English (Kumarbharati) इंग्रजी कुमारभारती

Quick summary

"Where the Mind is Without Fear" is a poem-prayer by Rabindranath Tagore from his Nobel Prize-winning collection "Gitanjali". Written when India was under British rule, it is a prayer to God (the Father) to awaken India into a "heaven of freedom" — not only political freedom, but freedom from fear, ignorance, narrow-mindedness and blind customs.

Key points

• Poet: Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913).
• The poem was first written in Bengali and translated into English by Tagore himself.
• The whole poem is one long prayer addressed to God ("Thee", "my Father").
• The poet wishes for a nation where people are fearless and live with self-respect ("the head is held high").
• Knowledge should be free and available to all.
• The world should not be divided by "narrow domestic walls" — caste, religion, class, colour.
• People should speak the truth, from the depth of their hearts.
• People should work tirelessly towards perfection.
• Clear reasoning should not be lost in the "dreary desert sand of dead habit" (harmful old customs).
• God should lead minds towards ever-widening thought and action.
• The prayer is for India, but its message applies to the whole world.

Important terms

• Narrow domestic walls – divisions of caste, religion, class and colour.
• Tireless striving – continuous effort and struggle.
• Dead habit – harmful old traditions and rituals.
• Ever-widening – always broadening one's outlook.
• Heaven of freedom – complete freedom of good thoughts, words and deeds.

Language study

• Form: a prayer poem in free verse (no regular rhyme scheme).
• Repetition / Anaphora: "Where" is repeated at the beginning of lines to stress the poet's dream.
• Metaphor: "clear stream of reason" (reason compared to a clear stream); "dreary desert sand of dead habit" (old habits compared to a dry desert).
• Personification: "tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection".
• Alliteration: "dreary desert", "dead habit".
• Apostrophe: addressing God directly as "Thee" and "my Father".

5 important questions

Q1. Who is "Thee" in the poem? What does the poet appeal to Thee to do?

"Thee" is God, the Almighty Father. The poet prays to God to lead the minds of his countrymen to ever-widening thought and action, and to awaken his country into a heaven of freedom.

Q2. How is the world broken into fragments?

The world is divided by narrow domestic walls — differences of caste, religion, language, class, colour and nationality. These divisions break humanity into small groups.

Q3. Explain: "Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit."

Reason is like a clear flowing stream. The poet hopes that it does not get lost and dry up in the desert of old, meaningless customs and superstitions.

Q4. Is the poem a prayer for India alone? Justify.

No. Though Tagore names "my country", the values he asks for — fearlessness, free knowledge, truth, unity and reason — are needed by every nation. So it is a prayer for all humanity.

Q5. What is the effect of repeating "Where" at the beginning of each line?

It creates rhythm and emphasis. It builds up a picture of the ideal nation, point by point, and makes the prayer powerful and memorable.

Exam tip

For poetic appreciation, write: title, poet, theme, figures of speech with examples, and why you like the poem. Learn at least three figures of speech with the exact lines.

Quick summary

"The Thief's Story" by Ruskin Bond is told by a 15-year-old thief who calls himself Hari Singh. He wins the trust of Anil, a kind writer, and works for him. One night he steals Anil's money but cannot run away. He returns the money, and Anil's quiet trust changes him. The story shows how kindness and education can reform a person.

Key points

• Author: Ruskin Bond, Indian author of British descent; Sahitya Akademi Award (1992), Padmashri (1999), Padmabhushan (2014).
• The narrator, a 15-year-old experienced thief, meets Anil (about 25) at a wrestling match and flatters him.
• He uses a false name, "Hari Singh", and changes his name every month to escape the police and former employers.
• Anil agrees to feed him if he can cook. His first meal is so bad that Anil gives it to a stray dog, but he teaches Hari to cook, write his name and add numbers.
• Hari cheats a little on shopping (about a rupee a day); Anil knows but does not mind.
• Anil earns irregularly ("by fits and starts") by writing for magazines. One night he puts money from selling a book under his mattress.
• Hari feels it is hard to rob a trusting man. Still, he steals 600 rupees in fifty-rupee notes, planning to catch the 10.30 Express to Lucknow.
• At the station he hesitates and misses the train. Sitting in the rain, he realises that learning to read and write could make him a big man, more than stealing.
• He returns and puts the wet notes back under the mattress.
• Next morning Anil gives him a fifty-rupee note (still damp) and says they will start writing sentences. Hari understands Anil knew, and is moved by his forgiveness.

Important terms

• Flattery – insincere praise.
• By fits and starts – irregularly, in short bursts.
• Unlined – (of a face) showing no worry.
• Queer – strange, odd.
• Appealing – attractive, catching attention.

Language study

• The story is told in the first person ("I" = the thief).
• Simile: "I could live like an oil-rich Arab for a week or two."
• Personification: "A beam of moonlight stepped over the balcony."
• Useful phrases: get into someone's confidence, by fits and starts, take one's time, out of practice.
• Character contrast: the thief is cunning but intelligent; Anil is trusting, kind and generous.

5 important questions

Q1. Why did the narrator change his name every month?

He was a thief. Changing his name every month helped him stay ahead of the police and the people he had worked for and robbed.

Q2. What favours did Anil do for the narrator?

He gave him food and a place to sleep, taught him to cook, to write his name and to add numbers, and gave him a key to the room. He trusted him completely.

Q3. Why did the thief find it difficult to rob Anil?

Anil was the most trusting person he had met. The thief felt it was easy to rob a greedy man but hard to rob a careless, trusting man, who might not even notice the theft.

Q4. Why did Hari return the money?

At the station he realised that if he learnt to read and write from Anil, he could become a respected, educated man and achieve much more. Losing that chance was worse than losing the money.

Q5. How did Hari know that Anil had discovered the theft?

The fifty-rupee note Anil gave him the next morning was still wet from the rain. Hari understood that Anil knew about the theft but had silently forgiven him.

Exam tip

Character sketches of Anil and Hari are common. Give 3–4 qualities each, with one incident from the story to prove each quality.

Quick summary

"On Wings of Courage" is a biographical account of Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, a war hero who led the young Indian Air Force (IAF) in the 1965 Indo-Pak war. It traces his career from a young pilot to India's only Five Star rank officer in the Air Force, and highlights his courage, leadership and dedication.

Key points

• Arjan Singh was born on 15 April 1919 at Lyalpur (now Faisalabad, Pakistan) and studied at Montgomery (now Sahiwal, Pakistan).
• In 1938, at 19, he was selected for the Empire Pilot training course at RAF Cranwell.
• His first assignment was flying Westland Wapiti biplanes in the North-Western Frontier Province with No. 1 RIAF Squadron.
• He became Squadron Leader in 1944 and led a squadron against the Japanese in the Arakan Campaign; he got the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) — the first Indian pilot to receive it.
• On 15 August 1947 he led a fly-past of over a hundred IAF aircraft over the Red Fort, Delhi.
• He had the longest tenure as AOC of an operational base (1949–1952 and 1957–1961).
• On 1 August 1964 he took charge of the IAF as Air Marshal (Chief of the Air Staff).
• He flew more than 60 types of aircraft and was the first Air Chief to keep his flying currency till his CAS rank.
• In the 1965 war (Pakistan's "Operation Grand Slam" towards Akhnoor) he led the IAF with courage and skill. He received the Padma Vibhushan and became the first Air Chief Marshal of the IAF.
• He retired in August 1969, became Ambassador to Switzerland, and was Lieutenant Governor of Delhi (1989–1990).
• In January 2002 he was given the rank of Marshal of the Air Force — the first and only Five Star officer of the IAF. (Field Marshals Manekshaw and Cariappa were the Army's only Five Star officers.)

Important terms

• Potent – powerful and effective.
• Epitome – a perfect example.
• Assiduously – with hard work and careful attention.
• Astute – sharp and intelligent.
• Flying currency – up-to-date skills and experience of flying.
• Took over reins – took control.

Language study

• Homophones: words that sound the same but differ in meaning and spelling — wear/ware, here/hear, there/their, cell/sell.
• Homographs: same spelling, different meanings — bear (animal / tolerate), bat, fine, fair.
• Useful phrases: play a major role, in recognition of, gear up, a brief stint, be the epitome of.
• The text is a biography written in the third person, in chronological order.

5 important questions

Q1. Why is Arjan Singh considered an outstanding military personality?

He successfully led the IAF in the 1965 war, transformed it into one of the most powerful air forces, flew over 60 types of aircraft, and became the only Five Star rank officer of the IAF.

Q2. What enabled Arjan Singh to win the DFC award?

In 1944 he successfully led his squadron against the Japanese in the Arakan Campaign and flew close air support missions during the Imphal Campaign. For this feat he got the DFC on the spot.

Q3. What uphill task did he face when he became Air Marshal in 1964?

The IAF was still rebuilding itself and preparing to meet new challenges. Within a year it had to fight the 1965 war against a Pakistan Air Force that was better equipped.

Q4. What positions did Arjan Singh hold after retirement?

He was India's Ambassador to Switzerland and Lieutenant Governor of Delhi from December 1989 to December 1990.

Q5. Write any four qualities of Arjan Singh.

He was brave and fearless, a man of few words, an able and firm leader, and dedicated — he remained a flyer till the end of his tenure, visiting forward bases and flying with squadrons.

Exam tip

Prepare a fact file (birth, education, posts, awards, retirement) and a flow chart of his promotions — both are common activities.

Quick summary

"All the World's a Stage" is a famous speech-poem from William Shakespeare's play "As You Like It". The poet compares the world to a stage and human beings to actors. Every person plays seven roles in his life — the "seven ages of man" — from a helpless infant to a helpless, forgetful old man.

Key points

• Poet: William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and playwright, called the "Bard of Avon".
• Central idea: life is a drama; birth is the "entrance" and death is the "exit".
• Age 1 – the infant: crying ("mewling") and vomiting ("puking") in the nurse's arms.
• Age 2 – the schoolboy: whining, with a satchel and shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school.
• Age 3 – the lover: sighing like a furnace and writing sad songs about his beloved's eyebrow.
• Age 4 – the soldier: swearing strange oaths, bearded like a leopard ("pard"), quick to quarrel, seeking fame ("bubble reputation") even in the cannon's mouth.
• Age 5 – the justice: fat round belly, severe eyes, formal beard, full of wise sayings and modern examples.
• Age 6 – the lean old man (pantaloon) in slippers, with spectacles and a pouch; his old trousers are too wide for his thin legs; his deep voice turns childish and squeaky.
• Age 7 – second childhood and oblivion: "Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."
• The poem moves from helplessness to helplessness — life comes full circle.

Important terms

• Players – actors.
• Mewling – crying weakly.
• Satchel – school bag.
• Pard – leopard.
• Saws – wise sayings.
• Pantaloon – a foolish old man (character in old comedy).
• Shank – leg (knee to ankle).
• Oblivion – loss of memory/awareness.
• Sans – without.

Language study

• Metaphor: "All the world's a stage" (world compared to a stage); "bubble reputation" (fame compared to a bubble — short-lived).
• Simile: "creeping like snail"; "sighing like furnace"; "bearded like the pard".
• Repetition: "sans" in the last line.
• Hyperbole: "a world too wide for his shrunk shank".
• Imagery: the whining schoolboy with "shining morning face"; the justice with "fair round belly".
• Form: blank verse (unrhymed lines with a regular beat).

5 important questions

Q1. What do "exits" and "entrances" refer to?

"Entrances" refer to births and "exits" refer to deaths. Like actors, people enter the stage of life and leave it.

Q2. Why is reputation compared to a bubble?

A bubble is beautiful but bursts in a moment. Fame and reputation are also short-lived and can disappear quickly, yet the soldier risks his life for them.

Q3. What is the major difference between the 5th and 6th stages of life?

In the 5th stage the justice is well-fed, healthy, serious and wise. In the 6th stage he becomes lean and weak, wears slippers and spectacles, his clothes are too loose and his voice becomes thin and squeaky.

Q4. Why is the last stage called "second childishness"?

In old age a person loses teeth, eyesight, taste and memory, and becomes helpless and dependent on others, just like a baby. So it is like a second childhood.

Q5. Write the figure of speech: "Then the whining schoolboy... creeping like snail unwillingly to school."

Simile — the schoolboy's slow, unwilling walk is compared to the movement of a snail.

Exam tip

Learn the seven ages in order with one key action each — "complete the table" questions on the ages of man are very common.

Quick summary

This lesson is an extract from George Bernard Shaw's play "Saint Joan". It is 1429, during the Hundred Years War between England and France. Joan, a 17-year-old peasant girl, confidently asks Captain Robert de Baudricourt for a horse, armour and soldiers so that she can go to the Dauphin and free Orleans. Her faith and courage inspire the soldiers, and finally Robert agrees.

Key points

• Playwright: George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), Irish dramatist; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1925.
• The Hundred Years War between England and France lasted from 1337 to 1453.
• Setting: 1429; most of northern France was controlled by the English and the Burgundians; Orleans was under siege.
• Robert had ordered his steward to throw Joan out, but the soldiers were afraid of Robert, not of Joan; she gave them courage.
• Joan asks for a horse, armour and a few soldiers to go to the Dauphin at Chinon. She says a horse costs sixteen francs and she can save money by wearing a soldier's armour.
• Poulengey (Polly), Jack (de Metz) and others have already offered to go with her.
• Poulengey tells Robert that only a miracle can save France now, and that "the girl herself is a bit of a miracle".
• Joan says French soldiers lose because they fight only to save their skins; she will teach them to fight for France.
• Robert finally orders that she go to Chinon under Poulengey's escort and allows her a soldier's dress, saying "I wash my hands off it."
• Joan's qualities: confidence, courage, optimism, determination, faith in God and patriotism.

Important terms

• Squire – a man of high rank (Robert).
• Dauphin – the eldest son of the King of France, the heir.
• Armour – metal or leather covering worn by soldiers.
• Cowed – frightened.
• Raising a siege – removing enemy forces surrounding a place.
• Wash one's hands off – refuse to take responsibility.

Language study

• Phrasal verbs: verb + adverb/preposition with a new meaning — call off (cancel), look into (investigate), look forward to, break out, break into, carry on, carry out.
• Comparisons from the play: raising a siege "as easy as chasing a cow out of a meadow"; Poulengey is "as mad as she is"; the Dauphin in Chinon is "like a rat in a corner"; the enemy will be driven "like sheep".
• The play uses stage directions in brackets, e.g. (grimly), (radiant, clasping her hands).

5 important questions

Q1. Why did Joan want to meet Captain Robert?

She wanted a horse, armour and some soldiers so that she could go to the Dauphin at Chinon and then free Orleans from the English.

Q2. Why did Joan not ask for many soldiers?

She believed the Dauphin would give her all she needed to free Orleans. Three men would be enough to escort her, and Polly and Jack had already promised to come.

Q3. Why were French soldiers always beaten, according to Joan?

They fought only to save their own skins, and the easiest way to save one's skin is to run away. She wanted to teach them to fight for France.

Q4. What made Robert finally agree to the plan?

Poulengey was sure about Joan and said only a miracle could save France. Robert felt that even if her ideas were nonsense, they might inspire the troops and even the Dauphin.

Q5. Write a short character sketch of Joan.

Joan is a strong, confident country girl of 17–18. She is fearless before the squire, optimistic, practical (she plans the cost of the horse), deeply religious ("if God is on your side") and patriotic. Her words put fire into others.

Exam tip

Character-sketch questions are common — support each quality of Joan with a line from the play.

Quick summary

"The Alchemy of Nature" by Raksha Bharadia is a short reflective prose piece. Starting with William Blake's famous lines "To see a world in a grain of sand...", the writer shows how simple things in nature — a hibiscus flower, water and rock, grass, a bare tree, ants, an oyster — teach us valuable lessons for life. Nature's "alchemy" can turn ordinary people into gold.

Key points

• Blake's lines mean that small things can show us huge truths, and a short time can make a difference forever. Great deeds go beyond time and space.
• We turn to nature to relax; nature soothes, nurtures, fulfils, motivates, whispers and commands.
• The hibiscus blooms for just one day but lives in full splendour — we should live our life, however short, to the fullest.
• Gentle water shapes hard rock over years — persistence can solve even huge problems.
• Grass peeping through cracks in a concrete pavement — there is always an opening, nothing is impossible.
• A bare tree in winter becomes green again in spring — hard times do not last forever ("this too shall pass").
• An army of ants carries a fly ten times their size — teamwork and perseverance.
• Spider webs are delicate yet strong; an oyster turns a grain of sand into a pearl.
• Water changes its form without ego — be humble and adjust.
• A caterpillar turning into a butterfly and a flower into a fruit show the magic (alchemy) of nature.

Important terms

• Alchemy – an ancient forerunner of chemistry that tried to turn base metals into gold; here, a magical change.
• Awe – great wonder.
• Wilting – drying and drooping.
• Colossal – huge.
• Conviction – firm belief.
• Lugging – pulling with great difficulty.
• Perseverance – constant effort in spite of obstacles.
• Unhindered – without disturbance.

Language study

• The writer uses rhetorical questions: "Are you listening?", "What if we too lived our life... to its fullest?" — they make the reader think.
• Personification: the hibiscus "smiles with the sun and dances with the wind"; nature "whispers and commands".
• Contrast: gentle water vs hard rock.
• The piece moves from an observation in nature to a lesson for life — a useful pattern for your own writing.

5 important questions

Q1. How does the hibiscus flower make the most of its short life span?

It blooms big, bright and tender, smiles with the sun and dances with the wind all day. Though it lives for only a day, it lives in full splendour.

Q2. Who is stronger — water or rock? Justify.

Water is stronger. Though gentle, it flows over the rock every day for years until the rock gives in and takes the shape the water commands. Persistence wins over hardness.

Q3. What teaches us that hard times do not last forever?

A tree that stands bare in winter becomes full of leaves, flowers and birds again in spring. Similarly, our difficult times will pass.

Q4. What can we learn from an oyster turning a grain of sand into a pearl?

We can turn an irritating problem into something precious through patience and effort.

Q5. What things in nature teach us "many hands make work light" and "nothing is impossible"?

Ants working together to carry a big fly teach teamwork. Grass growing through cracks in a concrete pavement teaches that nothing is impossible.

Exam tip

Make a table: part of nature — feature — value learnt. Such tables and "what does it teach us" questions are frequently asked.

Quick summary

"Animals" is a poem by the American poet Walt Whitman, taken from his long poem "Song of Myself". The poet says he could turn and live with animals because they are calm, content and honest, while humans are complicated, greedy and false. Animals still have the virtues that humans have lost.

Key points

• Poet: Walt Whitman (1819–1892), a major early American poet who broke tradition and wrote in free verse.
• The poet watches animals for a long time and admires them.
• Animals are placid (calm) and self-contained (self-sufficient).
• They do not sweat and whine about their condition; they do not lie awake weeping for their sins.
• They do not disgust the poet by discussing their "duty to God" (hypocritical talk about religion).
• No animal is dissatisfied or mad with the "mania of owning things" (greed for possessions).
• No animal kneels to another or worships ancestors who lived thousands of years ago — no slavery or blind worship.
• None is "respectable" (proud of status) or unhappy anywhere on earth.
• Animals show the poet "tokens of myself" — virtues like innocence, simplicity and contentment that humans once had.
• The poet wonders whether mankind carelessly ("negligently") dropped these qualities long ago in the course of progress.

Important terms

• Placid – calm, not easily upset.
• Self-contained – self-sufficient, independent.
• Whine – complain in an annoying way.
• Demented – mad.
• Mania – craze.
• Evince – show clearly.
• Tokens – signs; here, good virtues.
• Negligently – carelessly.

Language study

• Form: free verse (no fixed rhyme or metre).
• Repetition: "long and long"; "They do not..." repeated; "Not one..." repeated.
• Alliteration: "sweat... sick"; "sweat and whine" (s sound).
• Hyperbole: "Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth."
• Rhetorical question / Interrogation: "Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?"
• Antithesis/contrast: the whole poem contrasts animals with humans.

5 important questions

Q1. Why does the poet want to live with animals?

Animals are calm, self-sufficient and content. They do not complain, do not feel guilt, are not greedy and do not pretend. The poet is tired of human complaining and hypocrisy, so he feels more at home with animals.

Q2. What craze do animals never display?

Animals never show the craze for owning things (greed for property and possessions).

Q3. What could have happened to the tokens of the poet's self?

The poet thinks humans had these virtues long ago but carelessly dropped them on the path of progress. Animals have kept them.

Q4. Write two differences between animals and human beings.

Humans always complain about their condition, while animals never complain. Humans are greedy to own things, while animals are content with what they have.

Q5. Identify the figure of speech: "I stand and look at them long and long."

Repetition ("long and long") — it shows how long and deeply the poet watches the animals.

Exam tip

In poetry appreciation, mention that the poem is in free verse and has no rhyme scheme — many students wrongly invent one.

Quick summary

"The Three Questions" is a parable by Leo Tolstoy. A king believes that if he knows the right time for every action, the right people to listen to, and the most important thing to do, he will never fail. Learned men give him confusing answers, so he visits a wise hermit. Through an unexpected incident he learns the answers: the most important time is now, the most important person is the one you are with, and the most important thing is to do good to that person.

Key points

• Author: Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910), Russian writer, one of the greatest authors of all time.
• A parable is a short story with a moral lesson, usually with human characters.
• The king announces a great reward for anyone who can answer his three questions.
• Learned men give different answers: make a timetable, have a council of wise men, consult magicians; the most needed people are councillors, priests, doctors or warriors; the most important thing is science, fighting or religious worship.
• Not satisfied, the king, dressed as a common man, leaves his bodyguard and horse and goes alone to a hermit who lives in a wood and receives only common people.
• The hermit, frail and weak, is digging flower-beds. The king takes the spade and digs for him till sunset, but the hermit does not answer.
• A bearded man runs out of the wood, badly wounded in the stomach. The king washes and bandages his wound and cares for him through the night.
• In the morning the man confesses that he was the king's enemy: the king had executed his brother and seized his property, so he had come to kill the king. The king's bodyguard had wounded him. Now he begs forgiveness and promises to serve the king.
• The king forgives him, makes peace and promises to send his servants and doctor and to return his property.
• The hermit explains: if the king had not pitied him and dug the beds, he would have been attacked on the way back; and caring for the wounded man made an enemy into a friend.

Important terms

• Proclamation – an official public announcement.
• Hermit – a person who lives alone for religious reasons.
• Frail – weak.
• Bandage – a strip of cloth used to bind a wound.
• Pity – sympathy for someone's suffering.

Language study

• Polite requests and responses: "Could you lend me your dictionary?" — "Sure, here it is." / "I'm sorry, I need it right now."
• Kinds of expressions: proverb, maxim, moral, slogan, quotation, idiom, one-liner.
• The story uses direct speech for the dialogue between the king, the hermit and the bearded man.

5 important questions

Q1. What were the three questions of the king?

(1) What is the right time to begin every action? (2) Who are the right (most necessary) people to listen to and whom to avoid? (3) What is the most important thing to do?

Q2. Why did the king not accept the answers of the learned men?

Their answers were all different and contradicted each other, so none of them convinced him.

Q3. Why had the bearded man come to kill the king?

The king had executed his brother and seized his property. To take revenge, he had planned to attack the king on his way back from the hermit.

Q4. How did the king make peace with his enemy?

He forgave the bearded man, promised to send his servants and his own doctor to look after him, and to give back his property.

Q5. What answers did the hermit finally give?

The most important time is now, because it is the only time we have power over. The most important person is the one we are with at that moment. The most important thing is to do good to that person.

Exam tip

Learn the three answers word for word in your own simple English — they are the most asked question from this lesson.

Quick summary

"Connecting the Dots" is from the famous speech given by Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, to graduating students. He tells three stories from his life — about connecting the dots, about love and loss, and about death — and advises the students to trust their heart, love their work and "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish".

Key points

• Steve Jobs (1955–2011): American entrepreneur, inventor, co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc., a pioneer of the microcomputer revolution.
• Story 1 (connecting the dots): he dropped out of Reed College after 6 months but stayed 18 more months as a "drop-in", attending classes that interested him.
• He slept on friends' floors, returned Coke bottles for 5-cent deposits to buy food, and walked seven miles every Sunday for a good meal at the Hare Krishna temple.
• A calligraphy class taught him about serif and sans serif typefaces. Ten years later this went into the first Macintosh, which had multiple typefaces and proportionally spaced fonts.
• "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards" — so trust your gut, destiny, life or karma.
• Story 2 (love and loss): he started Apple with Steve Wozniak in a garage at 20; in 10 years it became a 2-billion-dollar company. Then he was fired.
• He started again: founded NeXT and Pixar, met his wife Laurene. Apple bought NeXT and he returned to Apple. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."
• Story 3 (death): diagnosed with a rare, curable pancreatic cancer, he had surgery. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."
• Don't be trapped by dogma; follow your heart and intuition.
• He ends with "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish", from the back cover of the final issue of "The Whole Earth Catalogue".

Important terms

• Drop out – leave a course before finishing.
• Drop-in – a casual visitor.
• Typography – the style and appearance of printed letters.
• Devastating – causing great shock and grief.
• Renaissance – rebirth, revival.
• Dogma – beliefs to be accepted without argument.
• Intuition – instinctive understanding.

Language study

• Contractions: that's = that is, didn't = did not, can't = cannot, I've = I have; will not = won't, shall not = shan't, must not = mustn't.
• Idioms: "life hits you in the head with a brick" (gives you a sudden shock); "connect the dots" (link past experiences to see the big picture).
• "Stay Hungry" = always want something new; "Stay Foolish" = keep an open mind.

5 important questions

Q1. What did Steve Jobs do for two years after he joined Reed College?

He dropped out after six months but stayed on for another 18 months as a drop-in, attending only the classes that interested him, like calligraphy.

Q2. What hardships did Jobs face in college?

He had no dorm room and slept on friends' floors, returned Coke bottles for 5-cent deposits to buy food, and walked seven miles every Sunday for one good meal at the Hare Krishna temple.

Q3. How did the calligraphy course help him later?

While designing the first Macintosh, he used what he had learnt about serif and sans serif typefaces. So the Mac had multiple typefaces and proportionally spaced fonts.

Q4. What setback did Jobs suffer at thirty and what did he learn from it?

He was fired from Apple, the company he had started. He realised he still loved his work, started again with NeXT and Pixar, and learnt that one must love what one does and never lose faith.

Q5. What does Jobs warn about life and dogma?

Life is short, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma or let others' opinions drown your inner voice; have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

Exam tip

Remember the three stories and one lesson from each; questions often ask what each story conveys.

Quick summary

"The Pulley" by George Herbert is a religious (metaphysical) poem. When God created man, He poured all His blessings on him — strength, beauty, wisdom, honour and pleasure — but kept back one gift, "rest" (peace and contentment). God fears that a fully satisfied man would worship the gifts instead of the Giver. So man remains restless, and that restlessness works like a pulley that finally pulls him back to God.

Key points

• Poet: George Herbert (1593–1633), a Welsh poet and priest who wrote religious poems full of imagery and conceits.
• God had a "glass of blessings" and decided to pour all He could on man.
• The world's scattered riches were collected into a "span" (man, a small space).
• The blessings given in order: strength, beauty, wisdom, honour and pleasure.
• When the glass was almost empty, God stopped: "rest" alone lay at the bottom.
• God feared that if He gave man rest too, man would "adore my gifts instead of me" and "rest in Nature, not the God of Nature"; then both would be losers.
• So man may keep the other gifts, but with "repining restlessness" — rich, yet weary.
• If goodness does not lead man to God, weariness will "toss him to my breast".
• The title is a metaphor: a pulley lifts a weight; restlessness lifts man towards God.
• A religious idea is expressed through a scientific, everyday image — typical of metaphysical poetry.

Important terms

• Dispersed – scattered.
• Contract – collect together.
• Span – a small space (the width of an open palm); here, man.
• Bestow – give as a gift.
• Jewel – here, rest or contentment.
• Repining restlessness – continuous anxiety due to dissatisfaction.
• Weary – very tired.

Language study

• Rhyme scheme: ababa in each stanza (e.g. Man / by / can / lie / span).
• Metaphor: the title "The Pulley" (restlessness as a pulley); "glass of blessings"; "jewel" for rest.
• Personification: "beauty flow'd"; weariness "may toss him".
• Inversion: "So strength first made a way"; "Rest in the bottom lay".
• Pun: "rest" means both "peace" and "the remaining gifts" ("Yet let him keep the rest").
• Dramatic monologue: God speaks to Himself ("said He").

5 important questions

Q1. What did God's glass of blessings contain?

It contained the world's riches — strength, beauty, wisdom, honour, pleasure — and finally rest, which lay at the bottom.

Q2. Why did God not give man the gift of rest?

God felt that if man got rest (contentment) too, he would love the gifts instead of the Giver and rest in Nature, not in the God of Nature. Both God and man would be losers.

Q3. What would man do if God gifted him "rest"?

He would be fully satisfied with God's gifts, forget God and worship nature and worldly pleasures instead.

Q4. Explain: "If goodness lead him not, yet weariness may toss him to my breast."

If man does not come to God through goodness, then his tiredness and restlessness, even amid riches, will finally drive him back to God.

Q5. Explain the significance of the title.

A pulley is used to lift heavy weights. God uses man's restlessness as a pulley to lift him up and bring him closer to Him. So the title is a metaphor for the poem's central idea.

Exam tip

Remember the pun on "rest" and the rhyme scheme ababa — both appear often in poetic appreciation questions.

Quick summary

"Let's March" is the Nobel Peace Prize lecture (2014) of Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian activist against child labour. Speaking for millions of children left behind, he refuses to accept that the world cannot free and educate its children, and calls on everyone to "globalise compassion" and march together from exploitation to education, from poverty to shared prosperity, and from slavery to liberty.

Key points

• Kailash Satyarthi (born 1954) founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan in 1980; he has protected the rights of more than 83,000 children in 144 countries. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize of 2014 with Malala Yousafzai.
• He begins with a Vedic mantra: "Let's walk together... Let's speak together, let our minds come together."
• He feels liberated each time he frees a child from slavery; in their first smile of freedom he sees God smiling.
• He gives credit to martyrs of his movement — Kaalu Kumar, Dhoom Das, Adarsh Kishore (India) and Iqbal Masih (Pakistan).
• He says he cannot give a "lecture" because he represents "the sound of silence, the cry of innocence and the face of invisibility"; he keeps an empty chair as a reminder of children left behind.
• A child labourer asked him: "Is the world so poor that it cannot give me a toy and a book, instead of a gun or a tool?"
• "There is no greater violence than to deny the dreams of our children."
• He refuses to accept that the world is so poor — one week of global military spending can bring all children to classrooms.
• His only aim: every child should be free to be a child, to grow, play, learn, go to school and dream.
• The biggest crisis is fear and intolerance; rights, security and hope can be restored only through education.
• Story of the tiny bird carrying a drop of water to the forest fire: "I am doing my bit" — every person can contribute.
• "Let us globalise compassion." He ends with a call to march from exploitation to education, from poverty to shared prosperity, from slavery to liberty, and from violence to peace.

Important terms

• Aspiration – a strong wish.
• Dignity – self-respect.
• Shackles – chains that bind.
• Unprecedented – never known before.
• Compassion – pity and concern for those suffering.
• Inculcate – develop by teaching.
• Passivity – not taking action.

Language study

• Structure of a speech: greeting/salutation, introduction, body, conclusion, thanking the audience.
• Repetition for effect: "I refuse to accept..."; "free to..." — it makes the speech powerful.
• Metaphors: "the sound of silence" (unheard pleas of the deprived), "the face of invisibility" (unnoticed suffering).
• Inclusive language: "Let's", "our children", "we" — makes the audience feel involved.

5 important questions

Q1. What does Satyarthi refuse to accept?

That the world is too poor to educate its children, that places of worship have no place for children's dreams, that laws, police and judges cannot protect children, and that the chains of slavery are stronger than the quest for freedom.

Q2. What is the only aim in life for Kailash Satyarthi?

That every child is free to be a child — free to grow and develop, eat, sleep, see daylight, laugh and cry, play and learn, go to school, and above all, free to dream.

Q3. Why did he keep an empty chair at the ceremony?

As a reminder of the millions of children who are left behind — exploited, out of school and unheard — whom he represents.

Q4. What lesson does the story of the tiny bird teach?

Even one person's small effort matters. Like the bird carrying a drop of water to the forest fire, each of us should "do our bit" to solve big problems.

Q5. What does he mean by "Let us globalise compassion"?

The world is connected by internet, trade and flights, but lacks compassion. He wants individual compassion to spread across the world so that everyone cares for suffering children everywhere.

Exam tip

Speech-writing is a board question; use this lesson's structure (salutation, introduction, body with examples, conclusion, thanks) as your model.

Quick summary

"Science and Spirituality" is adapted from "What Can I Give" by Srijan Pal Singh, who worked closely with Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. It shows Dr Kalam's belief that science and faith must go together for human good. Through incidents from his life — his father and friends at Rameswaram, the setting up of the Thumba space centre, and a meeting with a 102-year-old saint — it reaches the message "What can I give?"

Key points

• Dr Kalam said science and faith must coexist: science provides focus (solves questions, discovers truth, creates inventions); faith provides perspective (shows how our creations affect society). Science speeds up progress; faith keeps it within reasonable limits.
• His father, a boatman, was also the imam of the local mosque. His two best friends were Pakshi Lakshmana Shastrigal (head priest of the Rameswaram temple) and Reverend Father Bodal (who built the first church on Rameswaram island). The three discussed community problems together.
• Dr Kalam got his humility from his father, in whom simplicity and divinity went together.
• In the 1960s he joined ISRO, then a fledgling organisation. Thumba, Kerala, was chosen for space research because it is close to the magnetic equator.
• The obstacle: the site had fishermen's homes, an old church of St Mary Magdalene, a bishop's house and a school.
• Father Pereira, the bishop, told his congregation that he and Dr Vikram Sarabhai were doing the same job — both seek God's blessings for human prosperity. The church answered with a collective "Amen", and the people moved (they were given alternate accommodation).
• Professor Satish Dhawan said academic brilliance is like a mirror covered with dust; by living a pure, ethical life and serving humanity, God shines through us.
• In 2009, Dr Sri Sri Shivakumara Mahaswamiji, at 102, stood without support at his birthday; he ran free residential education for more than nine thousand children.
• Dr Kalam said the secret of Mahaswamiji's strength was the spirit of "What can I give?"; the opposite, "What can I take?", causes corruption, inequity and environmental destruction.
• This idea became the "What Can I Give" movement (2012) against corruption, environmental degradation and social evils.

Important terms

• Perspective – a particular way of looking at things.
• Curbs – controls, keeps within limits.
• Fledgling – new and inexperienced.
• Reverberated – echoed loudly.
• Tenet – a principle or belief.
• Munificence – generosity.
• Inequity – injustice.

Language study

• Word study: science, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology — learn their meanings.
• Word family: spirit, spiritual, spirituality, spiritualism, spiritualist.
• Simile in the text: academic brilliance is like the brilliance of a mirror dimmed by dust.
• Contrast phrases: "What can I give?" vs "What can I take?"

5 important questions

Q1. Why do science and faith have to go hand in hand?

Science gives focus to solve problems and invent; faith gives perspective to see how inventions affect society. Science speeds progress and faith keeps it within limits, so together they work for the betterment of humanity.

Q2. Why was Thumba selected for the space research centre?

Because it is very close to the magnetic equator, which made it an ideal site.

Q3. How did Father Pereira help solve the problem of acquiring the site?

He told his people that science and spirituality both work for human welfare and asked whether they could give up their homes and God's home for the mission. The congregation agreed with a collective "Amen".

Q4. What was the secret of Mahaswamiji's fitness at 102?

According to Dr Kalam, it was the spirit of "What can I give?" — by giving education and food to thousands of children, his generosity fuelled his strength.

Q5. What makes society corrupt and unfair?

The attitude of "What can I take?" — taking from the environment destroys it, taking from others leads to corruption and inequity, and it even breaks families.

Exam tip

Note the four people who shaped Dr Kalam's thinking (his father, Sarabhai, Father Pereira, Prof. Dhawan) and one lesson from each.

Quick summary

"Night of the Scorpion" by Nissim Ezekiel is a narrative poem. The poet recalls a rainy night in his childhood when his mother was stung by a scorpion. Villagers crowd in with prayers and superstitions, his rationalist father tries every remedy, and a holy man chants. After twenty hours the poison loses its effect, and the mother only thanks God that the scorpion stung her and spared her children — showing a mother's selfless love.

Key points

• Poet: Nissim Ezekiel (1924–2004), Indian Jewish poet, playwright, editor and art critic; a founding figure of modern Indian English poetry.
• Ten hours of steady rain drove the scorpion to hide beneath a sack of rice. It stung the mother with a flash of its "diabolic tail" and escaped into the rain.
• Peasants came "like swarms of flies" and "buzzed the name of God a hundred times" to paralyse the "Evil One" (the scorpion).
• With candles and lanterns throwing giant scorpion shadows on mud-baked walls, they searched but did not find it.
• They believed that with every movement of the scorpion, the poison moved in the mother's blood, so they prayed that it sit still.
• They said her suffering would burn away the sins of her previous birth, reduce misfortunes of her next birth, and purify her flesh of desire and her spirit of ambition.
• The mother twisted and groaned on a mat.
• The father, a sceptic and rationalist, tried every curse and blessing, powder, herb and mixture, and even poured paraffin on the bitten toe and set it alight.
• A holy man performed rites to tame the poison with an incantation.
• After twenty hours the poison lost its sting. The mother said only: "Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children."
• The poem contrasts superstition with reason, and both with a mother's love.

Important terms

• Diabolic – devilish, wicked.
• Paralyse – stop an activity.
• Diminished – reduced.
• Sceptic – one who doubts common beliefs.
• Rationalist – one who believes in reason.
• Incantation – chanting of words believed to have magical power.

Language study

• Form: free verse, narrative, told in the first person (personal experience).
• Simile: "The peasants came like swarms of flies."
• Metaphor: "buzzed the name of God" (prayers compared to the buzzing of flies).
• Imagery: "giant scorpion shadows on the mud-baked walls"; "I watched the flame feeding on my mother."
• Repetition: "they said"; "May..." — suggests the endless chanting of villagers.
• Alliteration: "more candles, more lanterns, more neighbours".
• Irony: the father is a rationalist, yet he tries "every curse and blessing".

5 important questions

Q1. What forced the scorpion to take shelter in the poet's house?

Ten hours of steady rain drove the scorpion indoors, where it crawled beneath a sack of rice.

Q2. What does "to paralyse the Evil One" mean?

The villagers believed the scorpion was an evil spirit. By chanting God's name they wanted to stop it from moving, because they thought its movement spread the poison in the mother's blood.

Q3. What did the poet's father do to cure the mother?

Though a sceptic and rationalist, he tried every curse and blessing, powders, mixtures, herbs and even poured paraffin on the bitten toe and lit it.

Q4. When did the mother find relief?

After twenty hours, when the poison lost its sting.

Q5. What do the mother's last words show about her?

"Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children" shows her selfless love — even after twenty hours of pain, she thinks only of her children's safety.

Exam tip

Remember the three parts: lines 1–7 (the sting), 8–33 (the villagers' reactions), 34–48 (the father, the holy man and the mother's words).

Quick summary

In "The Night I Met Einstein", Jerome Weidman recalls a dinner party where, as a young man who thought he was tone-deaf, he sat bored through a piano concert. His neighbour turned out to be Albert Einstein, who patiently taught him to enjoy music step by step, from simple songs to Bach. Einstein called this "opening up the frontiers of beauty".

Key points

• Author: Jerome Weidman (1913–1998), American playwright and novelist; Pulitzer Prize (1960) for the musical "Fiorello".
• As a very young man, the writer was invited to dinner at a philanthropist's house; the hostess arranged a concert by a very good pianist.
• He did not understand classical music, believed he was tone-deaf, and did not listen.
• A gentle but firm voice asked, "You're fond of Bach?" He saw a famous face with a shock of white hair and a pipe — Einstein — and decided to tell the truth.
• Einstein looked surprised, as if he had said he had never taken a bath.
• Einstein took him upstairs to a room with a gramophone and asked what music he liked: songs with words and a tune he could follow.
• Einstein played Bing Crosby; the writer sang it back. "You're not tone-deaf," said Einstein.
• He compared music to arithmetic: you learn addition and subtraction before multiplication and division.
• Next came John McCormack singing "The Trumpeter", and so on, level by level, till music without words.
• Back downstairs, Einstein said, "Just allow yourself to listen, that's all there is to it." For the first time the writer clapped sincerely.
• When the hostess said Einstein had missed so much, he replied they were engaged in "the greatest activity of which a human being is capable — opening up the frontiers of beauty."

Important terms

• Philanthropist – a person who helps others, especially by giving money.
• Tone-deaf – unable to hear the difference between musical notes.
• Gramophone – an old machine for playing records.
• Bach – Johann Sebastian Bach, a German composer and organist.
• Frontiers – limits, boundaries.

Language study

• Indirect speech: "You are not tone-deaf," he said to me. → He told me that I was not tone-deaf. / "Sing that back," he ordered me. → He ordered me to sing that back. / He said, "What kind of music do you like?" → He asked me what kind of music I liked.
• Phrasal verbs: get out of, come up, turn on, turn off, give in, give out, work out.
• Degrees of comparison: positive (as tall as), comparative (taller than), superlative (the tallest).
• Music words: concert, pianist, tune, melody, chorus, symphony, duet, choir.

5 important questions

Q1. Why was the narrator not happy about the concert?

He did not understand classical music and believed he was tone-deaf, so he expected to be bored.

Q2. What do you learn about Einstein from the way he treated the young man?

Einstein was humble, kind and patient. He gave full attention to an ordinary young man, made him feel important and was a wonderful teacher who believed anyone can learn to enjoy beauty.

Q3. Was the comparison between music and arithmetic a good one?

Yes. Just as we learn simple sums before long division, we must start with simple songs and gradually move to complex classical music. Step-by-step learning makes difficult things easy.

Q4. How did Einstein help the narrator appreciate music?

He played a familiar Bing Crosby song and asked him to sing it back, proving he was not tone-deaf. Then he played more and more advanced music level by level until the narrator was ready to listen to Bach.

Q5. What does the last line tell you about Einstein?

"Opening up the frontiers of beauty" shows that Einstein valued helping someone discover beauty more than any social formality. He was a lover of art, a great teacher and a humble human being.

Exam tip

Practise "Who said to whom?" and indirect-speech conversions from this lesson; they are common workshop and board activities.

Quick summary

This lesson is a biographical piece on Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), the British theoretical physicist and cosmologist. At 21 he was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that slowly paralysed him, and doctors gave him only two and a half years to live. Yet he went on to do ground-breaking work on the universe and wrote best-selling books like "A Brief History of Time", showing that a strong will can overcome physical disability.

Key points

• Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 and died on 14 March 2018. He was Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, Cambridge University.
• He was the first to set out a theory of cosmology combining the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.
• At 21, while studying cosmology at Cambridge, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) — the nerves controlling his muscles were shutting down.
• He first noticed problems at Oxford (tripping, slurred speech); his father took him to a doctor in 1963.
• In hospital he shared a room with a boy suffering from leukemia, which made his own situation seem more bearable. A dream that he was going to be executed made him realise there was still much to do.
• Before the diagnosis he was bored with life; afterwards he poured himself into work.
• He had to use a wheelchair by 1969. In 1985 he lost his voice after a tracheotomy and needed 24-hour nursing care.
• A California computer programmer developed a speaking program controlled by head or eye movement; later Hawking used a cheek muscle attached to a sensor to select words for a speech synthesiser.
• He wrote or co-wrote 15 books. "A Brief History of Time" (1988) stayed over four years on the London Sunday Times best-seller list and was translated into 40+ languages. Others: "The Universe in a Nutshell" (2001), "A Briefer History of Time" (2005), "The Grand Design" (2010).
• He searched for a single unifying theory joining cosmology and quantum mechanics, believed time travel is possible and that humans may colonise other planets.
• The 2014 film "The Theory of Everything" shows part of his life.

Important terms

• Cosmology – science of the origin and development of the universe.
• Catapulted – launched suddenly (to fame).
• Holy grail – something eagerly sought after.
• Atypical – very unusual.
• Tracheotomy – a cut in the windpipe to help breathing.
• Predicament – a difficult situation.
• Sensor – a device that detects and responds to a physical signal.

Language study

Word-building devices:

• Reduplication – tweet-tweet, pitter-patter, chit-chat.
• Blending – breakfast + lunch = brunch; smoke + fog = smog; motor + hotel = motel.
• Clipping – Mathematics → Maths; Advertisement → Ad; Laboratory → Lab.
• Acronym – radar, NASA, UNICEF, BBC, ATM, VIP.

5 important questions

Q1. When did Hawking first notice his health problems?

While he was at Oxford — he would sometimes trip and fall or slur his speech. He did not look into it until 1963, his first year at Cambridge.

Q2. What events prevented Hawking from becoming completely despondent?

In hospital, he shared a room with a boy suffering from leukemia, which made his own condition seem more tolerable. Later he dreamt that he was going to be executed, which made him realise there were still things to do in life.

Q3. How did his disease help him become a noted scientist?

Before the diagnosis he was bored with life. Realising he might not live long enough to earn his Ph.D, he devoted himself fully to work and research.

Q4. How did Hawking communicate after losing his voice?

A computer programmer developed a speaking program. Hawking selected words on a screen — first with a handheld clicker, later with a cheek muscle attached to a sensor — and a speech synthesiser spoke them.

Q5. What message do you get from Hawking's life?

Physical disability cannot stop a determined mind. With courage, hard work and a positive attitude, one can achieve greatness in spite of serious difficulties.

Exam tip

Learn the year-wise milestones (1942, 1963, 1969, 1985, 1988, 2018) — they are useful for fact files and flow charts.

Quick summary

"The Will to Win" by Berton Braley is an inspiring poem about determination. The poet says that if you want something badly enough to work day and night for it, give up your comfort, lose all fear and keep trying in spite of cold, poverty, hunger, sickness and pain, then with the help of God you will surely get it.

Key points

• Poet: Berton Braley, American poet from Madison, Wisconsin; he published his first work, a fairy tale "Why the grass is green", at eleven, and wrote around 4,000 verses and hundreds of short stories. He was always optimistic.
• The poem is one long conditional sentence: many "If..." clauses, ending with "with the help of GOD you'll get it!"
• First, you must want the thing "bad enough" to fight for it and work day and night for it.
• You must give up your time, peace and sleep for it.
• All your dreams and plans should be about it; life should seem useless without it.
• You must gladly sweat, worry (fret) and plan for it, and lose all fear of opposition.
• You must use all your capacity, strength, wisdom (sagacity), faith, hope, confidence and stern pertinacity (constant determination).
• Neither cold, poverty, hunger, thinness, sickness nor pain of body and mind should keep you away from your goal.
• If you attack the goal doggedly and grimly ("besiege and beset it"), with God's help you will get it.

Important terms

• Scheme – plan.
• Fret – worry.
• Sagacity – wisdom and good judgement.
• Pertinacity – constant determination.
• Famished – extremely hungry.
• Gaunt – very thin.
• Dogged – determined, not giving up.
• Besiege and beset – surround and attack from all sides (go after the goal constantly).

Language study

• Repetition / Anaphora: "If" begins the stanzas — builds suspense and stresses the conditions for success.
• Climax: ideas in rising order of importance, e.g. "faith, hope and confidence and stern pertinacity"; "give up your time and your peace and your sleep".
• Tautology: same idea in different words, e.g. "useless and worthless"; "dogged and grim".
• Alliteration: "besiege and beset"; "sweat for, fret for".
• Rhyme: internal rhyme in "capacity, strength and sagacity... pertinacity"; "brain / pain".
• Phrases with "enough": good enough, bad enough, fair enough, strong enough.

5 important questions

Q1. What does the poet want us to do to achieve success?

Want the goal badly enough, work day and night for it, give up time, peace and sleep, lose all fear of opposition, and keep going with strength, wisdom, faith and determination.

Q2. What hurdles does the poet mention that can keep us away from our goal?

Cold, poverty, hunger (famished), extreme thinness (gaunt), sickness, and pain of body and brain.

Q3. What does the word "scheme" mean in the poem?

Plan of action.

Q4. True or false? Correct the false one: You should be afraid of your opposition.

False. The poet says we should lose all our terror of the opposition.

Q5. Every stanza begins with "If". How does it add to the effectiveness of the poem?

It lists the conditions one by one and builds suspense. The reader waits for the result, which comes at the end — "with the help of GOD you'll get it" — making the message strong and memorable.

Exam tip

Learn the meanings of "climax" and "tautology" with one example each from this poem — they are tested in poetry activities.

Quick summary

This lesson is about Mary Kom, India's famous woman boxer from Manipur, who rose from a poor farming family to become a multiple World Boxing Champion and the first Indian woman boxer to win an Olympic medal (bronze, 2012). It has a short biography followed by an interview in which she talks about her Olympic preparation, Indian sports and being a mother.

Key points

• Chungneijang Mary Kom was born on 24 November 1982 in Kangthei village, Churachandpur district, Manipur; she belongs to the Kom tribe. Nicknamed "Magnificent Mary".
• Her parents were poor tenant farmers who worked in jhum fields; she helped with farm chores while going to school.
• Dingko Singh's gold medal at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games inspired many youngsters in Manipur, including her, to try boxing.
• Her career began in 2000 with the Manipur State Women's Boxing Championship. In 2001, at 18, she won silver in the 48 kg category at the first AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in the USA.
• She is the only woman boxer to win a medal in each of the six world championships.
• In the 2012 Olympics she was the only Indian woman boxer to qualify and won bronze in the 51 kg flyweight category.
• She apologised to the nation for not winning gold — this added to her greatness.
• Interview points: she was confident, not pressured; her coach Charles Atkinson was not allowed to go with her; she sparred with male boxers in Pune; she gained 3 kg through healthy food to fight at 51 kg instead of 48 kg.
• She wants more people to take up sports as a career and more companies to sponsor players. Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) supported her so she could focus stress-free.
• She has twins and loves being a mother: "That's the best thing that has ever happened to me."
• Awards include the Arjuna Award (2003), Padma Shree (2006) and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2009).

Important terms

• Jhum – shifting cultivation.
• Debut – first public appearance.
• Elation – great joy.
• Exhilarated – very thrilled.
• Sparring – practice boxing without real blows.
• Dodgy – unfair.
• Sponsor – organisation that pays for or supports a player.
• Stereotype – a fixed idea about a group.

Language study

• The lesson is an interview: questions by the interviewer, answers by Mary Kom. Learn how to frame interview questions.
• Wordplay on her name: "Komqueror" (conqueror) and "Komrade" (comrade).
• Useful phrases: break stereotypes, bring laurels, sink in, look up to.

5 important questions

Q1. What was Mary Kom's exceptional achievement?

She is the only woman boxer to win a medal in each of the six world championships, and the first Indian woman boxer to win an Olympic medal (bronze, 2012).

Q2. What added to her greatness as a boxing champion?

She apologised to the whole nation for not being able to win the gold medal, showing her humility.

Q3. What, according to Mary Kom, can help India win more Olympic medals?

More people should take up sports as a full-time career, and more companies should sponsor players so that they have no financial pressure and can focus on their game.

Q4. How did Mary Kom increase her weight for the Olympics?

She had to gain 3 kg to fight in the 51 kg category. She did it by eating the right kind of healthy food instead of unhealthy saturated fats.

Q5. Does Mary Kom prefer being called Super Mom or Super Boxer?

Super Mom. She says she loves being a mother and it is the best thing that has ever happened to her.

Exam tip

Practise framing interview questions — "prepare 5 questions to interview a sportsperson" is a regular writing task.

Quick summary

"The Concert" by Shanta Rao is a touching true story. Anant, a talented 15-year-old boy dying of cancer, longs to hear the sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. He is too ill to go, so his sister Smita goes to the concert and bravely asks Panditji to play for her brother. Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Allah Rakha come home the next morning and play for Anant as his life gently slips away.

Key points

• Author: Shanta Rao (1930–2007), a noted Bharatanatyam dancer; she received the Padmashri and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. All names except Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Allah Rakha are changed.
• Smita (about 16) reads that Pandit Ravi Shankar is playing at the Shanmukhananda auditorium, Bombay.
• Her brother Anant, 15, was the best table-tennis player and fastest runner in school and was learning the sitar; he could already compose his own tunes.
• He has cancer. The family came from Gaganpur to Bombay for treatment and stayed with Aunt Sushila.
• The doctors said, "Take him home... indulge him" — he had only a few days left. The family kept him happy and fulfilled every wish.
• Anant wants to go to the concert — "the chance of a lifetime" — but he is too weak and needs oxygen.
• Smita does not want to go without him; on a walk in the park she gets a daring idea.
• At the concert she listens spellbound, but keeps her plan in mind.
• After the concert she makes her way to the wings and, with weak knees and dry tongue, asks Pandit Ravi Shankar to come and play for her brother.
• A moustachioed organiser tries to stop her, but Panditji and Ustad Allah Rakha agree to perform for the boy the next morning.
• Neighbours are amazed to see the two great musicians arrive in a taxi. They play for Anant, surrounding him with happiness as life leaves him gently.

Important terms

• Maestro – a great performer of classical music.
• Indulge – allow someone to enjoy what they like.
• Self-reproach – blaming oneself.
• Plaintive – sad-sounding.
• Spellbound – completely charmed.
• Standing ovation – audience standing and clapping.
• Moustachioed – having a large moustache.

Language study

• Who said to whom: "We mustn't miss the chance" — Anant to Smita/mother; "A walk in the park might make you feel better" — Aunt Sushila to Smita; "Tomorrow morning we perform for the boy – Yes?" — Ustad Allah Rakha to Pandit Ravi Shankar.
• Emotions in sentences: excitement ("Pandit Ravi Shankar is playing tomorrow!"), longing ("It's the chance of a lifetime"), pleading ("Will you come...?"), disbelief ("Is it... It's not possible?").
• Titles: Pandit (Hindu master of music), Ustad (Muslim master of music).

5 important questions

Q1. Why did Smita become nervous after reading the announcement?

In her excitement she forgot that Anant was very ill. When he insisted on going, coughed and needed oxygen, she blamed herself for raising his hopes.

Q2. Why was the family trying to keep Anant happy?

The doctors had told them to take him home and indulge him because he did not have many days to live. So they fulfilled his every wish.

Q3. What was Smita's plan?

To go to the concert, meet Pandit Ravi Shankar after it, and request him to come home and play for her dying brother.

Q4. Why were the neighbours surprised?

They could not believe that great musicians like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Allah Rakha had come in a taxi to an ordinary apartment block.

Q5. What qualities of Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Allah Rakha are seen in the story?

They were kind, humble and generous. Though busy and famous, they listened to a young girl and came to play for a dying boy, giving him happiness in his last moments.

Exam tip

Character traits of Smita (loving, brave, determined) and Anant (talented, music-loving, cheerful in pain) are commonly asked; support each trait with an incident.

Quick summary

"A Thing of Beauty is a Joy For Ever" is the opening stanza of John Keats's long poem "Endymion" (1818). The poet says that a beautiful thing gives us lasting joy; its loveliness keeps increasing and never fades. In spite of sorrow, disappointment and dark days, beautiful things of nature, great tales and poetry lift the gloom from our spirits and become a cheering light for our souls.

Key points

• Poet: John Keats (1795–1821), an English Romantic poet whose poems are full of sensuous imagery from nature.
• The first line has become a proverb.
• A thing of beauty never "passes into nothingness"; it keeps for us a quiet bower (shady resting place) and a sleep full of sweet dreams, health and quiet breathing.
• Every day we weave a "flowery band" (bond of beauty) that ties us to the earth.
• This bond survives despair (despondence), the lack of noble people, gloomy days and unhealthy, dark ways of life.
• Some shape of beauty removes the "pall" (cloth of sadness) from our dark spirits.
• Things of beauty listed: the sun, the moon, old and young trees giving shade to simple sheep, daffodils with their green world, clear streams (rills) that make a cool shelter against the hot season, the forest thicket with musk-roses, the grandeur of the stories of the mighty dead, and all lovely tales we have heard or read.
• These are an "endless fountain of immortal drink" pouring from heaven's edge.
• We do not feel these for just one short hour. Like trees around a temple that become as dear as the temple itself, the moon, poetry and glories become a cheering light to our souls and stay with us in sunshine or gloom — "or we die".

Important terms

• Bower – a pleasant shady place under trees.
• Morrow – the next day.
• Wreathing – weaving (with flowers).
• Despondence – despair, hopelessness.
• Dearth – shortage.
• Pall – a cloth spread over a coffin; here, gloom.
• Boon – gift, blessing.
• Rills – small streams.
• Covert – shelter, shade.

Language study

• Rhyme scheme: rhyming couplets — aa bb cc (ever/never, keep/sleep, days/ways).
• Metaphor: "a flowery band to bind us to the earth"; "an endless fountain of immortal drink"; "the pall from our dark spirits".
• Simile: "even as the trees that whisper round a temple become soon dear as the temple's self".
• Personification: trees "whisper"; "loveliness increases".
• Imagery: daffodils, clear rills, musk-rose blooms.
• Inversion: "Some shape of beauty moves away the pall".
• Consonance (repeated consonant sounds) and assonance (repeated vowel sounds) — e.g. "Let the engineer steer without fear" (assonance).

5 important questions

Q1. What is the impact of a beautiful thing on us?

It gives us endless joy. Its loveliness increases with time and never fades. It gives us peace, sweet dreams, good health and calm breathing.

Q2. What does a thing of beauty keep in store for us?

A quiet bower (peaceful resting place) and a sleep full of sweet dreams, health and quiet breathing.

Q3. List the things that cause suffering and pain according to the poem.

Despondence (despair), the inhuman dearth (lack) of noble natures, gloomy days, and the unhealthy and over-darkened ways of life.

Q4. Who are the "mighty dead"? Why is grandeur attributed to them?

They are great people of the past — heroes, warriors, noble souls. Their glorious deeds and the stories about them are grand and inspiring, so their memory gives us joy.

Q5. How does the memory of a beautiful scene become a joy forever?

Once we see something beautiful, it stays in our memory. Whenever we are sad, recalling it lifts our spirits, so its joy lasts forever.

Exam tip

Learn the list of beautiful things and the list of sorrows — "fill in the table" questions on joy vs sorrow come straight from this poem.

Quick summary

"The Luncheon" by W. Somerset Maugham is a humorous story. Twenty years ago in Paris, a young, poor writer was asked by a woman admirer to treat her to lunch at Foyot's, an expensive restaurant. She kept saying "I never eat anything for luncheon" while ordering costly dishes one after another. The writer was left without money for the rest of the month — and in the end he takes his revenge when he sees her again, now very fat.

Key points

• Author: William Somerset Maugham (1874–1965), British playwright, novelist and short-story writer, known for a clear style and a shrewd understanding of human nature.
• The story begins at a play, where the writer meets the woman after many years; the rest is a flashback.
• Twenty years earlier he lived in a tiny apartment in Paris and barely earned enough. She had read his book and written to him.
• She invited herself to a "little luncheon" at Foyot's, a restaurant far beyond his means. He had only 80 francs for the rest of the month; he thought a modest lunch would cost about 15 and planned to cut out coffee for two weeks.
• She looked imposing rather than attractive, with more large white teeth than necessary.
• Saying "I never eat anything for luncheon" and "I never eat more than one thing", she ordered salmon, caviar, giant asparagus, ice cream and coffee, and later a peach.
• The writer ordered the cheapest dish, a mutton chop — and she scolded him for eating a heavy meal.
• He panicked and planned to pretend his pocket had been picked or to leave his watch if the money fell short.
• The bill left him with almost nothing; he could leave only a small tip, and had no money for the rest of the month.
• She advised: "Do as I do and never eat more than one thing for luncheon." He replied he would do better — he would eat nothing for dinner that night.
• The ending: the writer says he is not vindictive, but he is satisfied that she now weighs twenty-one stone — a humorous revenge.

Important terms

• Luncheon – a formal lunch.
• Far beyond one's means – not affordable.
• Imposing – grand, impressive.
• Caviar – an expensive dish of fish eggs.
• Mortifying – deeply embarrassing.
• Vindictive – wanting revenge.

Language study

• Irony: "I never eat anything for luncheon" — while she eats a large, costly meal.
• Humour through exaggeration: "more teeth... than were necessary for any practical purpose".
• Flashback: the main story is told as a memory of twenty years ago.
• First-person narration ("I").
• Useful phrase: "my heart sank" — showing sudden fear or disappointment.

5 important questions

Q1. Why did the narrator agree to give lunch at Foyot's though it was beyond his means?

He was flattered by the woman's letter praising his book and was too young and polite to refuse a lady.

Q2. Explain the irony in "I never eat anything for luncheon."

She claimed she ate nothing or only one thing at lunch, but she ordered salmon, caviar, asparagus, ice cream, coffee and a peach — the most expensive items.

Q3. What does "my heart sank" suggest about the narrator's feelings?

He was shocked and worried, because he knew giant asparagus was very expensive and he might not have enough money to pay the bill.

Q4. How did the narrator plan to handle the situation if the money fell short?

He planned to put his hand in his pocket and cry that it had been picked, or, if she too lacked money, to leave his watch and come back later to pay.

Q5. How did the narrator take his revenge?

Years later, he was pleased to see that the woman had become very fat (twenty-one stone). He says he is not vindictive, but this gave him satisfaction.

Exam tip

Write character sketches with contrasts: the woman (greedy, talkative, insensitive) vs the narrator (polite, shy, poor but witty).

Quick summary

"World Heritage" is an informative essay about UNESCO World Heritage Sites — places of great cultural or natural importance to humanity. It explains how the idea began (the rescue of Egypt's Abu Simbel temples), how the 1972 Convention was adopted, how the World Heritage Committee works, the five steps for a site to be listed, the types of sites, and the dangers they face.

Key points

• A World Heritage Site is chosen by UNESCO for its significant cultural or natural importance. Sites include forests, lakes, monuments, buildings and cities.
• Some sites are both cultural and natural, e.g. Mount Huangshan in China (important in Chinese art and literature and for its landscape).
• 1954: Egypt planned the Aswan High Dam on the Nile, which would have flooded the Abu Simbel temples.
• 1959: UNESCO launched an international campaign to dismantle the temples and move them to higher ground. It cost about 80 million US dollars, half of it from 50 countries.
• 1965: a White House Conference in the USA called for a "World Heritage Trust" to protect cultural and natural sites.
• 1968: the International Union for Conservation of Nature developed similar goals, presented at the UN Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972.
• 16 November 1972: UNESCO's General Conference adopted the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
• The World Heritage Committee meets once a year and has representatives of 21 State Parties elected for six-year terms.
• Five steps: (1) Tentative List (inventory) → (2) Nomination File → (3) review by two Advisory Bodies (ICOMOS and the World Conservation Union) → (4) Committee decides → (5) the site must meet at least one of ten selection criteria.
• As of 2009 (as given in the lesson): 890 sites in 148 countries — 689 cultural, 176 natural, 25 mixed. Italy had the most (44); India had 36 (28 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed).
• Dangers: war, poaching, earthquakes, uncontrolled urbanisation, heavy tourist traffic, air pollution and acid rain. Endangered sites go on a separate "List of World Heritage Sites in Danger" and can get money from the World Heritage Fund; a site that loses its special features can be deleted from the list.

Important terms

• Heritage – something valued for its historical, natural or cultural importance.
• Artefacts – objects made by human beings.
• Dismantling – taking apart.
• Inventory – a detailed list.
• Criteria – fixed standards used to judge.
• To inscribe – to write or enter (on a list).

Language study

• The text is an informative/expository essay with headings (History, Committee, Becoming a site, Types, In danger).
• Heritage Cycle: understanding → valuing → caring → enjoying → thirst to understand.
• Note the use of the passive voice in formal writing: "The Convention ... was adopted by UNESCO's General Conference."

5 important questions

Q1. Why did UNESCO launch an international campaign in 1959?

The Aswan High Dam would have flooded the valley with the Abu Simbel temples and many ancient Egyptian artefacts. UNESCO launched the campaign to dismantle the temples and move them to higher ground.

Q2. What is the role of the World Heritage Committee?

It decides which sites will be added to the World Heritage List. It reviews recommendations once a year, allocates money from the World Heritage Fund to sites in danger, and can delete a site that loses its special characteristics.

Q3. What is the tenure of the World Heritage Committee members?

Six years. The Committee has representatives of 21 State Parties elected for six-year terms.

Q4. Why are World Heritage Sites in danger?

Because of war, poaching, natural disasters like earthquakes, uncontrolled urbanisation, heavy tourist traffic, and environmental factors like air pollution and acid rain.

Q5. Why should we preserve World Heritage Sites?

They are a priceless part of human history, culture and nature. Once lost, they cannot be replaced. They also attract tourists, create jobs and help the economy, and future generations have a right to enjoy them.

Exam tip

Learn the year-wise table (1954, 1959, 1965, 1968, 1972) — "complete the table" is a common activity from this lesson.

Quick summary

"The Height of the Ridiculous" by Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894) is a humorous poem. The poet, in a merry mood, writes some lines so funny that he himself laughs till he could die. He sends them to the printer through his big, strong servant. As the servant reads line after line, he laughs more and more until he bursts his buttons and falls into a fit. The poet watches over him for ten sleepless days and nights and decides never again to write as funny as he can.

Key points

• The poet says he is usually a "sober" (serious) man, but once wrote some lines in a "wondrous merry mood".
• He thought, as usual, people would say the lines were exceedingly good. The lines were so "queer" (strange and funny) that he laughed as if he would die.
• He called his servant — a man of "mighty limb" (strong and big), unlike the "slender" poet — and told him to take the lines to the printer.
• As a small joke he added, "There'll be the devil to pay" — which, ironically, came true.
• First line – his face was all upon the grin.
• Second – the grin grew broad and shot from ear to ear.
• Third – a chuckling noise.
• Fourth – he broke into a roar.
• Fifth – his waistband split.
• Sixth – he burst five buttons off and tumbled in a fit.
• The servant peeped at the paper. The reactions build up line by line:
• The poet watched the "wretched" (helpless) man for ten days and nights with sleepless eyes.
• Lesson (humorously): since then the poet never dares to write as funny as he can.

Important terms

• Ridiculous – too funny to believe; absurd.
• Sober – serious, clear-headed.
• Wondrous – delightful, wonderful.
• Albeit – although.
• Queer – strange, odd.
• Trifling jest – a small, unimportant joke.
• Wretched – here, in a helpless condition.

Language study

• Rhyme scheme: abab in each stanza (time/I, mood/good; came/him... approximate rhymes).
• Repetition: "They were so queer, so very queer".
• Alliteration: "The grin grew broad".
• Hyperbole: "shot from ear to ear"; "I laughed as I would die"; "he burst five buttons off".
• Onomatopoeia: "chuckling", "roar".
• Transferred epithet: "sleepless eye" (it is the poet who is sleepless).
• Climax: the servant's laughter grows stanza by stanza.
• Syllables: ant (1), wa-ter (2), in-fer-no (3); el-e-phant (3), kan-ga-roo (3), bus (1).

5 important questions

Q1. In what frame of mind did the poet write the lines?

He was in a "wondrous merry mood" — very happy and playful — even though he is usually a sober, serious man.

Q2. What contrast is there between the narrator and his servant?

The narrator is a slender (thin) man, while the servant is a man of "mighty limb" — big and strong.

Q3. Arrange the servant's reactions in order.

Was all upon the grin → the grin grew broad → he broke into a roar → his waistband split → he burst five buttons off → (poet watched with) sleepless eye.

Q4. Which line suggests that the servant was totally out of control?

"The sixth; he burst five buttons off, / And tumbled in a fit."

Q5. What was the impact of this experience on the poet?

He watched the helpless servant for ten days and nights without sleep, and since then he never dares to write as funny as he can.

Exam tip

For poetic appreciation, mention the poet, theme (humour and its comic danger), rhyme scheme, figures of speech (hyperbole, onomatopoeia) and the climax structure.

Quick summary

This lesson is a book review of Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Old Man and the Sea" (1952). The novel tells of an old Cuban fisherman who, after 84 days without a catch, hooks a giant marlin, struggles with it far out at sea, and then fights sharks. The review covers the storyline, the social and historical context, Hemingway's writing style and the reviewer's own thoughts — showing how to write a book review.

Key points

• Storyline: an old, experienced Cuban fisherman catches no fish for eighty-four days. His young, devoted apprentice Manolin is forced by his parents to work with another fisherman.
• The old man decides to sail farther out than others to catch a really big fish. On the 85th day he hooks a marlin, which is too strong and pulls his boat. The novel is about his struggle with the marlin and later his battle against sharks.
• Social/Historical context: the novel is based on real events and on Hemingway's own life — he fished in Cuban waters, was a baseball fan, worked for the Red Cross in the First World War and was injured by shrapnel in Italy.
• Hemingway's theme: struggle against defeat or death; determination and endurance help one win.
• The old man is near death at the end, but his story lives on in his village's memory — so it becomes a story of triumph.
• Published in 1952, when people were recovering from the destruction of two world wars, the tale of endurance "struck a chord" with readers.
• Writing style: simple and pithy language, short straightforward sentences, extreme economy of words. The simplicity is deceptive — readers find new layers of meaning every time.
• Reviewer's thoughts: first reading left the reviewer unimpressed, but the image of the old man holding his line stayed; on re-reading, the reviewer was deeply moved by the old man's strength, Manolin's devotion and their heart-warming relationship. The old man and the marlin both stand for a noble struggle against destruction.

Important terms

• Apprentice – a person learning a trade by working for someone.
• Marlin – a large sea fish with a spear-like snout.
• Shrapnel – metal pieces that fly out from an exploding bomb.
• Wrought – brought about.
• Pithy – brief and full of meaning.
• Formidable – causing fear or respect because of strength.

Language study

• Points of a book review: storyline, social/historical context, writing style, my thoughts (opinion).
• Phrases: run of terrible bad luck (a period when bad things happen); draws heavily on (makes use of); struck a chord (touched people's feelings); in spite of (without being affected by); holding on (enduring in difficulty).
• Transformation: "He hooks a marlin but the marlin is too strong for him." → "Although he hooks a marlin, the marlin is too strong for him." "As the novel progresses..." → "With the progress of the novel, ..."
• Root words: unable → able; determination → determine; endurance → endure; inseparably → separate; simplicity → simple; empathetic → empathy.

5 important questions

Q1. Name the young and devoted apprentice.

Manolin.

Q2. Correct the sentence: Manolin's parents insisted on his working with the same old fisherman.

Manolin's parents forced him to start working with another fisherman.

Q3. Correct the sentence: This novel is pure fiction.

The novel is based on real events and draws heavily on Hemingway's own life.

Q4. Why did the novel strike a chord with readers in 1952?

People were trying to recover from the mass destruction of the two world wars. The novel's tale of endurance and final triumph gave them hope, so it touched their hearts.

Q5. Why does the reviewer say it is hard to decide whom to sympathise with?

The marlin fights desperately for its life, and the old man struggles bravely too. Both stand for the same ideal — a noble struggle against destruction — so the reader feels for both.

Exam tip

Practise writing a short book review using the four headings — storyline, context, writing style, my thoughts. It is a regular writing-skill question.

Quick summary

"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry is a short story about a poor young couple, Della and Jim, who love each other deeply. On Christmas Eve Della has only 1.87 dollars, so she sells her beautiful long hair for 20 dollars to buy a platinum fob chain for Jim's gold watch. Jim, meanwhile, has sold his watch to buy expensive combs for Della's hair. Both gifts are now useless, but their sacrifice shows true love — which makes them the wisest of all gift-givers, like the Magi.

Key points

• Author: O. Henry (William Sydney Porter, 1862–1910), an American short-story writer famous for surprise endings.
• Della counts her savings three times: one dollar and eighty-seven cents, sixty cents of it in pennies saved by bargaining hard with the grocer, vegetable man and butcher.
• They live in a furnished flat at 8 dollars a week. Jim's income has dropped from 30 dollars to 20 dollars a week.
• The couple's two treasures: Jim's gold watch (once his father's and grandfather's) and Della's long brown hair that reached below her knee.
• Della sells her hair to Madame Sofronie ("Hair Goods of All Kinds") for twenty dollars.
• She spends two happy hours searching the stores and buys a simple platinum fob chain for twenty-one dollars, returning home with 87 cents.
• She curls her short hair and prays that Jim will still think her pretty.
• Jim comes home, stares at her in a trance-like way. He gives her the set of combs — pure tortoise shell with jewelled rims — that she had long admired in a Broadway window.
• Della shows him the chain; Jim says he sold the watch to buy the combs. He suggests they put the presents away and asks her to put the chops on.
• The Magi were wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. O. Henry says that of all who give gifts, these two were the wisest — they are the Magi.

Important terms

• Parsimony – unwillingness to spend money.
• Imputation – an accusation or suggestion of something bad.
• Mendicancy squad – police who arrest beggars.
• Cascade – a small waterfall (Della's falling hair).
• Coveted – greatly desired.
• Prudence – wisdom, good judgement.
• Magi – the wise men who brought gifts to the infant Jesus.

Language study

• Situational irony: Della sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim's watch; Jim sells his watch to buy combs for Della's hair — each gift becomes useless.
• Plot diagram: exposition (poor couple, 1.87 dollars) → inciting moment (no money for a gift) → rising action (selling hair, buying chain) → climax (exchange of gifts) → resolution (presents put away, love remains).
• Hyperbole: Della's hair would make the Queen of Sheba's jewels look poor; King Solomon would envy Jim's watch.
• Verbals: infinitive ("to buy"), gerund ("Reading is good"), participle ("a horrifying experience").
• Question tags: "Della leaped up, didn't she?" "Let's put our presents away, shall we?"

5 important questions

Q1. Why did Della count the money three times?

She hoped she had made a mistake and had more money. Only 1.87 dollars seemed too little to buy a present for Jim, and the next day was Christmas.

Q2. What signs indicate that Della and Jim were very poor?

They saved pennies by bargaining hard, lived in a shabby flat costing 8 dollars a week with a broken letter-box and doorbell, and Jim's income had fallen from 30 dollars to 20 dollars a week.

Q3. Why did Della sell her long hair?

She had only 1.87 dollars and wanted to buy Jim a gift worthy of him. Her hair was her most precious possession, and she sold it for 20 dollars to buy a fob chain for his watch.

Q4. Explain the situational irony in the story.

Della expects Jim to use the chain with his watch, but he has sold the watch. Jim expects Della to wear the combs in her hair, but she has sold her hair. Both gifts become useless.

Q5. Justify the title "The Gift of the Magi".

The Magi were wise men who gave the first Christmas gifts. Della and Jim sacrificed their greatest treasures for each other out of pure love. O. Henry says such loving givers are the wisest of all — they are the Magi, so the title fits.

Exam tip

Questions on irony, the title and the plot diagram are common — practise answering each in 4–5 lines using incidents from the story.

Quick summary

Grammar questions in the board paper ask you to change a sentence "as directed". Learn a few fixed patterns and these marks are easy.

Key points

• Helping verbs: I – am/was; he, she, it – is/was/has; we, you, they – are/were/have.
• With he/she/it in simple present, add -s/-es to the verb: She reads.
• Question tag: positive sentence → negative tag; negative → positive tag. Use the same helping verb and a pronoun.
• Exclamatory: start with What (for a noun) or How (for an adjective/adverb) and end with "!".
• Not only… but also / as well as join two ideas into one sentence.
• No sooner… than: use did + V1 after "No sooner".
• Infinitive: to + V1 (to win, to learn).
• Wh-question: frame a question whose answer is the underlined word.

Language study

Voice: Active "The farmer grows rice." → Passive "Rice is grown by the farmer." (object comes first; be + V3; by + doer)

Example

• Tag: The bus has left, hasn't it?
• Exclamatory: It is a very tall tower. → What a tall tower it is!
• No sooner: As soon as the bell rang, the students ran out. → No sooner did the bell ring than the students ran out.
• Wh-question: Sameer lives in Nagpur. → Where does Sameer live?

Quick revision

• Passive needs V3 (third form) always.
• Tag for "I am": aren't I?
• "Let's" takes the tag "shall we?"
• Check tense first, then change the sentence.

Quick summary

Vocabulary questions ask for words with the same meaning (synonyms) or opposite meaning (antonyms), usually picked from the passage.

Key points

• Read the whole sentence; the meaning must fit the context.
• Keep the same part of speech: a verb for a verb, an adjective for an adjective.
• Opposites are often made with prefixes: un-, in-, im-, dis-, ir-, il-, non-.
• Some opposites change the whole word: ancient – modern.
• Learn 5 new words a day from your textbook lessons and use each in a sentence.

Language study

Prefix opposites: possible – impossible, regular – irregular, legal – illegal, agree – disagree, visible – invisible.

Example

"The village was silent at night." Synonym: quiet. Antonym: noisy.

Quick revision

• Synonym = same meaning; antonym = opposite meaning.
• Match the form: "happily" (adverb) → antonym "sadly", not "sad".
• Write only the word asked; don't copy the whole sentence.

Quick summary

A personal response question asks your own opinion on an idea from the passage. Each carries 2 marks; there is usually one in every passage.

Key points

• There is no single correct answer; a clear, sensible opinion gets marks.
• Answer in 3–4 lines, in three parts: opinion → reason → conclusion.
• Start directly: "Yes, I agree…" / "No, I don't think…".
• Give one or two reasons, best from daily life.
• Use simple, correct sentences; avoid copying lines from the passage.
• Stay positive and polite.

Language study

Useful openers: In my opinion… / I strongly feel that… / I believe… / From my experience…
Useful linkers: because, so, moreover, also, therefore.

Example

Q. Should students help with household work? Why?
Yes, I believe students should help at home. It teaches responsibility and saves time for parents. I help my mother by buying vegetables, and it has made me more confident. So, small home duties are good for every student.

Quick revision

• Opinion + reason + conclusion = full marks.
• 3–4 lines are enough.
• Use "I" — it is your personal view.
• Practise topics: mobile phones, sports, reading, cleanliness, helping others, failure.

Quick summary

A summary is a short version of a passage in your own words, with only the main points. In the board paper it is a 5-mark question on the unseen passage, with a title.

Key points

• Length: about one-third of the original passage.
• Step 1: read the passage twice and find its main idea.
• Step 2: underline only the key points (who, what, when, why).
• Step 3: drop examples, repeated ideas, long lists, dialogues and figures not needed.
• Step 4: write the points in your own simple sentences, in one paragraph.
• Step 5: give a short title (2–5 words) that shows the main idea.
• Use the same tense as the passage; usually third person.
• Don't add your own opinions.

Language study

Helpful joining words: and, but, because, later, finally, however.
Compress lists: "mangoes, bananas, apples and grapes" → "many fruits".

Example

Passage idea: A small village had no water in summer. Students and farmers dug ponds, planted trees and stored rain water. In three years the wells filled up and farming improved.
Title: A Village Fights Drought
Summary: Villagers faced water shortage every summer. Students and farmers together built ponds, planted trees and saved rain water. Within a few years the wells were full and the farms grew better.

Quick revision

• Title + one paragraph.
• Main points only, own words.
• About 1/3 length.
• Check spelling and full stops at the end.

Quick summary

The writing section tests letters, dialogues, speeches, information transfer, news reports and stories. Each has a fixed format; learning it is half the marks.

Key points

• Formal letter: sender's address → date → "To" + receiver's address → Subject → Respected Sir/Madam → body (purpose, details, request) → Thanking you, Yours faithfully/sincerely → name.
• Informal letter: your address, date, Dear…, friendly body, Yours lovingly, name. No subject line.
• Dialogue: names with colon, at least 3 meaningful exchanges each, natural spoken English.
• Speech: greet the audience, introduce yourself and topic, 2–3 main points, thank the audience.
• Verbal ↔ non-verbal: turn a paragraph into a table, chart or flow chart (or the reverse) — keep all facts.
• News report: headline → place and date (dateline) → who, what, when, where, why → quote or result.
• Developing a story: title, beginning–middle–end, past tense, a moral at the end if asked.

Language study

News report skeleton:
Headline: Students Clean Up River Bank
Gondia, 2 Oct: Over 100 students of a local school cleaned the river bank on Sunday as part of the Swachh Bharat drive. They collected 50 bags of plastic. The principal said such drives will be held every month.

Example

Dialogue (3 exchanges) on saving water:
Asha: Why is the tap running?
Ravi: I forgot to close it after washing my hands.
Asha: Every drop counts. Please close it fully.
Ravi: You are right. I'll be careful from now on.

Quick revision

• Formal letter = Subject line + "Yours faithfully/sincerely".
• News report = headline + dateline + 5 Ws.
• Speech starts with greeting, ends with thanks.
• Story always has a title.

Quick summary

Q1 of the English paper has small word activities worth 10 marks: complete the word, alphabetical order, punctuation, make words, word web, word chain, plus sentence-level tasks. They are the easiest marks in the paper.

Key points

• Complete the word: fill missing letters; check spelling by saying the word slowly.
• Alphabetical order: compare the first letter; if same, the second, and so on (bag, ball, bat).
• Punctuation: capital letter at the start and for names and "I"; full stop, comma, question mark, apostrophe (let's, don't), inverted commas around spoken words.
• Make words: make 4 real words of at least 3 letters from the given big word; use each letter only as many times as it appears.
• Word web: write 4 words related to the centre word.
• Word chain: each new word starts with the last letter of the previous word.
• Prefix/suffix: un-, dis-, re-, mis- before; -ness, -ful, -less, -ment after.
• Add a clause: join a "who/which/that/when/because" part that makes sense.

Language study

Example

Add a clause: "This is the bus." → "This is the bus that goes to Nagpur."

Quick revision

• Attempt any 4 of the 6 in Q1(A) and any 2 of 3 in Q1(B) — choose the surest ones.
• Proper nouns always start with a capital.
• In dialogue, the question mark goes inside the inverted commas.