Working with the text:
A. Complete the following sentences:-
1. The old banyan tree “did not belong” to grandfather , but only to the boy because ———————————–
Ans :- The old banyan tree “did not belong” to grandfather, but only to the boy because the old man was not strong enough to climb it.
2. The small grey squirrel became friendly when —————————–.
Ans. The small grey squirrel became friendly when he found that the boy had nocatapult or gun in his hand.
3. When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel ———————————————–.
Ans:-When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel became bold enough to take pieces of food from his hand.
4. In the spring, the banyan tree ——– and ———- would come there.
Ans:- In the spring, the banyan tree was full of small red figs and birds of all kinds would come there.
5. The banyan tree served the boy as a —————————-.
Ans:- The banyan tree served the boy as a reading room where he made a rough platform to sit and read books.
6. The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree ————————————
Ans:- The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree leaning against it and reading story books.
B. Answer the following questions:-
1. “It was to be a battle of champions.”
i) What qualities did the two champions have.
Pick out words and phrases from the paragraph above this line in the text and write them down.
Mongoose Cobra
a. A great fighter (a) a skilled and experienced fighter.
b. Very clever and swift (b) had broad hood and poisonous teeth.
c. Make calculative move (c ) swift in speed and attack.
ii) What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to show their readiness for the fight.
Ans:- The cobra produced a hissing sound to challenge the mongoose to a fight. It raised three feet of its body off the ground, it spread its broad hood. The mongoose bushed its tail . The long hair on its back also stood up.
2. Who were the other two spectators . What did they do . (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight.)
Ans :- In addition to the narrator, the two other onlookers of the fight were a myna and a wild crow. First of all they sat on the cactus plant to watch the outcome of the fight. In the end , they took part in the game. Both tried to pick up the cobra for their meal. The crow got bitten and died. The mongoose dragged the snake away into the bushes. The myna also flew away.
3. Read the descriptions below of what the snake did and what the mongoose did. Arrange their actions in the proper order.
Snake Cobra
1. Ceased to struggle grabbed the snake by the snout.
2. Tried to mesmerize the mongoose dragged the snake into the bushes.
3. Coiled itself around the mongoose darted away and bit the cobra on the back.
4. Struck the crows pretended to attack the cobra on one side
5. Struck again and missed refused to look into the snake’s eyes
6. Struck on the side that the sprang aside, jumped in and bit.
mongoose pretended to attack.
Answers:
Snake Cobra
1. Tried to mesmerize the mongoose refused to look into the snake’s eyes.
2. Struck on the side that the pretended to attack the cobra on one side.
mongoose pretended to attack
3. Struck again and missed sprang aside, jumped in and bit.
4. Struck the crows darted away and bit the cobra on the back.
5. Coiled itself around the mongoose grabbed the snake by the snout.
6. Ceased to struggle dragged the snake into the bushes.
4. (i) What happened to the crow in the end.
Ans:- In the end, the crow was flung nearly twenty feet across the garden by a blow from the snake’s snout. The crow fluttered about for a while and then lay still.
(ii)What did the myna do.
Ans :- Finally the myna dropped cautiously to the ground, hopped about, peered into the bushes from a safe distance, and then, with a shrill cry of congratulation flew away.
Working with language :
1. The word ‘round’ usually means a kind of shape. What is its meaning in the story.
Ans :- In the story the word ‘round’ means the different stages of flight between the cobra and the mongoose .
2. Find five words in the following paragraph , which are generally associated with trees. But here, they have been used differently Underline the words.
Hari leaves for work at nine every morning. He works in the local branch of the firm of which his uncle is the owner. Hari’s success is really the fruit of his own labour. He is happy, but he has a small problem. The root cause of his problem is a stray dog near his office. The dog welcomes Hari with a loud bark every day.
B. The words in the box are all words that describe movement. Use them to fill in the blanks in the sentences below:-
Dived: gliding : sprang: darting : whipped : back : delving.
- When he began to trust me, the squirrel began ——- into my pockets for morsels of cake.
- I saw a cobra —– out of a clump of cactus.
- The snake hissed, his forked tongue —– in and out.
- When the cobra tried to bite it, the mongoose ——– aside.
- The snake —– his head —- to strike at the crow.
- The birds —— at the snake.
Answers:
1. delving 2. gliding 3. darting 4. sprang 5. whipped, back 6. dived
C. Find words in the story which shows things striking violently, against each other.
- The cobra struck the crow, his snout in —– ing against its body.
- The crow and the myna c – ll – – – – in mid-air.
- The birds dived at the snake, but b ——- d into each other instead.
Answers:
- Thudding 2. collided 3. Bumped.
D. Look at these sentences:-
In the spring, birds of all kinds would
1. Flock into the banyan tree’s branches. Grandfather , at sixty-five , could no
longer climb the banyan tree.
2. I would spend the afternoons there I could hide myself in its branches.
I could look down through the leaves
at the world below.
I could read there.
‘Would” tells us what the author “Could” tells us what the author was
Used to do, or what used to happen. usually able to do, or grandfather is now
not able to do.
Choose would and could to replace the italicized words in the following sentences:-
Grandfather says in the old days,
1. elephants were able to fly in the sky, like clouds. They were also able to change their shapes. They used to fly behind clouds and frighten them. People used to look up at the sky in wonder.
Ans:- elephants could fly in the sky like clouds. They could also change their shapes. They would fly behind clouds and frighten them. People would look up at the sky in wonder.
2. Because there was no electricity, he used to get up with the sun, and he used to go to bed with the sun like the birds.
Ans:– because there was no electricity he would get up with the sun and he would go to bed with the sun like the birds.
3. Like the owl, he was able to see quite well in the dark. He was able to tell who was coming by listening to their footsteps.
Ans:- like the owl, he could see quite well in the dark. He could tell who was coming by listening to their footsteps.
Speaking:
Look at these sentences
- The tree was older than grandfather.
- Grandfather was sixty-five years old.
How old was the tree. Can you guess.
Ans:- The tree was more than sixty-five years old.
- The tree was as old as Dehra Dun itself.
- Suppose Dehra Dun is 300 years old .
How old is the tree.
Ans :- The tree is also 300 years old.
When two things are the same in some way, we use as—-as.
Here is another set of examples.
- Mr. Sinha is 160 centimetres tall.
Mr. Gupta is 180 centimetres tall.
Mrs. Gupta is 160 centimetres tall.
Mrs. Gupta is as tall as Mr. Sinha.
Use the words in the box to speak about the people and the things below. Using as—as or –er than:
Tall — taller: cold — colder: hot – hotter : strong—stronger : short—shorter.
(Notice that in the word ‘hot’ the letter ‘t’ is doubled when –er is added)
1. Heights
i) Zeba is as tall as Rani.
ii) Zeba is taller than Ruby.
iii) Ruby is shorter than Rani and Zeba.
2. Weight lifters
i) Vijay is as strong as Akshay.
ii) Anwar is stronger than Vijay.
iii) Vijay and Akshay are not as strong as Anwar.
3. City temperatures
i) Shimla is as cold as Gangtok.
ii) Shimla and gangtok are not as cold as Srinagar.
iii) Shimla is not as cold as
4. Lengths
i) Romi’s pencil is as long as Raja’s pencil.
ii) Mona’s pencil is longer than Romi’s pencil and Raja’s pencil.
iii) Raja’s pencil is not as long as Mona’s pencil.
5. City temperatures
i) Delhi is as hot as Nagpur.
ii) Chennai is not hotter than Delhi and Nagpur.
iii) Delhi is hotter than Chennai.
Writing :
My favourite place
Read again the paragraphs of the story in which the author describes the banyan tree and what he used to do there. Is there a place in your house, or in your grandparents’ or uncles’ houses, that you specially like. Write a short paragraph about it , saying
- Where it is.
- What you do there.
- Why you like it.
You may instead write about a place you dislike or are afraid of.
My favourite place in the house is either the balcony or the cemented platform built round the stem of the peepal tree. I used to sit in the balcony to enjoy the sunshine on winter days and the cool breeze on summer mornings. I study and do my homework there. I like it because it is quiet and open place.