COMPREHENSION
CHECK PAGE
45
1. Look at picture 1 and recall the
opening lines of the original song in Hindi. Who is the singer? Who else do you
see in this picture?
Answer:
The
opening lines of the original Hindi song are - Ae Mere Vatan Ke Logon. This
song was sung by renowned singer Lata Mangeshkar. In the picture are also seen
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, S Radhakrishnan, the then
president of India, and Indira Gandhi.
2. In picture 2 what do you understand by
the Company’s “superior weapons”?
Answer:
The
term “superior weapons” in picture 2 denotes “intelligence, training, and all
possible strengths” the British employed to expand their presence on the Indian
soil. Unlike Indian princes who relied upon weapons such as swords and the like
to wage battles, the British ensured they used physical power coupled with
witty strategies to remain powerful and mighty.
3. Who is an artisan? Why do you think
the artisans suffered? (picture 3)
Answer:
An
artisan, also known as a craftsman, is a worker skilled in making products by
hand. According to me, the artisans suffered probably because of the
competitions posed by the goods manufactured in England. As there was no import
duty on those goods, they were cheaper than the handmade goods made by the
Indian artisans.
4. Which picture, according to you,
reveals the first sparks of the fire of revolt?
Answer:
The
picture showing the Santhals, who had lost their lands under new land rules
imposed by the British, massacring Europeans and their supporters in Bengal in
1855 reveals the first sparks of the fire of revolt.
WORKING WITH
THE TEXT PAGE
45
Answer the following questions.
1. Do you think the Indian princes were
short-sighted in their approach to the events of 1757?
Answer:
Yes.
There is little doubt that the Indian princes were short-sighted in their
approach to the events of 1757. Barring a few leaders like Tipu Sultan, who
died fighting the British, many leaders thought that the British had come to
save India. They could not understand that the British had ulterior motives and
that they were making use of the divide amongst the Indian princes to establish
a strong presence.
2. How did the East India Company subdue
the Indian princes?
Answer:
The
East India Company took advantage of the rivalries between the Indian prices to
subdue all of them one by one. They employed the policy of ‘Divide and Rule’
and sowed seeds of hatred amongst Indian rulers by pitting them against one
another. So while the Indian rulers fought amongst themselves, the British started
expanding their presence.
3. Quote the words used by Ram Mohan Roy
to say that every religion teaches the same principles.
Answer:
To
emphasise that every religion taught the same principles, Ram Mohan Roy said to
his wife Uma, “Cows are of different colours, but the colour of their milk is
the same. Different teachers have different opinions but the essence of every
religion is the same.”
4. In what ways did the British officers
exploit Indians?
Answer:
The
oppression of Indians at the hand of the British worsened in 1818 when the
British imposed Regulation III under which an Indian could be jailed without a
trial in a court. The British also started educating Indians through English,
and although the English education produced clerks, the British gave them petty
jobs under them. Moreover, the British stopped the import duty on goods
manufactured in Britain that were brought into India. Because of this measure,
the goods made by Indian artisans suffered a blow. While high taxes imposed by
the officers ruined Indian peasants, landlords lost their lands because of the
sore policies pursued by the British. Even the sepoys working for the East
India Company were given slow promotions and paid a pittance. Furthermore,
thousands of sepoys who revolted against the British were stripped of their
uniforms.
5. Name these people.
(i) The ruler
who fought pitched battles against the British and died fighting.
(ii) The person
who wanted to reform society.
(iii) The
person who recommended the introduction of English education in India.
(iv) Two
popular leaders who led the revolt (Choices may vary.)
Answers:
(i) Tipu Sultan
(ii) Ram Mohan Roy
(iii) Macaulay
(iv) Maulvi Ahmedullah of Faizabad and Kunwar Singh
of Bihar.
6. Mention the following.
(i) Two
examples of social practices prevailing then.
(ii) Two
oppressive policies of the British.
(iii) Two ways
in which common people suffered.
(iv) Four
reasons for the discontent that led to the 1857 War of Independence.
Answers:
(i) Untouchability and child marriage
The passing of Regulation III under which an Indian
could be jailed without a trial in a court and having no import duty on goods
manufactured in Britain that were brought into India.
(ii) Expert artisans and their businesses were hit Many
landlords lost their lands.
The new land rules that ruined the lives of peasants
and landowners
(iii) Indian soldiers being paid a pittance and
promoted slowly in comparison to their English counterparts who were getting
huge pay, mansions to live in, and servants
(iv) The oppression in the form of jailing Indians
without a trial in a court
The disregard for the Indian customs and the fear
that the British could destroy the age-old customs.
WORKING WITH
LANNGUAGE PAGE
45
1. Change the following sentences into
indirect speech.
(i) First man: We must educate our brothers.
Second man: And try to improve their material conditions.
Third man: For that, we must convey our grievances
to the British Parliament.
Answers:
The
first man said that they had to educate their brothers.
The
second man added that they had to try to improve their
material conditions.
The
third man suggested that for that they had to convey their
grievances to the British parliament.
(ii) First soldier: The white soldier gets
huge pay, mansions and servants.
Second soldier: We get a pittance and slow promotions.
Third soldier: Who are the British to abolish our
customs?
Answers:
The
first soldier said that the white soldier got huge
pay, mansions and servants.
The
second soldier remarked that they got a pittance and
slow promotions.
The
third soldier asked who the British were to abolish
their customs.
Poem: Macavity:
The Mystery Cat by T.S.Eliot
WORKING WITH
THE POEM PAGE
51
1. Read the first stanza and think.
(i) Is Macavity a cat really?
Answer:
No.
Macavity isn’t really a cat.
(ii) If not, who can Macavity be?
Answer:
Macavity
could be an allegory for a treacherous person, trickster, master criminal, or
moral corruption.
2. Complete the following sentences.
(i) A master criminal is one who ________________.
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because ________________.
(iii) ___________________because Macavity moves much
faster than them.
Answer:
(i) A master criminal
is one who can defy the law.
(ii) The Scotland Yard
is baffled because Macavity is never there when they reach the scene of crime.
(iii) Nobody is capable
of catching Macavity at the crime scene because Macavity moves much faster than
them.
3. “A cat, I am sure, could walk on a
cloud without coming through”. (Jules Verne) Which law is Macavity breaking in
the light of the comment above?
Answer:
The
law of gravity is being broken by Macavity in light of the comment above.
4. Read stanza 3, and then, describe
Macavity in two or three sentences of your own.
Answer:
Macavity
is a master criminal. He knows his job well, and there is none as treacherous
as he is. In reality, he is a demon possessing catlike features, and because he
is a symbolic representation of moral corruption, he can be found on a private
street or in a square. Notwithstanding, when a crime is discovered, he vanishes
into thin air.
5. Say ‘False’ or ‘True’ for each of the
following statements.
(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat.
(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do.
(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers.
(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright.
(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all
rolled in one.
Answer:
(i) Macavity is not an
ordinary cat. True
(ii) Macavity cannot do
what a fakir can easily do. False
(iii) Macavity has
supernatural powers. True
(iv) Macavity is
well-dressed, smart and bright. False
(v) Macavity is a spy,
a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one. True
6. Having read the poem, try to guess
whether the poet is fond of cats. If so, why does he call Macavity a fiend and
monster?
Answer:
Although
it seems like the poet is fond of cats, he calls Macavity a fiend and monster
as Macavity is not a real cat but a symbolic representation of evil. Cats,
unlike other animals, are stealthy. It is possible to see a cat drinking milk
one moment and disappearing in the blink of an eye the very next moment. The
poet, therefore, has taken into account these features of a cat and used them
as an allegory to describe a master criminal.
7. Has the poet used exaggeration for
special effects? Find a few examples of it and read those lines aloud.
Answer:
There
is no doubt that the poet has used exaggeration for special effects. While the
poet calling Macavity ‘the bafflement of Scotland Yard’ and ‘the Flying Squad’s
Despair’ in the first paragraph are outright exaggerations, the power of
levitation that is attributed to Macavity also seems to be for special effect.
A few more examples are:
(i) He sways his head from side to side, with
movements like a snake.
Comments
Post a Comment
Need English Assistance, Have Doubts or Any Suggestions? Do let us know.