Unit 5
You have read the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’. Now read the poems given in the textbook, Beehive, ‘The Snake Trying’ (page 125) and ‘Green Snake’ (page 126).
• Note the actions of these three snakes.
Ans .. The snakes are just moving around casually without any fear.
• Note the reactions of the story writer and the poets. What do they feel?
Ans .. The story writer and poet narrates the movement of the snakes vividly with a kind and sympathetic attitude towards the reptiles.
• Do you think any of the snakes wanted to do any harm?
Ans .. The snakes had no intentions to attack the humans.
• What is the human behaviour towards them? Discuss all these points with your partner and together share with your other friends.
Ans .. The parents were hostile towards the snakes as they could bite them and cause their deaths. The child was full of sympathy for the snakes.
READING COMPREHENSION
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
Text I
THE MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
I had been very wealthy and prosperous and was leading a very comfortable life. I had all the worldly pleasures with me. But soon I became bored of my idle life. The urge to go on a voyage became stronger and stronger day by day. It haunted me like anything. So one day I boarded a ship and went trading from island to island with other merchants.
When we started, the weather was fine and the sea was calm. But on the fourth day of our voyage, our ship was caught in a terrific/terrible hurricane and we wandered from our set course. The tempest continued for several days and drove us near an island. The captain of the ship was reluctant to cast anchor at the port as it was a much dreaded place.
The violent waves of the sea had exhausted us. We were all tired and hungry so we went in search of food and water. We were fortunate enough to find fruit trees and a stream of fresh and cool water which gave us strength and energy and relieved us from hunger.
It had started getting dark. As we were tired we went to sleep but were soon startled by a rustling noise which came from a very long and huge python like serpent gliding swiftly towards us. We ran to save our lives but the serpent was quick enough to swallow one of my companions. We kept running till we had covered a good enough distance from the serpent. We felt a bit relieved but at the same time sad as we had lost a friend of ours. We took shelter on the top of a tree and thought ourselves to be safe.
But we were mistaken for we had hardly slept a little time when we heard a hissing sound which alarmed and frightened us. Coiling itself round the tree, the serpent reached my other companion who was positioned somewhat lower than me on the tree. It swallowed him and went away. Terror stricken I clung to the branch of the tree tightly and I did not know when I fell asleep. It was daylight when I awoke. I climbed down. It seemed to me that I had no courage left. It took me no time to realise that if I would not think of a way to escape soon, I would be a dead man. It was just a matter of time when I would also be swallowed like my two other companions. The instinct to prevent one’s life is greater than any fear or frustration.
I thought I should spare no means to save myself. I collected a lot of dry wood and bushes and tied them into a bundle with reeds. I arranged them in a circular structure round the tree and tied some of them with the branches of the tree. In this way I made a tent like structure in which I sat after dusk and securely tied from within. I had the satisfaction that whatever I could do I did it to prevent myself. This time when the serpent arrived he crept round the tree but he could not penetrate the defensive structure I had made around me. It just sat and waited the whole night like a cat that waits for the mouse to emerge out of its hole.
At dawn the serpent crept back but I dared not come out of my fortress. I lay there half dead and almost suffocated.
When the Sun began to shine, I came out of my wooden fortress. I was so desperate that I ran towards the seashore. When I was about to jump into the sea, I saw a ship sailing at some distance. I shouted wildly, I took off my shirt and waved it too, which attracted the sailors on the ship and a rescue boat was immediately sent for me. This was my miraculous escape from the deadly serpent.
(Source: Anonymous)
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Discuss what effect did the story have an you? What would you have done, if you were in the narrator’s place? Does it teach you how to save yourself from danger? Now based on your reading of the story, answer the questions that follow.
Ans .. Clearly, I was aghast to read about the ordeal the amateur sailor went through. However, his tenacity to wait out the looming danger of the serpent impressed me. When it emerged that the sailor had staved off the close brush with death, I became both relaxed and happy. It taught me the value of having an enduring spirit.
I would probably have suffered the same fate as the other two sailors who were devoured by the serpent.
The short account of the sailor’s survival teaches me the value of courage and having a fighting spirit. These are invaluable lessons for life.
1. What made the narrator go on a voyage?
(a) He was rich and satisfied with his life.
(b) He felt bored of his life.
(c) He had urge to go on a voyage.
(d) He was adventurous.
2. How did the narrator and his friends feed themselves?
(a) They ate fish.
(b) They could not find anything to eat.
(c) They ate fruits to survive.
(d) They ate the food they had brought with themselves.
3. The narrator and his companions were on the tree. The serpent swallowed his companion but not the narrator. Why?
Ans.. The narrator had perched himself a little above the other sailor on the tree. The snake attacked the latter because he was the first prey on its way up.
4. How did the narrator save himself from the serpent?
Ans … He hit upon a novel idea to have a makeshift shelter. He gathered a good quantity of dry wood and bushes and used reeds to tie them together. He arranged them in a circular way round the tree and tied some of them with the branches. In this manner, he erected an enclosure that could prove to be barricade for the creeping snake. He closeted himself in this enclosure and saw the night pass off without a fatal encounter with the snake.
5. Find the words in the story which mean the nearest to the words given below.
(a) rich (First para) _wealthy
(b) moved (Second para) –– wandered
(c) tired (Third para) _exhausted
(d) scared (Fifth para) _ alarmed
(e) urge (Fifth para) _instinct
6. Now find words in the story which mean the opposite of the given words.
(a) poor (First para) _wealthy
(b) weak (Third para) _ violent
(c) enforce (Third para) _ Relieve
(d) insecurely (Sixth para) _ securely
(e) offensive (Sixth para) _ defensive
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Vocabulary
1. The story of Miraculous Escape has a number of words which describe the narrator’s feeling of fear and getting tired of the journey. List the words of the two feelings and experiences.
Fear
Terrific, terrible, dreaded, deadly, terror-stricken
Getting tired
Exhausted, frustration
2. Can you now add suffix which can mean or relate to the word ‘fear’? First one has been done for you.
Fear
(a) fearsome
(b) fearful
(c) fearless
(d) fearmongering
(e) fearprone
(f) feared
(g) fearing
(h) feares
Grammar
Reported Speech: Reporting questions
1. You have learnt how to report questions from direct to indirect speech. Here is a paragraph with direct speech questions. Read them carefully and report into indirect speech. Rewrite the paragraph in the space given below.
Once an old man asked a young boy, “Who do you think are the most intelligent people?” The young man said in return, “Who do you think so?” The old man said, “How can sons and daughters be intelligent without learning from their parents?” The young man said, “How did you as a parent learn?” The old man said, “Why are you hijacking my question by asking me back?” The young man said, “Didn’t you know that you as a parent, now have learnt all the things on your own?” The old man said, “How do you say that we all learnt from others?” The young man said, “Why do you ask me about how to operate electronic gadget all the time?” The old man said, “Why can’t I ask you because I have paid for the gadget you use?”
Ans.. Once an old man asked a young boy who he thought were the most intelligent people. The young man answered by asking the old man about whom he thought to be so. The old man replied by wanting to know how could sons and daughters be intelligent without learning from their parents. The young man asked the old man how he had learned as a parent. The old man demanded to know why the young man was hijacking his question through counter-questioning. The young man argued saying if the old man didn’t know that he had learned everything all by himself as a parent. The old man asked the young man why he thought that they (the old people) learned everything from others. The young man asked the old man why the latter asked him about the way to operate gadgets. The old man shot back saying that he had bought the gadget, and so, was entitled to ask the former.
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Editing
1. Some of the prepositions are incorrectly used in the following story. Correct them and read the story aloud. Then rewrite the story in the space given below.
The Dog and His Bone
A hungry dog while searching about for food found a bone. He picked it out up and held it tightly in his mouth and ran out into the woods, to a safe place to enjoy it in with ease. He growled and frowned at anyone who attempted to take it over away.He chewed the bone for a very long time and this made him quite thirsty. He came to a stream to quench his thirst. He trotted around over the footbridge and happened to glance into the water. He saw his own reflection in the water. Thinking it was another dog with a bigger bone, he growled and scowled towards it. The reflection growled and scowled back. Being greedy by nature, he wanted that bone too. He snapped his sharp teeth at the image on in the water. He barked at the other dog, hoping to scare him into giving that bone. His own big bone fell with a splash, went over out of sight, the moment he opened his mouth to bite!
2. Now here is a set of sentences given in indirect speech. Change them into direct speech. Indirect Speech Direct Speech
(a) Romesh asked Lata whether she could go with him for a picnic the next day.
(a) Romesh asked Lata, “Can you go with me for a picnic tomorrow?”
(b) Lata replied why had he asked her to join.
(b) Lata asked him, “Why have you asked me to join?”
(c) Romesh asked Lata why she was questioning him.
(c) Romesh asked Lata, “Why are you questioning me?”
(d) Lata replied there was no use visiting the place she had seen before.
(d) Lata said, “There is no use visiting the place that he has seen before.”
(e) Romesh asked Lata what was wrong in visiting the same place again for the place was not the same.
(e) Romesh asked Lata, “What is wrong in visiting the same place again as the place is not the same.”
2. Rearrange each set of words to make sentences. Use appropriate punctuation marks.
(a) when I gave her, the bad news, she turned pale
Ans .. She turned pale when I gave her the bad news.
(b) become rotten, as it has, the apple, don’t eat
Ans ..Don’t eat the apple as it has become rotten.
(c) great friends, last quarrel, after their, they became
Ans .. After their last quarrel, they became great friends.
(d) first and only novel, after her, got a prize, she became famous
Ans .. She became famous after her first and only novel got a prize.
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Listening
How brave are you? Take a minute to think over this question.
There are people who risk their lives to save someone’s life from danger. Here is a child who dared and saved lives. Let us listen to the story of a braveheart.
The Brave Hearts
On October 26, 2009, Jhalaram’s hut in the village Sarneshwar in Rajasthan, suddenly caught fire. His two daughters, aged two-and-a-half years and one year, as well as ten goats were in the hut at that time. Shrawan Kumar, a six-year old boy, was playing in his house at a distance of about 200 feet. Seeing smoke coming out from Jhalaram’s house, he ran towards it. He saw the children sitting on a cot and screaming for help, and the goats caught in the flames. Shrawan entered the house, lifted the younger child in one arm and pulling the older one by the hand, brought them out safely. He took them to his house, then ran to inform his father and the children’s father. The elders rushed to the site. But by that time, the goats had died and the household belongings had been destroyed in the fire. It was Shrawan Kumar’s daring act that saved the lives of the two children.
(Shrawan Kumar, 6 years old, Sarneshwar, Rajasthan)
(Source: Children’s World, May 2012)
Your teacher will read out the story. Listen to the story carefully and answer the questions below. You may ask the teacher to read out the story more than once.
1. Where is the village of Sarneshwar? Ans .. It’s in Rajasthan.
2. Whose hut had caught fire? Ans .. Jhalaram’s hut caught fire.
3. Who all were there in the hut when it caught fire? Ans…… Jhalaram’s two daughters and seven goats were there in the hut when the fire started.
4. Why did Shrawan run towards Jhalaram’s house? Ans .. Shrwan rushed towards the house seeing smoke billowing out of it.
5. How did Shrawan save the two children? Ans .. Shrawan lifted the younger child with one arm and pulled the elder one to safety using his body’s force.
6. What happened to the goats? Ans .. The goats were charred to death.
Speaking
Imagine yourself as the narrator in the story ‘The Miraculous Escape’ and describe your experience during your voyage. Jot down the points you want to speak on. Then narrate your experience to your partner. You may begin like this: I have been thinking of going on a voyage. And here came the opportunity to sail on a ship! I enjoyed the bule sea, the silence all around, amazing sunrise for a week. Then suddenly
one day…….
Your points:
Ans .. 1. I was living a life of luxury and had access to all sorts of material comforts. However, my easy and lazy life ate into my mental pleasure. I wanted to have some thrill and face some challenges. The sea beckoned me. Soon, I set out on a voyage in a vessel with sailiorcum traders as my mates.
2. My voyage was normal for the first few days. But, soon the tranquil sea became turbulent. A storm came from no where and pushed our vessel off-course. We had no option, but to wait out the storm’s deadly spell. The vessel remained adrift for a few days. Our vessel went quite close to a land mass. We felt, our hardship caused by shortage of food and drinking water would soon be over. But, our captain said that the island was perilous and must be avoided. We were bound to heed his warning.
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Writing
1. A group of pictures are given here. They make a story. This story is from the Tales of Panchatantra. Superfluous commas Many times, commas are used liberally even when they are not necessary. Incorrect: Hari never went into the city, because he did not feel comfortable driving in traffic. Correct: Hari never went into the city because he did not feel comfortable driving in traffic. Incorrect: Roma wants to get a degree in Fine Arts, or Music. Correct: Roma wants to get a degree in Fine Arts or Music. Incorrect: The book on the table, belongs to Sara. Correct: The book on the table belongs to Sara. Fun fact 2024-25 Unit 5 77 2024-25 78 Words and Expressions 1 Now write the story in the lines provided below. Provide a suitable title to the story. 2. Courage needs no age and comes after we let go of all our fears. Every year, on the Republic Day, National Bravery Awards are