Questions 

1. The pain you feel today is the strength you have tomorrow.” How far is this true of Mhlope? Attempt a write up on how our personal struggles shape our future in the light of your reading of “The Toilet”.

OR

Describe your village talking about the population work of the people important educational institutions and in any special things for which it is famous.

Answer

1. The pain you feel today is the strength you have tomorrow.” How far is this true of Mhlope? Attempt a write up on how our personal struggles shape our future in the light of your reading of “The Toilet”. 

18. The statement, “The pain you feel today is the strength you have tomorrow” is very true of Gcina Hlope. Her mother wanted her to be a teacher or a nurse. But she had a different idea about her career. Her mother was so angry that she said all the money spent on Mhlope’s education was a waste. After writing Matriculation, Mhlope went to “Orange Grove”, a suburb of Johannesburg, and she lived with her sister who was a domestic worker in a White family.

Her sister had a backroom which Mhlope shared without letting the owners of the house know about it. Mhlope had to leave her room very early in the morning and return with her sister at 6.30 when the White family members took their supper. Mhlope could not even use the light in the early mornings when it was dark.

When she got a job, she left the room before 5.30 in the morning but the bus to her workplace was only at 7.30. So she spent about 2 hours every day in a public toilet. She sat on the toilet seat and read various things and she even wrote sitting there. She then became a world renowned writer. The pains she felt when she was young proved to be her strength for her future. I am sure if we are willing to undertake suffering, our struggles will shape our future too.

17.Describe your village talking about the population work of the people important educational institutions and in any special things for which it is famous.

                   Question 

1. How does the article on the dabbawalas illustrate the importance of discipline and organizational skills? What lessons can we draw from the system?

2. As a journalist who admires the flawless dabbawala system, you decide to interview the secretary of the dabbawala association. Frame a few questions you would ask him.

Answer

1. The article on the dabbawalas certainly illustrates the importance of discipline and organizational skills. The dabbawalas of Mumbai supply homemade midday meals to nearly 200,000 customers working in different areas of Mumbai. There are 3500 dabbawalas on the Western Railway and 1500 in the Central railway. The tiffin boxes have to be collected, transported, sorted and delivered to the right customers. The collection of the boxes with the food starts at 8 in the morning and by 1.00 p.m. the boxes are made available to the customers. Punctuality and discipline are very important in this system. The International Business Schools did not know how the dabbawalas managed the system. Even Prince Charles of England was surprised at the efficiency of the system. We learn that anything is possible if we have the organizational skills and discipline.

Answer 

2

1. How many dabbawalas are there in Mumbai?

2. How do you ensure punctuality and efficiency?

3. How long does the training last before someone is taken into the system?

4. Why is that there are no ladies in the system?

5. Do you face any threat from the hotels, restaurants and eateries in the city?

6. Do you prescribe any minimum qualifications to be a dabbawala?

7. What salary do you pay to the dabbawalas?

8. What other benefits do they have?

9. What is the retirement age in your organization?

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow it:

1.”As he tries to cross the street, the emotions of surprise, wonder and disbelief run through the narrator’s mind. So many thoughts come to him. The street is no more lined with gardens. The street is full of people and vehicles. There are rubbish heaps on both sides of the street. The extensive fields are gone. High buildings are everywhere. Noises shake the air. A band is announcing the opening of a circus. There is the shriek of the siren of fire engine.A truck is carrying soldiers.”

What does the passage describe? 

A. The school and its surroundings.

B. The street with gardens and fields around.

C. The surroundings of the boy’s home.

D. Changes that happen over time.

Answer – D. Changes that happen over time.

2. There are rubbish heaps on both sides of the street. This shows:

A. the people are conscious of cleanliness. 

B. they keep their homes clean.

C. they are very worried about their health.

D. they are not responsible citizens.

Answer 

D. They are not responsible citizens.

3. From which story is the above passage taken? It is taken from:

A. Waiting for the Rain.

B. The Toilet

C. From Half a Day

D. The Saga of the Tiffin Carriers.

Answer .C. From Half  a day 

4. Some things that the narrator had seen when he was first going to school are missing now. What are they?

A. People and vehicles.

B. The fire engine and its shrieks.

C. The band announcing the circus. 

D. The gardens and the fields

Answer

D. The garden and the fields

1. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate forms of the phrasal verbs given in brackets: (coincide with, turn down, insist on, crop up, give up )

a. It is difficult to …..old habits.

b. I ……….his proposal to start a new business.

c. This year my birth day………… Christmas.

d. A new problem has ….. between India and Pakistan.

e. Yesterday he…….. paying the bill himself.

Answer 

A. give up
B. turned down
C. coincides with
D. cropped up
E insisted on

2. Read the dialogue below and complete the report by transforming the sentences into reported speech.

Eve : Adam, I have brought something wonderful for you. 

Adam : What is it?

Eve : It is the fruit of the forbidden tree. I have eaten one.

Adam: What have you done, Eve? Didn’t God tell us not to eat that fruit?

Answer

Eve told Adam that she had brought something wonderful for him. Adam wanted to know what it was. Eve told him that it was the fruit of the forbidden tree; she had eaten one. Adam was shocked and asked her what she had done as God had told them not to eat it.

3. As an editor of your school magazine, you plan to interview Anita Nair. Draft a telephone conversation seeking her consent for a personal

Answer  

I: Is it Madam Anita Nair?

AN: Yes, speaking.

I : Good morning, Madam, I’m Joe Cherian, the editor of our school magazine. Our school is St. George’s H.S.S. Edappally.

AN: Okay, Go ahead.

I : Madam, we recently read your article “Waiting for Rain” in our school textbook. A brief biography of yours is also given in the textbook. We are impressed by your achievements as a writer.

AN: Thank you for your compliments. But why did you call me?

I: Madam, we want to have a personal interview with you. And we want your consent.

AN: It is fine. I am free this weekend and I will be available at home. You can meet me between 4 and 6.00 p.m. on Saturday, the 25th of July.

I : Thank you Madam, Thank you very much. We will be there at your place at 4.30 pm.

AN: It’s OK. You’re welcome!

4. We all have interesting or funny experiences in our life. Describe one such incident that happened in your life.

Answer

4. Once, my parents took me to see an exhibition. I was just seven years old. The exhibition was very interesting to my parents as so many household gadgets were exhibited there. People were explaining how to use them and maintain them and my parents were listening to them with attention. My attention was mainly at the stall where they sold burghers. I slowly moved away from my parents and went near the stall.A family with 4 children came to the stall to buy burghers. I was standing close to the children. The father of the children ordered six burghers. The man in the stall gave him the first one. I was standing near the children. Without looking back the man put the burgher in my hand. I immediately started munching it. The man in the stall gave him the remaining 5, one by one. The man went on placing them in the hands of his children and his wife.

When the man in the stall asked stopped giving him burghers, the father of the children asked for the 6th burgher. The man in the stall said he had given him 6. It was then his wife told him that he first burgher he took was given to a strange boy who was standing there. She saw the desire in my eyes and she just kept quiet. I enjoyed he burgher.She was a good woman, wasn’t she?

5. Edit the following passage:

Gandhiji emphasise the importance of work and the dignity by labour. We often saw him at the spinning wheel. Charlie Chaplin had heard about Gandhis spinning wheel. When he met Gandhi, the first question Chaplin asked was why Gandhi was against mechinery. Gandhi said that the Indian peasants were unemployed for 6 months. In cloth and food every nation should be self-contained. Indians were self-contained and wants to be so again

Answer.

Gandhiji emphasised the importance of work and the dignity of labour. We often saw him at the spinning wheel. Charlie Chaplin had heard about Gandhi’s spinning wheel. When he met Gandhi, the first question Chaplin asked was why Gandhi was against machinery. Gandhi said that the Indian peasants were unemployed for 6 months. In cloth and food every nation should be self-contained. Indians were self- contained and want to be so again

6. Identify the noun phrase in the subject position and the verb phrase from the sentences given below.

a) The beautiful and rich girl could not find a suitable husband.

b) John Masefield’s famous poem the “Sea Fever” had endeared him to lovers of good poetry.

Answer

a) Noun Phrase: The beautiful and rich girl Verb Phrase: could not find a suitable husband.

b) Noun Phrase: John Masefield’s famous poem the “Sea Fever” Verb Phrase: had endeared him to lovers of good poetry.

7.Lush green landscapes crystal clear beaches and the heavy monsoon made Kerala God’s Own country, However, all these seem to be in danger of extinction. Prepare a speech on the need to protect nature and present it in the class.

Answer

Respected teacher and my dear classmates, I am standing before you to speak a few words on the need to protect nature. Kerala is popularly called God’s Own Country because of its lush green landscapes, crystal clear beaches and the heavy monsoon. Many tourists from all over the world come to see these things and enjoy a few days of leisure. But because of our greed and carelessness we are destroying the lush green landscapes and the crystal clear beaches. Monsoons have become unpredictable because of the climatic changes.

We destroy our beautiful landscape by constructing concrete monstrosities and paving tiles in our yards. Instead of the lush green look, now the landscape has a sickly pale appearance. It is becoming a concrete jungle. Mindless industrialization is spoiling the beauty of the landscape and polluting the atmosphere with all kinds of poisonous gases, smoke and dust. We destroy our crystal clear beaches by throwing all kinds of plastic stuff, empty bottles and other rubbish. Some people use the beach as an open toilet! Who will come to spend their time on such beaches?

We also mindlessly cut down trees for various needs like timber and to use as firewood. Trees hold the soil preventing it from being easily eroded. Forests are the main sources that give the continuous supply of water to our rivers. If we embark upon large scaled deforestation and mining, even fresh water will become an expensive item.

8. Imagine you are applying for a job. Prepare your Curriculum Vitae

OR

8. Given below are some details about the life of K.J. Yesudas, the most famous play back singer from Kerala. Prepare his profile to publish in your school magazine.

Full name : Kattassery Joseph Yesudas

Born: 10 January 1940, at Fort Kochi

Parents: Augustine Joseph and Elizabeth Joseph

Education: Swathi Thirunal College of Music, Thiruvananthapuram

 Spouse : Prabha

Children : 3 sons 

Achievements  :sings in many languages, National Award for Best Male Playback singer 8 times. Film fare awards 5 times, and the State Award 43 times.

Special names: Ganagandharvan.

22. Imagine you are applying for a job. Prepare your Curriculum Vita

Answer

Yesudas was born on 10 January 1940 at Fort Kochi. His parents were Augustine Joseph and Elizabeth Joseph. He was educated at Swathi Thirunal College of Music, Thiruvananthapuram. He married Prabha in 1970. He has 3 sons, one of whom is Vijay Yesudas, who is also a famous playback singer and actor.

Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely considered one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian music and a cultural icon of Kerala. Yesudas is estimated to have recorded more than 50,000 songs in various Indian languages which include: Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Tulu, Hindi, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Arabic, English, Latin, and Russian, in the last sixty years. He is often referred to as Gaanagandharvan. Yesudas holds the record for singing 11 songs in different languages in a single day. He composed a number of Malayalam film songs during the 1970s and 1980s.

Yesudas won the National Award for the Best Male Playback Singer record eight times, the Filmfare Awards five times, and the State Award for the Best Playback Singer forty- three times, including awards given by the state governments of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and West Bengal. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1975, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan (second-highest civilian award) in 2017 by the Government of India for his contributions towards the arts. In 2005, he was honoured with the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government’s highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema. In 2011 Yesudas was honoured with the CNN -IBN outstanding achievement award for his contributions in the music field.