Passage Questions
● Comprehension check
1. What is the secret that Meena shares with Mridu in the backyard?
~
Meena shared Mridu that they had a kitten in the backyard inside a torn
football lined with sacking and filled with sand. She also said that they found
him outside the gate in the very morning.
2. How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?
~ Ravi
gets milk from the kitchen saying that he is hungry. He often drinks most of it
to prove Paati that he was hungry indeed. He then gets the milk in a glass in
the backyard and empties it in the coconut shell.
3. Who does he say the kitten’s ancestors are? Do you believe him?
~ Ravi believed that the lion of Mahabalipuram
was the ancestor of the kitten. He was proud that his small kitten was the
descendent of Mahabalipuram Rishi cat.
No, I
don’t believe in Ravi’s words.
4. Ravi has a lot to say about M.P.Poonai. This shows that
(i) he is merely trying to impress Mridu.
(ii) his knowledge of history is sound.
(iii) he has a rich imagination.
(iv) he is an intelligent child.
Which of these statements do you agree/disagree to?
~ (ii)
his knowledge of history is sound.
(iii)
he has a rich imagination.
5. What was the noise that startled Mridu and frightened Mahendran?
~ The
sound of ‘kreech’ made when Lalli tried to learn to played violin startled
Mridu and frightened Mahendran.
● Comprehension Check
1. The music master is making lovely music. Read aloud the sentence
in the text that expresses this idea.
~ “The
music-master’s notes seemed to float up and settle perfectly into the invisible
tracks of the melody. It was like the wheels of a train fitting smoothly into
the rails and whizzing along”. This concludes that the music master is making
lovely music.
2. Had the beggar come to Rukku Manni’s house for the first time?
Give reasons for your answer.
~ No,
the beggar had not come to Rukku Manni’s house for the first time.
Paati
said to Tapi that the beggar had been coming in their house every day for the
past week, and it’s time to find another house to beg.
3. “A sharp V-shaped line had formed between her eyebrows.” What
does it suggest to you about Rukku Manni’s mood?
~
V-shaped eyebrows were formed as Rukku Manni was very angry. She was mad at
children’s when she came to know about the missing chappals of the music
teacher.
● Working with the text
1.Complete the following sentences.
i)Ravi compares Lalli’s playing violin to the
_______________________.
ii) Trying to hide beneath the tray of chillies Mahendran
_________________.
iii)The teacher played a few notes on his violin and Lalli
____________________.
iv)The beggar said that the kind ladies of the household ________________.
v)After the lesson was over the music teacher asked Lalli if
____________________.
~ (i)
Ravi compares Lalli’s playing the violin to the derailing of the train going
completely off track.
(ii)
Trying to hide beneath the tray of chillies, Mahendran tipped a few chillies
over himself.
(iii)
The teacher played a few notes on his violin, and Lalli stumbled behind him on
her violin, which looked quite helpless and unhappy in her hands.
(iv)
The beggar said that the kind ladies of the household kept his body and soul
together on their generosity for a whole week. He couldn’t believe that they
would turn him away.
(v)
After the lesson was over, the music teacher asked Lalli if she had seen his chappals.
2. Describe the music teacher as seen from the window.
~In
front of Mridu, with most of his back to the window, was the master sitting. He
was bony figured. He had a mostly bald head with a fringe of oiled black hair
falling around his ears and an old-fashioned tuft. The master had a gold chain
gleamed around his neck and a diamond ring on his hand which glided up and down
the stem of the violin. He had a large foot which stuck out from beneath his
gold-bordered veshti edge, and he was beating time on the floor with the
scrawny big toe.
3.i)What makes Mridu conclude that the beggar has no money to buy
chappal?
~ The
beggar had pink, peeling blisters on the soles of his bare feet as he was
walking unshod in the hot land outside. So, Mridu concluded that he might have
no money to buy a chappal.
ii)What does she suggest to show her concern?
~
Mridu asked her cousin Ravi and Meena if they had any extra pair of shoes. She
was in pain and suggested Ravi and Meena give him a pair of shoe.
4.”Have you, children ………” she began, and then, seeing
they were curiously quiet, went on more slowly,” seen anyone lurking
around the verandah?”
i) What do you think Rukku Manni really wanted to ask?
~
Rukku Manni wanted to ask the children’s if they had seen the music master’s
slippers.
ii)Why did she change her question?
~ She
suddenly changed her question as seeing the children’s curiously keeping quiet,
she
was quite sure that the children’s might have
done something with the chappal.
iii)What did she think had happened?
~ She
guessed correctly that the children’s might have given the music masters
chappals to the beggar.
5. On getting Gopu mama’s chappals, the music teacher tried not to
look too happy. Why?
~ The
music teacher was very happy after getting Gopu Mama’s new chappals but he
tried not to look happy because he did not want to reveal his happiness of
getting new chappals. He wanted to show that his own chappals were more
expensive to him.
6. On getting a gift of chappals, the beggar vanished in a minute.
Why was he in such a hurry to leave?
~ The
feet of the beggar was blistered due to the hot land so on getting a gift of
chappals, the beggar vanished in a minute because he did not want to lose the
gift of those chappals. It was the best gift and would help him a lot.
7. Walking towards the kitchen with Mridu and Meena, Rukku Mani
began to laugh. What made her laugh?
~ As
soon as Gopu mama comes home he always stays in hurry to throw off his shoes
and socks and get into his chappals. So, Rukku Manni began to laugh thinking
about the reaction of her husband after hearing that they had given his
chappal’s to the music master.
● Working with the language.
1. Read the following sentences.
a)If she knows we have a cat, Paati will leave the house.
b) She won’t be so upset if she knows about the poor beggar with
sores on his feet.
c)If the chappals do fit, will you really not mind?
Notice that each sentence consists of two parts. The first part
begins with if it is called if-clause.
Rewrite each of the pair of sentences as a single sentence. Use if
at the beginning of the sentences.
i) Don’t tire yourself now. You won’t be able to work in the
evening.
ii)Study regularly. You’ll do good in the exam.
iii)Work hard. You will pass the examination in the first division.
iv)Be polite to people. They will also be polite to you.
v) Don’t tease the dog. It’ll bite you.
~ (i)
If you tire yourself now, you won’t be able to work in the evening.
(ii)
If you study regularly, you’ll do well in the examination.
(iii)
If you work hard, you’ll pass the examination in the first division.
(iv)
If you are polite to people, they’ll also be polite to you.
(v) If
you tease the dog, it’ll bite you.
2. Fill in the blanks in the following paragraph.
Today is Sunday. I’m wondering whether I should stay at home or go
out. If i _____(go) out. I _____(miss) the lovely Sunday lunch at home. If i
______(stay) for lunch, i _____(miss) the Sunday film showing at Archana
Theatre. I think I’ll go out and see the film, only to avoid getting too fat.
~
Today is Sunday. I’m wondering whether I should stay at home or go out.
If I go out, I will miss the lovely Sunday lunch at home. If I
stay for lunch, I will miss the Sunday film showing at Archana
Theatre. I think I’ll go out and see the film, only to avoid getting too fat.
3. Complete each sentence below by approximately using anyone of
the following.
If you want to/ if you don’t want to/ you want him to do
i) Don’t go to the theatre ____________________.
ii)He’ll post your letter____________________.
iii) Please use my pen____________________.
iv)He’ll lend you his umbrella____________________.
v)My neighbour, Ramesh, will take you to the doctor
______________________.
vi) Don’t eat it ____________________.
~ (i)
Don’t go to the theatre if you don’t want to.
(ii)
He’ll post your letter if you want him to.
(iii)
Please use my pen if you want to.
(iv)
He’ll lend you his umbrella if you want him to.
(v) My
neighbour, Ramesh, will take you to the doctor if you want him to.
(vi)
Don’t eat it if you don’t want to.