How is Wanda seen as different by the other girls? How do they treat her? you know?
Wanda is a polish girl who has settled in America with her parents. She lived in Boggin’s Height. She came to school in same blue faded dress everyday and her feet was always covered with the mud. Her last name is funny and difficult to pronounce for her classmates. Her appearance was not so perfect to be in a higher class so all the classmates made fun of her and teased her after the school hours. After being teased over her tolerance she claimed to have hundred dresses in her closet.
Why is Maddie embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda? Is she also like Wanda, or is she different?
How does Wanda feel about the dresses game? Why does she say that she has a hundred dresses?
Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?
Who won the drawing contest? What had the winner drawn?
Why didn’t Maddie ask Peggie to stop teasing Wanda? What was she afraid of?
Who did Maddie think would win the drawing contest? Why?
Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why do you think she said she did?
1. This is the bus (what kind of bus?). It goes to Agra. (use which or that)
2. I would like to buy (a) shirt (which shirt?). (The) shirt is in the shop window. (use which or that)
3. You must break your fast at a particular time (when?). You see the moon in the sky. (use when)
4. Find a word (what kind of word?). It begins with the letter Z. (use which or that)
5. Now find a person (what kind of person). His or her name begins with the letter Z. (use whose)
6. Then go to a place (what place?). There are no people whose name begins with Z in that place. (use where)
What do you think “to have fun with her” means?
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
What did Lencho hope for?
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Where did the ceremonies take place ? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstones?
What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.
Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
Do you keep a diary? Given below under ‘A’ are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under ‘B’? (You may
look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)
A B
(i) Journal – A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your and feelings or what has happened on that day
(ii) Diary – A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day
(iii) Log – A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)
(iv) Memoir(s) – A written record of events with times and dates, usually official
What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?
What does courage mean to Mandela?
What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student ? How does he contrast these “transitory freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”?
Match, the italicised phrases in Column A with the phrase nearest meaning in Column B.
(Hint: First look for the sentence in the text in which the phrase in column A occurs.)
A | B |
---|---|
1. I was not unmindful of the fact | (i) had not forgotten; was aware of the fact (ii) was not careful about the fact (iii) forgot or was not aware of the fact |
2. when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits | (i) pushed by the guards to the wall (ii) took more than our share of beatings (iii) felt that we could not endure the suffering any longer |
3. to reassure me and keep me going | (i) make me go on walking (ii) help me continue to live in hope in this very difficult situation (iii) make me remain without complaining |
4. the basic and honourable freedoms of…earning my keep,… | (i) earning enough money to live on (ii) keeping what I earned (iii) getting a good salary |
Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/why not?
Can you say how 10th May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
What kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your answer.