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practice workbook english Grade 6 Name: Roll No: Section: School Name:

by classklap IMAX is India’s only customised content and educational assessment m. 610+ Published Books Team of IITians & PhDs IMAX Program has authored about 610+ Content development and automation are publications which are used by more than led by a team of IITians, data scientists and 4,50,000+ students. education experts Workshops Lakh Assessments IMAX Program has conducted IMAX Program has conducted more than teacher training workshops for more 85,00,000+ assessments across 17 states in the last 10 years. than 15,000+ teachers. Copyright © 2020 BGM Policy Innovations Pvt Ltd) All rights reserved. No part of this publication, including but not limited to, the content, the presentation layout, session plans, themes, key type of sums, mind maps and illustrations, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior, written permission of the copyright owner of this book. This book is meant for educational and learning purposes. The author(s) of the book has/ have taken all reasonable care to ensure that the contents of the book do not violate any copyright or other intellectual property rights of any person in any manner whatsoever. In the event the author(s) has/have been unable to track any source and if any copyright has been inadvertently infringed, please notify the publisher in writing for any corrective action. Some of the images used in the books have been taken from the following sources www.freepik.com, www.vecteezy.com, www.clipartpanda.com Creative Commons Attribution This book is part of a package of books and is not meant to be sold separately. For MRP, please refer to the package price.

This practice book is designed to support you in your journey of learning English for class 6. The contents and topics of this book are entirely in alignment with the NCERT syllabus. For each chapter, a concept map, expected objectives and practice sheets are made available. Questions in practice sheets address different skill buckets and different question types, practicing these sheets will help you gain mastery over the lesson. The practice sheets can be solved with the teacher’s assistance. There is a self-evaluation sheet at the end of every lesson, this will help you in assessing your learning gap.



TABLE OF CONTENT • Assessment Pattern: 40 Marks • Assessment Pattern: 80 Marks • Syllabus & Timeline for Assessment Page 1: Unit 1: 1.1 Who did Patrick’s Homework Page 2: Unit 1: 1.2 A House, A Home Page 6: Unit 2: 2.1 How the Dog found Himself a New Master! Page 7: Unit 2: 2.2 The Kite Page 11: Unit 3: 3.1 Taro’s Reward Page 12: Unit 3: 3.2 The Quarrel Page 16: Unit 4: 4.1 An Indian-American Woman in Space: Kalpana Chawla Page 17: Unit 4: 4.2 Beauty Page 21: Unit 5: 5.1 A Different Kind of School Page 22: Unit 5: 5.2 Where Do All the Teachers Go? Page 26: Unit 6: 6.1 Who I Am Page 27: Unit 6: 6.2 The Wonderful Words Page 31: Unit 7: 7.1 Fair Play Page 35: Unit 8: 8.1 A Game of Chance Page 36: Unit 8: 8.2 Vocation Page 40: Unit 9: 9.1 Desert Animals Page 41: Unit 9: 9.2 Whatif Page 45: Unit 10: 10.1 The Banyan Tree Page 47: 1. Parts of Speech Page 55: 2. Phrases, Clauses and Sentences Page 62: 3. Types of Sentences Page 68: 4. Subject, Predicate and Object Page 74: 5. Nouns and Kinds of Nouns Page 82: 6. Pronouns and Types Page 90: 7. Punctuation Page 97: 8. Adjectives Page 104: 9. Adjectives-Degrees of Comparison Page 111: 10. Articles Page 119: 11. Verbs and Types of Verbs Page 126: 12. Subject Verb Agreement Page 133: 13. Tenses Page 145: 14. Adverbs Page 152: 15. Voice Page 160: 16. Conjunctions



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ASASSESSESSMSMENETNTPAPTATTTEERRNN MMaarrkkss:: 4400 GrGardaed1e06//EEnngglilsihsh Beginner Paper: (Easy: 50%, Medium: 40%, Difficult: 10%) Proficient Paper: (Easy: 40%, Medium: 40%, Difficult: 20%) Easy Question: Remembering questions directly from the text or from the given exercises. (Mostly from content of book or end of chapter exercise). Medium Difficulty Question: In-depth understanding of questions, not necessarily from the text. (Slightly modified concepts or end of chapter questions). Difficult Question: Question involving creativity like story writing, analysis question like character analysis, justification of title or extracts (mostly requires creative and thinking skills).

AASSSSEESSSSMMEENNTTPPAATTTTEERRNN MMaarrkkss::8800 GGrraaddee610/ E/nEgnlgislihsh Beginner Paper: (Easy: 50%, Medium: 40%, Difficult: 10%) Proficient Paper: (Easy: 40%, Medium: 40%, Difficult: 20%) Easy Question: Remembering questions directly from the text or from the given exercises. (Mostly from content of book or end of chapter exercise). Medium Difficulty Question: In-depth understanding of questions, not necessarily from the text. (Slightly modified concepts or end of chapter questions). Difficult Question: Question involving creativity like story writing, analysis question like character analysis, justification of title or extracts (mostly requires creative and thinking skills).

SYLLABUS FOR ASSESSMENT Grade 6 / English CHAPTERS PT-1 TE-1 PT-2 TE-2 1. 1.1 Who did Patrick’s Homework ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 1.2 A House, A Home ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2. 2.1 How the Dog found Himself a New Master! ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ N.D ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 1. A Tale of Two Birds ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2. The Friendly Mongoose ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3. 2.2 The Kite ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3.1 Taro’s Reward ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3.2 The Quarrel ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ N.D ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3. The Shepherd’s Treasure ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Grammar ✓ ✓ 1. Parts of Speech - Introduce each parts of speech, Identification of ✓ ✓ same words used as different parts of speech ✓ ✓ 2. Phrase, Clause and Sentence-Identification of a Phrase, Clause ✓ ✓ and Sentence. ✓ ✓ 3. Types of Sentences-Introduction to Assertive, Interrogative, ✓ Imperative, Exclamatory sentence ✓ RWT: Reading Comprehension – Seen passage ✓ Informal Letter ✓ ✓ 4. 4.1An Indian-American Woman in Space: Kalpana Chawla ✓ 4.2 Beauty ✓ 5. 5.1 A Different Kind of School 5.2 Where Do All the Teachers Go? N.D 4. The Old-Clock Shop 5. Tansen Grammar 4. Subject & Predicate - Identification of Subject and predicate and Subject and Object in a sentence. 5. Nouns- Kinds of Nouns (Common, Proper, Collective, Abstract etc) 6. Pronoun - Types of Pronouns (Personal Reflexive, Emphatic, Relative, Interrogative, Demonstrative, Indefinite, Distributive 10. Articles (what is an article, definite-indefinite, exceptions) 7. Punctuation - usage of full stop, comma, apostrophe, quotation, semi colon, colon, capitals, exclamation RWT: Picture Composition 6. 6.1 Who I Am 6.2 The Wonderful Words N.D: 6. The Monkey and Crocodile 7. 7.1 Fair play 8. 8.1 A Game of Chance 8.2 Vocation“ N.D: 7. The Wonder Called Sleep 8. A Pact with the Sun Grammar Clauses (noun, adjective, adverb) 9. Adjectives - General adjectives and kinds (quantitative, numeral, demonstrative, possessive, interrogative). 9. Adjectives - Degrees of comparison formation of degree 11. Verbs and Types - Intro to Main & auxiliary, transitive & intransitive RWT: Formal letter

SYLLABUS FOR ASSESSMENT Grade 6 / English CHAPTERS PT-1 TE-1 PT-2 TE-2 9. 9.1 Desert Animals ✓ ✓ 9.2 Whatif ✓ N.D 9. What Happend to the Reptiles ✓ 10. 10.1 The Banyan Tree ✓ N.D ✓ 10. A Strange Wrestling Match ✓ Grammar: ✓ 12. Subject-Verb agreement -Introduction of first, second and third person. RWT: Descriptive Essay Unseen Passage Assessment Timeline Periodic Test-1 : 22nd July to 12th August Term 1 Exam : 23rd September to 21st October Periodic Test-2 : 16th December to 13th January Term 2 Exam : 1st March to 30th March

LESSON WISE PRACTICE SHEETS (This section has a set of practice questions grouped into different sheets based on different concepts. By solving these questions you will strengthen your subject knowledge. A self-evaluation sheet is provided at the end of every lesson.)



1.1 Who did Patrick’s Homework Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Patrick never did homework “Too boring,” he said. He played hockey and basketball and Nintendo instead. His teachers told him. “Patrick! Do your homework or you won’t learn a thing.” And it’s true, sometimes he did feel like an ignoramus. But what could he do? He hated homework. i) Why didn’t Patrick ever do his homework? ii) What did he do instead of doing his homework? iii) What did his teachers tell him? iv) How did he feel like? v) Find words in the passage which mean the same as: a. a video game b. an ignorant man Extract 2: And true to his word, that little elf began to do Patrick’s homework. Except there was one glitch. The elf didn’t always know what to do and he needed help. “Help me! Help me!” he’d say. And Patrick would have to help—in whatever way. “I don’t know this word,” the elf squeaked while reading Patrick’s homework “Get me a dictionary. No, what’s even better, look up the word and sound it out by each letter” i) How did the little elf keep up his word? ii) What was the glitch? iii) What did the elf do while reading Patrick’s homework? iv) What did the elf ask Patrick for? v) Write the meanings for: a. elf b. squeaked 1

1.2 A House, A Home Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: What is a home? It’s loving and family and doing for others. It’s brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers. It’s unselfish acts and kindly sharing and showing your loved ones you’re always caring. i) According to the author, what makes a home? ii) What constitutes a family? iii) How are family members different from others? iv) In your opinion, how is a home different from a house? 2

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Train journeys are super fun especially while travelling with a group of friends. One of my most memorable journeys by train was my journey from Delhi to Jaipur. It was a school trip so we were all really excited about it. We had numerous plans for the trip and were especially looking forward to have a great time on our way. We all reached the railway station by 6 in the morning and the train started within few minutes. I occupied the window seat to see the view outside. The view of the green fields, muddy roads and huts on the way was delightful. My best friend sat beside me and we chatted as we looked outside. Soon, it was time for breakfast. I loved the cutlets and bread served in the train. We also had hot tomato soup after having a plate of bread and cutlets. After the breakfast, we all decided to play dumb charade. Playing dumb charade in large groups is always fun. Our teachers also joined us thereby adding to the fun. We played dumb charade for the rest of the journey and before we even knew we had reached our destina- tion. It was a great experience. The company of my friends made this train journey all the more joyful. 1. Complete the following sentences. a. Playing dumb charade ______________________________. b. Train journeys ____________________________ with a group of friends. c. The narrator felt __________ and ______________ during the journey. 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a. Why was the narrator really excited about the trip? b. What did the narrator see outside the train window? c. What breakfast was served to narrator in the train? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same as the following. a. unforgettable   b. journey’s end point c. gossiped 3

PPRRAACCTTICICEESSHHEEETT- -11(P(PSS-1-1) ) II. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Summer vacations are generally the happiest period of the student’s life. It matters a lot to them as they get some rest and relaxation from their daily school schedule. Now-a-days, summer vacations period is 45 days every year. It starts from the third week of the month of May and ends on last day of last week of June month every year. Summer vacations not only provide relaxation from high summer heat but also gives students a long break after final exams, etc. Students feel tired and do not take interest in study after end of the annual examina- tions. So, they need some rest after a long one year of study to recover their health and ability. Parents plan summer holidays to spend quality time with their kids. They book air ticket, train ticket or bus ticket and hotels to stay in some holiday destination. During summer vacation, students get opportunity to visit new places which enhances their general knowledge. I also join tuition classes to improve my weak subjects. This year, I have planned to visit my aunt’s home at Uttar Pradesh for almost 10 days. I will visit my native place where my sweet grandparents live. I like to spend some quality time with them and eat fresh vegetables and fruits they crop in their fields. I will click some memorable photographs with them and keep with me forever. 1. Complete the following sentences. a. Parents plan summer holidays _______________________________________. b. __________________________________ generally the happiest period of the student’s life. c. Students feel tired ________________________________ the end of the annual examinations. 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a. Why do summer vacations matter a lot to the students? b. How does summer vacation help in enhancing the general knowledge of the students? c. What does the author do during summer vacation to improve his weak subjects? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same to the following. a.  Chance (Para 3) b.  Improves (Para 3) c.  Unforgettable (Para 4) 4

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) I. Recently you celebrated your birthday with your friends and family and you received wonderful gifts. Write a letter to your uncle describing how you celebrated your birthday and thanking him for the set of storybooks that he has sent you as a birthday gift. You are Nibha, living at 23, Vivek Vihar, Lucknow. (Word limit: 100-120 words) II. Examine the following picture and write a composition in 100-150 words. Give a suitable heading. 5

2.1 How the Dog found Himself a New Master! Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Seeing that the bear was stronger than the Wolf, the Dog decided to take up service with him, and he left the Wolf and asked the Bear to be his master. The Bear agreed to this readily and said: “Let us go and find a herd of cows. I’ll kill a cow and then we can both eat our fill.” They walked on and soon saw a herd of cows, but just as they were about to come up to it they were stopped by a terrible noise. The cows were mooing loudly and running in panic in all directions. i) Why did the dog decide to ask the bear to be his master? ii) Did the bear agree to be the dog’s master? iii) What did the bear suggest? iv) What were the cows doing? v) Find a word having the same meaning as ‘sudden feeling of great fear’. Extract 2: But one day the two of them were walking side by side along a path that ran amid bare cliffs when all of a sudden the Lion stopped. He gave a great roar, struck the ground angrily with his paw with such force that a hole formed there, and began to back away very quietly. “What is it, master, is anything wrong?” asked the Dog, surprised. “I smell a man coming this way,” the Lion said. “We’d better run for it or we’ll be in trouble.” “Oh, well, then I’ll say goodbye to you, Lion. I want a master who is stronger than anyone on earth.” And off the Dog went to join the man and he stayed with him and served him faithfully. This happened long, long ago, but to this day the dog is man’s most loyal servant and knows no other master. i) Where were the two of them walking? ii) Who stopped suddenly? iii) How did the lion behave? iv) Why did the lion behave that way? v) Ultimately, who became the dog’s master? 6

2.2 The Kite Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: As over tides Of wind it rides Climbs to the crest Of a gust and pulls, Then seems to rest As wind falls. i) What do the lines ‘Climbs to...... pulls’ mean? ii) What does the poet mean by the lines ‘Then seems……..falls’? iii) What does the word ‘gust’ mean? iv) Which word in the poem rhymes with the word ‘rest’? What does that mean? v) Where does the kite fly? 7

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. 1. We all have some true friends. True friends are those with whom we can share our secrets since we can trust them and feel safe. True friendship is where we don’t need to say our problems in words. True friends understand our emotional expressions. some friends remain our best friends throughout our life and can never be replaced by any other person or relation. This is the value of true friendship. 2. A true friend is one who always help you in all kinds of situations whether good or bad. Friendship is not limited to any particular age group. A person always needs a true friend in every stage of life. With the help and guidance of a true friend, you can easily overcome difficult situations. After parents, true friends are our real well-wishers. They can even scold us when we are wrong. 3. Bonding between two friends is just wonderful. Whether they live near or far their connection never breaks due to any misunderstanding or any communication gap. May be you have a list of many friends but the important part is how much true friends you have. Thinking of that time which was spent with friends always makes you feel joyful and emotional. 1. Complete the following sentences. a. True friends understand our ______________________________. b. ______________________________ is just wonderful. c. Thinking of the time spent with friends make you _________________________ 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a.  Can we share our secrets with our friends? Why? b. How do friends help us to overcome difficult life situations? c. According to the passage, is it important to have lots of friends or few true friends? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same as the following. a. Circumstances (Para 2) b. Attachment (Para 3) c. Happy (Para 3) 8

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. In a small village, a little boy lived with his father and mother. He was the only son. The parents of the little boy were very unhappy because the boy used to get angry very soon and insult others with his words. He lost many friends because of that. His parents were really worried about him. They advised him many times to control his anger and develop kindness. But everything failed. Finally, the boy’s father came up with an idea. One day, he gave his son, a huge bag of nails. He asked his son to hammer one nail to the wooden fence, every time he becomes angry. The little boy accepted the task, so every time he became angry, he ran to the fence and hammered a nail. On the first day, he hammered 30 nails in the fence but over the next few days, he started finding it very dif- ficult and decided to control his anger. Finally, the day arrived when no nail was hammered. The boy did not become angry at all that day. This continued for the next several days. So one day, the father told him to remove the nails. When he pulled out the first nail, the father asked him pointing to a hole, “What do you see there?” The boy replied, “A hole in the fence!” He told the boy, “See you can remove the nails but the holes in the fence will remain. In the same way, angry words can harm people and cannot be easily forgotten. So we should use words for good purposes. Use them to grow relationships. Use them to show the love and kindness in your heart!” 1. Complete the following sentences. a. They advised him many times ______________________________________________ b. ______________________________________ really worried about him. c. In a small village, a little boy _______________________________________________ 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a. What made the parents of the little boy unhappy? b. What did the parents advise the child? c. What did the boy see when he removed the first nail? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same as the following. a. very big    b. sad    c. guided 9

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) I. You are Priya/Pritam. Your birthday falls on 16th December. Write a letter to your best friend who lives in Shimla, inviting him/her to come and join you for the birthday party. Mention all your plans for the day. (Word limit: 100-150 words) II. You are Sudha living at 42, Vivek Nagar, Bangalore. Write a letter to your friend Madhuri thanking her for sending you the notes for the classes, you have missed because of your illness. (Word limit: 100-150 words) 10

3.1 Taro’s Reward Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Taro saw a beautiful little waterfall hidden behind a rock. Kneeling at a place where the water flowed quietly, he cupped a little in his hands and put it to his lips. Was it water? He tasted it again and again, and always it was the delicious sake instead of cold water. Taro quickly filled the pitcher he had with him and hurried home. The old man was delighted with the sake. After only one swallow of the liquid he stopped shivering and did a little dance in the middle of the floor. i) What did Taro see? ii) How did Taro drink water? iii) Why was he surprised? iv) What did he fill his pitcher with and why? v) Why was the old man delighted? Extract 2: The story of Taro and his magic waterfall reached the Emperor of Japan. He sent for the young woodcutter and rewarded him with twenty pieces of gold for having been so good and kind. Then he named the most beautiful fountain in the city after Taro. This, said the Emperor, was to encourage all children to honour and obey their parents. i) Which story reached the Emperor of Japan? ii) Who sent for the young woodcutter? iii) What did he reward the woodcutter with and why? iv) What did he name after Taro? v) Why did he do so? 11

3.2 The Quarrel Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: I quarrelled with my brother I don’t know what about, One thing led to another And somehow we fell out. The start of it was slight, The end of it was strong. He said he was right, I knew he was wrong! i) Who does ‘I’ in the stanza refer to? ii) Name the poet of this poem. iii) Does the poet remember the real reason for the fight? iv) What does ‘fell out’ in the stanza mean? v) What do the lines ‘The start……. was strong’ mean? 12

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. 1. Once, there was an old man who had four sons. All four of them were very lazy. One day, the old man fell sick and was counting his last days in bed. He worried a lot about his sons’ future as the young men hesitated a lot to work. The sons believed that luck would favour them. The old man’s health deteriorated every day and he decided to talk to his sons about their future. However, his sons did not listen to him. 2. Finally, the old man decided to play a trick to let his sons realize the importance of work. He called all his sons and let them sit near him on his bed. He said that he had a treasure box with gold coins and expensive gems for them and wanted to share the treasure equally among the four of them. 3. The young men were very happy and asked where his father had placed the treasure. The old man replied, “I cannot exactly remember the place where I have hidden the treasure. However, the treasure box is buried in our land. I’m really not sure about the place where I have hidden the treasure box.” Even though the lazy young sons were happy, they were sad that the old man had forgotten the place where the treasure was hidden. After a few days, the old man died. The sons decided to dig the land to find the treasure box. 4. They worked very hard and dug their land. They could not find any treasure box in the land. Finally, they decided to dig a spot in their land that was a bit different from the rest of the area. The sons believed that the treasure was buried in that spot. They dug the specific spot deeply, but got nothing but water. 5. A passer-by who noticed the land and the water flowing from the spot talked to the sons about farming. Upon his advice, the four sons sowed vegetable seeds, and planted greens and flowering plants in their land. Since the land was very fertile with abundant water, within a few weeks, it became a fertile garden with nutritious vegetables and greens. The four sons sold the vegetables at a good price and earned a good amount of money. Then they realized that it was hard work that was referred to as ‘Treasure Box’ by their father. Gradually, the four sons overcame their laziness, worked hard, earned more money and lived happily. 1. Complete the following sentences. a. The old man’s health deteriorated every day, ___________________________________ b. _________________________________________ to find the treasure box. c. The four sons sold _____________________________________ a good amount of money. 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a.  Why was the old man worried about his sons? b. What did the old man tell his sons when they asked about the place where he had hidden the treasure? c. How did the sons act upon the advice of the passer-by? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same as the following. a. become worse (Paragraph 1) b. costly (Paragraph 2) c. agriculture (Paragraph 5) 13

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. One beautiful spring day, a red rose blossomed in a forest. As the rose looked around, a pine tree nearby said, “What a beautiful flower! I wish I was that lovely.” Another tree said, “Dear pine, do not be sad. We cannot have everything.” The rose turned and remarked, “It seems that I am the most beautiful flower in this forest. A sunflower raised its yellow head and asked, “Why do you say that? In this forest, there are many beautiful flowers. You are just one of them.” The red rose replied, “That is not true, every flower looks at me and admires me.” Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, “Look at that ugly plant full of thorns!” The pine tree said, “Red rose, you have thorns too.” The proud red rose looked angrily at the pine and said, “You cannot compare my thorns to that of the cactus.” “What a proud flower,” thought the trees. The rose tried to move its roots away from the cactus, but it could not move. As the days passed, the red rose would look at the cactus and say insulting things, like “This plant is useless. How sorry I am to be his neigh- bour.” The cactus never got upset. Spring passed and the weather became very warm. Life became difficult in the forest, as there was no rain. The red rose began to lose its life. One day the rose saw sparrows stick their beaks into the cactus and then fly away, refreshed. This was puzzling, and the red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds were getting water from the cactus. “Does it not hurt when they make holes?” asked the rose. “Yes, but the cactus does not like to see the birds suffer. You can also drink from it. The sparrow can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help.” replied the pine. The red rose felt too ashamed to ask for water from the cactus, but finally it did ask for help. The cactus kind- ly agreed. The birds filled their beaks with water and watered the rose plant. Thus the rose learned a lesson and never judged anyone by their appearance again. 1. Complete the following sentences. a. When the red rose blossomed in the forest, the pine tree wished that ___________________________ ___________________ b. The rose was puzzled when he saw ______________________________________________ c. The rose after getting help from the cactus learnt that_________________________ 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a. What did the pine tree say when a red rose blossomed in the forest? b. How did the cactus react when the rose insulted him? c.  What made life difficult in the forest? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same to the following. a. bloomed    b. praises    c. living next-door 14

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) I. You are Abhinav living at 23, Vivek Nagar, Bangalore. Write a letter to your friend Manoj describing your first airplane journey and describe what all you saw and felt. (Word limit: 100-150 words) II. You are Abhinav living at 23, Vivek Nagar, Bangalore. Write a letter to your grandmother wishing her a happy 60th birthday. (Word limit: 100-150 words) 15

4.1 An Indian-American Woman in Space: Kalpana Chawla Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Chawla’s first space mission in the space shuttle Columbia was 15 days, 16 hours and 34 minutes long. During this time she went around the earth 252 limes, travelling 10.45 million kilometres! The crew included a Japa- nese and a Ukranian astronaut. The crew performed experiments such as pollinating plants to observe food growth in space, and tests for making stronger metals and faster computer chips—all for a price tag of about $ 56 million. i) How long was Chawla’s first space mission? ii) How many times did she go around the earth in the space shuttle? iii) How long did she travel? iv) Name the experiments performed by the crew. v) Find a word in the passage having the same meaning as ‘a group of persons working together in a ship or spacecraft’. Extract 2: For millions of young Indians, the story of Kalpana Chawla, a girl from a small town who touched the skies, had become an inspiration. In a message that she sent from aboard the space shuttle Columbia to students of her college in Chandigarh, Kalpana said : “The path from dreams to success does exist May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get onto it……. Wishing you a great journey.” There will surely be many who start off on this journey to fulfil their dreams. i) Who was inspired by the story of Kalpana Chawla? ii) What message did she send to the students of her college in Chandigarh? (Given in Kalpana’s words.) iii) Where did she send the message from? iv) Where was Kalpana Chawla from? v) Who touched the sky? 16

4.2 Beauty Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Beauty is in yourself. Good deeds, happy thoughts That repeat themselves In your dreams, In your work, And even in your rest i) Where does the poet find beauty? ii) According to the poet, which are the things that keep repeating themselves? iii) Where are these things repeated? iv) How do we feel when we see or hear things of beauty? 17

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. 1. Trees are a most precious gift of nature. They are our best friend because they create a friendly envi- ronment on earth for a healthy life. Trees grow in varied geographical areas and climates. Trees grow in deserts, mountains and plains, and on the banks of water bodies. Likewise, trees grow in areas of hot, cold and rainy climates. 2. Every region has its native tree species that are most suited to the ecosystem of the place. When new trees are planted in a place, it is best to plant the native tree species of the place. There are trees that grow to a great height, while there are some that are even dwarfs. Trees are classified according to dif- ferent characteristics. Trees may belong to flowering or non-flowering categories. Flowering trees may bloom once or more than once in a year. There are some unique trees like the Kurinji that bloom once in twelve years. Trees are also classified as evergreen and deciduous. While evergreen ones stay green through the year, deciduous ones shed their leaves and turn bare during a particular season each year. 3. Trees take in carbon-dioxide and give out oxygen as a result of the process of photosynthesis. Therefore, trees refill the levels of oxygen in the air that is so vital for us to breathe and stay alive. They also control the levels of carbon-dioxide in the air. It is when carbon-dioxide levels rise dangerously high that the temperature of the atmosphere increases causing global warming and climate change. Trees and for- ests, thus, play an important role in preventing dangerous incidences like global warming and climate change. 4. They also make spaces around us beautiful. Landscapes are pleasing because of the trees that grow in them. Edible tree parts also make for man’s food. Trees also provide food and shelter to wildlife. Trees play a major role in maintaining ecological balance. Forests are also useful in maintaining the rainfall that keep water bodies well-fed by rains. Trees must, therefore, be protected. 1. Complete the following sentences. a. Landscapes are pleasing because __________________________________________ b. Trees are classified according ______________________________________ c. __________________________ give out oxygen as a result of the process of photosynthesis. 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a.  In what way are trees our best friends? b. What should we keep in mind while planting new trees in a place? c. Give one difference between the evergreen and the deciduous trees as mentioned in the passage. 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same as the following. a. valuable (Paragraph 1) b. features (Paragraph 2) c. eatable (Paragraph 4) 18

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) II. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. 1. Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink. All constructed boats and left, except for Love. 2. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment. When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, “Richness, can you take me with you?” Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.” 3. Love decided to ask Pride who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. “Pride, please help me!” “I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat,” Pride answered. Sadness also passed close by, so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you.” “Oh … Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!” 4. Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her. Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went his own way. 5. Realising how much she owed to the elder, Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?” “It was Time,” Knowledge answered. “Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?” Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how valu- able Love is.” 1. Complete the following sentences. a. Love wanted to hold out __________________________________________ b. ________________________________________ Love in a grand boat. c. When the island had almost sunk, ____________________________________ 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a. What was one day announced to the feelings and what did they do? b. Why didn’t happiness pay heed to Love when Love called her? c.  Why did Time decide to extend help to Love? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same as the following. a. Extraordinary (Paragraph 2) b. Extremely happy (Paragraph 4) c. Precious (Paragraph 5) 19

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) I. You are Seema staying at Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi. Write a letter to your pen friend Madhuri, telling her about your recent trip to a historical place (any one of your choice) and how you were fascinated by the beauty of the monuments. II. Examine the following picture and write a composition in 100 words. 20

5.1 A Different Kind of School Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: When I arrived, there was no one in sight but a girl of about twelve. Her eyes were covered with a bandage and she was being led carefully between the flowerbeds by a little boy, who was about four years younger. She stopped, and it looked like she asked him who had come. He seemed to be describing me to her. Then they passed on. Miss Beam was all that I had expected—middle-aged, full of authority, yet kindly and understanding. Her hair was beginning to turn grey, and she had the kind of plump figure that is likely to be contorting to a homesick child. I asked her some questions about her teaching methods, which I had heard were simple. i) What were the girl’s eyes covered with? ii) Who was leading the girl? iii) Who was the boy describing? iv) Describe Miss Beam. v) What did the author ask Miss Beam? Extract 2: Miss Beam led me to one of the bandaged girls. “Here’s a gentleman come to talk to you.” said Miss Beam and left us. “Don’t you ever peep?” I asked the girl. “Oh, no!” she exclaimed. “That would be cheating! But I had no idea it was so awful to be blind. You can’t see a thing. You feel you are going to be hit by something every moment It’s such a relief just to sit down.” “Are your helpers kind to you?” I asked. “Fairly, but they are not as careful as I shall be when it is my turn. Those that have been blind already are the best helpers. It’s perfectly ghastly not to see. I wish you’d try.” i) Where did Miss Beam lead the author to? ii) What did Miss Beam tell the girl? iii) What did the author ask the girl? iv) What did the girl say? v) Who are the best helpers according to the girl? 21

5.2 Where Do All the Teachers Go? Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Do they live with other people Have they mums and dads? And were they ever children And were they ever bad? Did they ever, never spell right Did they ever make mistakes? Were they punished in the corner If they pinched the chocolate flakes i) Who does ‘they’ refer to? ii) Name any two things that the poet wants to know. iii) Give any one reason the poet could be punished in his childhood. iv) Write all the words that rhyme in the above stanza. 22

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. 1. Once upon a time, there lived a very rich and wealthy man in a big town. He led a luxurious life. He always boasted about his wealth to his friends and relatives. 2. His son was studying in a distant city and he returned home for vacation. The rich man wanted to show off to his son how rich he was. But his son wasn’t fond of any luxurious lifestyle. However, the rich man wanted to make his son realize that his lifestyle was extremely rich and that poor people suffered a lot. He planned a day’s visit to the entire town to show him the life of the poor people. The father and the son took a big car and visited the entire town. They returned home after two days. The father was happy that his son was very quiet after seeing the poor people paying respect to the rich man and after seeing the sufferings of the poor due to lack of facilities. 3. The rich man asked his son, “Dear boy, how was the trip? Have you enjoyed it?” “Yes my dad, it was a great trip with you,” the son replied. “So, what did you learn from the trip?” the father asked. The son was silent. “Finally you have realized how the poor suffer and how they actually live,” said the father. 4. “No father,” replied the son. He added, “We have only two dogs, they have 10 dogs. We have luxurious and expensive lights, but they have countless stars lighting their nights. We have a house on a small piece of land, but they have rich fields that go beyond the horizon. We are protected by huge and strong walls around our property, but they bond with each other and surround themselves with their fellow beings. We have to buy food from them, but they are so rich that they can cultivate their own food.” 5. The rich father was shocked and speechless, on hearing his son’s words. Finally the son added, “Dad, thank you so much for showing me who is rich and who is poor. Thank you for letting me understand how poor we really are!” 1. Complete the following sentences. a. He always boasted about ____________________________________________ b. __________________________________________ and visited the entire town. c. His son was studying in a distant city___________________________________ 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a.  What did the father want his son to realise? b. What did the father plan to show him the life of the poor people? c. How did the father react after hearing his son’s response? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same to the following. a. Showed off (Paragraph 1) b. far off (Paragraph 2) c. grow (Paragraph 4) 23

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. 1. Libraries are buildings filled with stacks of books and resources. Modern day libraries also consist of elec- tronic resources. Libraries offer wealth of knowledge, resources, space and environment to discover the world of books and enjoy studying or just reading for pleasure. The benefits of libraries are countless. They play a vital role in helping people by providing access to information and knowledge. 2. Libraries provide materials in all formats such as books, periodicals, magazines, videos, audios and digital media. Libraries are designed to meet the needs of learners’ community. Whether in education- al or public library, people benefit from the assistance of librarians and staff members. There is head librarian in every library and a team of professional staff who helps people to find books as per their interest. Libraries are always classified by trained staff to meet the needs of the community. Libraries have positive impact on the development of our society. They open a world of books and resources of information and knowledge to people for free. 3. Libraries require lot of staff and a large building to house various books and resources. It becomes re- ally expensive to maintain libraries and the library staff. So sometimes less money is spent on libraries. Since a wide range of books and resources are to be maintained and updated in old libraries, the useful resources may be limited due to the time it takes to update. So, the libraries may not sometimes have access to the current information. Some books and magazines may not be available in every library. 4. Some argue that there is technology to read online and do research so what is the need to visit library. Yet libraries have served the communities since centuries by providing original and quality resources. People who have the habit of visiting and using libraries understand the value and importance of li- braries. In addition to it, there are people who love reading but cannot afford to buy many books and resources. They can get easy access to valuable resources in libraries. 1. Complete the following sentences. a. Libraries are buildings filled with _____________________________________. b. The head librarian and the other library help the people to find ______________ c. Some books and magazines may _____________________________________. 2. Answer the following questions in a sentence each. a. How do libraries play a vital role in helping people? b. What different formats of material are provided by the libraries? c. How do libraries help those people who love reading but cannot afford to buy many books? 3. Find suitable words from the passage which mean the same to the following. a. Important (Paragraph 1) b. Costly (Paragraph 3) c. Up-to-date (paragraph 3) 24

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) I. Study the following picture and compose a passage in 100-120 words. II. You have received a set of encyclopedia from your cousin Rahul on your birthday as a present. Write a letter thanking him for the present and telling him how you value this present. (Word limit: 100-120 words) 25

6.1 Who I Am Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Rohit: If I had a huge amount of money I would travel and travel. I want to see the mountains of New Zealand because they looked beautiful in a magazine picture. I wish I could sail down the Amazon river in South America on a raft. I want to live on the beaches of Lakshadweep in India and dive down to see coral. I suppose I should go to the Konark temple in Orissa or the old city in Beijing in China and the Pyramids in Egypt too, but what I actually enjoy is seeing nature more than old buildings. i) What would Rohit do if he had a huge amout of money? ii) Why does Rohit want to see the mountains of New Zealand? iii) How does Rohit want to sail down the Amazon river? iv) Where does Rohit want to live? v) What does Rohit enjoy seeing? Extract 2: Dolma: When I grow up, I am going to be the Prime Minister of India. People always laugh when I say that, but I am sure that I will do it. Everyone in my class asks me what to do when they have a problem, and my teacher always trusts me when something needs to be done in school. I want to make things better for everyone. I want to have good hospitals and roads and schools. I want to make sure that there are many good scientists in India who will invent cures for diseases and send a spaceship to Mars. i) What was the reaction of the people when Dolma said that she wanted to become the Prime Minister of India? ii) What does everyone in Dolma’s class do when they have a problem? iii) Who trusts Dolma and why? iv) What does Dolma want to ensure? v) What will the scientists do? 26

6.2 The Wonderful Words Extract 1: Words are the food and dress of thought They give it its body and swing And everyone’s longing today to hear Some fresh and beautiful thing; But only words can free a thought From its prison behind your eyes May be your mind is holding now A marvellous new surprise! i) Why does the poet say that words are the food and dress of a thought? ii) What is everyone longing to hear today? iii) What do the lines ‘But only words……. your eyes’ mean? iv) What according to the poet is our mind holding? v) Give synonyms of the word ‘marvellous’. 27

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 1. Watching through the glass pane of the bus, I felt warm and cozy. I was on a trip to Nepal. In my opinion, this trip would have provided me huge opportunities to launch my career as a journalist. It was New Year’s Eve and the festive spirit was in the air. Even Mother Nature was in a mood to celebrate. The cone shaped pine and fir trees were covered with a thick blanket of snow. 2. The small mountain kingdom of Nepal sharing its border with India, earns fame for the mighty Mt. Everest. The tallest peak in the world has become as one of the peak tourist destinations in the world. With the advancements in the modes of trekking, climbing it is no more unbeatable. Even today it attracts number of mountain climbers to scale its height from all over the world. The snow clad mountain towers majestically into the blue sky above and ends up tearing the clouds in the heaven. It is a sight that drives most people awestruck with delight. 3. Nepal, mainly a Buddhist community, boasts about one of the world’s most advanced and at the same time one of the oldest civilizations. The people of Nepal have a great sense of pride and prestige in their culture. The Nepalese traditions and beliefs have remained unchanged since the time Buddha and Mahavira began spreading their faith and beliefs. Unlike us, they have done everything to preserve their culture from the spreading influence of western culture. 4. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal has some beautiful ancient Buddhist monasteries and modern skyscrapers. A city based on foreign trade, a pleasant hill station gifted with scenic beauty, Kathmandu is an ideal place to spend your vacation in. It is a city full of light-hearted people. Its market is flooded with luxury goods of quality as high as that of the advanced countries in the west. 5. During my visit to Nepal, I had already visited Kathmandu and was on my way to Mt. Everest. I had a camera with me but I didn’t know whether we were allowed a photo shoot. That night I had to spend inside the bus. Analysing the current situation, I decided to take a stroll outside. I wandered up to a high cliff which was about 20000 feet above the normal ground. 6. Even though it was night, the pale moon and the twinkling stars brightly lit the sky. I was able to get a good look of the snowy slopes covered with the greenery of the cones of pine and spruce trees. I was so impressed by this God’s creation that I took my diary to write something about it. Suddenly the sky was lit with a huge explosion that forced me to take one or two steps behind. I saw an amazing display of fireworks that sent me into a tizzy. Realizing that it was past midnight and hence the beginning of the New Year, I was captivated by the awesome sight that was created when man and God worked in such a beautiful arrangement. 1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrases from the passage. a. Mt. Everest, the tallest peak in the world ________________________________. b. People of Nepal have done everything to ________________________________. c. ___________________ some beautiful ancient Buddhist monasteries and modern skyscrapers. 2. Answer the following questions in brief: a. What encouraged the author to go for a trip to Nepal? b. What image is drawn by the author to prove that even nature was in a mood to celebrate? c. What makes Kathmandu an ideal place to spend your vacation in? d. What was the explosion which author saw in the sky towards the end of the passage? 3. Find the words which mean the same as following: a. Cheerful (Para 1) b. high-rise buildings (Para 4) c. outburst (Para 6) 28

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) II. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 1. Once upon a time there was a woman who had only one son. She was very old and feeble so every day her son had to go to the store-house to fetch the meal. One day, as he was leaving the store-house with a bag of meal on his back, up came the wind puffing and blowing. He caught up the bag of meal and away he went with it, through the air. The boy went back into the store-house for more; but when he came out again, the wind carried off the meal again. He did so the third time and the same thing happened. 2. At this, the boy became very angry and made up his mind to go and see the wind, so that he might ask him to give his meal back. The way was long and he walked and walked but at last he came to the wind’s house. ‘Good-day,’ said the boy, ‘and thank you for coming to see us yesterday.’ ‘Good-day,’ answered the wind. The boy said to the wind, ‘I only wished to ask you to give me back the meal which you took from me yesterday. You see we haven’t much to live on, and if you snap up the little that we have, we shall starve without a doubt.’ 3. ‘I haven’t got your meal,’ declared the wind. ‘However, if you are in such a need, here is a cloth which will provide everything you want if you only say, “Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes!” The boy was very well pleased at this. As the way back home was long and he could not reach there in one day, he turned into an inn for the night. When he was going to sit down for the supper, he laid the cloth on a table in the corner and said, ‘Cloth, spread yourself and serve up all kinds of good dishes!’ 4. He had scarcely spoken when the table was covered with splendid food of every kind. The inn-keeper’s wife, in the middle of the night when everyone was fast asleep, took the boy’s cloth and put another just like it, in its place. The boy woke up and left for his place. When he reached home, said he, ‘I’ve been to the wind’s house. A good fellow he is too, for he gave me this cloth. When I say to it, “Cloth, spread yourself and serve up all kinds of good dishes!” it provides any sort of food I want, ‘All very true I dare say,’ said his mother ‘but I shall not believe it till I see it.’ 5. So the boy made haste, laid the cloth on the table and said, ‘Cloth, spread yourself and serve up all kinds of good dishes! ‘Yet never a bit of dry bread did the cloth serve up. ‘Did I not say that seeing is believing?’ said the boy’s mother. ‘Well, there’s no help for it but to go to the wind again,’ said the boy and away he went. 1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrases from the passage. a. The mother was so old and feeble that her son had _________________________. b. The way back home was so long that _________________________. c. _________________________ when the table was covered with splendid food of every kind. 2. Answer the following questions in brief: a. Why did the boy become angry? b. What was the gift given by the wind to the boy? c. What happened to the gift given by the wind? d. What happened when the boy asked the cloth to deliver food when he reached his mother’s home? 3. Find the words which mean the same as following: a. Physically weak (Para 1) b. go short of food (Para 2) c. rush (Para 5) 29

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) I. Write a composition to describe a busy street scene in 100-120 words. II. Write a composition to describe how teachers’ day is celebrated in your school in 100-120 words. 30

7.1 Fair Play Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Jumman had an old aunt who had some property. This she transferred to him on the understanding that she would stay with him and he would look after her. The arrangement worked well for a couple of years. Then the situation changed. Jumman and his family were tired of the old relative. Jumman became as indifferent to her as his wife, who grudged even the little food that the old lady wanted everyday. She swallowed these insults along with her food for a few months. But patience has its limits. i) Who had transferred the property and to whom? ii) What was the agreement? iii) How long did the arrangement work well? iv) Why did the situation change? v) How did Jumman’s wife treat the old aunt? Extract 2: The panchayat was held under the old banyan tree. Algu stood up and said, “The voice of the Ponch is the voice of God. Let Sahu nominate the head Ranch. I will abide by his decision.” Sahu saw his chance and proposed the name of Jumman. Algu’s heart sank and he turned pale. But what could he do? The moment Jumman became head Ranch, he realised his responsibility as the judge and the dignity of his office. Could he, seated in that high place, have his revenge now? He thought and thought. No, he must not allow his personal feelings to come in the way of speaking the truth and doing justice. i) Where was the panchayat held? ii) Who was asked to nominate the head panch? iii) Whom did Sahu nominate? iv) When did Jumman realise the dignity of the office? v) What should not come in the way of truth and justice? 31

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 1. One day, two cranes stood by a lake. The lake was full of big fish. It was the breeding season and a large number of fish had arrived to that part of the lake. The two cranes had seen a very big fish and they wanted to catch it. For a long time, they watched its movements. 2. Then, one of the cranes caught it by its head. But the fish was very heavy and she could not pull it out of the water. She needed help. The other crane helped her. She caught hold of the fish by its tail and both of them pulled it out. They decided to divide the fish among themselves. They were about to cut the fish when the first crane said, “I had caught the fish. Therefore I should get a larger part of it.” The other crane said, “No, I should get a larger part because I helped you to pull it out.” Soon, both of them started quarrelling. 3. A jackal had been watching all this. Actually, he had also come to the lakeside to catch a fish. His wife had expressed a desire to eat fish. The jackal had been sitting on the bank of the lake and thinking of a plan to catch a fish. When he saw the cranes quarrelling among themselves over fish, he thought, “The foolish cranes are quarrelling over their catch. If I go and act as their judge, I will be able to get hold of the big fish. My wife will be happy to see such a big fish.” So, he walked up to the cranes and said, “Dear cranes, I have been watching you quarrel over a fish. Can I help you in any way?” 4. The cranes said, “Please help us decide who should get the larger share.” Then they explained to him how they had caught the fish together. The jackal pretended. to be deep in thought. Then he said to the first crane, “You caught the fish by the head. So you should get the head.” He cut away the head of the fish and gave it to the first crane. 5. Then he turned to the second crane and said, “You caught the fish by its tail. Therefore you should get the tail.” He cut the tail of the fish and gave it to her. The two cranes thought that the jackal would equally divide the body of the fish between them. However, he said, “Now I have acted as your judge. I want my fees. I am taking the body of the fish as my fees.” So saying, he picked up the fish and ran away. He reached home and gave the fish to his wife. His wife prepared a tasty fish curry and both of them enjoyed the curry together. 1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrases from the passage. a. The cranes were watching the movements of the fish because _________________________. b. The cranes started quarrelling with each other since _________________________. c. When the jackal saw the cranes quarrelling over the share of fish, he decided to _________________________. d. Jackal gave the fish to his wife and his wife prepared a _________________________. 2. Answer the following questions in brief: a. Why did the first crane need help and how did the second crane help her? b. Why had the jackal come to the lakeside? c. How did the jackal divide the fish among three including himself? d. What is the lesson which this story conveys to us? 3. Find the words which mean the same as following: a. Conveyed (Para 3) b. faked (Para 4) c. delicious (Para 5) 32

PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) II. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 1. One day a powerful king and his beautiful wife were sitting in the garden of their beautiful palace. They were busy in a serious talk about the future life of their little son, who was sleeping by their side in his beautiful golden cradle. They had been married for many years without children, so when this baby came, they thought of themselves to be the happiest couple in the whole world. He was a fine sturdy little boy, who loved to kick and to strike out with his fists. The king and the queen were so engaged making plans for him, that they never noticed a huge dark shadow creeping up. Suddenly a horrible head with gleaming teeth stretched over them, and in an instant their beloved baby was snatched away. 2. For a while, the king and queen remained where they were, speechless with horror. Then the king rose slowly, and holding out his hand to his wife. He led her weeping into the palace, and for many days, their subjects saw no more of them. Meanwhile the dragon flew high into the air. He was holding the cradle between his teeth, and the baby still slept on. He flew so fast that he soon crossed the borders of another kingdom. He saw the king and queen of the country seated in the garden with a little girl lying in a wonderful cradle of white satin and lace. Leaping from behind as he had done before, he was just about to grab the cradle, when the king jumped up and gave him a blow with his golden staff. The dragon not only started back, but in his pain let fall the boy, as he spread his wings and soared into the air away from all danger. 3. ‘That was a narrow escape,’ said the king, turning to his wife, who sat pale with fright, and clasping her baby tightly in her arms. ‘Frightful,’ murmured the queen; ‘but look, what is that glittering object that is lying out there?’ The king walked in the direction of her finger, and to his astonishment beheld another cradle and another baby. 4. When the king bent down, he read some words that were written on the fine linen that was wound round the boy. ‘This is the son of Grethari, the king!’ Unfortunately it happened that the two neighbouring kings had had a serious quarrel, and for some years had ended holding communication with each other. So, instead of sending a messenger at once to Grethari to tell him of the safety of his son, the king contented himself with adopting the baby, which was brought up. 1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words or phrases from the passage. a. “They never noticed a huge dark shadow creeping up.” Here this huge dark shadow refers to __________. b. “What is that glittering object that is lying out there?” Here the glittering object refers to ____________. c. As the dragon was about to grab the cradle, ________________________________. 2. Answer the following questions in brief: a. Why were the king and the queen not able to notice the huge dark shadow creeping up? b. What kind of baby was the prince? c. ‘That was a narrow escape,’ said the king. Why is it being called a narrow escape? d. Why didn’t the king return the son of Grethari, the king? 3. Find the words which mean the same as following: a. Shining (stanza 1) b. rod (stanza 2) c. made happy (stanza 4) 33

PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) I. You have recently shifted to a hostel. Write a letter to your mother expressing your feelings and experience in the hostel. II. Study the following picture and write an appropriate composition in 100-120 words. 34

8.1 A Game of Chance Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Back home, uncle told me that the Lucky Shop man had made a fool of me. “No, Uncle,” I said, “it was just my bad luck.” “No, my boy,” said Uncle, “it was neither good luck nor bad luck.” “But Uncle,” I said, “I saw an old man getting a clock and a boy getting two or three costly things.” “You don’t know, child,” Uncle said, “they were all friends of the shopkeeper. They were playing tricks to tempt you to try your luck. They wanted your money and they got it. Now forget about it, and don’t tell anybody of your bad luck or your foolishness” i) What did Uncle tell the narrator when they were back home? ii) What was the explanation of the narrator? iii) Who were the other people winning costly things? iv) Why did they tempt the narrator to try his luck? v) What warning did uncle give to the narrator? Extract 2: Bhaiya and I went from shop to shop. There were many things I would have liked to buy, but I waited for Uncle to return. Then we came to what was called the Lucky, Shop. The shopkeeper was neither young nor old. He was a middle-aged man. He seemed neither too smart nor too lazy. He wanted everybody to try their luck. There were discs on the table with numbers from one to ten facing down. All you had to do was to pay 50 paise, pick up any six discs, add up the numbers on the discs and find the total. The article marked with that number was yours. i) What did Bhaiya and the narrator do? ii) At which shop did they reach in the end? iii) Write two sentences about the shopkeeper. iv) What did he want? v) What was there on the table? 35

8.2 Vocation Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: The watchman swings his lantern and walks with his shadow at his side, and never once goes to bed in his life. I wish I were a watchman walking the street all night, chasing the shadows with my lantern. i) What does the watchman do with his lantern? ii) What does the watchman have by his side when he walks? iii) According to the poet, the watchman never goes to sleep. Do you agree with him? iv) Why does the poet wish to become a watchman? 36