There are nouns in the text (formation, government) which are formed from the corresponding verbs (form, govern) by suffixing – (at)ion or ment. There may be change in the spelling of some verb – noun pairs ; such as rebel, rebellion; constitute, constitution.

Make a list of such pairs of nouns and verbs in the text

Noun	Verb
rebellion	rebel
constitution	constitute

 

What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Chubukov says of Natalya: “... as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat...” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.

Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.

   greedy            naive                   stupid                ungrateful 
   selfish            comical               unquestioning

Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?

Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?

What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?

Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?

How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country

(i) in the first decade, and
(ii) in the final decade of the twentieth century?

Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?

Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?

Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?

What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?

Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?

How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?

At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious human achievement” he speaks of at the end?

What was Valli’s favourite pastime?

How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?

Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?

Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?

How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?