be one of the
mo nke ys in the 'Va nar Sen a'.
Ru pa Ca n't I at lea st get the role of Ha num an, tea che r?
Te ach er No chi ld, you r voice is too squ eak y.
Ru pa Wo n't get eve n a sin gle dia log ue the n?
Te ach er All you hav e to do wit h sev en oth er ~ir is of the 'Va nar Sen a' is to jum p up
and dow n and sho ut 'Ja i Ram a, Jai Ha num an' .
Ru pa Jus t tha t mu ch?
Te ach er Yes, my chi ld. If you per for m you r rol e nic ely , I'll giv e yo:u the rol e of
Ha num an nex t tim e.

[At the bac kst age on the An nua l Da y, eve ryo ne is bu sy dre ssi ng up.
En ter s Ch ow kid ar.]

Chowlddar Tea che r, som eon e ask ed me to del ive r thi s lett er to you .
[Ha nds ove r a pie ce of pap er.]

Te ach er An app lica tion ! (Re adi ng al~ ud) , 'De ar Ma dam , Iain ver y son y to inform
you tha t Allra has con tra cte d me asl es and has bee n run nin g a ~
tem per atu re sin ce mo rni ng. So ny, she 'll not be abl e to act in the pla y.'
(Sh e sits dow n in a cha ir). Wh at? AUca wil l no t comet Wh at sha ll we

... ..- to allo t

do? How. will
. we perform The Stoiy of Rama' with ou t H anuman? (looks
around m dismay and her eyes fall on Rupa).

Rupa, you, look here, you wanted to be Hanuma n, didn't you? Do you
think you can m~age?
(Excited) Me! (speakin g to herself) Is my dream coming true?
Can you manage it?
Of course, I can!
Do you rememb er the dialogue s?
No, but I can always think up something.
Oh not You shall certainly not do any
.such thing. I shall be prompti ng from
the wings. All you have to do is to repeat
t I say and for God's sake, don't
m lDble. Speak as loudly as you can.
't wony, teacher. I'll speak loud e~ough.

e to do or say something
 {scene Ill~
[On the stage]

(The curtain goes up and the teacher pushes Rupa on to the stage. She
almost falls on her face. Drums are echoing and her hands and feet are
cold. She opens her mouth to say the lines but can't remembe r.)
Rupa My Lord .... My Lord Rama .... God Rama
Teacher (Prompti ng) My Lord Rama, I am your servant. I would gladly die for you.
Rupa (Hearing the promptin g, heaves a sigh of relief) My Lord, I am your
servant. I would gladly die for you.
Regular You have forgotten to pin your tail.
Rupa (Repeatin g) You have forgetten to pin your tail.
Rama Don't be silly. I am not supposed to have a tail. You've forgotten yours.
Rupa (Touchin g the spot where the tail should have been.)
I am sony, My Lord, I meant my tail. I've forgotten to pin my tail.

(A roar of laughter from the audience is heard.)

Now jump.

(Repeatin g) Now jump.

(Shoutin g) You jump, stupid!

(Realising h er mistake Rupa starts jumping like a mad person, audience

laugh s and the curtain falls .)

[The t eacher scolds Rupa for messing up everythin g and tells her that
she would cut short her role. Rupa apologis es.]

~Scen e IV~

[The curtain rises. Sita and Hanuma n are talking in Ashok Vatika.]
Who are you?

I am Lord Rama's servant, mother. I have come to help you.

How can I trnst you?

This ring is Lord Rama's. He'd

asked me to give this to you.

Oh Yes! My Lord Rama's ring.

(She hides her face in her

hands and begins to weep.)
 C r (Prompting) Speak your dialogue now! Speak, 'My beauty is m y b ane.·
(Rupa, thinking that it was her tum to speak repeats the dialogue.]

p (Speakin g gently) My beauty is my bane. It is because of my b eauty th

. k d at
wic e Ravana wants to many me.
What? (Startled ) Not you, you idiot. He wants to many m e. I am Sita
I am beautifu l. and

(Seeing the startled expressi on Rupa realises her mistake .)

R pa Oh I mean, your beauty is your bane.

(Ravana enters)
Cho s Welcome Maharaj a!
Maharaj a is coming.
Ravana the Great is
here.

(A huge figure with a

shining sword in
hand enters.)
av a Who is this puny
creature who dares
to intrude into my
kingdom ?

\
 I a m th e s o n o f P a v a n d e v , th e W in d G o d , th e
(P ro m p ti n g ) p e a k :
w o r h ip p e r o f R a m a , th e im m o rt a l H .a n u m a n .

a n d lo o k s a b o v e a t R a v a n a , w h o is to w e ri n g o v e r h e r. )
(Ru p a la n d d u m b
v o ice ) W h o is th is s m a ll c re a tu re ? (R a is e s h is s h in in g
(In a th u n d e r ing
s w o rd to a tta c k H a n u m a n .) .

r) N o n o , I a m n o t H a n u m a n . D o n 't k il l m e .
(S c re a m s in t e rr o
o ff) I a m n o t H a n u m a n . S e e I a m R u p a a n d n o t A lk a .
(P u ll in g h e r m a s k
ro ll s w it h la u g h te r a n d a n in fu ri a te d te a c h e r c o m e s o n
T h e a u d ie n c e
s ta g e a n d d ra g s R u p a o ff th e s ta g e .

Understanding t h e P ia f
e r t h e fo ll o w in g q u e s ti o n s b r ie fl y :

Rupa a s s ig n e d in th e p lay T h e S to ry o f R a m a '? W a s it in

W h ic h ro le w as
a c c o rd a n ce w it h h e r e x p e c t a ti o n s ?

y a s R u p a s u d d e n ly a s k e d to p la y th e ro le o f H a n u m a n ?
Wh w
o n c e o n s ta g e , s h e w o u ld g iv e a b ri ll ia n t p e rf o rm a n c e . D o
R up a w a s s u r e th a t
y ou th in k s h e re a ll y m a n a g e d to g iv e a g o o d p e rf o rm a n c e ?

h e p la y g iv e n b e lo w a n d a n s w e r t h e q u e s ti o n s th a t
e x t r a c t s fr o m t

'l'Wis h I c o u ld g e t R a m a 's ro le .'

d o n't th in k th e te a c h e r w il l g iv e y o u R a m a 's ro le . '

Id e n ti fy th e tw o s p e a k e rs .
y w o n't th e s p e a k e r (i n li n e 1) g e t R a m a 's ro le ?

c h ro le d o e s th e te a c h e r a s s ig n to th e s p e a k e r?

b e H a n u m a n , d id n 't y o u ? D o y o u th in k y o u c a n m a n a g e ? '
t e d to

is th e s p e a k e r? W h o m is th e s p e a k e r ta lk in g to ?

d o e s s h e a s k th e li s te n e r to b e H a n u m a n ?

li s te n e r a b le to 'm a n a g e ' th e ro le p ro p e rl y ?
 Our Tre e
by David Harme r

Have you observed a tree grow? Does it grow quickly or take long to grow?
List the things we get from trees.
Why do we cut trees?
Is it good to cut trees?

e followin g poem.
so long for a tree to grow ,-
,...
years of pushing the sky

ches stretch the arms

t with their wooden fingers

by, fall like leaves

to yellow then back to green

re his father's father

 Understanding the Poem
A Complet e the summar y of the poem by filling in the blanks with appropriate words:

A tree takes a long time to grow. For many years, th e trunk of th e tree

- - - - - - the sky to grow higher and higher. The branche s grow long as if they

were _ _ _ _ _ _ their arms and _ _ _ _ _ _ fingers. With every year, the

seasons change and the tree le&ves also change from green to yellow and then from

yellow to green. Since the time of the speaker' s grandfat her's father, there had been

an _ _ _ _ _ _ o-µtside his school whose _..,..__,,_ __ _ could be seen a cross the

playgrou nd. The speaker felt sad when this tree was _.,......--=-.,,.. ...,.,....------ off by some men

within ten minutes .

B. Answer the followin g question s in brief:

1. What do 'the arms' in line 3 refer to?
2. What do 'wooden fingers' in line 4 refer to?

3. Bring out the contrast between the beginnin g and the ending of the poem.

C. The poet has used some imagina tive metaph ors and beautifu l similes in the
poem. In the table given below are some extracts from the poem. Mention
whether the extract is a simile or a metapho r.

So many years of pushing the sky

Long branche s stretch the arms

Reach out with their wooden fin~

Years drift by, fall like leaves

 0

t t] l t on r b n , 'It ok n in
With
1
Jl) hr a word in the po m telling that it take
i

t ·n u h I u r h ou e. rite five things

i n

T'\ h- t t tr .h f er e lung of your town

rt i t u o partner the possible
ru 1 a iivit

~,""4...,.ion of · an Mahal a cl'. 1 r ·1 a n · -..:. h t d li red in the morning

•blV on the topi · Tr . . < v Li c·.

1 an America n poet keenly intereste d

....ru-at-ton of nature. He feels pained at the
trees that is now posing a serious
tence itself. ·our Tree, is one of his
 l
Atti la
by R.K. Naraya n

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
GARN BS OT VI E L D K C H
The five sets of figures given below are actually some words which are considered to b
th~ qualities of a good watchdog. Write the letters corresponding to the figures and the~
unJumble them as done in Set 1.

1. 7, 16, 8, 10, 6, 11, 12 hostile

2. 8, 2, 8, 15, 2, 10, 1, 14, 4

3. 7, 15, 13, 12

4. 3, 6, 7, 1, 8, 4

Now read the story of a wate-

In a mood of optimis m tbet

strength and fight. The iitline
and thefts in the neighbo
dog than in the police. The
six months he would be
 love of humanit y and a gentle behaviou r that
ething unexpec ted. He stood up twenty inches high and had a large frarne-
t was not all. A variety of people entered the gates of the house every day-
, bill-coll ectors, vendors and friends. All of them were warmly received by
ey only had to stop and smile, and Attila would melt and become best of
The people at home did not like this attitude very much. They thought it rather
• 'Somebo dy comes and steals the flowers in the garden and Attila won't do
about it,' complai ned the mother. 'He has better business to do than catch
s,' replied the younges t boy, always the defender of the dog. 'Well, what
is that better business ?' 'He doesn't sleep all night,
mother. I have often seen him going round the house
· and watchin g all night.'
'Oh really! I am quite alarmed to hear that,' said
the mother. -p1ease lock him up in a room at night,
otherwis e he may call in a burglar and show him
around.'
'He is the most noiseless dog I've ever seen in my life ..
said the father. The younges t boy at home did no~ like
this, but the dog justified its criticism that very mght.
. from the town. At nights, he visited the town
yed in a hut three miles ni ht Ranga broke into Attila's house.
euses to steal valuable s. That hg ' and made a neat bundle of all
trunks and almirahs in the ouse
valuable s he could pick up.
- - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ~ - - - - - - - - - ~ -= =t- and lo king 11p a hir
. in fron
H , · bout to f.!.O out wh n he aw Attil a Land ing h dog to bark · But to hi~ surp n~
Rm a thou ght tha1 hi nd had om · H exp~ tt~!n \i:ke d Ran ga's han d 5 a nd rolle d h,
A1ti1a did not bark . He wait d for a mom nt an b k ,
, oing to ar ...
P~ . Ran~ whi p r d, 'J hop you ar n t g r stro ked hi h ad
'Don 't won y. I am not that sort, ' th dog tried to say. The b urg1a

He open ed the gate and wen t out. To his Surp rise, the dog followed him. Atti la's grea test
amb ition in life was to wan der in the stree ts freely. Now, he had a good oppo rtun ity to
fulfil his grea test desir e. Attil a liked Rang a so muc h that he wou 1dn· t leav e him alon e
even for a mom ent. This sort of com pani onsh ip got on Ran ga·s nerves. He requ este d the
dog to leav e him but the dog, unm oved , sat before him With his eyes glue d ori Rang a.
Mea nwh ile, in the bung low Attil a's disa ppea ran
said the moth er, 'to lock him up? Now s~e fj
sham e! We can hard ly tell this to anyo ne.'
 we should after all thank that
taking away that dog,· said the
. 'He may k ep the jewels as a
for takiD:g him away.'

k after the disappe arance of Attila,

est son of the family was strollin g
lanes of the city. There, he saw
trotting b ehind Ranga on the

houted the young m an, a t w hich

turned and though t that the man
outing at him and broke into a
g11,,, ~, who knew that Ranga wanted
him, ran after him. He did not
lose his friend's company at any
a result, he ran so fast that he
k Ranga and blocked his way .
tumbled over him and fell.

As he rolled on the ground, a piece of jewelle

flew from his hand (which he was going td
sell). The young man recognis ed the jewelJ
and pounced on Ranga and sat down on rumJ
A crowd collected and the police appeared o~
the scene.
Attila was the hero of the day. Even the lady
of the house softened towards him. 'Whateve r
one might say of Attila, one has to admit that
he is a ve:cy cunning detective . He is too deep
for words.'
It was good that Attila had no power of speech.
Otherwis e, he would have told the truth and
lost the position of a hero.

trotting: running fairly fast. taktng small

 Unders tanding the Story
A. Answer the followin g question s briefly:
1. Why did the family buy Attila?
2 . What was Attila's attitude towards stranger s?
3. What was Attila 's reactibn when he saw Ranga stealing th e valuable s? How far
was it in accordan ce with Ranga's expectat ions?

4. Why wa s Ranga fed up with Attila?

5. How did t he family members react to Attila's disappea rance?
6 . Why did Attila run after Ranga? What did others conclude from his chase?

B. The family had high expecta tions from Attila but he disappo inted them every
time by acting differen tly. Fill in the chart given below highligh ting the
differen ce between what was expected of Attila and what he actually did. The
first one has been done for you.

Expecta tions of the family Attila's behavio ur

strong and aggressiv e gentle and friendly

catch the flower thief

scare away stranger s

bark at the ·thief

chase and catch the thief, Ranga

HOTS
A Is Attila really a hero? Give ~I.SQ~&

B. All said and done, Attila was a

 e Skills
ungest son, who always favoured Attila. What would you d t h
o o e1p the family
of the shock? (Plan a strategy to bring back Attila and the J·e 11 t
we ery so1en).

Values

uldjudg e people by what they actually are and not by what they help to achieve.'
with referenc e to Attila.

Writing Skills
e yourself to be a newspap er reporter who witnesse d Attila blocking the way
ga and helping the police catch the thief. Write a newspap er report describin g
b rave act of Attila.
e yourself to be Attila. Write a letter to one of your friends showing your
~ tsure over your friend Ranga's imprison ment.

is an Indian novelist and short story writer

his Malgudi Days and Swami and Friends.
~ mg novel 'The Guide has turned into an
 The Case of Cop ied Que stion
Pap ers
based on a story by Arthur Conan Doyle

h
If you find a rough copy of the question paper t at you a re going to take the next day, will
you-
(i) inform the teacher?
(ii) inform other students about the questions?
(iii) not disclose it to anyone, but learn all the answers yourself?
2. If you see that your partner is copying the answers from his notebook while taking an
examination, will you-
(i) ask for his help in doing your paper also?
(ii) urge him not to do so?
(iii) not bother yourself?
(iv) inform the invigilator?
3. If you have committed a very serious mistake, will you-
(i) try to hide your mistake?
(ii) confess it boldly?
(iii) not be concerned about it?

It was in the year 1895. We were residib.g

some
research es in early English Charters . One :e.v;e
;.1;~~:~.~~ [A·

whom we knew, Hilton Soames. He was

tempera ment. It was clear that he was extreme
Seem.,.

llollllu Oh really!

8oelD.,. I must explain to ~

examina tion for seh.o of the
Today about three o'clock the proofs of this paper arrived from the
printers . I had to read them carefully as . the text m ust be absolutel y
correct. At 4.30, however , I left to take tea in a friend's room. My task
was not yet complet e, so I left the proofs upon my desk. I was absent for
more than an hour. When I returned , I was amazed to see a key hanging
in the door. This duplicat e key belonged to my servant Banniste r. He is
an honest man. I thought he might have entered my room to ask for tea.
Th.en he might have careless ly left the key in the door.

Please continue .
The moment I looked at my table I was aware that someone had reached
my papers. The proofs were in three long slips. I had kept them together.
Now I found that one of them was lying on the floor. One was on the sid
table near the window and the third was where I had left it.

Vecy interesti ng!

A large sum of scholars hip money is at stake. A wrong man might gain
advantage over·oth er fellows. When I talked to Banni t r bout th! , he
iy fainted and collapse d in a chair. Do help m . Mr Holm . Either I
llrttst find the culprit or the examina tion must b po tpon d.
be happy to help you. Did anyon visit you in your room when you
~ reading the papers?
Soames Yes, Steve, a student, who lives on the same floor. He came to ask me
somethin g about the examina tion.

None else in your room?

Soames No.
Holmes Then it a ppears that Steve alone could know about the p a pers.

Soames So it seems to me.

Holmes Let's go to your house and examine it.
The tutor's-ro om was on the ground.f loor. Above that lived three students,
Steve, Gilchrist and Ralph, one on each storey. Holmes examine d the room
and looked at the open window near the table. He thought for a while and
the(l looked at the paper.

Holmes

----
Bolllies Mr Soames, now, wm yfJ
[Bannist er , the old e
I understa nd that you left your
key in the door.
Yes Sir. I have done this mistake
other times also.
When did you en ter the room?
It was ab out 4 :30. That is
Mr Soaines' tea time.
Did you look at the papers on
the table?
No, Sir, certainly not. I had
the tea tray in my hands, so I
thought I would take the key
later on. Then I forgot.
That means anyone could go
inside the room or could get out
of it.
Yes, Sir.
When Mr Soaines told you about the papers, were you very much
disturbe d?
Yes, Sir, I nearly fainted.
ere were you standing when you began to feel bad?

near the door.

ou sat down in that chair near the window. Why didn't you sit in
air near the door?

. That wiH do.· You may go. Mr Somnes, have you mentione d
-three students living above?
 . Is it possible ?
Holme I should like to have a word with them.
, room He opened the door and Holmes
5
We went up and knocked at Ste ve . · e notes . The same thin
borrowed a pencil from him for making som 9
happene d in Ra lph's a nd Gilchrist' s rooms.
d ·ght I will drop in early monung
Holmes And now Mr Soames, I wish you goo Ill ·
tomorrow with a definite answer.
(Early morning Holmes came to my room.)
Watson Have you anything positive to tell to Mr Soames?
Holmes Yes, my dear Watson. I have· solved the mystery.
[We went to Soames' house. He was extremel y worried and nervous. ]
Holmes Mr Soames, will you please call Banniste r?_
[Bannist er entered and Holmes asked him to close the door. 1
Holmes Now Banniste r, will you please tell us the truth about yesterda y's
incident?
Banniste r I have told you everythin g, Sir.
Holmes When you sa~ down in the chair
near the window, were you trying to
hide somethin g?
Banniste r No, Sir.
Holmes Didn't you let the man who was
hiding in the inside room go out?
Banniste r There was no man, Sir.
Holm.es Mr Soames, kindly call Gilchrist.

Holm.es Now Mr Gilchrist , we want to

action?

Beuatste r
 No, but you hav now. I tell you the whole story M .
. . now. r Soam s
room window wa op n , I tried to measure how tall
a man would be
to the paper through the Window while he passed. Only a sil _
foot tall man could do it. I found out that Gilchn·st w . (.'
as six ieet tall
and al o a long jumper. He was practisin g the jump. He came back
carrying his jumping shoes which had sharp spikes. As he passed
your window, he saw the proofs on your table. He entered through
the open door and put his shoes on the table and hence the scratches
on the table. He put his gloves on the chair near the Window and
took the proof papers to copy. He wrote very fast and broke his pencil
and had to sharpen it again. And these pencil shreds helped me
find out the culprit. Looking at the shreds I could make out that
the pencil was not of an ordinary size. Its outer colour was dark blue
and it had a soft lead. I found the same pencil in Gilchrist' s room
yesterda y. When Mr Soames came back, Gilchrist took his shoes and hid
in the inside room but forgot his gloves. Banniste r pretende d to faint to
give Gilchris t a chance to escape. He sat down at the comer chair to hide
Gilchris t's gloves.
Mr Banniste r, why did you help Gilchrist ?
I was a butler at their house before working here. When I saw the gloves,
I recognis ed these as Gilchrist 's and wanted to save him.
Is that right, Gilchrist ?
Yes, Sir. I have a letter with me. In this, I have written that I would not
take the examian tion.
I am pleased to hear that.
But why did you change your mind?
who set me on the right path (Gilchris t pointed to
Tu.ere is the man . d made me understa nd what
Banniste r). He spoke to me as a fathe~ ~ d decided not to take the
did was wrong. So I changed my min an

• "th bright future. ·

For once you h ave fallen low.
are a young man wi .
see in the future how high you can nse. ~ hi
thanked Holmes 1or s
;:y, the case was solved and Mr Soames
 Unders tanding the Play
A. Answer the followin g question s in brief:
1. Why was Soames upset?
2. How did Soames conclude that the papers had been tampere d with by
someon e?
3. Why did Holmes ask all the three students to give him a pencil?

4 . How did Banniste r help Gilchrist ? Why did h,.e do so?

5. Why did Gilchrist decide to skip the examina tion?

B. Read the followin g extracts and answer the question s that follow:

1. 'We have had a vei:y painful incident at the college.'

(a) Identify the speaker. Whom is he speaking to?

(b) What is the painful incident?

(c) What does the speaker want from the listener?

2 . 'I think he wrote very fast and broke his pencil and had to sharpe!} it
again.'

(a) Whom does 'he' refer to in the above line?

(c) How does this conclusi on lead to the

3. 'Why did you commit such an action?'

(a) Who is the speaker? Whom is he sp

(c) How does he mend his action?

 the play and fill in the followin g clueshee t to help H 1
0
.-..... and find out the culprit. mes solve the

(detective) (companion) (lecturer} (his servant}

student student student

He was the only person who had seen Mr Soames reading the
question papers.
(ii)

He had the duplicat e key.

(iii)

He stays on the same floor and has access to Mr Soames'

room.

(i)
(ii)
key in the door.

scratche s of shoe spikes on the table.

tall saw the question paper on th_e table, entered the room,
' hi il sharpene d the
noted down the question s, broke s penc '
pencil, left the gloves.
 HOTS
Why couldn't Soames olve th my l ry b h ind t.h copied qu s tion papers ----
could do it in a short tim ?

Life Skills
A. You have fo und a pen drive of one of your teach ers. It has th t
e queS ion p aper for
the coming exams. What will you do in s u ch a s it u ation ?
B. 'All' children can be made to see through their mistake s by speaking to them.
Dis cuss with your partner.

Values
Was it right to set Gilchrist free at the end? Should he have been p unished or not?

Writing Skills
A. Imagine yourself to be Gilchrist . Write a letter to the Educatio n Officer informin g him
about your decision of n ot taking the scholars hip paper.

B. You are the Educatio n Officer of ABC Universit y. It has been b rought to your n otice
that the scholars hip p a per has been leaked. Write a notice informin g all the student
about the cancella tion of the paper.

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British writer

and physicia n, most noted for his fictional stories about
the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally
consider ed mileston es in the field of crime fiction. During
his writing career Sir Arthur wrote 21 novels and over
150 short stories. He is also the author of fantasy and
science fiction, which includes three novels and two
short stories: The Last World (1912), The Poison B lt U9l ) d
The Land of Mist ( 1926).
 S u g g es te d R eadings
for Classes-VI , VII and VIII

.
Au tho r /Ed ito r Pub lish er Yea r

Edi ted by Ru pa Pub lica tions 2013

Dee pa Aga rwa l Ind ia Pvt. Ltd.

Ru ski n Bon d Pen gui n Boo ks 2009

les, Aw tts and Ele pha nts Ru ski n Bon d Puffin Boo ks 201 4

Ru ski n Bon d Ru pa & Co. 200 4

R.K. Nar aya n Pen gui n Cla ssic s 1935

R.K. Nar aya n Pen gui n Cla ssic s 1943

Dee pa Aga rwa l Ru pa & Co. 200 4

-F'uljilling Co w and Dee pa Aga rwa l Sch ola stic 20 15

ic Ind ian Tal es

Wa y/ Sto ries Dee pa Aga rwa l Ma dhu ban 1998

& Frie nds hip Edu cat ion al Boo ks

Sig run Sri vas tav Puf fin Boo ks 1991

Sig run Sri vas ta~ Puf fin Boo ks 1992

Sch ola stic 200 6

Shahrukh Husain

Pen gui n Boo ks 200 4

Sud haM urt y

Pen gui n Boo ks 2006

.
 Pu.blisher y
S.No . Title
Puffi n Book s 20 12
15. Gran dmot her's Bag of Stori es Sudh a Murt y
Peng uin Book s 2007
16.· A Wint er's Nigh t and Othe r Prem Chan d
Stori es
(tran slate d by
Rakh shan da Jalil)

Vari ous Writ ers CBT , India 1983

1 7. The Best Thirt een

Vari ous Writ ers CBT , India 1996

18. Kalei dosc ope

Rabi ndra Nath Mac milla n 1913

19. The Cres cent Moon (Poems)
Tagore ~

20. Poet ry Magi c Edite d by Ratn a Saga r 2006

Book s 6, 7,8 (Poems) Rusk in Bond and
Keki N. Daru walla

21. The Poem 'Jree Oxfo rd Univ ersit y 1998

Book s 6, 7,8 (Poems) Pres s

22. &ien ce Is My Best Frien d Ocea n Book s Pvt. 2002

(Play s) Ltd.
23. The Adve nture s of
Tom Saw yer

24. The Story of My Life

25. Dadd y-Lon g-Leg s

26. Thre e Men in a Boat

1. Clas sics, like Dav( d

be adde d to this list
2. The book s liste d 11
list in aeco rdau
3. Every effort
some madYi may be
D.A. V. Publi catio n Division
D.A.V. College Manag ing Commi ttee
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