"Life" is an optimistic poem by Charlotte Brontë. The poet says life is not as dark and gloomy as wise men (sages) say. Sorrows and troubles come, but they are temporary. We should enjoy happy moments with gratitude and face hard times with courage and hope.
Key points
The poet disagrees with the sages who say life is only a dark dream.
A little morning rain often means a pleasant day will follow – small troubles often lead to happiness.
Clouds of gloom (sad times) are transient – they do not last.
If a shower helps roses bloom, we should not lament (regret) the rain. Difficulties help us grow.
Happy hours pass quickly, so we should enjoy them gratefully and cheerfully.
Even when death takes away a loved one ("calls our Best away") and sorrow seems to win, Hope rises again like something elastic.
Hope has golden wings that are still buoyant and strong enough to carry us.
We must face the "day of trial" manfully and fearlessly; courage can quell (end) despair.
Theme: optimism, hope and courage in the face of sorrow.
Important terms
Sages – wise men.
Transient – temporary, lasting a short time.
Lament – to express grief or regret.
Sway – controlling influence.
Buoyant – able to rise or float upwards; cheerful.
Q1. What do the sages say about life? Does the poet agree?
The sages say life is a dark dream. The poet does not agree; she believes life has many happy moments and sorrows are only temporary.
Q2. What does a little morning rain foretell?
It often foretells a pleasant day. It means small troubles are often followed by happiness.
Q3. Why are the wings of Hope called "golden"?
Gold is precious and bright. Hope is precious and brings brightness into a sad life, and it can lift us up again, so its wings are called golden.
Q4. Pick out two lines showing optimism and two showing pessimism.
Optimism: "Oft a little morning rain / Foretells a pleasant day"; "Yet Hope again elastic springs". Pessimism: "Sometimes there are clouds of gloom"; "What though Sorrow seems to win".
Q5. What message does the poet give?
Life is not all sorrow. We should enjoy happy times gratefully and face trials with courage, because hope always rises again and courage can defeat despair.
Exam tip
Learn one example each of metaphor, personification, interrogation and euphemism from this poem – poetry appreciation questions ask for them.
This lesson is a synopsis (short outline) of the famous adventure novel The Swiss Family Robinson by the Swiss clergyman Johann David Wyss. A family is left alone on a tropical island after a shipwreck. Using courage, hard work and intelligence, they build homes, grow food and live happily for ten years until a ship arrives.
Key points
Characters: William (father), Elizabeth (mother), their sons Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz; dogs Turk and Juno; later Jenny Montrose.
A storm hits their ship; other passengers evacuate without them. The family survive the night in the ship's hold and see a tropical island beyond a reef.
They make a boat out of tubs, load food, tools and ammunition, and row to the island.
First home: a tent with grass spread for beds. Gourds are cut into bowls and spoons.
Second home: a tree house, suggested by Elizabeth to be safe from jackals. Father uses triangles (geometry) to find that the lowest branch is 30 feet high; a rope ladder with bamboo is made.
Third home: a cave carved out of rock for the winter, with windows for air and light, four rooms and a fireplace. A lamp on a bamboo pole fixes the dim light.
Fourth home: after elephants destroy a hut and fields, they build a house on four strong trees standing in a square.
Mother grows corn, melons, pumpkins and cucumbers; they find a candle-wax fruit and a rubber tree.
After ten years they call the island New Switzerland.
Fritz finds a note tied to an albatross about an Englishwoman stranded on the "smoking rock". He rescues Jenny Montrose.
A British ship comes; the captain was searching for Jenny. Fritz, Franz and Jenny go to Europe; the parents, Ernest and Jack stay. Father's journals are given to the captain to publish.
Values: self-reliance, determination, family love, co-operation and wise use of resources.
Words used as noun and verb: hold, value, knot, travel, return, reach, knock, attack, mark. E.g. "She has a strong hold over her children." (noun) / "Let me hold the bag." (verb)
Values matched to lines: gourds into utensils – resourcefulness; using triangles – knowledge and its application; storage for winter – foresight; moving to a safer place – cautiousness.
5 important questions
Q1. How did the family reach the island?
They built a boat out of tubs, filled it with food, ammunition and useful articles, and rowed across the reef to the island. Their dogs swam beside them.
Q2. Why did the mother want to shift to a tree house?
The camp was exposed, dry and hot. A house in a big tree would keep them safe from jackals.
Q3. Describe the four homes of the Robinson family.
A tent with grass beds; a tree house reached by a rope ladder; a cave carved in rock with windows, four rooms and a fireplace for winter; and a house built on four strong trees standing in a square, safe from elephants.
Q4. How did Fritz learn about Jenny?
He knocked down an albatross and found a rag tied to its leg saying an Englishwoman was stranded on the "smoking rock". He sent back a note, "Do not despair. Help is near!", and later rescued her.
Q5. How does the story end?
A British ship searching for Jenny arrives. Fritz, Franz and Jenny leave for Europe, while the parents, Ernest and Jack stay on New Switzerland. Father gives his journals to the captain to publish.
Exam tip
Learn the four homes in order – "write in your own words how the family made each home" is a common question.
"Have you ever seen...?" is a funny poem by an anonymous poet. Every line asks a silly question by playing on a word that has two meanings, like "bed", "foot" or "bark". The poem shows how homographs and puns make language playful.
Key points
The whole poem is made of questions (interrogation) that are not meant to be answered.
Each line uses a homograph – a word with the same spelling but a different meaning.
A "sheet on a river bed" – bed of a river vs. bed we sleep on.
"foot of a mountain" with "toes"; "pair of garden hose" (hose = a pipe and also stockings).
"Does the needle ever wink its eye?" – eye of a needle vs. human eye.
"wing of a building", "ribs of a parasol", "trunk of a tree", "teeth of a rake", "hands of a clock".
"garden plot be deep and dark" – plot = piece of land, also an evil plan.
"the birch's bark" – bark of a tree vs. a dog's bark.
Theme: fun with words; the richness of English vocabulary.
Important terms
Homograph – a word with the same spelling as another but a different meaning (fair, rose, bark).
Pun – a play on words that gives more than one meaning.
Parasol – an umbrella used for shade.
Hose – a flexible tube; also stockings or tights.
Rake – a garden tool with teeth.
Language study
Pun: "Hello! How's life?" – "Hell, O! It's a strife." Every line of the poem is a pun.
Interrogation: every line is a question asked for effect.
Personification: the needle "winks", teeth of a rake "bite".
Alliteration: "deep and dark", "birch's bark", "head ... hammer's".
Rhyme scheme: couplets – aa bb (bed/head, toes/hose).
Pun examples from the workshop: "She had a photographic memory but never developed it." "Every calendar's days are numbered."
5 important questions
Q1. What is a homograph? Give two examples from the poem.
A homograph is a word with the same spelling but a different meaning. Examples: "bed" (river bed / bed for sleeping), "bark" (bark of a tree / a dog's bark).
Q2. Write the two meanings of "eye" and "hands" as used in the poem.
Eye: the hole in a needle / the organ of sight. Hands: the pointers of a clock / parts of the human body.
Q3. Why is the poem humorous?
The poet takes the second, literal meaning of each word and asks silly questions – like whether a mountain's foot has toes or a clock's hands are left or right. This unexpected play on words makes us laugh.
Q4. Pick out two examples each of interrogation and pun.
Interrogation: "Has the foot of a mountain any toes?"; "Why doesn't the wing of a building fly?" Pun: "garden plot be deep and dark"; "sound of the birch's bark".
Q5. Fill in with a pun: "A bicycle cannot stand on its own because it is ____."
"too tired" (two-tyred) – a pun on "tired" and "tyred".
Exam tip
For each stanza, practise writing the homograph with both meanings in a table – it is the main workshop activity.
This short passage explains the many uses of the verb "have". We usually think of "have" as a helping verb, but as a main verb it shows possession, relationships, eating and drinking, activities and physical conditions. It also gives rules about using "have" correctly.
Key points
As a helping (auxiliary) verb, "have" forms the perfect tenses: "They have come." "I had forgotten it."
It also helps form negatives in perfect tenses: "They haven't come."
As a main verb, "have" is used to show:
Possession/ownership: "My friend has a pet cat." "Our school has six computers."
Relationships: "I have two sisters." "I don't have a brother."
Eating or drinking: "We have breakfast at 8 am." "Have a slice of cake."
Events, activities and experiences: "Let us have a party." "Did you have a good time at the wedding?"
Medical/physical condition: "I have a headache." "He has a cold."
When "have" means possession or a condition, it is used in the simple present or past, not the continuous form.
For the negative of main verb "have", we use do/does/did + not + have.
Important terms
Auxiliary verb – a helping verb used with a main verb (have, be, do).
Main verb – the verb that carries the main meaning of the sentence.
Perfect tense – tense formed with have/has/had + past participle.
Possession – owning or having something.
Language study
Wrong
Correct
I am having a bicycle.
I have a bicycle.
He is having a cold.
He has a cold.
He hasn't a car.
He doesn't have a car.
I haven't a cold.
I don't have a cold.
Note: "having" is fine for activities – "We are having lunch" (eating is an action).
Workshop: list many uses of verbs like go, get, put, catch, pass with prepositions and idioms (get up, put off, catch a cold, pass away).
5 important questions
Q1. Write two sentences using "have" as a helping verb.
"They have finished their work." "She had left before I arrived."
Q2. Write sentences using "have" to show (a) relationship (b) physical condition.
(a) "I have an elder brother." (b) "My grandmother has a fever."
Q3. Correct the sentence: "I am having a lot of homework."
"I have a lot of homework."
Q4. Make the sentence negative: "He has a car."
"He doesn't have a car."
Q5. Write one sentence each using "have" for eating and for an event.
Eating: "We have dinner at nine." Event: "Our class will have a picnic next week."
Exam tip
Remember the two rules: no continuous form for possession/condition, and use "do not have" for the negative.
"The Necklace" is adapted from the famous short story by the French writer Guy de Maupassant. Mathilde Loisel, a pretty but discontented woman, borrows a diamond necklace from her rich friend for a grand party and loses it. She and her husband spend ten years of hard labour paying for a replacement – only to learn that the original necklace was an imitation.
Key points
Characters: Mathilde Loisel; her husband M. Loisel, a minor official (clerk) at the Ministry of Education; her rich friend Madame Forestier.
Mathilde felt she was born for luxury. She was unhappy with her plain dresses and shabby house and dreamed of mansions and jewels.
Her husband brought an invitation to a party at the Ministry. Instead of being happy, she cried because she had nothing to wear.
He gave her 400 francs he had saved to buy a gun for hunting – this shows he was a loving, considerate husband.
She still had no jewels, so she borrowed a superb diamond necklace from Madame Forestier.
At the party she was the prettiest woman and a great success.
At home she found the necklace was lost. They searched everywhere but could not find it.
They bought a similar necklace worth 40,000 francs for 36,000 francs. Loisel used 18,000 francs left by his father and borrowed the rest.
They dismissed their maid, moved to an attic room and worked very hard. Mathilde did heavy housework; Loisel did extra copying at night. After ten years they paid off everything.
Mathilde became old and rough-looking. One Sunday on the Champs Élysées she met Madame Forestier and told her the truth.
Madame Forestier revealed: "Mine was an imitation! It was worth five hundred francs at most!"
Theme: pride, vanity and dissatisfaction can ruin life; honesty would have saved them; the irony of fate.
Important terms
Aristocrat – a person of a high, noble class.
Rapturously – with great joy.
Panic-stricken – filled with sudden fear.
Distraught – very worried and upset.
Brooded – thought sadly for a long time.
Imitation – a copy, not real.
Language study
Determiners – words used before a noun to make it specific: articles (a, an, the), possessives (my, her), demonstratives (this, that), quantifiers (much, many), numerals (one, ten). E.g. "the necklace", "her husband", "one evening".
Verb forms: base, -s form, past tense, present participle, past participle – give/gives/gave/giving/given; take/takes/took/taking/taken; go/goes/went/going/gone.
Formal invitation: "Mr and Mrs ___ solicit the pleasure of your company on the occasion of ___" with venue, time and RSVP.
Irony: a ten-year sacrifice for a fake necklace.
5 important questions
Q1. Why was Mathilde unhappy?
She felt she deserved all the luxuries of life. She was ashamed of her plain clothes, shabby house and lack of jewels, and wanted to be admired and envied.
Q2. Was Loisel a considerate husband? How do we know?
Yes. He brought the invitation to make her happy, gave her the 400 francs he had saved for a gun, went back over the whole route to search for the necklace and worked hard for ten years to repay the debt.
Q3. Who said it and to whom? "Would you lend me this, just this?"
Mathilde said it to Madame Forestier when she saw the diamond necklace.
Q4. How did the Loisels repay the debt?
They dismissed their maid, moved into an attic, and Mathilde did all the heavy housework herself. Loisel worked in the evenings and copied manuscripts late at night. After ten years they paid off everything, even the interest.
Q5. What is the irony in the story?
The Loisels spent ten years in poverty to replace a necklace they thought was real diamonds, but the original was an imitation worth only 500 francs. If Mathilde had told the truth at once, their suffering could have been avoided.
Exam tip
Practise "who said it to whom" and character sketches of Mathilde and her husband – both are frequent questions.
"Invictus" (Latin for "unconquered") is an inspiring poem by William Ernest Henley. The poet faces terrible hardships but refuses to be defeated. He thanks the gods for his unconquerable soul and declares that he is the master of his fate and the captain of his soul.
Key points
Stanza 1: The poet is surrounded by darkness as black as a deep pit from pole to pole – his situation seems hopeless. Still, he thanks "whatever gods may be" for his unconquerable soul.
Stanza 2: Caught in the cruel grip ("fell clutch") of circumstances, he has not winced or cried aloud. Beaten by bad luck ("bludgeonings of chance"), his head is bloody but unbowed – he has not given up.
Stanza 3: Beyond this life of anger and tears lies only the horror of death ("the shade"). Yet the threats of the coming years will always find him unafraid.
Stanza 4: It does not matter how narrow ("strait") the gate is or how many punishments are written on the scroll. "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."
Theme: courage, self-belief, inner strength and refusing to surrender to circumstances.
Tone: defiant, brave and confident.
Important terms
Invictus – unconquered.
Pit – a large deep hole in the ground.
Fell clutch – a cruel or wicked grip/trap.
Winced – showed pain by a slight movement.
Bludgeonings – violent beatings with a club.
Wrath – anger.
Looms – appears in a threatening way; hangs overhead.
Menace – threat.
Language study
Simile: "Black as the Pit from pole to pole".
Metaphor: "I am the captain of my soul" (the soul as a ship), "the night that covers me" (darkness of suffering).
Alliteration: "fell clutch of circumstance"; "My head is bloody, but unbowed"; "master ... my".
Personification: circumstances clutch; chance gives blows; "the menace of the years finds me".
Rhyme scheme: abab in each stanza (stanza 1: me–be, pole–soul).
Symbols (warming up): a tall mountain – strength; a dark night – deep distress; sunrise – hope; a flying bird – freedom.
5 important questions
Q1. What is the poet thankful for?
He thanks whatever gods may be for giving him an unconquerable soul that cannot be defeated by any hardship.
Q2. Which lines show that the poet has suffered his hardships bravely?
"In the fell clutch of circumstance / I have not winced nor cried aloud" and "My head is bloody, but unbowed."
Q3. Explain: "My head is bloody, but unbowed."
The poet has been badly hurt by misfortunes, but he has not bowed down or accepted defeat. He keeps his head high with courage and self-respect.
Q4. What does the poet mean by "I am the master of my fate"?
He believes he controls his own life. Whatever difficulties or punishments come, his reactions and choices are his own, so no circumstance can rule his soul.
Q5. What message does the poem give?
We should face every hardship with courage and self-confidence. Pain and danger may come, but if our spirit stays strong and unafraid, we remain unconquered.
Exam tip
Memorise the last two lines – they are often asked for explanation and for figures of speech (metaphor).
This true account by Bhau Katdare of the organisation Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra tells how sea turtles were saved on the Konkan coast of Maharashtra. Volunteers discovered that turtle eggs were being stolen. They started a protection campaign at Velas (Ratnagiri) and turned the villagers – even former egg thieves – into protectors through the Turtle Festival and homestays.
Key points
While surveying white-bellied sea-eagles, volunteers found turtle egg shells on a beach that had been closed to the public for a month (after silver smugglers were caught there).
They learnt that turtles nest along the whole Maharashtra coast, but egg hunters follow the turtle's trail, steal the 100–150 eggs from each nest, and even kill the mother turtle.
Sea turtles are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 – as much protection as tigers – so the poaching was done secretly.
The Turtle Protection Campaign began at Velas, Taluka Mandangad, District Ratnagiri, with the Forest Department. Local people moved eggs into wire-fenced pits and guarded them.
In the first year 50 nests were protected. The whole village rushed to see the hatchlings run to the sea.
Of seven types of sea turtles in the world, five are found in India. Olive Ridley turtles nest along Maharashtra's coast; Green turtles and Hawksbills are also found.
A female returns after about 15 years to lay eggs where she was born; eggs hatch in 45–50 days; only one or two in a thousand hatchlings survive.
Turtles keep the sea clean – they are important in marine ecology.
Within five years the coast was surveyed and protection given in 80 villages. Former egg thieves were trained as protectors; Kasav Mitra (Turtle Friend) Awards were started.
2006: the first Turtle Festival (Kasav Mahotsava); tourists stayed in villagers' homes (homestay); 10% of homestay income went to a Turtle Protection Fund. Homestay families grew to 35, and about 800 people visited Velas in the season.
This was "Conservation of Nature through Livelihood". Finally the project was handed over to the Forest Department, Gram Panchayat and villagers.
Important terms
Endangered species – animals likely to die out completely.
Hatchling – a baby animal just come out of its egg.
Conservation – protection of nature.
Homestay – tourists living in local people's homes.
Poster making to spread awareness about protected nests.
Dialogue writing among volunteers and villagers from the first two paragraphs.
Useful phrases: "shocked us to the core", "hush-hush manner", "what an event that was!" (exclamation).
5 important questions
Q1. What unusual occurrence did the volunteers notice?
They saw shallow pits with white egg shells on a Konkan beach. Villagers told them these were turtle eggs, which the volunteers had never seen before.
Q2. Why have sea turtles been protected in India?
They were being killed and their eggs stolen, and they are endangered. So they are included in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, giving them the same protection as tigers.
Q3. How were the turtle eggs protected at Velas?
Local people searched the beach every morning for nests, carefully moved the eggs into a similar pit protected with wire fencing, and guarded it until the eggs hatched.
Q4. Why were the people who had stolen eggs earlier involved in the protection work?
They knew the beaches and the turtles' trails best. Making them protectors stopped the thefts, and they earned a livelihood and respect through the project.
Q5. Explain "Conservation of Nature through Livelihood".
Through the Turtle Festival and homestays, villagers earned money from tourists who came to see the hatchlings. To keep earning, they had to protect the turtles, so conservation and livelihood went together.
Exam tip
Remember the key numbers (50 nests, 80 villages, 45–50 days, 1–2 in 1000, 2006) for short-answer and note-making questions.
"Somebody's Mother" is a touching poem by Mary Dow Brine. On a snowy winter day, a poor old woman waits nervously at a busy crossing while everyone ignores her. One cheerful schoolboy helps her across, thinking that she is somebody's mother. That night the old woman prays for the kind boy.
Key points
Setting: a crowded city street on a cold winter day; the streets are white with fresh snow.
The woman is old, ragged and grey, bent with cold, and slow-footed.
She waits long at the crossing; the careless crowd pushes her aside and ignores her anxious looks.
School is over. Happy boys rush out, shouting and welcoming the snow, but none of them helps her.
She is afraid to cross alone lest the carriage wheels or horses' feet trample her on the slippery street.
The gayest (merriest) boy stops and offers to help. She places her old hand on his strong young arm and he guides her safely across.
He returns to his friends happy and content and says: "She's somebody's mother, boys" – someone may help his own mother one day when she is old and he is far away.
That night the old woman prays: "God be kind to that noble boy, who is somebody's son and pride and joy."
Theme: kindness, empathy and respect for the old; "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."
Important terms
Ragged – wearing old and torn clothes.
Throng – a large crowd.
Jostled – pushed roughly.
Unheeding – not paying attention, neglecting.
Hailing – welcoming joyfully.
Lest – for fear that.
Lend a hand – to help.
Language study
Simile: "Came happy boys, like a flock of sheep".
Alliteration: "Glad in the freedom", "Her aged hand", "hurt or harm".
Ascending order of words: infant → youth → adult → aged; cool → chill → cold → freezing; mound → hill → mountain → peak.
5 important questions
Q1. Describe the old woman.
She was old, poor, grey-haired and dressed in ragged clothes. She was bent with the winter cold, her feet were slow with age, and she was weak and timid.
Q2. Why was the woman reluctant to cross the street by herself?
The street was crowded and slippery with snow, and she was weak and slow. She feared that the carriage wheels or horses' feet might trample her down.
Q3. Why were the schoolboys in a happy mood?
School was over and they were free; they were also delighted to see the deep, fresh snow.
Q4. Why did the boy help the old woman?
He was kind and thought of her as "somebody's mother". He hoped that someone would similarly help his own mother if she were ever old, poor and alone.
Q5. What does the poem teach us?
We should help the old and needy instead of ignoring them. Kindness to others is a way of hoping that others will be kind to our own loved ones.
Exam tip
Learn the rhyme scheme (aabb) and one simile – poetry appreciation questions commonly ask for them.
This lesson introduces epics and tells the story of the Trojan War from the Greek epic The Iliad, believed to be composed by the blind poet Homer. The Greeks besieged Troy for ten years to bring back Helen. Finally, the cunning Odysseus planned the trick of the wooden horse, and Troy fell.
Key points
Epics are long poems about the deeds of national heroes or a great war. Indian epics: The Ramayana and The Mahabharata; Greek epics: The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Homer, a blind wandering poet who lived about 900 BCE, is honoured as the Father of European Poetry.
Troy (Ilium) was a rich trading city in Asia Minor – sea in front for trade, Mount Ida behind with rivers and fertile valleys. It had strong, broad walls.
Cause of the war: Paris, a Trojan prince, persuaded Helen, wife of the Greek king Menelaus, to elope with him. The Greeks attacked to take revenge.
The siege lasted ten years. Hector led Troy's defence for nine years and was killed by Achilles. Achilles was killed by a poisoned arrow in his heel; later Paris was also killed by a poisoned arrow.
Part II – the trick: Odysseus suggested building a huge wooden horse with the best fighters hidden inside. The Greeks burnt their tents and pretended to sail away.
One Greek was left behind. He told the Trojans a false tale: the horse was an offering to the sea-god, made too big to enter the gates so that luck would not pass to Troy.
A wise priest warned the Trojans, but they broke down part of their wall and dragged the horse in, then feasted and slept.
At night the Greek ships returned; the hidden heroes came out and opened the gates. Troy was burnt; King Priam and his sons were killed; Hector's wife, mother and sister were carried off as slaves.
Lesson: overconfidence and ignoring wise advice lead to disaster; cleverness can win where force fails.
Important terms
Epic – a long poem about heroes or a great war.
Siege – surrounding a city to capture it.
Elope – to run away secretly with someone.
Cunning – clever in a tricky way.
Superstitious – believing in luck and magic.
Language study
Clauses: a main clause makes sense alone; a dependent (subordinate) clause needs the main clause. E.g. "Epics are long poems (main) that relate the deeds of a hero (dependent)." Linking words: that, who, which, before, from which.
Antonyms from the passage: barren – fertile; cowardly – brave; peace – war; surrender – resist/fight; defenceless – protected.
Action and counter-action: Helen eloped with Paris → the Greeks declared war; Hector was killed by Achilles → Achilles was killed by a poisoned arrow.
5 important questions
Q1. Why is Homer honoured as the Father of European Poetry?
He is believed to have composed The Iliad and The Odyssey, the two great epics of European literature, and he sang them from place to place.
Q2. How did the location of Troy help it grow into a rich city?
The sea in front allowed trade by ships, and Mount Ida behind gave rivers and fertile valleys for corn and cattle. Its strong walls kept it safe.
Q3. What was the cause of the ten-year war?
Paris, a prince of Troy, persuaded Helen, wife of the Greek king Menelaus, to elope with him. The Greeks attacked Troy to take revenge.
Q4. How did the cunning Greek explain the wooden horse?
He said the Greeks had left it as an offering to the sea-god for a safe voyage, and had made it too big to enter the gates so that the Trojans would not get the good luck.
Q5. What reckless step did the Trojans take, and what was the result?
Ignoring their priest's warning, they broke down part of their wall to drag the horse in and then slept after feasting. At night the hidden Greeks came out, opened the gates, and Troy was burnt and destroyed.
Exam tip
Practise "name the following" and "correct the sentences" questions on the characters (Homer, Paris, Helen, Hector, Achilles, Odysseus).
"Autumn" is a translation by Prof. A. W. Ryder of a description of the autumn season by the great Sanskrit poet Kalidas. Autumn is pictured as a slim, graceful young maiden dressed in nature's beauty – rice stems, lilies, grass flowers, stars and moonlight – who will soon grow into a full woman.
Key points
Autumn comes like a maiden fair (beautiful young girl), slim and graceful.
She wears nodding rice-stems in her hair – in autumn the rice crop is ripe.
Her face has lilies – lotus/lily flowers bloom in autumn.
She is clad (dressed) in flowers of grasses.
As she moves, birds greet her with glad cooing, which sounds like the tinkling of bracelets.
At night, a diadem (crown) of countless stars adorns her; her silken robe is the white moonlight, now free from cloudy patches (the monsoon clouds have cleared).
The bright moon is her face, showing bewitching smiles.
She is a slender maid who will soon become a grown woman – autumn will mature into the next season.
In the Indian calendar autumn is Sharad ritu.
Theme: beauty of nature in autumn; nature personified as a woman.
Important terms
Maiden – a young unmarried girl.
Slender – slim.
Clad – dressed.
Diadem – a crown.
Multitudinous – very many, countless.
Bars (here) – patches (of cloud).
Bewitching – charming, attractive.
Language study
Personification: the whole poem personifies autumn as a young maiden.
Simile: "Birds greet her with their cooing glad / Like a bracelet's tinkling song."
Metaphor: "Her silken robe is white moonlight"; "A diadem ... of multitudinous stars"; "on her face (the radiant moon)".
Rhyme scheme: abab (fair/hair, grace/face).
Day images: rice stems, lilies, flowers of grasses, cooing birds. Night images: diadem of stars, robe of moonlight, smiling moon.
5 important questions
Q1. Why is Autumn called a "maiden fair"?
Autumn is fresh, beautiful and graceful like a young girl. The ripe rice, lilies and grass flowers make the season look like a lovely maiden.
Q2. What is the cooing of birds compared to?
It is compared to the tinkling song of bracelets.
Q3. How does Autumn dress up at night?
She wears a crown of countless stars and a silken robe of white moonlight, and her face is the radiant moon with bewitching smiles.
Q4. Why is the maiden Autumn said to wear rice stems in her hair?
In autumn the rice crop is ripe and its heavy ears nod in the breeze. The poet imagines them as decorations in the maiden's hair.
Q5. How can the tender maiden Autumn become a full-grown woman?
The season is just beginning and is gentle and young. As it advances, nature becomes richer and the season matures and passes into the next season, just as a girl grows into a woman.
Exam tip
Separate day images and night images in a table – a common workshop question.
"The Past in the Present" is a humorous skit. Neel, a teenager, does not want to make his bed. His mother reminds him of his ancestors, and one by one boys from the 1950s back to 3000 BCE appear with their mothers. Each boy had many more chores than Neel, yet each was told to make his bed. Neel realises that doing daily chores builds responsibility.
Key points
Scene: a messy teenage boy's room. Neel has put dishes in the dishwasher and wants to go out, but Mom asks him to clean his room and make his bed.
Neel's excuses: he cleaned the room only two days ago; the bed will get messed up again when he sleeps after lunch; it is getting late.
Mom says cleaning every day builds the right habits and attitude.
1950s boy (Grandpa): watered the garden, brought groceries, dusted the living room, cleaned his bicycle.
1910 boy: fetched water, swept the terrace, collected wood for the stove, cleaned the grinding stones; wanted to go to the riverside.
1800 boy: washed clothes at the river, chopped wood, fixed the fence, took goats to graze; wanted to play atya-patya.
1500 boy: milked cows, took them to graze, fetched vegetables, swept the yards; wanted to play Ashtapada.
1000 boy: watered crops through farm channels, cleared channels, pulled weeds, patched mud walls; wanted to watch a puppet show.
1st century CE boy: fed poultry, tended sheep, kept birds away with a sling, plastered the yard with dung; wanted to play Bagh-chal.
3000 BCE boy: hunted food, carved stone bricks, dusted leather clothes, moulded mud pots; wanted to play Chaupar.
Every mother says "Do it now", and every boy answers "Yes, mother."
Neel wishes for a robot; Mom says even that needs hard work – "Go and make your bed."
The skit covers about 5000 years; fourteen characters (seven boys and seven mothers) from Neel's lineage appear.
Message: daily chores inculcate a sense of responsibility; every generation has had duties.
Important terms
Skit – a short, usually funny, play.
Chores – routine household tasks.
Ancestor – a person from whom one is descended.
Abhorred – hated.
Curtain – marks the end of a play or scene.
Language study
Features of a play script: title, list of characters, scene, dialogues, stage directions (actions in brackets), props, costumes, climax, curtain.
Active and passive voice: "I put the dishes in the dishwasher." (active) → "The dishes have been put in the dishwasher." (passive). "I have watered the garden." → "The garden has been watered."
Ways of addressing a mother: Mama, Mummy, Mother dear, My dear mother, Most revered mother, Matadevi.
Devices with wheels in the play: bicycle and grinding stone.
5 important questions
Q1. What excuses did Neel give to avoid cleaning his room?
He said he had cleaned it only two days ago, that it was getting late, and that the bed would be messed up again when he slept after lunch.
Q2. Why does Mom tell Neel about his Grandpa?
To show him that his Grandpa, as a teenager, had many more and tougher chores, and still had to make his bed.
Q3. What chores did the boys from 1000 CE and the 1st century CE do on their farms?
The 1000 CE boy watered crops through channels, cleared blocked channels and pulled weeds. The 1st century boy fed poultry, tended sheep and kept birds away from the field with a sling.
Q4. Change into passive voice: "I have cleaned my bicycle."
"My bicycle has been cleaned (by me)."
Q5. What did Neel realise from his encounter with his ancestors?
He realised that teenage boys in every age had to do many chores both outdoors and at home, and that doing daily work builds good habits and responsibility.
Exam tip
Fill-in-the-table questions (period – chores – games – costume) are common; revise one detail for each ancestor.
"Silver" is a beautiful descriptive poem by Walter de la Mare. It describes a quiet, moonlit night. The moon walks slowly across the sky and turns everything – trees, fruit, windows, a sleeping dog, doves, a harvest mouse, fish and a stream – into silver.
Key points
The moon moves slowly and silently through the night, wearing "silver shoon" (silver shoes).
She peers this way and that and sees silver fruit upon silver trees.
The casements (windows) catch her beams one by one under the silvery thatch of the roofs.
A dog sleeps in his kennel like a log, with paws of silver.
White-breasted doves peep out from their shadowy cote, sleeping in silver feathers.
A harvest mouse scampers by with silver claws and silver eye – the only creature in motion.
Moveless fish gleam in the water by silver reeds in a silver stream.
Mood: calm, peaceful, magical and still.
Theme: the magical beauty of moonlight that changes the whole landscape; the same scene looks different at different times.
Important terms
Shoon – old word for shoes.
Peers – looks closely.
Casement – a window that opens on hinges.
Thatch – a roof of straw or dry leaves.
Couched – lying down.
Cote – a small shelter for birds.
Scampering – running quickly with small steps.
Moveless – still, motionless.
Language study
Personification: the moon is a lady who "walks the night", "peers and sees".
This lesson by Abha Bhagwat has two short reviews of art. The first introduces the abstract paintings of the famous Indian artist Sayed Haider Raza. The second describes Gond art, a tribal folk art of central India. Together they teach us how to "read" and appreciate a work of art.
Key points
S. H. Raza: a renowned Indian artist. Features of his paintings – simple geometric shapes, striking colour combinations, captivating compositions, and the colours blue and orange.
His paintings are in the abstract style – no lifelike human figures or copies of scenes. They come from the artist's own inner mind, arranging circles, triangles, squares, lines and dots.
He drew inspiration from Indian art, heritage, culture and philosophy. His paintings radiate peace and life at the same time.
Born in a small village in Madhya Pradesh; began painting at 12; studied at Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya, Nagpur, and J. J. School of Art, Mumbai; later studied and settled in France.
Honoured with all three Padma awards – Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan.
The 'bindu' (point) became the core of his paintings. He died on 23 July 2016 at the age of 94.
Gond art: a tribal art developed and preserved by the Gond people of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The Gondi language is similar to Telugu, a Dravidian language.
Originally drawn on the earthen walls of houses. Colours came from nature – soils, plant juice, leaves, bark, flowers, fruits, coal and cow-dung.
Outlines vary from artist to artist; designs filled with dots, straight lines, dotted lines, curves and circles make the pictures lively.
The author thinks the roots of folk art lie in women's daily chores – cleaning and decorating the house, using natural colours while cooking, and leisure activities.
Important terms
Abstract art – art that uses shapes and colours, not lifelike pictures.
Composition – the arrangement of parts in a painting.
Folk art – traditional art of ordinary people passed down through generations.
Canvas – the surface on which a picture is painted.
Legacy – something handed down from the past.
Language study
Colour idioms: out of the blue (unexpectedly); once in a blue moon (very rarely); black sheep (one who brings disgrace); green with envy (jealous); green fingers (good at gardening); red-handed (in the act); roll out the red carpet (special welcome); red herring (something that diverts attention); see red (become angry); blue blood (royal origin).
Clauses: adjective clause ("an artist who studied in France"), adverb clause, noun clause – note the linking words.
Review of a painting covers: creator, theme, type of art, style, techniques, effect on viewers, message.
5 important questions
Q1. What are the characteristic features of Raza's paintings?
Simple geometric shapes, striking colour combinations, captivating compositions and the frequent use of blue and orange.
Q2. Why are Raza's paintings called abstract?
They do not show lifelike human figures or scenes from the environment. They come from the artist's inner mind and are made by arranging shapes, lines and colours.
Q3. Write a short note on Raza's life and honours.
Born in a village in Madhya Pradesh, he studied art at Nagpur and Mumbai and later in France, where he settled. He won many awards, including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. He died on 23 July 2016, aged 94.
Q4. Write about the important features of Gond art.
It is a tribal art of the Gond people of central India, first drawn on earthen walls. Colours are made from natural things like soil, leaves, flowers and cow-dung. Pictures are filled with designs of dots, lines, curves and circles that make them lively.
Q5. Why does the author think the roots of folk art lie in women's chores?
Women cleaned and decorated their houses, handled natural colours while cooking and created designs in their leisure time. These daily activities gave rise to folk art.
Exam tip
Revise the colour idioms with meanings – vocabulary questions in the exam often come from them.
"The Road Not Taken" is a famous poem by Robert Frost. A traveller comes to a fork in a yellow wood and must choose one of two roads. He chooses the one that seems less travelled and says, years later, that this choice "has made all the difference." The poem is about making choices in life.
Key points
Stanza 1: Two roads diverge in a yellow (autumn) wood. The traveller is sorry he cannot travel both. He stands a long time and looks down one road as far as he can, to where it bends in the undergrowth.
Stanza 2: He takes the other road, just as fair, which perhaps had "the better claim" because it was grassy and wanted wear (needed to be used). Yet both had been worn about the same.
Stanza 3: Both roads were equally covered with fresh leaves that no foot had trodden black. He keeps the first road "for another day", but knowing how one way leads to another, he doubts he will ever come back.
Stanza 4: Ages later he will tell this "with a sigh": he took the road less travelled, and that has made all the difference.
The decision was not quick – he thought carefully.
Symbols: two roads – choice between two options; yellow wood – a stage of life (autumn, maturity); road less travelled – a rare, unusual choice; grassy road that wanted wear – a tempting option; "another day" – some other time.
Theme: choices shape our life; once made, we can rarely go back.
Important terms
Diverged – separated and went in different directions.
Undergrowth – bushes and plants growing under trees.
Wanted wear – needed to be used/walked on.
Trodden – walked on.
Hence – from now.
Language study
Rhyme scheme:abaab in every stanza (wood/stood/could; both/undergrowth).
Symbolism: the whole poem is symbolic – roads stand for life choices.
Inversion: "long I stood"; "Then took the other, as just as fair".
Exclamation: "Oh, I kept the first for another day!"
Repetition: "Two roads diverged" (first and last stanza).
5 important questions
Q1. Why does the poet feel sorry?
He feels sorry because he cannot travel both roads; being one person, he must choose only one.
Q2. Did the poet choose the road quickly? How do you know?
No. He "long I stood" and looked down one road as far as he could before deciding.
Q3. Why did the traveller choose the road less travelled? What quality does it show?
It was grassy and seemed to need use, and he wanted to try something different. It shows his adventurous, independent and thoughtful nature.
Q4. Why does the traveller doubt that he will ever come back?
He knows that one way leads on to another; once we move ahead in life, new paths open and we rarely get the chance to return to an old choice.
Q5. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? Give an example.
Each stanza has the rhyme scheme abaab. In stanza 1: wood (a), both (b), stood (a), could (a), undergrowth (b).
Exam tip
Learn the meaning of each symbol in the poem – "write the symbols that represent" is a regular workshop question.
This humorous story by Rudyard Kipling (adapted from his Just So Stories) imagines how the first "letter" was written in the Stone Age. Little Taffy draws a picture on birch-bark to ask her mother for her father's spare spear, but the picture is completely misunderstood – showing how difficult communication was before writing.
Key points
Characters and the meaning of their names:
Tegumai Bopsulai – "Man-who-does-not-put-his-foot-forward-in-a-hurry" – the Neolithic father.
Teshumai Tewindrow – "Lady-who-asks-a-very-many-questions" – the mother.
Taffimai Metallumai (Taffy) – "Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked" – the daughter.
The Stranger-man from the far-off Tewara tribe, who does not understand their language.
Tegumai and Taffy go to the Wagai river to spear carp-fish. Tegumai breaks his spear and sits down to mend it with his "mendy-bag".
Taffy wishes they could write to send a message for the new spear.
The Stranger-man arrives. Taffy wants him to fetch her father's black-handled spear, but he understands nothing. He thinks Taffy is a wonderful child and Tegumai a great, proud Chief.
He offers her birch-bark (to show his heart is pure); Taffy thinks he wants Mummy's address. She borrows his "magic" shark's tooth and scratches a picture: Daddy with a broken spear, the spear he wants, the beaver-swamp, the Cave and Mummy with raised hands.
The Stranger-man thinks the picture shows the Chief surrounded by enemies and runs to bring help.
At the Cave, Teshumai sees the picture and thinks the stranger has stuck Tegumai full of spears. The Neolithic ladies knock him down and sit on him in a line of six while Teshumai pulls his hair.
Humour comes from misunderstanding, the funny names and the storyteller's style.
Theme: the importance of a common language and writing for clear communication.
Important terms
Neolithic – of the later Stone Age.
Swamp – marshy land.
A pretty kettle of fish – a messy situation.
Hank – a loosely tied bundle of strings.
Slain – killed.
Brambles – wild prickly bushes.
Haughty – proud.
Language study
Informal, oral style: the author speaks directly to the listener – "O Best Beloved", "Now attend and listen!", "did you know he was a Tewara?"
Punctuation: the story uses single inverted commas for speech. In double quotation marks: "Here's a pretty kettle of fish!" said Tegumai.
Word game: make 5–8 letter words from TESHUMAI TEWINDROW (e.g. "throw", "wisdom", "outside").
5 important questions
Q1. Why did Tegumai need a new spear?
His wooden spear with shark's teeth broke when he jabbed it too hard on the river bottom, and he had not brought an extra one.
Q2. Why did the Stranger-man offer Taffy a piece of birch-bark?
He wanted to show that his heart was as white as the birch-bark and that he meant no harm.
Q3. How do the characters live up to their names?
Tegumai calmly sits to mend his spear instead of hurrying; Teshumai immediately asks questions and jumps to conclusions; Taffy is bossy and stamps her foot at the stranger, showing she has few manners.
Q4. What did the Stranger-man think the picture meant?
He thought the great Chief was surrounded by enemies with spears and needed help from his tribe, so he raced off to fetch help.
Q5. What terrible message did Taffy's drawing convey to her mother?
Teshumai thought the stranger had stuck Tegumai full of spears, broken his arm and frightened Taffy, and then brought a picture of how it was done. So the ladies attacked the stranger.
Exam tip
Practise a character sketch of the Stranger-man (innocent, polite, jumps to wrong conclusions) – it is a common long-answer question.
"Please Listen!" is a poem by an unknown author, written in free verse. The speaker, probably a teenager, asks a loved one (perhaps a parent) simply to listen – not to give advice, argue or rush to solve the problem. The speaker can solve his or her own problems once someone patiently listens.
Key points
When the speaker asks to be heard, the listener instead gives advice, says why the speaker should not feel that way (trampling on feelings), or tries to solve the problem – all of which fail the speaker.
"All I ask is that you listen. Don't talk or do – just hear me."
Advice is cheap: for 20 cents one can read advice columns ("Dear Abby" and Billy Graham) in the same newspaper.
The speaker is not helpless – maybe discouraged and faltering, but able to manage.
Doing things for someone that they can and need to do themselves increases their fear and inadequacy.
When the listener accepts the speaker's feelings as a simple fact, however irrational, the speaker can stop explaining and start understanding what is behind the feeling; then the answers become obvious.
Prayer works for some people because God is mute – he does not give advice or try to fix things; he just listens and lets you work it out.
The speaker ends fairly: "if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn – and I will listen to you."
Theme: the value of listening, empathy, and self-help; seniors should not over-protect juniors.
Free verse: no rhyme, no steady rhythm, lines and stanzas of unequal length ("Invictus" is traditional poetry; "Please Listen" is free verse).
Colloquial (conversational) style: "you have not done what I asked", "Advice is cheap", "Listen!", "just hear me", "wait a minute for your turn".
Hear vs listen: to hear is to receive sound; to listen is to pay attention and understand.
Dos: please listen; just hear me; accept as a simple fact; wait a minute. Don'ts: give me advice; tell me why; solve my problem; contribute to my fear.
Proverbs: "Self-help is the best help." "God helps those who help themselves."
5 important questions
Q1. What does the listener do when the poet asks him to just listen? Give three points.
He starts giving advice, tells the poet why he should not feel that way, and tries to do something to solve the problem.
Q2. Why does the poet remark that advice is cheap?
Advice is easily available; for just 20 cents one can read advice columns in a newspaper. What is rare is someone who truly listens.
Q3. Which facts show that the poet is confident of overcoming his irrational feeling?
He says, "I can do for myself; I am not helpless," and that once his feeling is accepted and understood, "the answers are obvious and I don't need advice."
Q4. According to the poet, how does God help people when they pray?
God is silent; he does not give advice or try to fix things. He just listens and lets people work out their problems for themselves.
Q5. Why should seniors not over-protect or over-pamper juniors?
If seniors do everything for juniors, the juniors feel afraid and inadequate and do not learn to solve problems. Allowing them to face difficulties builds confidence and independence.
Exam tip
Learn the features that make this poem free verse and compare it with "Invictus" in a Yes/No table.
"The Storyteller" is a witty short story by H. H. Munro (Saki). On a hot train journey, an aunt fails to keep three restless children quiet with a dull moral story. A bachelor in the compartment then tells them an unusual story about a "horribly good" girl named Bertha who is eaten by a wolf. The children love it, and the aunt is shocked.
Key points
Setting: a hot, sultry railway carriage; the next stop, Templecombe, is nearly an hour away.
Characters: the aunt; two small girls and a small boy, Cyril; a bachelor who is a stranger.
The aunt's remarks mostly begin with "Don't"; the children's with "Why?" Cyril smacks the cushions and asks why sheep are moved to another field – the aunt cannot answer properly.
The smaller girl repeats the first line of "On the Road to Mandalay" again and again.
The aunt tells a boring story about a good girl saved from a mad bull because of her goodness. The children call it stupid.
The bachelor says the aunt is not a success as a storyteller; she challenges him to tell one.
Bertha was "horribly good" and won three medals – for obedience, punctuality and good behaviour – which clinked as she walked.
The Prince allowed her to walk in his park as a reward. There were no flowers (the pigs had eaten them) and no sheep.
A wolf came. Bertha hid in the myrtle bushes, but her medals clinked; the wolf found her and ate her – leaving only her shoes, bits of clothing and the three medals.
The children call it "the most beautiful story". The aunt calls it "most improper" and says he has undermined years of careful teaching.
The bachelor replies that he kept them quiet for ten minutes, which she could not do.
Theme: children like imaginative, unpredictable stories rather than preachy ones; satire on dull moral teaching.
Types of stories: anecdote – short amusing account; fable – moral story with animals; parable – religious message; legend – historical base; satire – ridicules vices and folly; farce – exaggerated comedy.
Irony: Bertha's goodness (the clinking medals) causes her death.
Verb forms in narration: "One night a man had a dream. He dreamt that he was walking along the beach."
5 important questions
Q1. Why did the aunt have to use the word "Don't" so often?
The children were restless and mischievous – Cyril was smacking the cushions and raising dust – so she kept stopping them.
Q2. For which three things did Bertha win medals?
For obedience, punctuality and good behaviour.
Q3. How did the children show their disapproval of the aunt's story?
They kept interrupting with questions; the bigger girl called it the stupidest story she had ever heard, Cyril said he stopped listening after the first bit, and the smaller girl went back to murmuring her favourite line.
Q4. What gave Bertha away and how did she meet her end?
While she hid in the myrtle bushes, her three medals clinked against one another. The wolf heard the sound, dragged her out and ate her, leaving only her shoes, bits of clothing and the medals.
Q5. Why was the aunt annoyed with the bachelor?
His story showed a good girl being eaten, which went against the moral lessons she had taught the children. She felt he had undermined years of careful teaching and called it improper.
Exam tip
Be ready to compare the aunt's story and the bachelor's story – a favourite long-answer question.
"Intellectual Rubbish" is an essay by the philosopher Bertrand Russell. He shows how people hold foolish opinions without evidence and gives simple rules to avoid silly errors – observe for yourself, notice your anger, learn other points of view, distrust opinions that flatter you, and be aware of fear.
Key points
No superhuman genius is needed to avoid foolish opinions; a few simple rules keep us from silly error.
Rule 1 – Observe for yourself. Aristotle wrongly thought women have fewer teeth than men; he could have counted Mrs Aristotle's teeth. "Thinking that you know when in fact you don't is a fatal mistake."
Russell believes hedgehogs eat black beetles only because he was told so; he would not write it in a book without seeing it.
Rule 2 – Notice your anger. If an opposite opinion makes you angry, you probably have no good reason for your own belief. We feel pity, not anger, at someone who says 2 + 2 = 5. The most savage arguments are about things with no good evidence either way.
Rule 3 – Know other views. Living abroad (France, Germany, Italy, USA) reduced Russell's insular prejudice. If you cannot travel, meet people who disagree and read a newspaper of another party. If they seem mad to you, remember you seem so to them.
Foreign customs do not always help: Chinese and Manchus each adopted the other's foolish custom (small feet / pigtails) until the revolution of 1911.
Rule 4 – Imagine an argument with someone of a different bias (e.g. what Gandhi, who deplored machinery, might say). This made Russell less dogmatic and cocksure.
Rule 5 – Beware of opinions that flatter self-esteem: each sex thinks it is superior; each nation thinks it is the best. Man himself is only "a brief episode in the life of a small planet".
Fear is another source of error – it creates rumours, ghosts, and comforting beliefs.
Humorous examples: a letter from "the god Osiris" with a phone number; the prophetess who said she would walk on water, then said, since everyone believed it, "there is no need for me to do so."
Important terms
Dogmatism – insisting on one's opinion without evidence.
Insular – narrow-minded, not interested in foreign ideas.
Perverse – stubbornly wrong.
Refutation – proof that something is wrong.
Hypothetical – based on an assumption.
Talisman – an object believed to bring good luck.
Incantation – magical words chanted.
Language study
Oxymoron: two contrasting words together – act naturally, liquid gas, open secret, sound of silence, sweet sorrow, original copy, growing smaller. E.g. "a genuine imitation", "a working holiday", "pretty ugly", "a small crowd", "a fine mess".
Essay style: argument supported by examples, humour and irony.
Phrases: "savage controversies", "insular prejudice", "general human conceit".
5 important questions
Q1. What erroneous notion did Aristotle have? What does it teach us?
He thought women have fewer teeth than men. He could have checked by counting. It teaches us to test by observation whatever can be observed, instead of thinking we already know.
Q2. How can we make ourselves aware of our own bias?
If an opinion opposite to ours makes us angry, it is a sign that we have no good reason for our belief and should examine it.
Q3. How can we get rid of dogmatism, according to Russell?
By becoming aware of opinions held in other social circles – travelling, meeting people who disagree, reading newspapers of other parties – and by imagining arguments with people of a different bias.
Q4. What examples does the writer give of opinions that flatter self-esteem?
Men and women each believe their own sex is superior, and every nation believes it is better than all others, adjusting values to stress its own merits.
Q5. How did the prophetess befool her believers?
She announced she would walk on water. When thousands gathered and all said they believed she could, she said there was no need to do it, and they went home satisfied.
Exam tip
Learn the five rules with one example each, and practise forming oxymorons – both appear in the exam.
"My Financial Career" is a famous humorous story by Stephen Leacock. The narrator gets so nervous in a bank that every step of opening his first account goes wrong. In the end he withdraws all his money and decides never to use a bank again, keeping his money in his pocket and his savings in a sock.
Key points
Banks rattle (make nervous) the narrator – the clerks, the wickets, the sight of money.
His salary is raised to fifty dollars a month, so he decides to open an account with fifty-six dollars.
He thinks he must consult the manager and asks the accountant, "Can I see the manager? ... Alone." The word "alone" makes it sound mysterious.
The alarmed manager takes him to a private room and locks it, thinking he is a detective from Pinkerton's.
When the narrator says he wants to open an account, the manager thinks he is a very rich man (like a son of Baron Rothschild or a young Gould) with a large account.
On hearing "fifty-six dollars", the manager coldly calls the accountant loudly. The narrator nervously walks into the safe instead of the door.
He pushes the crumpled money at the clerk like a conjuring trick and deposits it.
He wants to draw out six dollars, but writes fifty-six on the cheque.
Too embarrassed to explain, he withdraws the whole amount, pretending to be a quick-tempered man who has been insulted.
Asked how he wants the money, he says "In fifties" and then "in sixes".
He rushes out amid laughter and decides to keep his money in his trouser pocket and his savings in silver dollars in a sock.
Theme: humour arising from nervousness, embarrassment and lack of confidence.
Important terms
Rattled – made nervous.
Jay – a person who talks foolishly.
Sepulchral – gloomy, sorrowful (voice).
Shambled – walked awkwardly.
Convulsive – sudden and jerky.
Wicket – a small window or counter in a bank.
Language study
Humour devices: exaggeration ("I become an irresponsible idiot"), irony and situational comedy (walking into the safe).
Modern deposit methods: online transfer, mobile banking, UPI, ATM/cash deposit machines.
Paying-in slip: date, branch, account number, amount in figures and words, signature.
5 important questions
Q1. What makes the narrator nervous at a bank?
The clerks, the wickets, the sight of money – everything in the bank rattles him, and he becomes an "irresponsible idiot".
Q2. Which word should he have avoided in his request to see the manager? Why?
The word "alone". It made his request sound secret and mysterious, so the manager became alarmed.
Q3. Who did the manager think his visitor was?
First he thought he was a detective from Pinkerton's; then he thought he was a very rich man, like a son of Baron Rothschild or a young Gould, opening a large account.
Q4. What error did the author make in the cheque? Did he correct it?
He wanted to draw six dollars but wrote fifty-six. He did not correct it; out of embarrassment he withdrew all his money and pretended to be angry.
Q5. Where does the narrator keep his money after this experience?
He keeps his money in cash in his trouser pocket and his savings in silver dollars in a sock, and never goes to a bank again.
Exam tip
List the narrator's three funny mistakes (saying "alone", walking into the safe, writing fifty-six) – they answer most questions on this lesson.
"Tansen" is a narrative poem by Hazrat Inayat Khan. It tells how the great singer Tansen of Akbar's court took the Emperor, dressed as a poor slave, to meet his divine Teacher (Ostad) in a Himalayan cave. The Teacher's song filled Akbar with heavenly joy. Tansen explains the difference: he sings to the king, but his Teacher sings to God.
Key points
Tansen won great fame in Akbar's court. His voice rang like silver bells. Akbar praised him, gave him gems and called him the chief jewel in his diadem (one of the "nine gems").
When Tansen sang the Deepak Raga (song of fire), his body burst into flames. A maiden sang the Malhar Raga (song of cold water) and cured him.
Akbar said Tansen's Teacher must be mighty and divine. Tansen said his Teacher lives far from the world's ignoble crowd, scorning wealth, in a cave in the Himalayas.
Akbar wished to see him and was ready to give up his state and walk in robes of poverty.
Tansen said the Teacher disdains to sing to earthly kings, so Akbar must come as a poor slave.
After a long journey they knelt humbly before the Teacher and prayed, "O Holy Master, bless us with thy song!"
Won by their humility, Ostad sang the Malkous Raga; birds and beasts gathered, enchanted, and Akbar felt waves of heavenly rapture.
Before Akbar could praise him, Ostad had vanished.
Akbar asked Tansen if he could sing the same theme. Tansen replied: "Ah no, to thee I sing; he sings to God."
Message: true art is devotion to God, not to wealth or kings; humility is needed to receive divine art.
Important terms
Renown – fame.
Diadem – crown.
Pyre – a pile of wood for burning a dead body.
Ignoble – not noble, unworthy.
Celestial – heavenly.
Disdains – looks down upon, refuses as unworthy.
Supplication – humble request.
Felicity – great happiness.
Language study
Archaic words and modern equivalents: thy – your; thine – yours; thee – you; 'twere – it would be; lo – look; o'er – over; Himalay – Himalaya; Ostad – teacher (ustad).
Simile: "His voice rang like the sound of silver bells"; "burning like a pyre".
Metaphor: Tansen as the "chief jewel in his diadem".
Narrative poem: tells a story with characters and events.
5 important questions
Q1. How did Akbar reward Tansen for his singing?
He praised him, gave him many gems and called him the chief jewel in his diadem.
Q2. What happened when Tansen sang the Deepak Raga, and how was he cured?
His body burst into flames like a burning pyre. A maiden sang the cooling Malhar Raga until his health returned.
Q3. Why did Akbar change his kingly attire?
Tansen's Teacher disdained to sing to earthly kings, so Akbar went dressed as a poor slave to show humility and be allowed to hear him.
Q4. What was the magical effect of Ostad's Malkous Raga?
Birds and beasts gathered, enchanted, and Akbar's soul was filled with waves of heavenly rapture, as if in a dream.
Q5. Why did Tansen's singing not produce the same effect as Ostad's?
Tansen sang to please an earthly king, while Ostad sang only to God. His music was pure devotion, so it had a divine power that Tansen's could not match.
Exam tip
Practise "who said it, to whom and when" for the five quoted lines – it is a standard workshop question.