"A Time to Believe" is a short, hopeful poem by B. J. Morbitzer. The poet says that believing means trusting that each day is a fresh start, that miracles and dreams can come true, and that we have hidden strength to rebuild our lives after a shock. The poem asks us to keep a positive attitude because life is a precious gift.
Key points
The poem is built on the repeated phrase "To believe is…" – each stanza gives a new meaning of belief.
Every day is a new beginning; miracles happen and dreams can come true.
Belief lets us see magic in the world – the starry sky and the "man in the moon" (supernatural images).
We learn love from a caring (nurturing) heart, the innocence of a child and the experience of an old person's hand.
Belief gives us strength and courage from within to start again after a disaster ("pick up the pieces").
We are never alone; life is a gift to be cherished.
Wonderful surprises are waiting, and our hopes and dreams are within reach – if only we believe.
Theme: faith, hope and optimism (आशावाद). Message: keep a positive attitude in every situation.
Tone: gentle, inspiring and encouraging.
Important terms
Stardust – having a magical quality.
Nurturing – giving care, food and protection.
Aging – growing old.
Pick up the pieces – return to normal life after a shock.
Cherish – hold something dear and precious.
Within reach – possible to achieve.
Language study
Personification – giving human qualities to non-human things: angels "dancing" among the clouds.
Epigram – a short line stating a general truth, like a proverb: "every day is a new beginning", "life is a gift".
Repetition – "To believe is…" is repeated to stress the idea.
Acrostic – a poem in which the first letters of lines form a word vertically (the workshop asks for acrostics of BELIEVE and FAITH).
Thesaurus – a reference book listing words with similar (and opposite) meanings.
Word puzzle from the workshop: clearmis → miracles, sowmid → wisdom, gearuoc → courage, rissupser → surprises.
5 important questions
Q1. What should one know and trust every day, according to the poet?
That every day is a new beginning, that miracles happen and that dreams really come true.
Q2. What two qualities do we need to recover after a shocking event?
Strength and courage, which lie within us.
Q3. Why does even an aging hand have beauty?
Because old people teach us through their experience, and from their teachings we learn to love.
Q4. Pick out an example of personification from the poem.
Seeing angels dancing among the clouds – dancing, a human action, is given to angels.
Q5. What attitude does the poet advise everyone to have?
A positive, hopeful and believing attitude – to trust in ourselves, value life and expect good things.
Exam tip
For poem appreciation, write: title, poet, theme, figures of speech, rhyme scheme (free verse here), and the message you liked.
This is an old English folk tale about Dick Whittington, a poor orphan boy who goes to London believing its streets are paved with gold. After great hardship he gets work in the kitchen of a kind merchant, Mr Fitzwarren. His only possession, a cat, is sent on a trading ship to Africa, where it is sold to a king for a huge sum. Dick becomes rich, marries Alice and is three times elected Lord Mayor of London.
Key points
Dick, an orphan in a village in south England, was badly treated. He innocently believed that London's streets were paved with gold.
A kind carter gave him a lift to London. There he found only dirty streets and unfriendly people; he slept in an alley, begged for food and collapsed from hunger.
He fell in front of the house of a rich merchant, Mr Fitzwarren, who gave him food, a corner in the attic and work helping the cook.
Two problems: rats and mice in the attic (solved by buying a cat with his few pennies) and the bad-tempered cook who scolded and beat him.
Dick ran away, but at Holloway on All Saints' Day (1 November) the church bells seemed to say "Turn again Whittington… Lord Mayor of London". Inspired, he returned.
Mr Fitzwarren's ship went to trade on the African coast; Dick's only possession, his cat, went with it. Alice wanted to give something for him, but her father said it must be his own.
At the palace of the King of Barbary, rats and mice ate the royal dinner. The cat killed many of them. The queen was delighted, and the king paid ten times the value of the whole cargo for the cat.
Mr Fitzwarren honestly gave all the money to Dick. Dick became a successful merchant, married Alice, was Lord Mayor three times, was knighted as Sir Richard Whittington, and helped the poor.
Theme: hard work, patience, honesty and determination bring success even from humble beginnings. Mr Fitzwarren shows kindness and honesty.
Important terms
Dismay – great disappointment.
Alley – narrow passage between buildings.
Attic – small room just below a sloping roof.
Scampered – ran here and there quickly.
Mouser – an animal that catches mice.
Knighted – given the honoured title "Sir".
Language study
Syllables: units of pronunciation with one vowel sound – be-long-ing, un-friend-ly, cit-i-zen, dif-fi-cul-ty.
"The Pilgrim" (anonymous, as given in the textbook) is a poem about an old traveller who crosses a deep, wide chasm at evening without fear, yet stops to build a bridge over it. When a fellow pilgrim asks why he wastes time on a road he will never use again, the old man says a young boy is following him, and the chasm that was easy for him may be a trap for the youth. He builds the bridge for the next generation.
Key points
A lonely old pilgrim reaches a deep, vast chasm on a cold, grey evening and crosses it in dim twilight; he is not afraid.
After crossing, he stops and builds a bridge across it.
A fellow pilgrim is puzzled: the old man's journey ends with the day and he will never pass that way again.
The old man explains that a fair-haired youth is following the same path. The chasm that held no fear for him may be a pitfall for the young boy, who also must cross it in dim light.
He builds the bridge for the sake of others – selfless service.
The whole poem is a metaphor: pilgrim = a dutiful man; journey = life; evening/close of day = old age and death; chasm = a threat to life; building a bridge = solving a problem for others; pitfall = trap.
Theme: selflessness and responsibility towards the next generation. Like scientists, reformers and inventors, we should work so that those who come after us face fewer dangers.
Qualities – old pilgrim: brave, kind, thoughtful, selfless; fellow pilgrim: curious, practical; young pilgrim: innocent, inexperienced.
Important terms
Pilgrim – a person on a journey, often to a holy place.
Chasm – very deep, steep gap in the earth.
Span the tide – go across the flowing water / gap.
Even tide – late evening.
Ye – old form of "you".
Pitfall – a hidden trap or danger.
Language study
Metaphor – implied comparison; the entire poem is metaphorical.
Tautology – two words with the same meaning in one line: "deep and vast and wide", "cold and gray".
Inversion (anastrophe) – changed word order: "The chasm held no fear for him" pattern; "There followeth after me today".
Interrogation (rhetorical question) – "Why build ye here at even tide?"
Q1. What did the pilgrim do although he had already crossed the chasm?
He stopped on the other side and built a bridge across the chasm.
Q2. What puzzled the fellow pilgrim?
He could not understand why the old man was wasting time building a bridge when his journey was ending and he would never pass that way again.
Q3. What explanation did the old man give?
A fair-haired youth was following him. The chasm that did not frighten the old man might be a dangerous trap for the young boy, so he built the bridge for him.
Q4. What message does the poem convey?
We should think beyond ourselves and do good work that makes life easier and safer for the next generation.
Q5. What does the "chasm" stand for in the poem?
It stands for the dangers and problems (threats to life) that people face in their journey of life.
Exam tip
In poem appreciation, explain the metaphor clearly – examiners look for "pilgrim = man, journey = life, chasm = danger".
Revathi, a young violin student, moves a pot of weak balsam plants into the sunlight and plays her favourite raga, Mohanam, near them every day. She discovers that the plants bend towards her when she plays this tune and turn away from fast music. The plants grow healthy and flower early, but are stolen by a neighbour just before a "Best Plant" contest. Revathi proves they are hers by playing her violin before the organisers – the plants bend towards her – and she wins the first prize.
Key points
Revathi noticed her balsam plants near a wall had pale leaves and stunted growth; remembering that plants need light, she shifted them to the sunny centre of the courtyard.
She decided to enter the colony's "Best Plant" contest.
She played the raga Mohanam on her violin daily near the plants. They grew healthier than others.
One windless evening she noticed the plants bending towards her as she played. When she played a fast, rhythmic tune they turned away; when she returned to Mohanam, they bent towards her again. Her guess (surmise) became a certainty.
She kept her discovery a secret, even from her mother.
The plants flowered early with big, bright flowers; one had unusual mauve flowers with white stripes.
On the contest day the pot was missing. Her grief knew no bounds – she missed her plant "friends" more than the prize.
At the show she found her pot entered under a distant neighbour's name. The organisers did not believe her because the lady was a regular participant.
Revathi brought her violin; people laughed, but she played her raga and the plants bent towards her as if to touch her. The organisers were stunned and convinced.
The neighbour admitted she had stolen the pot at night. Revathi won the first prize and took her plants home proudly.
Theme: love for nature and music, observation, patience, self-belief and truth winning over dishonesty.
Important terms
Stunted – slowed down or stopped in growth.
Surmise – guess.
Mauve – pale purple colour.
Ridicule – unkind laughter.
Deter – discourage.
Dejected – sad, disappointed.
Phenomenon – something very unusual.
Language study
Affirmative and negative sentences: a negative sentence has words like no, not, never, nothing, cannot. To interchange without changing meaning or tense, use words like fail to, refuse, hardly, avoid, prohibit, without.
Example: "I could not complete the work." → "I failed to complete the work." "He said he wouldn't go." → "He refused to go."
Word chain: each new noun begins with the last letter of the previous word – music → courtyard → …
Notice writing about the "Best Plant" contest.
5 important questions
Q1. Why did Revathi change the pot's location?
The plants had pale leaves and stunted growth because they lacked light, so she moved the pot to the centre of the courtyard where there was plenty of sunlight.
Q2. How did Revathi confirm her discovery?
She played a fast, rhythmic tune and the plants turned away; when she played Mohanam again they straightened and bent towards her.
Q3. Why did the organisers refuse to believe Revathi at first?
The neighbour was a regular participant, and nobody had ever heard of plants enjoying music, so they laughed at her.
Q4. How did Revathi prove that the plants were hers?
She played her favourite raga on the violin in front of everyone, and the plants bent towards her, proving they knew her music.
Q5. Change into affirmative: "There is no sense in what you say."
There is hardly any sense in what you say.
Exam tip
For "do as directed" questions, practise changing negative sentences to affirmative using fail, refuse, avoid, hardly.
"Vocation" is a free-verse poem by Rabindranath Tagore, spoken by a small schoolboy. On his way to and from school and at bedtime, he watches a bangle hawker, a gardener and a night watchman. Because they seem free from rules and hurry, he wishes he could be each of them. The poem shows a child's innocent longing for freedom from routine and discipline.
Key points
Morning (10 o'clock gong): walking to school, the boy meets a hawker calling out "Bangles, crystal bangles!" The hawker has no fixed road, no place to reach and no time to come home. The boy wishes to be a hawker.
Afternoon (4 o'clock): returning from school, he sees a gardener digging. The gardener can get dusty, baked in the sun or wet, and nobody scolds him (takes him to task). The boy wishes to be a gardener.
Night: sent to bed, he sees through the window a watchman walking up and down the dark, lonely lane with his lantern and his shadow. The street lamp looks like a giant with one red eye. The watchman never goes to bed, so the boy wishes to be a watchman.
The speaker is a young child (about 6–9 years) who must follow a strict timetable – school, studies, bedtime – set by elders.
He sees only the freedom in these jobs, not their hardships; he does not really want these professions – he craves freedom.
Theme: a child's desire for freedom from rules and routine; seeing the world through innocent eyes.
Style: free verse – no regular rhyme, rhythm or stanza length.
Important terms
Gong – a flat metal bell struck to mark time.
Hawker – a person who moves about selling goods and calling them out.
Takes him to task – scolds and corrects him.
Baked in the sun – exposed to strong heat.
One-eyed giant – the street lamp, compared to the Cyclops of Greek mythology (Homer's Odyssey).
Chasing the shadows – following an imaginary goal.
Language study
Repetition – "I wish I were a…" is repeated in each stanza.
Onomatopoeia – words that imitate sounds: gong, bang, tinkle, crash.
Alliteration – "spending my day", "lane is dark and lonely".
Simile – the street lamp "stands like a giant with one red eye".
Free verse – poetry without fixed rhyme or rhythm (Walt Whitman, T. S. Eliot, Tagore).
"I wish I were" – the subjunctive form used for an unreal wish ("were", not "was").
Words for means of living: profession, vocation, occupation, job, career, trade, business, employment.
The workshop also has Tagore's "Paper Boats" for paraphrase – writing a poem's meaning in your own simple prose.
5 important questions
Q1. Why does the speaker wish to be a hawker?
The hawker has no hurry, no fixed road, no place he must go to and no time to come home – he seems completely free.
Q2. Why is the street lamp compared to a one-red-eyed giant?
It stands tall in the dark lane with a single red light at the top, like the one-eyed giant of Greek mythology.
Q3. What does the speaker really crave for?
Freedom from rules, timetables and scoldings – the freedom he imagines the hawker, gardener and watchman enjoy.
Q4. Does the poet really wish to become a hawker, gardener or watchman? Justify.
No. As a child he sees only their freedom, not their hard work. His wish shows his longing for freedom, not a real career choice.
Q5. What is the difference between a hawker and a shopkeeper?
A hawker moves from place to place selling goods and calling out, while a shopkeeper sells from a fixed shop.
Exam tip
For appreciation, mention it is free verse, the child speaker, the repeated wish and the theme of freedom.
This lesson, set in a peaceful home in Manipur, shows a twelve-year-old girl, Lanthoi, preparing for a school symposium on the topic "God Created Men and Women as Equals". She discusses it with her mother, Ashangbi, a journalist and women's rights activist, after talking to her father, Tomba, who shares all household work. Through examples of brave women and the UN declaration, Lanthoi understands that men and women are equal.
Key points
The house stands beside a clear stream, near green mountains and fields of yellow mustard; jasmine scents the courtyard on an April morning.
Ashangbi is a middle-aged mother of three, a journalist and women's rights activist.
Lanthoi, her youngest daughter, will represent Siroi Lily House as a speaker and asks her mother for help.
Tomba, her father, is a lawyer and social worker who supports women's causes. He shares household chores – cleaning, washing, cooking, feeding the children – equally with his wife. Without his support, Ashangbi would not have been a successful professional.
Tomba tells Lanthoi the world is still full of inequalities and we must find ways to bring equality.
Ashangbi says that outside her home women are subjugated in many ways, which is against the will of God; men and women are sent to share life's joys, sorrows and nature's bounty equally.
A mother is the fountain of love; motherhood is glorified.
Lanthoi's grandmother told stories of brave queens like Linthoingambi and Kuranganayani; common women too were home-makers, adventurers and farmers. Modern women are mountaineers, astronauts, scientists, soldiers and leaders.
Under the United Nations there is a declaration for equality: equal access to health and education, equal participation in political and economic decision-making, equal reward for equal work, and elimination of discrimination and violence against women.
Confident, Lanthoi rushes out into the bright morning; the trail winding up the distant mountain symbolises her bright, ambitious future.
Theme: gender equality (स्त्री-पुरुष समानता) begins at home.
Important terms
Hues – colours.
Symposium – a meeting where experts discuss a subject.
Discriminate – treat people unfairly as better or worse.
Laments – expresses grief or sorrow.
Subjugated – controlled and dominated.
Pioneer – one of the first to take up a cause.
Under the aegis of – with the support of.
Language study
Pronouns – words used instead of nouns.
Demonstrative pronouns point to a noun: this, that, these, those ("This is a kingfisher").
Relative pronouns replace a noun and join two sentences: who, whose, whom, which, that ("Biology is a science which studies living organisms").
Interrogative pronouns ask questions: what, which, who ("What do you want to do?").
Compound words from the lesson: incense sticks, household, grandmother, mountaineers.
Who said to whom: "It is against the will of God" – Ashangbi to Lanthoi.
5 important questions
Q1. Give points that prove Tomba believes in gender equality.
He shares cooking, cleaning, washing and feeding children; supports his wife's career; is proud of his daughters as well as his son; works for women's causes as a lawyer; does not discriminate between men's and women's work.
Q2. How is Ashangbi different from other women of her community?
She is educated, a journalist and an activist who writes and speaks for women's rights, and enjoys equality at home.
Q3. What does the UN declaration provide for women's equality?
Equal access to health and education, equal share in political and economic decisions, equal pay for equal work, and an end to discrimination and violence against women.
Q4. What are the achievements of modern women?
They have become mountaineers, naturalists, astronauts, scientists, soldiers and political leaders, proving there is nothing a woman cannot do.
Q5. Identify the pronoun type: "This is what your topic means."
"The Worm" by Thomas Gisborne is a short poem that asks us not to crush a helpless worm with a careless foot. The poet reminds us that the same God who made us also made the worm, and gave the sun, moon, stars and grass to all creatures freely. Since we cannot give life, we have no right to take it away. The poem teaches respect for all living beings.
Key points
The poet directly tells the reader to turn the hasty foot aside and not crush the helpless worm.
The worm's body, which proud people look at with scorn, needed God to create it.
The Lord of all moving creatures, from whom our own life comes, has given a share of His boundless love to the worm too.
God made the sun, moon and stars free for all creatures and spread grass on earth for worms as well as for humans.
Let worms enjoy their short life and simple joy.
Last two lines: do not carelessly take away a life you cannot give.
Worms are friends of farmers and keep ecological balance; vermiculture uses worms to turn organic waste into fertiliser.
Theme: respect for all life, compassion and "Live and let live". The poem urges us to protect all small creatures and nature, not only worms.
Tone: gentle, appealing and moral. Structure: four stanzas of four lines each, with rhyme (aside–deride, worm–form).
Important terms
Hasty – hurried and careless.
Scornful – full of contempt.
Deride – mock or look down upon.
Bestow'd – given as a gift.
Lowly – humble, simple.
Bliss – joy, happiness.
Language study
Archaic words – old words used for an old-fashioned flavour: thy (your), thee (you), thou (you), canst (can), bestow'd (bestowed), o'er (over), flow'd (flowed).
Apostrophe – directly addressing someone absent: "Turn, turn thy hasty foot aside", "O do not lightly take away…".
Repetition – "Turn, turn".
Rhyme scheme – abab in each stanza (aside–deride, worm–form).
In this speech, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the father of India's integrated guided missile programme and former President of India, shares his three visions for India – Freedom, Development and Standing up to the world. He reminds Indians of their many achievements, criticises the media's focus on bad news and our craze for foreign goods, and says self-respect comes with self-reliance.
Key points
For 3,000 years invaders – Alexander and the Greeks, the Portuguese, British, French, Dutch – looted India, yet India never conquered any other nation, because we respect others' freedom.
First vision – FREEDOM: India's first vision of freedom came in 1857. We must protect, nurture and build on it; if we are not free, no one will respect us.
Second vision – DEVELOPMENT: after being a developing nation for 50 years, India should see itself as a developed nation – self-reliant and self-assured. India was among the top five in GDP with about 10% growth in many areas (as per the speech).
Third vision – STANDING UP to the world: only strength respects strength; India must be strong both militarily and economically.
Indian achievements: second largest producer of wheat and rice, first in milk production, number one in remote sensing satellites. Dr Sudarshan turned a tribal village into a self-sustaining unit.
Our media is obsessed with bad news, failures and disasters.
In Tel Aviv, after violent attacks, an Israeli newspaper's front page showed a man who had turned desert land into an orchard and granary – a positive outlook.
Indians are obsessed with imported TVs, shirts and technology; self-respect comes with self-reliance.
A 14-year-old girl in Hyderabad told him her goal: "I want to live in a developed India." We must build it for her.
Message: be proud of our strengths, become self-reliant and work for a developed India.
Finite verbs change with the person and number of the subject: I play / He plays.
Non-finite verbs do not change with the subject: to + verb (to play), verb + ing (playing), past participle (played), having + past participle.
Example: "We lack the confidence to see ourselves…" – lack: finite; to see: non-finite.
Sentences of general truth: "If we are not free, no one will respect us." "Only strength respects strength." "Self-respect comes with self-reliance."
Preamble words: fraternity (brotherhood), liberty (freedom), solemnly (earnestly), justice (fair treatment), sovereign (supreme authority), integrity/unity, resolve (a promise to oneself).
5 important questions
Q1. What are Dr Kalam's three visions for India?
Freedom, Development, and Standing up to the world.
Q2. Why does Dr Kalam say Indians respect the freedom of others?
Though many invaders conquered and looted India, India never invaded any nation or forced its way of life on anyone.
Q3. What are the drawbacks of Indians mentioned in the speech?
We refuse to recognise our own achievements, our media focuses only on bad news, and we are obsessed with foreign goods.
Q4. What does the Israeli newspaper incident show?
Even after attacks, the paper highlighted a positive achievement on its front page, showing a hopeful outlook and self-respect that our media should learn from.
Q5. Identify finite and non-finite verbs: "They like playing football."
"The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde is a fairy tale about a golden statue of a prince who, after death, can see all the misery of his city and weeps. A little Swallow, on its way to Egypt, stays to help him. The Prince gives away his ruby, his sapphire eyes and his gold leaf to the poor through the Swallow. The Swallow dies of cold and the Prince's lead heart breaks. God calls them the two most precious things in the city.
Key points
The statue stood high above the city, covered with gold, with blue jewels for eyes and a red jewel at its waist; everyone admired it.
A Swallow, left behind by friends who had gone to Egypt, rested between the statue's feet and was wet by drops – the Prince's tears.
Alive, the Prince lived in a palace garden with a high wall and never knew sorrow; now, from high up, he sees his people's suffering and cries though his heart is of cheap metal (lead).
First gift: the red jewel to a poor seamstress whose son had fever; the Swallow fanned the boy with its wings and felt warm because it had done a good deed.
Second gift: one blue-jewel eye to a cold, hungry young writer who could not finish his story; he thought an admirer had sent it.
Third gift: the other eye to a little match/egg-selling girl whose eggs had broken and who feared her father; the Prince became blind.
The Swallow decided to stay with the blind Prince for ever, told him stories and reported the hunger and suffering in the city.
The Prince's gold leaf was given, piece by piece, to the poor; children got bread, and the statue looked grey and ugly.
Winter came; the Swallow kissed the Prince and fell dead at his feet. The lead heart cracked into two.
The officials, finding the statue shabby "like a beggar", pulled it down and melted it; the broken heart would not melt and was thrown away with the dead bird.
God's servants brought the broken heart and the dead bird as the two best things in the city; they were rewarded in God's garden and city of gold.
Theme: true happiness lies in selfless love, kindness and sacrifice for others.
Important terms
Statue – figure of a person made of stone or metal.
Swallow – a small migratory bird.
Migratory birds – birds that fly to warmer lands in winter and return.
Seamstress – a woman who sews clothes for a living.
Fairy tale – a story with magical or imaginary elements.
Language study
Direct and indirect speech: Direct – Amar said, "I shall come to meet you tomorrow, Sanket." Indirect – Amar told Sanket that he would go to meet him the next day. Changes: reporting verb, conjunction "that", pronouns, tense (shall → would), time words (tomorrow → the next day).
Infinitive – base form, often with "to": "I have to study".
Participle – verb form used as an adjective: "the broken heart", "a crying boy".
Gerund – verb + ing used as a noun: "Swimming is good exercise."
"The Plate of Gold" by James Henry Leigh Hunt is a narrative poem. A plate of gold falls from Heaven in a temple at Benares with the words "To him who loveth best, a gift from Heaven." For two years rich and famous claimants describe their charity, but the plate turns to lead whenever they touch it. Finally a simple peasant, who had comforted a blind beggar with true pity, touches it and it shines three times brighter.
Key points
A wondrous plate of gold fell in the temple court of Benares, meant for the one who "loveth best".
The priests announced that claimants should come at midday daily and tell their deeds of mercy; the priests would judge.
Nobles, munshis, hermits, scholars and holy men came for a whole year.
The priests gave the plate to a man who had distributed all his wealth to the poor; but at his touch it turned to base lead. When he dropped it, it became gold again.
For another year, three times the priests awarded the plate and three times Heaven refused it.
Many maimed beggars gathered at the temple gate; pilgrims threw coins to them to prove their love, but none looked into their sad eyes – it was show, not real compassion.
A simple peasant, unaware of the contest, came to fulfil a vow. Moved to tears by the beggars, he knelt before a blind, sore beggar whom everyone avoided, held his hands and called him "my brother", telling him God is good.
The priest beckoned the peasant; when he took the plate, it shone with thrice its lustre. "Thou lovest best!" the priest said.
The peasant knelt and prayed, and God's love filled his soul like morning light.
Theme: God loves those who love their fellow beings; service to mankind is service to God. True love is sincere sympathy, not showy charity for reward.
Important terms
Proclamation – public announcement.
Adjudge – consider and declare.
Renowned – famous.
Aghast – shocked and horrified.
Guerdon – reward.
Maimed – crippled.
Shunned – avoided and rejected.
Lustre – shine.
Language study
Narrative poem – a poem that tells a story; this one is in free verse.
"The Kite Festival" is an informative lesson about the history of kites and the famous kite-flying celebrations of Gujarat. It describes Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan on 13–14 January, the International Kite Festival at Ahmedabad, the 24-hour Patang Bazar, the making of the sharp kite thread and the lighted box-kites called tukals.
Key points
Earlier, kites were made of kite paper and thin wooden frames; today there are motorised and fibreglass kites too.
Greek, Indian and other myths show the human wish to fly, which probably led to kites; box-kites designed over a hundred years ago may have inspired power-driven aeroplanes.
In India, kite-flying is at its peak during Basant (spring) and Makar Sankranti; in cities, terraces and rooftops are used.
In Gujarat, Makar Sankranti (13 or 14 January) is kite-flying day. It coincides with Uttarayan, when the sun begins its journey towards the northern hemisphere, and marks the end of winter. Business halts for a couple of days.
Kite-flying goes on from dawn through the day; friends, neighbours and strangers try to cut each other's kites, and cries of triumph fill the air. Music and special delicacies add to the fun.
The International Kite Festival at Ahmedabad, organised by the Gujarat State Tourism Corporation at the Sardar Patel Stadium or Police Stadium, brings kite-flyers from Japan, the USA, the UK and other countries; kites shaped like eagles and snakes soar up.
The Patang (Kite) Bazar in the heart of Ahmedabad stays open 24 hours a day for a week; people buy and haggle through the night – the whole city is obsessed with kites.
Craftsmen coat the line with a mixture of glue and ground glass, dry it and roll it on reels called firkees; it is sharp enough to cut a finger.
At night, illuminated box-kites called tukals, strung on one line, light up the sky like stars.
Important terms
Harassed – troubled, stressed.
Coincides – happens at the same time.
Rend – tear (cries rend the air).
Delicacies – special fine foods.
Exotic – from far-away lands.
Haggling – bargaining.
Firkee – reel for kite thread.
Tukal – lighted box-kite flown at night.
Language study
Tense and aspect: Progressive (be + verb-ing) – is/was/will be playing. Perfect (have/has/had + past participle) – have/had/will have played. Perfect progressive (have/has/had + been + verb-ing) – have been playing.
Word forms: festival (noun) – festive (adjective); celebration – celebrate; competition – compete; tradition – traditional.
Synonyms/antonyms: triumph – victory/defeat; exotic – foreign/native; soar – rise/drop; halt – pause/start; traditional – old-fashioned/modern; rival – competitor/partner.
Report writing: headline, dateline, third person and passive voice.
Informal letter to a friend describing the festival.
5 important questions
Q1. How did kites of the past differ from modern ones?
Old kites were made of kite paper and thin wooden frames; modern kites include motorised and fibreglass kites.
Q2. Why is Makar Sankranti important in Gujarat?
It is kite-flying day, coinciding with Uttarayan, when the sun starts moving north; it marks the end of winter and is celebrated with great enthusiasm.
Q3. What makes the Ahmedabad kite festival special?
It is an International Kite Festival where kite-flyers from many countries display exotic kites of amazing shapes alongside local champions.
Q4. How is the special thread for kite-flying prepared?
A mixture of glue and ground glass is coated on the line, dried and rolled onto reels called firkees.
Q5. Change to present perfect continuous: "We play."
We have been playing.
Exam tip
True/false statements from this lesson often twist small facts (glass not sugar, box-kites not fibreglass) – read carefully.
"The Last Leaf", adapted from O. Henry's famous story, is about Johnsy, a young artist in New York who falls ill with pneumonia and loses the will to live. She believes she will die when the last leaf falls from the ivy vine outside her window. An old, unsuccessful painter, Behrman, secretly paints a leaf on the wall during a stormy night. Seeing the leaf survive, Johnsy regains hope and recovers, but Behrman dies of pneumonia. The painted leaf is his masterpiece.
Key points
Sue and Johnsy, two struggling artists, shared a flat and studio in a poor artists' colony in New York.
Johnsy, small and weak, got pneumonia. The doctor said she had one chance in ten, and that chance depended on her wish to live; medicines alone could not help.
Johnsy lay counting the falling leaves of an old ivy vine on the brick wall opposite. She believed that when the last leaf fell, she too would die.
Sue told old Behrman, a painter who lived downstairs and always talked of painting a masterpiece, about Johnsy's fancy. He was angry at such foolishness but cared deeply.
That night cold rain and snow fell with a fierce wind.
Next morning one leaf still clung to the vine, dark green near the stem with yellow-tinted edges, about twenty feet above the ground. It survived another stormy night too.
Johnsy realised it was a sin to want to die; she took broth and milk, sat up and hoped to paint the Bay of Naples some day.
Behrman was found ill in wet clothes, with brushes and a palette of green and yellow paint; he died of pneumonia two days later.
The leaf never fluttered in the wind – Behrman had painted it on the wall the night the last real leaf fell. It was his masterpiece.
Themes: hope and will to live, friendship, self-sacrifice; the twist (surprise) ending is typical of O. Henry.
Important terms
Struggling artists – artists trying hard to earn a living.
Pneumonia – a serious lung infection.
Ivy vine – a strong creeper on walls.
Gnarled – twisted and knotted.
Skeleton branches – bare branches without leaves.
Fancy – imagination.
Masterpiece – an artist's finest work.
Language study
Homographs – words with the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings: bat (animal / sports bat), fine (good / penalty), wave (sea wave / move hand), bear (animal / tolerate), match (game / matchstick), second (time / next after first), lead (metal / guide).
Homophones (revision) – same sound, different spelling: sum–some.
Dos and don'ts during illness: see a doctor, take medicines on time, rest, eat well, keep a positive attitude; do not lose hope.
Twist ending – an unexpected ending that reveals the truth.
5 important questions
Q1. What illness did Johnsy suffer from and what did the doctor say?
Pneumonia. The doctor said she had one chance in ten, and it depended on her desire to live.
Q2. What false belief did Johnsy have?
That she would die when the last leaf fell from the ivy vine outside her window.
Q3. What change came over Johnsy when she saw the last leaf?
She felt ashamed of wanting to die, regained hope, began eating and wished to paint the Bay of Naples.
Q4. Who saved Johnsy's life and how?
Behrman, by painting a leaf on the wall in the stormy night so that she would think the last leaf had not fallen.
Q5. Why is the painted leaf called Behrman's masterpiece?
It was so real that it saved a life, and he gave his own life painting it – his greatest work.
Exam tip
Explain the title in answers: the "last leaf" is both Johnsy's hope and Behrman's sacrifice.
"Leisure" by William Henry Davies is a short poem asking what the use of life is if we are so full of worries and busy that we have no time to stand and stare at nature's beauty. The poet lists simple joys – resting under trees, watching squirrels, seeing sunlight sparkle on streams, and enjoying Beauty's dance and smile – that busy people miss. He calls such a life "poor".
Key points
The poem opens with a question: what is life if, full of care (worries), we have no time to stand and stare?
We have no time to stand under the branches (boughs) and stare as long as sheep or cows do.
We pass woods without seeing where squirrels hide their nuts in the grass.
In broad daylight we do not notice streams sparkling with sunlight, full of "stars" like the night sky.
We have no time to turn when Beauty glances at us, to watch her feet dance, or to wait till her mouth completes the smile her eyes began. "Beauty" can mean a lovely maiden or nature itself (dancing leaves, waves; smiling flowers, sunshine).
The poem ends by repeating that a life full of care with no time to stand and stare is a poor life.
Theme: modern people are too busy to enjoy nature; we must make time to relax and enjoy simple pleasures. It is very relevant to today's fast life.
Structure: seven couplets with the rhyme scheme aa, bb, cc…
Important terms
Leisure – free time for rest and enjoyment.
Care – worries, stress.
Stare – look steadily for a long time.
Boughs – branches of a tree.
Beauty – here, a beautiful young girl or nature personified.
Enrich – make fuller, more beautiful.
Language study
Interrogation (rhetorical question) – "What is this life if, full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare?"
Personification – Beauty with glance, feet that dance and a mouth that smiles.
Simile – "stare as long as sheep or cows"; "streams full of stars, like skies at night".
Metaphor – "streams full of stars" (sparkling sunlight on water).
Alliteration – "stand and stare", "squirrels…", "broad daylight".
Repetition – "No time to…" begins many lines.
Imagery – words appealing to the senses: sheep under boughs, squirrels hiding nuts.
"The Vet" by Guy Boas is a humorous poem about how hard a veterinarian's job is. Since every animal has a different inside, a vet needs very wide knowledge. The poet lists many funny animal problems – from a lion with a cold to giraffes with stiff necks after a quarrel – and says the "omniscient" vet is expected to solve them all. Jokingly, he advises his son to become a doctor for humans instead.
Key points
A successful vet needs exceedingly wide knowledge, because each patient has a different body inside.
He must know why the cat refuses milk, the dog won't eat his bone, the horse's coat isn't silky, the parrot groans, ducks and hens fail to lay eggs and the canary sings faintly.
At the zoo he faces an incredible number of problems: a lion with a cold, an ageing zebra, a centipede with foot trouble, a hippo feeling ill, a bison with a chill, and an Arctic fox suffering from heat (opposite problems for the lion and the fox).
Other comic cases: virulent disease in chimpanzees, a tortoise that hasn't moved for years, a bear too full of buns, a cobra eating her sons, a panther whose wife chews his ears, giraffes with stiff necks after a tiff, hyenas who won't laugh at keepers' jokes, a monkey with a pinched tail, a pale rhino, an elephant choking on paper bags, a camel with a hurt hump, a kangaroo that won't jump and a crocodile turned cannibal.
Everyone runs to the vet and expects him to set everything right, as if he were omniscient (all-knowing).
The poet deeply pities the vet, who must learn so much for his pay, and advises his son to earn a living an easier way – by treating human beings.
The advice is humorous; the real message is respect for vets and their difficult work. Animals cannot tell what is wrong, so diagnosis is harder (like for paediatricians).
Tone: light, witty and humorous.
Important terms
Vet – veterinarian, a doctor for animals and birds.
This informative lesson traces the history of surgery – from Sushruta in ancient India to modern robotic surgery. It explains how anaesthesia made painless surgery possible, describes the first successful heart repair by Dr Daniel Hale Williams (1893), Harvey Cushing's work in neurosurgery, and minimally invasive robotic surgery using the Da Vinci robot.
Key points
Surgery dates back to about 600 BC. The "Sushruta Samhita" is one of the oldest works on surgery; Sushruta was probably the first surgeon to perform plastic surgery. Ancient surgeons also did tooth extraction and bloodletting.
Major surgery could not develop for centuries due to lack of knowledge, technology and the terrible pain to patients.
General anaesthetics like ether and chloroform were developed from the mid-nineteenth century, making painless surgery possible. General anaesthesia benumbs the whole body; local anaesthesia is injected near the surgical spot.
Cardiac surgery: before 1893 heart surgery was unknown; patients were given sedatives and usually died. In 1893 Dr Daniel Hale Williams, a young African American surgeon, with six staff doctors, repaired the heart of James Cornish, who had a knife wound that cut an artery near the heart and punctured the pericardium. He was the first to successfully repair the human heart.
Today open heart surgery can repair or replace heart valves and defects, and patients recover faster.
Neurosurgery (since the early 1900s) treats disorders of the brain, spine and nerves. Harvey Cushing (1869–1939), father of modern neurosurgery, developed instruments and techniques, reduced mortality from 90% to less than 10% and removed over 2000 tumours. He invented the "Cushing (silver) clip" to stop blood loss.
Robotic surgery is minimally invasive: tiny instruments go through quarter-inch incisions instead of large cuts.
The Da Vinci, the world's most advanced surgical robot, has three arms holding instruments and a fourth with a magnified high-definition 3-D camera. The surgeon controls it from a console; every hand movement is copied precisely and can be scaled down (e.g. three-to-one).
Benefits: more precision, smaller cuts, less pain and blood loss, and faster recovery.
Important terms
Revolutionary – causing a complete, dramatic change.
Anaesthetics – substances that make one feel no pain.
Cardiac – related to the heart.
Neurosurgery – surgery of the brain, spine and nerves.
Mortality – death rate.
Incision – a surgical cut.
Precision – accuracy.
Language study
Clause – a group of words with a subject and predicate that is part of a larger sentence.
Coordinate (independent) clauses – clauses that make sense on their own, joined by coordinators: and, but, or, so, yet, still, either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also, therefore.
Example: "He ran fast but he did not win the race." Clause 1: He ran fast; Clause 2: he did not win the race; coordinator: but.
Interview questions and answers – framing questions about someone's surgery experience.
5 important questions
Q1. Why did doctors begin to use anaesthesia?
Surgery involved terrible pain; anaesthetics like ether and chloroform made operations painless and successful.
Q2. Why had cardiac surgery not developed before 1893?
Doctors lacked the modern tools and procedures needed; heart patients were only given sedatives and usually died.
Q3. What did Dr Daniel Hale Williams achieve?
In 1893 he successfully repaired the heart of James Cornish, who had a knife wound near the heart – the first such successful operation.
Q4. How did Harvey Cushing make neurosurgery safer?
He developed new techniques and instruments, invented the Cushing clip to control blood loss, and reduced mortality from 90% to below 10%.
Q5. What is Da Vinci and how does it help surgeons?
It is an advanced surgical robot with three instrument arms and a 3-D camera arm; it copies the surgeon's movements precisely through tiny cuts, giving a better view and accuracy.
Exam tip
Make a timeline: 600 BC Sushruta → mid-1800s anaesthesia → 1893 heart surgery → early 1900s neurosurgery → robotic surgery.
"The Bees" is an extract from William Shakespeare's play "Henry V". It compares a beehive to a well-run human kingdom. Honey-bees have a king and officers; some bees work like magistrates, merchants, soldiers, masons, citizens, porters and a judge. Through this comparison, the poet shows how order and division of work keep a nation running smoothly.
Key points
Honey-bees, by a rule in nature, teach the art of order to a populated kingdom.
They have a king (emperor) and officers of different sorts.
Magistrate bees correct and keep order at home.
Merchant bees venture out to trade abroad.
Soldier bees, armed with their stings, raid the soft summer buds and joyfully carry home the "loot" (nectar) to the royal tent of their emperor.
The emperor, busy in his majesty, watches over everything:
Mason bees, singing, build "roofs of gold" (the honeycomb).
Civil citizen bees knead (mix) the honey.
Poor porter bees crowd at the narrow gate carrying heavy loads.
The sad-eyed judge bee, with a bad-tempered hum, hands over the lazy, yawning drone (male bee that does no work) to pale executioners.
Message: like a beehive, a nation succeeds when each member does his duty with discipline; idleness is punished.
Tone: admiring and descriptive; the extract is in blank verse (unrhymed lines).
Important terms
Sorts – different kinds.
Magistrates – officers who administer the law.
Venture – go out on a risky task.
Pillage – loot, plunder.
Kneading – mixing evenly.
Surly – bad-tempered.
Executors – persons who carry out a death sentence.
Drone – a male bee that does no work.
Language study
Simile – "like magistrates", "like merchants", "like soldiers".
Metaphor – "roofs of gold" for the honeycomb; "tent royal" for the hive.
Alliteration – "make boot upon the summer's velvet buds"; "singing masons".
Onomatopoeia – "surly hum".
Personification – bees as human officers and citizens.
"As…as" comparisons: as busy as a bee, as merry as a lark, as slow as a snail, as sly as a fox, as quiet as a mouse, as slippery as an eel.
Stress – the extra force on a syllable: KING-dom, re-LI-gion.
This lesson tells how the English mathematician G. H. Hardy discovered the genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a poor, self-taught clerk from Madras. In 1913 Ramanujan sent Hardy a letter full of strange theorems without proofs. Hardy and J. E. Littlewood realised he was a genius and brought him to Cambridge. Ramanujan became a Fellow of the Royal Society and of Trinity College, but fell ill and died at thirty-three. The famous "taxi-cab number 1729" incident shows his brilliance.
Key points
Early in 1913, Hardy received an untidy envelope with Indian stamps containing line after line of theorems in halting English, without proofs. At first he was bored and irritated, suspecting fraud.
During his game of real tennis, the "wild theorems" kept nagging him. He reasoned that a fraud of genius was less likely than an unknown genius.
He called J. E. Littlewood for a discussion after dinner; before midnight they knew for certain that the writer was a genius. Hardy later ranked Ramanujan's natural genius with Gauss and Euler.
Ramanujan was a poor clerk in Madras earning twenty pounds a year. Drawbacks: lack of formal education (he could not matriculate in English) and coming too late in mathematical history.
Religious custom forbade crossing the sea. His mother dreamt that the goddess of Namakkal told her not to stand in his way, so he could go.
He arrived in England in 1914, kept his rituals, and cooked vegetables in his room.
Self-taught, he did not know modern rigour or what a proof was; Hardy had to teach him formal mathematics – "the most singular experience" of Hardy's life.
At thirty he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society and Fellow of Trinity – the first Indian to receive either honour.
Visiting the ill Ramanujan at Putney, Hardy said his taxi number 1729 was dull. Ramanujan replied it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways.
He died of tuberculosis in Madras two years after World War I, aged thirty-three.
Themes: genius, perseverance, and Hardy's generosity in recognising talent.
Important terms
Manuscript – a handwritten document.
Loped off – moved away with long easy steps.
Nagged away – kept troubling the mind.
Contrivances – gadgets, devices.
Amiable – pleasant and friendly.
Baffling – puzzling.
Rigour – strictness, exactness.
Conveyance – vehicle.
Language study
Simple sentence – one subject, one predicate, one finite verb: "She went home."
Complex sentence – one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses: "She went home after school was over."
Compound sentence – two or more independent clauses joined by coordinators: "He is poor but he is honest."
Words as noun and verb: visit, honour, report, watch, form, surprise (She gave a smile – noun; Babies smile – verb).
Mathematicians mentioned: Gauss (German), Euler (Swiss), Galois (French), Abel (Norwegian), Riemann (German), Hardy and Littlewood (English).
5 important questions
Q1. Why did Ramanujan's letter bore and irritate Hardy at first?
It was untidy, written in halting English by an unknown Indian, and contained wild theorems without any proofs; it looked like a fraud.
Q2. What did Hardy and Littlewood realise by midnight?
That the writer of the manuscript was a man of genius.
Q3. What superstition did Ramanujan's mother believe in, and how was it overcome?
That crossing the sea was forbidden. She dreamt the goddess of Namakkal told her not to stop her son, so she allowed him to go.
Q4. Why is 1729 an exceptional number?
It is the smallest number that can be written as the sum of two cubes in two ways: 1³ + 12³ = 9³ + 10³ = 1729.
Q5. What honours did Ramanujan receive in England?
At thirty he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Fellow of Trinity College – the first Indian to get either.
Exam tip
Be able to show 1729 = 1 + 1728 = 729 + 1000 – examiners like this working.
"A Battle to Baffle" is a humorous skit set in the court of Emperor Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar (1509–1529). A great visiting scholar, Pundit Shahane, comes to challenge the court's pundits, who are all too nervous to face him. The witty poet-jester Tenali Raman agrees to take up the challenge. He arrives as "Chief Pundit" and asks to debate a scripture called "tila-kashta-mahisha-bandhana". Shahane, unable to recognise it, admits defeat – but the "scripture" turns out to be a bundle of sesame sticks tied with a buffalo rope.
Mantriji announces that Pundit Shahane, who has mastered all the scriptures and is famous across India, will come to challenge the kingdom's pundits.
No pundit dares to accept; the angry Emperor threatens to banish (debar/exile) them all.
The first scholar suggests calling Tenali Raman to get them out of this tight corner.
Tenali Raman accepts confidently, with one condition: for one day everyone must accept and honour him as the Chief Pundit.
Next day he arrives grandly in a palanquin, followed by two pundits carrying a huge bundle wrapped in silk.
He proposes to debate the merits of "tila-kashta-mahisha-bandhana". Shahane, who has read thousands of Sanskrit works, has never heard of it, and finally concedes defeat and leaves.
The proud Emperor offers a reward; Tenali Raman says the Emperor's praise is his greatest reward.
Explanation: "til" = sesame, "kashta" = stick, "mahisha" = buffalo, "bandhana" = rope for tying – a bundle of sesame sticks tied with a buffalo rope. Everyone laughs.
Tenali Raman's qualities: wit and wisdom, self-confidence, politeness and humility.
Theme: presence of mind and wit can defeat even great learning; it is a humorous play upon words.
Important terms
Skit – a short, humorous play.
Renown – fame.
Defiance – a bold challenge.
Predicament – a difficult situation.
Diffident – lacking confidence.
Outwit – defeat by being cleverer.
Palanquin – a covered seat carried on poles.
Concede – admit defeat.
Language study
Reported speech with different sentence types:
Question (wh-) – The old man said, "What is the time?" → The old man asked what the time was.
Yes/no question – Mother said to her, "Are you hungry now?" → Mother asked her if she was hungry then.
Command – Teacher said, "Be quiet, students." → Teacher ordered the students to be quiet.
Exclamation – Mother said, "How pretty she looks!" → Mother exclaimed with delight that she looked very pretty.