ORAL
COMPREHENSION CHECK PAGE
4
1. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Answer:
Simply standing in the front doorway of her house and observing the happenings
outside was Valli’s favourite pastime.
2. What was a source of unending joy for
Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Answer:
Every time Vallli spotted a new bus, she saw a completely different set of
passengers. And this was a source of unending joy for her. Her strongest desire was to travel by bus.
3. What did Valli find out about the bus
journey? How did she find out these details?
Answer:
Valli, by listening to the conversations her neighbours had, figured the
nearest town was six miles away and that it would take forty-five minutes to go
there and come back. The bus fare was 30 paisa for a one-way journey.
4. What do you think Valli was planning
to do?
Answer:
Valli was planning to take the bus and come back without once alighting it.
ORAL
COMPREHENSION CHECK PAGE
7
1. Why does the conductor call Valli
‘madam’?
Answer:
The
conductor calls Valli ‘madam’ because he feels she is conducting herself like a
lady and not a small child. She does not answer him properly and does
everything that a lady would do.
2. Why does Valli stand up on the seat?
What does she see now?
Answer:
Valli stands up on the seat because she likes the view outside. She only wants
to catch a better glimpse of it. And since the view was blocked by the canvas
cover, she stands up/
3. What does Valli tell the elderly man
when he calls her a child?
Answer: Valli tells the elderly man who calls her a child that like others she too has paid 30 paise and that nobody on the bus is a child.
4. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends
with the elderly woman?
Answer:
Valli
was not interested in befriending the elderly woman as she appeared disgusting
to her. Not only were her ear holes big, but she had weird and ugly earrings on
them. To add to that, she was seen chewing betel nut, her mouth filled with
betel juice that might spill any moment.
ORAL
COMPREHENSION CHECK PAGE 10
1. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it
easy for her?
Answer:
Valli
saved up the money for her first journey by not giving in to her temptations.
She resisted everything she liked having - toys, peppermints, balloons, etc.
2. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Answer:
Valli
saw a young cow running in the middle of the road just in front of the bus, and
when the driver sounded the horn, it grew frightened and leapt as fast as
possible. This was a sight that was hilarious to her.
3. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer:
Valli
wanted to only travel by bus and not wander the streets of a town that she was
not acquainted with. Hence, she did not alight from the bus at the bus station.
4. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink?
What does this tell you about her?
Answer:
Valli
didn’t want to go to the stall as she had the exact amount that would ensure
she could travel to the town and make a return. She knew well that if she spent
the money on the drink, she would not be able to get back.
THINKING
ABOUT THE TEXT PAGE
12
1. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find
the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Answer:
Valli's deepest desire was to travel by bus that she sighted every day. The
words and phrases in the story that depicts this:
(i) ‘an overwhelming desire’
(ii) ‘source of unending joy’
(iii) ‘stare wistfully’
(iv) ‘kindle
in her longings, dreams and hopes’.
2. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What
did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Answer:
Valli
listened to the conversations that her neighbours indulged in and gatherers as
much information as she could about the bus ride. She got to know that the
village was situated six miles away and that she would have to shell sixty
paise to go there and make a return. Also, she learnt that the trip - that of
going and coming back - would take about 45 minutes. She, therefore, started
saving money by not giving in to her temptations. And when she finally had
enough money, she took the ride.
3. 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.
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand
was raised _________________.
(ii) “Yes, I __________________ go to town,” said Valli,
still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here ______________________,”
she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can
___________________. You don’t have to help me. ”I’m not a child, I tell you,”
she said, ________________________________.
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I
___________________________,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window
and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said,
“Well, sir, I hope _________________________.”
Answer: Valli was a supremely confident and brave young girl who was of the opinion that her age was not a cause of concern as far as travelling by bus was concerned. Without worrying or getting scared, she thought she was grown up, the best part being her acting like one.
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand
was raised commandingly.
(ii) “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said
Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here who’s a child,” she said
haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can get
on by myself. You don’t have to help me. ”I’m not a child, I tell you,”
she said, irritably.
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I can
take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window
and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said,
“Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”
4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli
as ‘madam’?
Answer:
The
conductor called Valli 'madam' because she acted like one. Not only was she
brave enough to travel by herself, but she also did not seek help from anyone,
including the conductor.
5. Find the lines in the text which tell
you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
Answer:
The lines that tell me Valli was enjoying the bus ride:
(i) “Valli devoured everything with her eyes.”
(ii) “Oh, it was all so wonderful!”
(iii) “Everyone laughed, and gradually Valli too joined
in the laughter.”
(iv) “Suddenly Valli clapped her hands with glee. A
young cow, tail high in the air, was
running very fast, right in the middle of the road, right in front of the bus.”
(v). “Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She
laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.”
(vi) “Valli wasn’t bored in the slightest and
greeted everything with the same excitement she’d felt the first time.”
6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of
the window on her way back?
Answer:
After having spotted the dead body of a cow that was galloping while she was
going to the town, Valli was taken aback and overcome with grief. Thus, she
refused to look out of the window on her way back.
7. What does Valli mean when she says, “I
was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our
knowledge.”
Answer:
Valli had taken an adventurous bus trip without the knowledge of her parents.
And that’s exactly why she agreed with her mother and said the given statement.
8. The author describes the things that
Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from
the text for this statement?
Answer:
Some of the sentences that the author uses to describe things from an
eight-year-old's point of view :
(a) She
was fascinated by the bus
(b) Watching the bus with a new set of people
each time was a source of unending joy for her'.
(c) ‘The
seats were soft and luxurious’.
(d) ‘The
blue sky’
(e) ‘Acres
and acres of green field’
SPEAKING PAGE
12
1. This story has a lot of people talking
in it. The conductor jokes and laughs with Valli, some passengers try to show
their concern for her, and her mother and her aunt spend time chatting.
Read the conversations carefully. Then
think of similar people or similar situations that you have experienced. Mimic
a person or persons who spoke to you, saying what they said, along with your
replies.
Answer:
Activity
to be done by yourself.
(Note: Students can write this answer as per their
personal experiences.)
WRITING PAGE
13
Write a page — about three paragraphs —
on one of the following topics.
1. Have you ever planned something
entirely on your own, without taking grownups into your confidence? What did
you plan, and how? Did you carry out your plan?
Answer:
To
be done by the student.
2. Have you made a journey that was
unforgettable in some way? What made it memorable?
Answer:
To
be done by the student.
3. Are you concerned about traffic and
road safety? What are your concerns? How would you make road travel safer and
more enjoyable?
Answer:
To
be done by the student.
Poem: The
Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash
THINKING ABOUT
THE POEM PAGE
17
1. Who are the characters in this poem?
List them with their pet names.
Answer:
The
main character in the poem is Belinda. Her pets’ names are:
Ink, the kitten
Blink, the mouse
Mustard, the dog
Custard, the dragon
2. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe
cage? Why is the dragon called “cowardly dragon”?
Answer:
Custard
was not a brave dragon, and he would get frightened in no time. That’s
precisely why he cried for a nice safe cage. Everyone called it a “cowardly
dragon” since everyone in the house was brave but Custard.
3. “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him
unmerciful…” Why?
Answer:
Belinda
tickled Custard as he was always wanting to be confined to a safe cage. She
wanted everyone to laugh at it being cowardly, and thus, she tickled him.
4. The poet has employed many poetic
devices in the poem. For example: “Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon” —
the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner, list some more
such poetic devices used in the poem?
Answer:
Another
simile that the poet has used:
mouth like a fireplace.
brave as a barrel full of bears
brave as a tiger in a rage
went at the pirate like a robin at a worm
Incorrect spelling as a poetic device:
‘winda’ instead of ‘window’, ‘realio’ instead of
really and ‘trulio’ instead of truly.
Alliteration:
With a clatter and a clank.
gulped some grog
5. Read stanza three again to know how
the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
Answer:
The
poet states that the dragon named Custard possesses big teeth which are also
sharp. It had spikes on its body and there are scales right below. Its mouth is
like a fireplace. Its nose is chimney-like, and its toes are dagger-like.
6. Can you find out the rhyme scheme of
two or three stanzas of the poem?
Answer:
Stanza 1: The rhyme scheme is ‘aabb’.
Stanza 2: The rhyme scheme is ‘ccdd’.
7. Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem?
Answer:
Yes. Some phrases used by the poet without actually
saying what they mean:
(i) ‘mouth
like a fireplace’,
(ii) ‘chimney
for a nose’
(iii) ‘brave
as a barrel full of bears’
(iv) ‘brave
as a tiger in a rage’
(v) ‘went
at the pirate like a robin at a worm’
(vi) ‘with a
clatter and a clank’
8. Do you find The Tale of Custard the
Dragon to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your
answer.
Answer:
‘The
Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is not a serious poem. It is hilarious, very funny,
and composed in a way so that the reader may have a good laugh. While the rhyme
scheme does interest the reader, the poetic devices used by the poet are
delightful and make the read extremely fascinating. The descriptions are vivid
and the spellings at times have been deliberately written incorrectly to bring
about a funny effect. It is clearly
written with the intention of amusing the reader.
9. This poem, in ballad form, tells a
story. Have you come across any such modern song or lyric that tells a story?
If you know one, tell it to the class. Collect such songs as a project.
Answer:
To
be done by the student.
WRITING PAGE
17
1. Have fun writing your ballad. Gather
information (choose/decide an idea/theme), organise your materials under
characters and story and then write. Revise and edit your ballad to make it
entertaining. Use the following guidelines to write your ballad.
• Purpose of writing the ballad: to entertain and interest
• To whom I am writing: decide for whom you are writing
• How should I structure features? :
– Tell a simple narrative
– A few major characters
– A strong rhythm and rhyme
– May have a refrain (single or
two line(s) repeated often)
– Divide into verses
Answer: To be done by the student.
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