State Institute of Education,

Kashmir
Bemina, Bypass, Srinagar, J&K

STUDY MATERIAL
BASED ON JKBOSE
SYLLABUS
TH
CLASS: 11
SUBJECT: ENGLISH
Patron & Mentor:
Mr. Mohammad Younis Malik
Director, School Education, Kashmir
Chief-Coordinator:
Ms. Suriya Bano
Jt. Director (Trgs.)/Principal, SIE,
Kashmir
Coordinator:
Dr. Jan Mudasir Gul, Lecturer (English),
DIET, Srinagar
Development Team
 Mr. Azmath Yaseen, Lecturer (English), BHSS, Sherabad,
Khore, Pattan, Baramulla
 Mr. Iftikhar Imran, Lecturer (English), BHSS, Mujgund,
Srinagar
 Mr. Ryazul Gani Wani, Lecturer (English), BHSS, Lar,
Ganderbal
 Mr. Ghulam Hassan War, Lecturer (English), GHSS, Magam,
Budgam
 Mr. Mohammad Aslam Pandit, Lecturer (English), BHSS,
Beeruwah, Budgam
 Mr. Sheikh Gulzar Ahmad, Lecturer (English), DIET,
Beeruwah, Budgam
 Mr. Aabid Ali, Lecturer (English), GHSS, Nishat, Srinagar
 Dr. Jan Mudasir Gul, Lecturer (English), DIET, Srinagar

Technical Support
 Mr. Sumeet Dhar, Teacher, BHS, Nandpora, Dal, Srinagar
 Preface
This study material has been prepared and developed as part of the
vision and the mentorship of worthy Director, School Education,
Kashmir, Mr. Mohammad Younis Malik. It is he who wanted to provide a
quality study material to the students so that the fashion of attending
the coaching centres by the students of higher secondary level is curbed
to a large extent. Besides, keeping in view the situation for the last few
years wherein the Education sector has been badly hit, the initiative will
prove to be of great significance.
Accordingly, the worthy DSEK entrusted the said job to State Institute of
Education, Kashmir. A two-day workshop was immediately conducted in
this regard on 9th & 10th of March 2020 wherein the best subject experts
from the School Education Department were involved so that a proper
strategy and plan of action would be adopted to accomplish the said
task.
It is expected that this study material enhances the process of language
acquisition and learning with appreciation of literature in the higher
secondary students. It shall also be a supporting material for the
students for the annual examination.
Each unit or section has been supplemented with Suggested readings
and e-resources to enhance the knowledge and skills of the language.
In case there is any omission, typing/printing mistakes, or any other
error which might have crept in inadvertently, the same is requested to
be communicated at [email protected].
We are thankful to the faculty members of SIE, DIETs and the Field
subject experts especially the ones who were practically involved in
getting this document set and wish all the best to all the
stakeholders, especially the students of the valley.

Coordinator Jt. Director (Trgs.)/Principal

SIE, Kashmir
 CONTENTS
Preface
 SECTION A: READING COMPREHENSION

 Reading Comprehension 2

 SECTION B: WRITING SKILLS

 Paragraph Writing 10
 Essay Writing 24
 Letter Writing 27
 Note Making 31

 SECTION C: GRAMMAR

 Tenses 38
 Auxiliaries 45
 Relative Clauses 50
 Conditional Clauses 52
 Simple, Compound & Complex Sentences 54

 SECTION D : LITERATURE

 The Suitor and Papa 58

 The Star Ducks 62
 The Daffodils 65
 Quality 68
 Youth and the Tasks Ahead 71
 The Listeners 74
 Appa-mam 77
 The Many and the None 81
 Where the Mind is Without Fear 84
 The Surgeon 87
 National Prejudices 91
 The Season of the Plains 94
 The Price of Flowers 96
 A Handful of Dates 99
 The Mosquito 102
 Machines and the Emotions 105
 Personal Helicon for Michael Longley 108
 The New Hangman 111
 Model Paper 115
Class 11th General English

SECTION A

READING COMPREHENSION

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Class 11th General English

READING COMPREHENSION

The comprehension of an unseen passage is a way to test the ability of a student.

In other words, it is a way of measuring the understanding power of a student. A
passage is given which generally is not from the student‘s textbook, and is
followed by some questions to be answered. The questions can be of two types:
(1) content based questions related to the subject matter and the theme of the
passage, and (2) questions based on the words and expressions (phrases and
idioms) used in the passage.

SOME USEFUL GUIDELINES

1. Read the given passage carefully in order to understand its subject and
what is said about the subject.

2. Give the passage a second reading in order to grasp the main points and
the meaning of different words and expressions.

3. Read the questions one by one and underline the sentences, words and
expressions in the original passage which will help you find the answers. It is
important to note that the understanding of the questions is much more
important than writing the answers.

4. Try to write the answers, as far as possible, in your own words.

5. Make sure that your answers are clear, complete in every respect, brief
and to the point.

6. The answers must be free from grammatical mistakes like spelling,

punctuation, tense, etc.

EXAMPLES

1. Read the following passage and answer the questions given at the end:

The Government of Athens summoned Socrates to appear before them and to

face trial. His nears and dears begged him to flee or to go underground until the

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crisis had passed. But Socrates was a brave man. He knew that he had done
nothing wrong and that he had only taught what he believed to be just and true,
and so he went to the court; an ugly old man, undersized, dusty and travel-
stained, but with a noble heart under the shabby garments which everyone knew
so well. He made a dignified, impressive speech, answering every question,
explaining that, although the Athenians knew it not, he was really their friend.
He told them that they would gain nothing by taking away the last few moments
of his life, but that he was willing to pass away many times for his belief.

The judges listened to him, questioned him and sentenced him to death. The old
man made no complaint. Rather he leaned on his staff, looking round the
crowded court and said, ―No evil can happen to a good man, either in life or
after death, so be of good cheer. The hour of my departure has arrived and we
go our ways; I to die and you to live.‖

Questions:

(A)

i. Why was Socrates summoned to the court?

ii. Why was Socrates not afraid of death?

iii. The well wishers of Socrates advised him to go to the court. (T/F)

iv. What was the judgment?

v. ―Hour of departure‖ in the passage means ………………….. .

(B)

i. Socrates was sentenced for 100 years. (T/F)

ii. Give the synonym of ―cheer‖.
iii. Find a collocation from the above given passage.
iv. Use the word ―summoned‖ in your own sentence.
v. Suggest a suitable title to the passage.

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 Class 11th General English

Answers:

(A) i. Socrates was summoned to the court to stand trial. ii. Socrates was not
afraid of death because he knew that he was on the right path and no evil could
happen to a good man either in life or after death. iii. True iv. He was sentenced
to death. v. Time of death
(B) i. False ii. Happy iii. Impressive speech iv. He was summoned to
the court. v. The Trial of Socrates

PASSAGES FOR PRACTICE

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the
end:

There are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue
absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for good old
days or in sadness about friends who are dead. One's thoughts must be directed
to the future and to things about which there is something to be done. The other
thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigour from its
vitality.

Grown-up children want to live their own lives and at this stage too much
interest in them changes us into a burden to them, unless they are unusually
callous. One's interest in one's children should be contemplative and, if possible,
philanthropic, but not unduly emotional.

Old age can be made successful with the inclusion of strong impersonal
interests involving appropriate activities. It is here .that long experience and
wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive.

Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a
justification for this feeling. They attribute this feeling to the bitter thought that
an early death would deprive them and cheat them of the best things that life has

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Class 11th General English

to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows and
achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat
abject and ignoble. The best way to overcome it is to make one's interests
gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego
recede, and one's life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life.

Questions:

(A)

(a) Old people live in:

(i) Glorious memories of the past.

(ii) Regrets for the good old days.

(iii) Happiness about friends who are no more.

(b) What do children want when they grow up?

(c) Old age can be made successful with the exercise of:

(i) Oppression.

(ii) Too much adherence to children.

(iii) Long experience and wisdom born of experience.

(d) One's interest in grown-up children should be marked by:

(i) Callousness.

(ii) Contemplation.

(iii) Too much interference.

(e) What is the best way to overcome the fear of death?

(B)

(i) Name the two dangers that need to be guarded against in old age.

(ii) Find the word in the passage which means ―well-wisher of mankind‖.

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Class 11th General English

(iii) Find any collocation from the above given passage.

(iv) Use the word ―grown-up‖ in your own sentence.

(v) Why do young people fear death?

2. Read the following passage and answer the questions given at the end:

One day cricket may not be as old as the game of cricket is, yet the instant
version of the game is more than half a century old. There is recorded evidence
of limited-over matches being played in the 1940s. But it started full-fledged in
1950 - where else in England.

Some superannuated Englishmen rubbed shoulders with national and county

cricketers of the country every Sunday in limited-over games. It caught the
imagination of the public instantly. The tournament was a big draw. And
sponsors came rushing. Soon the matches got televised too.

The popularity of these matches was pretty obvious. The county matches, of
three-day duration, were not only long but also excruciatingly dull and dreary.
The results, most often, were either one-sided or dull draws. In total contrast,
the one-day matches promised action, thrills, frills, runs, wickets and, above all,
an exciting result. Those were the days when fast food was the flavour of
England. Instant cricket became another flavour.

The growing popularity of these games disturbed the connoisseurs. They treated
it as a necessary evil. Some conservative cricket bosses called it 'snicket' and
'slogget' but not cricket. Tony Greig, the former England skipper, once wrote:
"The purists were horrified but they were only a tiny minority". But the purists
had no choice as these 'snicket' and 'slogget' games gained in popularity. The
first official one-day tournament was started in England in 1963. Soon more
changes in English cricket followed. Each county was allowed to recruit three
overseas players. The one-day tournaments Gillete Cup (with 60 overs-a-side)

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Class 11th General English

and Benson and Hedges Trophy (55 overs-a-side)—started in 1972 and became
big crowd pullers.

The first official one-day international was played on Jan. 5, 1971 between
England; and Australia in Melbourne. It was matched by a packed house at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground. But the first one-day international (ODI) happened
by chance rather than by design. The match was played on the 5th day of an
Ashes Test after the first four days were washed out. The success of that match
led to a three-match one-day series during Australia's return tour of England in
1972. The series was a roaring success.

Questions:

(A)

(i) Who took part in the first informal one-day cricket games?

(ii) What three things were there in one-day cricket that was missing in 3-day
matches?

(iii) Why do you think purists did not approve of one-day matches?

(iv) Were the words ‗snicket‘ and ‗slogget‘ used approvingly? Why?

(v) Does any sentence in the passage suggest that the game of cricket started in
England? Quote.

(B)

(i) The first ever limited-overs match was played in 1950 in England. (T/F)

(ii) ―Washed out‖ here means………………………………..

(iii) Find any collocation from the above given passage.

(iv) The first ODI was a part of the Ashes series. (Yes/No)

(v) Use the word ―frills‖ in your own sentence.

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Class 11th General English

Further reading/e-resources

1. Longman Reading Comprehension and Composition by Pearson

2. https://youtu.be/1jNSYeB0V7U

3. https://youtu.be/LWWxOo_7xxw

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Class 11th General English

SECTION: B

WRITING SKILLS

WRITING SKILLS

1. Paragraph Writing (narrative/descriptive) (60-80 words)

2. Essay Writing (100-150 words)
3. Letter Writing (Formal/Informal)
4. Note Making

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Class 11th General English

1. Paragraph Writing

Before defining a paragraph and discussing about how to write it, let us first
learn certain important, rather necessary, points about writing. In other words,
let us first learn some necessary rules or techniques about writing.

Whenever a writer starts writing anything like a poem, a short story, a letter or
an essay, s/he first plans what s/he will write, how s/he will organize the
material, and how s/he will give to her/his ideas the shape of words, phrases,
verses, sentences, etc. And finally s/he checks the piece of writing for any errors
in spelling, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, etc., and then rewrites that piece
of writing without any error/s. These steps or stages in writing are referred to as
CODER.

C: Stands for collecting ideas/ information about the topic.

O: Stands for ordering/organizing the ideas/ information collected about the

topic.

D: Stands for drafting i.e. writing the first draft from the collected ideas/
information.

E: Stands for editing the first draft for errors in spelling, grammar,
punctuation, vocabulary, etc.

R: Stands for redrafting/ rewriting the first draft after editing has been done
on it.

Thus following the CODER technique, a person can not only make a piece of
writing readable and comprehensible for his reader/s, but also flawless in
language.

But it is important to note that just as we learn to read by reading or we learn to

speak by speaking, similarly, we learn to write by writing. That is to say that
writing is an art which can be learnt only by practice. The CODER technique is
therefore not a theoretical one but a practical one.
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Let us now define a paragraph. A paragraph is a group of sentences elaborating

a single thought or idea. The sentences are inter-connected. Each sentence tells
something about the main thought or idea developed in the paragraph. The
Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as ―a distinct section of a piece of writing,
indicated by a new line, indentation, or numbering‖.

In short, a paragraph is a compact piece of writing, complete in itself. It doesn‘t

deal with details. It is simple, direct, and effective.

KINDS OF PARAGRAPHS

Paragraphs may be classified as narrative, descriptive, imaginative, reflective,

expository and argumentative. However, some paragraphs may partake the
peculiarities of more than one class or type. For instance, a narrative paragraph
may contain a good deal of description or an argumentative paragraph may
contain a good deal of reflection. Let us now describe them one by one.

1. Narrative Paragraph: It is a paragraph which narrates an event or a

series of events. It tells the readers what happened. The happenings must
be given in the order in which they occurred. Narrative paragraphs deal
with - (a) biographies (e.g. the life of Prophet Mohammad(SAW), or of
Mahatma Gandhi); (b) historical events or legends (e.g. the reign of
Yousuf Shah Chek, or the story of Pandavs from the Mahabharata); (c)
incidents (e.g. a quarrel in a neighborhood, a marriage ceremony, or a
festival); (d) an accident or natural disaster (e.g. an earthquake, a fire, a
flood, a road accident, a plane crash, or a tsunami); (e) a journey or
voyage ( e.g. a journey in an over loaded bus from your home to college,
or a travel through ship to the holy city of Mecca for performing Hajj);
(f) a story ( real or imaginary).

2. Descriptive Paragraph: - It is a paragraph which describes or gives a

description of something – a person or a place or a thing. Here, the writer

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keeps himself apart, and does not allow his own feelings to appear.
Descriptive paragraphs are about - (a) plants, animals, minerals etc. (e.g.
the chinar, the tiger, coal etc.); (b) cities, towns, countries, buildings etc.
(e.g. Lal Chowk, Sopore, Saudi Arabia, the Taj Mahal, etc.); c. aspects
and phenomena of nature (e.g. sunlight, the monsoon, volcanoes, a
cloudy evening, etc.); & (d) manufactured articles (e.g. aeroplanes, silk,
motor-cars, trains, vacuum-cleaner, fridge, washing machine, etc.).

3. Imaginative Paragraph: It is a paragraph in which the writer is called to

place himself imaginatively in a position and narrate his experience/s.
Paragraphs on such subjects as ―If I were the President of the USA‖ or
―The Autobiography of a Cow‖ may be called imaginative paragraphs.

4. Reflective Paragraph: It is a paragraph which consists of the writer‘s

thoughts or reflections on some topic. This paragraph is generally of an
abstract nature. Reflective paragraphs –deal with (a) habits, qualities, etc.
(e.g., honesty, truth- fullness, heroism, temperance, patriotism, cowardice
etc,) ; (b) social, political and domestic topics (e.g., caste, poverty,
wealth, liberty, education, democracy, business, government, marriage,
family life etc.); (c) philosophical topics (e.g., reality, the meaning of
universe, right & wrong, consciousness, morality, etc.); & (d) religious
and theological topics.

5. Expository Paragraph: - It is a paragraph which explains something. It

gives facts arranged in a logical order. It answers the question – how and
why. Expository paragraphs –deal with (a) scientific topics (e.g.,
evolution of man, cosmology, solar system, gravitation etc.); (b)
institutions, occupations, industries (e.g., Lok Sabha, Rajha Sabha,
farming, leather- tanning etc.) ; (c) literary topics (e.g., the novels of
Dickens, the tragedies of Shakespeare, the style of poetry, etc.).

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6. Argumentative Paragraph: It is paragraph which intends to prove or to

disprove something. Its aim is to persuade the reader that the writer‘s
point of view is correct. Paragraphs on such subjects or topics as ―Is
Science a Blessing or a Curse?‖ or ―Is Life for us Better than it was for
our Forefathers?‖ may be called argumentative paragraphs.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD PARAGRAPH

A good paragraph should have the following characteristics:

1. Unity, i.e., it should deal with one main subject and all its parts should be
clearly related with the subject.

2. A good topical sentence i.e., a clear statement of the theme which

generally comes in the beginning of the paragraph.

3. Coherence, i.e., it should have a logical sequence of thought.

4. A full and rounded final sentence at the end

EXAMPLE

1. Write a paragraph of 200 – 250 words on Mahatma Gandhi.

Let us write it by using the CODER technique.

Step 1: Collecting information about the topic.

Let us write whatever information we have in our memory about the topic in the
following way :

a. Gandhiji‘s full name was Mohan Dass Karam Chand Gandhi. (a)

b. He was born in Porbandar, India on Oct. 2, 1869. (c)

c. He was a shy type of boy, and it was because of this he couldn‘t make
friends with other boys in school. (d)

d. He belonged to highly respectable Hindu family. (b)

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e. At 18, he went to college, but remained there for only part of the year
because the lesson did not interested him and he did not do well. (f)

f. He was married at an early age of 13. (e)

g. Since, he did not do well in college, so he was advised to go to England

to study to be a lawyer, and he has gone to England, at the age of 18,
leaving his wife and a child behind in India. (g)

h. After four years of study in England, Gandhi passed his law exams and
returned to India in 1891. (h)

i. In India, Gandhiji find his work as a lawyer not at all interesting and
would welcome a change. This change came when he was invited to go to
South Africa to advise a rich Indian merchant there, and he went there. (i)

j. In Africa, he found that many Indians were treated badly, so he did much
to improve their conditions during the time he spent there. (j)

k. He returned to India after three years at the beginning of the First World
War to find himself already recognized as a leader because of his work in
S.A. (k).

l. In India, he started non-cooperation and civil disobedience movements.

(o)

m. He preached non-violence and truth. (m)

n. He worked for Hindu-Muslim unity and upliftment of the untouchables.

(h)

o. He worked hard to make India free from the British rule. (l)

p. He succeeded in his mission and India become free in 1947, but Gandhi
died a year later because he was shot by a fanatic Hindu who thought that
Gandhi had done harm to the Hindus because he was friendly with the
Muslims. (p)

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q. Thus, Gandhi made India free; he is therefore rightly called the father of
the nation (q).

Step 2: Ordering / organizing the collected information.

Let us now order or organize the above collected information. It means that we
have to write the above collected information in a proper sequence or in a
systematic arrangement. Here, in this case, we can easily follow the
chronological order, i.e., we can write the events of Gandhi‘s life from his birth
to death.

If we re-write the information collected in Step 1, we will unnecessarily waste

our time. Because we have to do the same thing in Step 3. So, in order to save
our time and energy, let us re-number the sentences of Step 1 by writing a new
number in brackets at the end of each sentence in Step 1.

Step 3: Drafting

Let us now write a rough draft from the information collected in Step 1. It is
important to note that here we can insert many changes to the information
collected in Step 1.

Mahatma Gandhi‘s full name was Mohan Dass Karam Chand Gandhi. He
belonged to (a) 1 highly respectable Hindu family. He was born on Oct 2, 1869
in Porbandar, India. He was a shy type of boy, (and) it was because of this that
he could not make friends with other boys in School. He was married at an early
age of 13. At the age of 18(,) he went to college (,) but remained there for only
part of the year because the lesson(s) did not interest him and he did not do well
in studies. Since Gandhi did not do well in college, he was adviced (advised) to
go to England to study to be a lawyer. Accordingly, he has gone (went) to
1
NOTE: The text in brackets at various places in this rough draft is the edited text of Step 4.

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England at the age of 18, leaving his wife and (a) child behind in India. After
four years of study in England, Gandhi passed his law examinations and
returned to India in 1891. But in India, he find (found) his work as a lawyer not
at all interesting and would welcome (was looking for) a change. This change
came when he was invited to go to South Africa to advice (give legal advice) to
a rich Indian merchant there. (He accepted the offer) and went there. In Africa,
he found that many Indians (living there) were treated badly, so he did much to
improve their conditions during the time he (remained) there. (After three years,
Gandhi returned to India at the beginning of the First World War and found)
himself already recognized as a leader because of his work in South Africa. In
India, he worked hard against the British rule. He preached non-violence and
truth, and started non-co-operation (Non-Cooperation) and civil disobedience
(Civil Disobedience) movement (Movements) against the Britishers. He also
worked for Hindu-Muslim unity and for the upliftment of the untouchable
(Untouchables). (Finally), Gandhi succeeded in his mission and India become
(became) free from the British rule in 1947. But (,) he died a year later as he
was shot dead by a fanatic Hindu who thought that Gandhi had done harm to the
Hindus because he was friendly with the Muslims. Thus Gandhi made India free
(;) he is, therefore, rightly called the father (Father) of the nation (Nation).

Step 4: Editing

Now edit the rough draft of Step 3. Don‘t re-write the text of the rough draft but
you can edit the text written in Step 3. As mentioned earlier, the text in brackets
( ) in Step 3 is the edited text.

Step 5: Re-Drafting/ re-writing

Let‘s now re-write the text of Step 3 which now includes the changes done to it
during editing:

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Mahatma Gandhi’s full name was Mohan Dass Karam Chand Gandhi. He
belonged to a highly respectable Hindu family. He was born on Oct 2, 1869 in
Porbandar, India. He was a shy type of boy, and it was because of this that he
could not make friends with other boys in school. He was married at an early
age of 13. At the age of 18, he went to college, but remained there for only part
of the year because the lessons did not interest him and he did not do well in
studies. Since Gandhi did not do well in college, he was advised to go to
England to study to be a lawyer. Accordingly, he went to England at the age of
18, leaving his wife and a child behind in India. After four years of study in
England, Gandhi passed his law examinations and returned to India in 1891.
But in India, he found his work as a lawyer not at all interesting and was
looking for a change. This change came when he was invited to go to South
Africa to give legal advice to a rich Indian merchant there. He accepted the
offer and went there. In Africa, he found that many Indians living there were
treated badly, so he did much to improve their conditions during the time he
remained there. After three years, Gandhi returned to India at the beginning of
the First World War and found himself already recognized as a leader because
of his work in South Africa. In India, he worked hard against the British rule.
He preached non-violence and truth, and started Non-Cooperation and Civil
Disobedience Movements against the British rulers. He also worked for Hindu-
Muslim unity and for the upliftment of the untouchables. Finally, Gandhi
succeeded in his mission and India became free from the British rule in 1947.
But, he died a year later as he was shot dead by a fanatic Hindu who thought
that Gandhi had done harm to the Hindus because he was friendly with the
Muslims. Thus Gandhi made India free; he is, therefore, rightly called the
Father of the Nation.

Thus from the above, it becomes clear that we can write on any topic by using
the CODER technique. But, as mentioned earlier, that writing is an art which

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can be learnt only by practice. So, if one wants to become a good writer, s/he
has to write as much as s/he can.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS

1. An Ideal Teacher

There are many teachers. But an ideal teacher is extremely good and rare. An
ideal teacher is highly knowledgeable, qualified and a positive thinker. For
students, an ideal teacher is one who teaches them consciously and makes books
lovely for them. An ideal teacher is one who is well known among all children.
S/he does her/his work with interest and dedication. S/he loves the students like
a father and forgives them like a mother. S/he thinks logically and has a positive
thinking. S/he is not one who runs after money. For him/her, teaching is not a
profession but a mission. The goal of the life of an ideal teacher is simple living
and high thinking. S/he gives the extra knowledge to his/her students. An ideal
teacher does not explain once but more than thousand times for his/her students.
An ideal teacher is a person who is perfect not only in teaching but also in all
walks of life so that he may be a role model not only for his students but also for
the society. S/he should have a very good command over her/his subject. S/he
should talk very politely and nicely. Words should come out of his/her lips in a
rhythmic order. S/he should teach in a natural tone. His/her knack of teaching
should be convincing. S/he should make her/his lessons very interesting. S/he
should put life and vigor in her/his presentation. S/he should really know the art
of teaching so that her/his students love to receive education from her/him.
Her/his method of teaching should be simple and easy to understand. S/he
should treat her/his students like her/his wards. S/he should never remain cross
with them. S/he should look upon their failures as minor lapses on their part like
a mother. S/he should not take them to task. S/he should not humiliate them in
the class in the presence of other students. S/he should make them realize their
mistakes very tactfully. S/he should treat all students alike. She should give

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extra time to weak students and help them. Often s/he should amuse her/his
students by an innocent joke. S/he should avoid punishing them, though s/he
should maintain strict discipline in the class. S/he should have a very dignified
personality. S/he should be hard-working sincere and kind. S/he should be
regular and punctual. S/he should be always well dressed. S/he should be very
vigilant and careful. S/he should not set a wrong example before her/his
students. S/he should treat her/his students as friends. S/he should love them and
praise them for their good points. S/he should be a friend, guide and philosopher
to her/his students. S/he should have great thirst and love for knowledge. S/he
should give advice to her/his students in all affairs. S/he should look to the
personal needs of her/his students and help them in every possible way to come
out of the difficulty. S/he should have a spotless character. S/he should not only
be eminent among his colleagues and students but the society should also hold
her/him in a very high opinion. S/he should be a man among men. S/he should
never be forgotten by her/his students in their life. In short, the most important
stakeholder of our society is the ideal teacher.

2. Importance of Games

Games are very important for us. They are a part and parcel of our life. They
have many advantages and lend interest and charm to our life. Life without
games would be dull and unpleasant. Games are of different kinds. There are
indoor games like Chess, Carom, Table Tennis, etc., and there are outdoor
games like Cricket, Football, Baseball, Hockey, etc. They are necessary for
health. They keep us physically fit for doing work. They give exercise to our
limbs, regulate the circulation of blood in our body, promote digestion and keep
the machine of our body going. They make us energetic, active and smart. They
remove weakness and minor physical deformity. They are a means of recreation
also. They refresh our mind. As it is said that a sound mind lives in a sound
body. They keep us cheerful and happy. They too have a great educative value.

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They build character. They teach us discipline, co-operation and self-control.

As it is said that the battle of Waterloo was won on the play-fields of Eton.
They make us punctual and regular. A player has to reach the playground on
time. Otherwise, he is out of the team. So he realizes the importance of
punctuality. A player has to practice regularly if he doesn‘t want to lose his
form. In doing that, he develops regularity of habits. They infuse in us the spirit
of true sportsmanship. They teach us obedience and tolerance. They prevent us
from wasting our time in ideal pursuits. They create in us goodwill and
friendliness.

3. A Visit to a Historical Building

Last year, during the winter vacation, I had a chance of visiting the Taj Mahal,
in the company of my family. It‘s an important historical building. It stands on
the south bank of the Jamuna River at Agra. It was built by the famous Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved consort, Mumtaz. It took twenty-
two years to complete the building by twenty-thousand workmen. It is made of
pure white marble. It has four minarets at each end and a big dome at the centre.
The main building stands over a basement in a rectangular shape. The remains
of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz lie buried under it. The fountains and multi-coloured
flowers add to the beauty and charm of the palace. It looks wonderful in the
crimson rays of the setting sun. It attracts a large number of visitors every day
from home and abroad. On a full moon night, the Taj Mahal looks very grand
and magnificent. Its beauty surpasses all description. The visitors watch with
wonder and admiration the grandeur of the building. They drink deep into its
beauty. It was my first visit to this historical monument. I returned home
unwillingly and carried away in my mind a cheerful memory of my visit to this
beautiful mausoleum of exquisite workmanship.

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4. Students and Social Service

The ideal of social service is held sacred in every religion. The service of
fellow-men is the service of God. Service of others should be the motto of
everyone. To infuse this spirit, social service should be made compulsory in
schools and colleges. Students have unlimited vigour and vitality. They have a
lot of time at their disposal. So they can be of great help in the field of social
service. India is a country of villages. But our villages are still backward.
Villagers suffer from hunger and disease. They live in ignorance. They suffer
from many evils. So students can do a lot of social service in villages. As
students have no worries about earning their livelihood and they have a lot of
strength, energy, enthusiasm and time, so they can devote their time and energy
to the villages. During their vacations, the students should set up camps in
villages. They should study the conditions of the villagers and be friendly with
them. Their first and foremost task should be to teach the villagers to keep their
villages clean. They should also teach the villagers about other fields of life like
health, first-aid, nursing of patients, etc. Not only that the students can also
render help to many other social organizations in their social works. They can
help the sufferers of an epidemic or famine stricken area. They can also do
something for the defence of their country. They can first get training in the
first-aid, use of rifles, fire-fighting, air raid precautions, nursing, etc. and then
teach the same to others, and also help the others through these skills. But
unfortunately, the modern students don‘t like social service. They lead a dull
and irresponsible life. They waste most of their time in frivolous activities. This
is very pathetic.

5. Dowry System

Dowry system is an age-old custom in India. It clings like a curse to our society.
It extends to all sections of the society, irrespective of creed and caste. Like
other customs, the custom of giving dowry at the time of a girl‘s marriage had a

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noble cause behind it. In the past, girls weren‘t granted any share in their
paternal property. So, by way of compensation they were offered dowries at the
time of their marriage. Moreover, the things offered in dowry were such as are
essential for the young couple to set up their new home. But, unfortunately
today, giving dowry has become a social obligation. The poor father of the bride
has to beg or borrow or sell his property, but he must arrange dowry for his
daughter. Alas, today bridegrooms are auctioned like commodities in the
market! A dowry of lakhs of rupees isn‘t an uncommon thing today. The parents
of the highly educated boys try to extract the cost of their ward‘s higher
education from the bride‘s parents. The commercial character of the present day
marriages has neither ethical nor moral sanction. The evil of dowry system has
already ruined many families. Many girls commit suicide when they see their
parents oppressed with the problem of arranging dowries for them or when they
are unable to bear the taunts of their mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and even
their husbands. Even it is pity that decades after the passing of the central
legislation against the evil of dowry system, it still continues to persist in most
parts of the country. I think the only way to curb this evil once and for all is that
the young boys and girls must form a joint front against dowry, and the young
girls, in particular, must not marry the dowry seekers.

Assessment

Write paragraphs (60-80) words on the following topics: (use CODER

technique).

1. A Visit to a Mughal Garden

2. My College Library.

3. Copying in Examinations.

4. Self-confidence.

5. If I Were a Millionaire.

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6. Early Rising.

7. Prevention is Better than Cure.

8. My College Library.

9. All that Glitters is not Gold.

10. Work is Worship.

Further reading/e-resources

 A Course in Grammar and Composition by Geetha Nagaraj

 https://youtu.be/2_pZWdF7ujA
 https://youtu.be/0lFDuhdB2Hk

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2. Essay Writing

Study the text given below:

Importance of Games
The value of games cannot be denied by anybody. All work and no play make jack a
dull boy. So, games or physical education must be given ample importance along
with mental and moral education.

Games are essential for sound health. In fact, it is said that a sound mind only resides
in a sound body. So, it is essential first to build a healthy body by means of some
good exercise. Only then can we think of building a healthy mind. All games are
health giving. They make our body robust and healthy. They fill the body with
strength, vitality and vigour. They refresh the mind.

In addition to that, games and sports are a good pastime. They keep us busy in our
free time. They provide a welcome change. Only in the playground, one forgets
everything and is free from all worries. One experiences a feeling of joy and thus
keeps himself away from wasting time in futile pursuits.

Above all, games and sports lay the foundation of good character. They make us
obedient and disciplined as they teach us punctuality and regularity. They also teach
other qualities like honesty, fairness, peace, quick decision, prompt action, self-
governance, leadership, correct judgment, etc. They also help in bringing about
international understanding and developing harmonious relations between nations.

Thus, games and sports are essential not only for the all-round development of one‘s
personality but also other spheres of human activities.

What do you think the text in the box given above can be called?

...............................................................................................................................

If your answer is an essay, then what is an essay? (Answer briefly)

................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
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(An essay is a properly and logically constructed literary composition usually

dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view. It has a
beginning, a middle and an end. Like a paragraph, it is also classified into
several types such as narrative, descriptive, imaginative, reflective, expository
and argumentative.)

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD ESSAY

A good essay should have the following characteristics:

1. Unity: It means all the parts of the essay should be clearly related with the subject.
2. Coherence: It means that there should be a logical sequence of thought, i.e., each
sentence and paragraph in the essay should link with each other in order to appear as a
single whole.
3. Relevance: It means that the ideas/information given in the essay should be relevant to
the subject of the essay.
4. Proportion: It means important ideas/information should be given more space and time
in the essay.

FORMAT

Title

Introduction: It introduces the subject/topic through a compelling opening

brief paragraph, especially by using a saying or quotation of some author.

Main body: The structure of the main body depends on what the title is asking
you to do. In the case of a ‗discuss‘ type essay, the main body is often divided
into two parts, one looking at the advantages of the topic and the other looking
at the disadvantages.

Conclusion: A brief summary of the main body.

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Assessment

Write essays on the following topics in (100-150) words:

1) Benefits of Using Books

2) Drawbacks of the Internet
3) Role of Newspapers and TV in Society Today
4) My School Library
5) Importance of Trees
6) Environmental Pollution
7) Moral Education
8) An Ideal Student
9) My Hobby
10) A Good Neighbour

Further reading/e-resources

 A Course in Grammar and Composition by Geetha Nagaraj (Foundation

Books)
 https://youtu.be/un-q5BN5PJY
 https://youtu.be/liyFKUFCQno

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3. Letter Writing

Study the texts given below:

Bemina, Bye-Pass,
Srinagar.
31 March, 2020

The Chief Engineer

Power Development Corporation
Jammu and Kashmir

Sub: Complaint regarding frequent breakdown of electricity in

our area.

Sir,
I, on behalf of my locality, am sorry to inform that we are put
to great inconvenience due to the electric failure in our locality.
Unfortunately, these failures are frequent and often long.
Almost every morning from 6 A.M. to 8A.M. and evening from
7P.M. to 9P.M., the supply discontinues and there is darkness
all around.
Due to this, the students like me can‟t study properly. The
shops and business establishments suffer heavy losses, and
domestic work is held up. Though, the matter has been
brought to the notice of the officer-in-charge of the sub-station
of your department but he expressed his helplessness.
Your good self is kindly requested to look into the matter and
take necessary action to ensure regular and interrupted supply
of electricity in our locality.

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely

XYZ

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Class 11th General English

Bemina, Bye-Pass,
Srinagar.
30 April, 2020

My dear friend,
I was shocked to know about the sad demise of your dear
mother. The news was so unexpected and disturbing that I
could not believe it. Only two days before, I met her in the
market. She was quite hale and hearty. She in fact wanted
me to accompany her to your residence and had lunch with
the family.
She was a pious and religious lady. Her untimely death is a
personal loss to me as well. She always treated me as her
own child as she had great affection for me.
Her death is really an irreparable loss. But as we know that
death is inevitable, so we have to bow our heads before the
Will of the Almighty.

May Almighty grant peace and blessings to the departed

soul!

Yours sincerely

XYZ

What do you think the texts in the boxes given above can be called?
..................................................................................................................

If your answer is a letter, then what is a letter? (Answer briefly)

................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................
..........................................…………………………………………………..

{A letter is a written or printed (direct or personal) message addressed to a

person or organization.}

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There are two types of letters:

1. Formal: Letters which include (i) official or business (for making

enquiries, sending replies, registering complaints, etc.) (ii) to the editor
(highlighting or giving suggestion on any social issue) (iii) application for
employment.
2. Informal – Letters written to family members, relatives, friends or close
associates.

FORMAT (FORMAL LETTER)

 Sender’s address
 Date
 Name/Designation & Address of the addressee
 Subject
 Salutation
 Body – Introduction (Para 1), Main Content (Para 2 -3) and
Conclusion (Para 4)
 Complimentary closing
 Subscription Note.
 Signature of the Sender
 Name & Designation of the Sender

FORMAT (INFORMAL LETTER)

 Sender’s address
 Date
 Salutation
 Body – Introduction (Para 1), Main Content (Para 2 -3) and
Conclusion (Para 4)
 Complimentary closing (optional)
 Subscription Note
 Signature of the Sender
 Name of the Sender

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Assessment

1. Write a letter to the principal of your school and request him to open an
indoor games room in the school campus.
2. Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper to highlight the irregular
supply of water in your area.
3. Write a letter to your elder brother and request him to send you his
favourite e-books.
4. Write a letter to your friend and invite him to spend winter vacation with
you in Jammu.
5. Write a letter to your maternal aunt who is working abroad and thank her
for the books she has gifted you recently.

Further reading/e-resources

 A Course in Grammar and Composition by Geetha Nagaraj (Foundation

Books)
 https://youtu.be/m6TuXixyg9E
 https://youtu.be/2t6Bkv2VcqE

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4. Note Making

It is an important reading skill required for studies and research work. The key
sub-skills which are essential for it are:

 Locating the main ideas/information in the text.

 Identifying the supporting and hidden/underlying ideas/ information.
 Locating specific ideas/information in the text.
 Leaving out non-specific ideas/information in the text.

Tips for Note-Making

 Read the given passage slowly and carefully to comprehend the main
ideas/information in the passage.
 Read again slowly to comprehend various associated ideas/ information
given in the text.
 All unessential details should be left out (deleted).
 Complete sentences should not be used.
 Recognisable abbreviations, contractions, symbols, short forms (like Rly.
for Railways) must be used wherever possible.

Following are the ways of making notes:

1. Headings and Sub-Headings:

(A) Main Point:
(i) Sub-point
(ii) Another sub-point
(iii) Another sub-point of (ii)
(B) Second Main Point:
(i) Sub-point
(ii) Another sub-point
(iii) Another sub-point of (ii) if any …

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2. Flow Chart Form:

Main Point

Main Point 1 Main Point 2

Sub-Point Sub-Point Sub-Point Sub-Point Sub-Point

1 2 3 1 2

3. Tabular Form:

S.No. Main Point Sub-points/Supporting Details

1. (a)
(b)
(c)

2. (a)
(b)
(c)

Example
Companies should strive to develop unique resources in order to gain a lasting
competitive advantage. Competitive advantage, whatever its source, can
ultimately be attributed to the ownership of valuable resources that enable the
company to perform activities efficiently at comparatively lower costs than its

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competitors. Superior performance will, therefore, be based on developing a

competitively distinct set of resources and deploying them in a well-conceived
strategy. Companies should abandon the areas of operations and dispense with
activities where they do not possess a competitive advantage and concentrate
their resources where they could attain competitive strength, so as to focus on
improving productivity and increased efficiency.
The concept of ‗core competency‘ is central to the resource-based perspective
on corporate strategy. The resource-based view of strategy is that sustainable
competitive advantage arises out of a company‘s possessing some special skills,
knowledge, resources or competencies that distinguish it from its competitors.
Core competency is a bundle of a specific knowledge, skills, technologies,
capabilities and organization which enables it to create value in a market. The
resources could be, for example, manufacturing flexibility, responsiveness to
market trend and reliable service.
The main concept about core competencies was developed by C.K.Prahalad and
G.Hamel in 1990. The idea is that, over time, companies may develop key areas
of expertise, which are distinctive to that company and crucial to the company‘s
long term development. These areas of expertise may be in any area but are
most likely to develop in the critical, central areas of the company where most
value is added to its products. While in the case of a manufacturer this could be
in the routine and processes at the heart of the production process, for a software
company the key skills may be in the initial conceptualization process or
alternatively in the high quality of code writing they have achieved.

WAY FORWARD FOR COMPANIES

(A) Compt. adv for comps.
(i) A unique resr.
(ii) Means ownership of val. resrs
(iii) Enables comps. to perform effectively

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(B) Strgs. for developing copmt. adv

(i) Abandon areas where no adv.
(ii) Concentrate where have adv.
(C) Core competency
(i) Concept dev. by Prahlad & Hamel 1990
(ii) Means a copm‘s set of skills & resrs.
(iii) May vary from comp. to comp.

Key to Abbreviations
Compt= competitive Strgs= strategies
Resr(s)= resource(s) Adv= advantage
Val= valuable Dev= developed
Comp=company

(OR)

S.No. Main Point Sub-points/Supporting Details

1. Compt. adv for comps (i) A unique resr.

(ii) Means ownership of val. resrs
(iii) Enables comps. to perform
effectively

2. Strgs. for developing (i) Abandon areas where no adv.

copmt. adv (ii) Concentrate where have adv

3. Core competency (i) Concept dev. by Prahlad & Hamel

1990
(ii) Means a copm‘s set of skills & resrs.
(iii) May vary from comp. to comp.

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Key to Abbreviations
Compt= competitive Strgs= strategies
Resr(s)= resource(s) Adv= advantage
Val= valuable Dev= developed
Comp=company

Assessment

 Read the following passages and make notes. Also give them suitable

titles:
1. The modern age is an age of science. It has brought several benefits to
man. It has also done greatest disservice to man in the field of deadly weapons.
It has produced horrible engines of war. The napalm bomb, the atom bomb and
the hydrogen bomb are agents of death and destruction. The world is overtaken
by an arms race. Too much of scientific knowledge has proved dangerous. The
world powers are competing with one another in producing more weapons of
destruction. Researchers and engineers in this industry think of only creating
weapons of mass destruction. Industrial waste is responsible for making the
atmosphere unhealthy. Machine, a product of science, has brought in its wake
large scale unemployment. The modern age is the age of speed and is very fast.
We have no interest for enjoying the beauties of nature. The cruel machine has
thrown out the craftsmen.
2. About 2,500 million years ago the earth in which we live was a ball of
gas which, on cooling, grew smaller and became liquid. The liquid continued to
cool giving off some of its heat by radiation. When liquids grow colder, they
solidify. The crust of the earth is the solid matter that resulted from this cooling.
Various places on the earth are subject to earthquakes. The country that has
suffered most from these is Japan. In an earthquake, the surface of the land may
move suddenly in any direction changing the shape of hills and sometimes

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causing an immense sea-wave to rush on the nearest shore and leading to

immense destruction.

Further reading/e-resources

 Language Skills I published by JKBOSE for students of Functional

English (Class XI)
 https://youtu.be/xu2wxmkpyi0
 https://youtu.be/RkYJd-_Dgy4

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SECTION C

GRAMMAR

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1. Tenses
Study the following sentences:
1. I write a letter to my brother daily.
2. I wrote a letter to my brother yesterday.
3. I will write a letter to my brother tomorrow.
In the above sentences, the action denoted by the verb – “write” takes
in the present (Sentence 1), took place in the past (Sentence 2) and
will take place in the future (Sentence 3), i.e., a verb may show or
indicate the present time, the past time or the future time, which in
grammar is called “tense”.

The word “tense” has been derived from the Latin word
“tempus” which means time. Hence, the tense is the form
taken by the verb to show or indicate the time (also
continuous or completeness) of the action

TENSE
.

PRESENT PAST FUTURE

THE SIMPLE THE SIMPLE THE SIMPLE

PRESENT PAST FUTURE

THE PRESENT THE PAST THE FUTURE

CONTINUOUS CONTINUOUS CONTINUOUS

THE PRESENT THE PAST THE FUTURE

PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT

THE PRESENT THE PAST THE FUTURE

PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS CONTINUOUS CONTINUOUS

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PRESENT TENSES
TENSE USAGE FUNCTION
 He drinks tea every morning. To express a habitual/routine action.*
 I get up every day at five o'clock.
 The sun rises in the east. To express general truths.
 Fortune favours the brave
SIMPLE  Here comes the bus! In exclamatory sentences beginning with here and
PRESENT  There she goes! there to express what is actually taking place in the
TENSE present.
 Sohrab now rushes forward and deals a heavy blow In vivid narrative, as substitute for the Simple Past.
to Rustam.
 Immediately the Sultan hurries to his capital.
 The next flight is at 7.00 tomorrow morning. To express a future event that is part of a fixed
 The match starts at 9 o'clock. timetable or fixed programme.
 She is singing (now). For an action going on at the time of speaking.**
 The boys are playing hockey.
PRESENT
 I am reading 'David Copperfield' (but I am not For a temporary action which may not be actually
CONTINUOUS
reading at this moment). happening at the time of speaking.
TENSE  I am going to the cinema tonight. For an action that has already been arranged to take
 My uncle is arriving tomorrow. place in the near future.
*NOTE 1: It has been MENTIONED ABOVE that the Simple Present Tense is used for a habitual/routine action. However, when
the reference is to a particularly obstinate habit – something which persists for example, in spite of advice or warning –
we use the present continuous tense with an adverb like always, continually, constantly as,
My dog is very silly. He is always running out into the road.
**NOTE 2: The following verbs, on account of their meaning, are not normally used in the continuous form:
(1) Verbs of perception, e.g., see, hear, smell, notice, recognize.
(2) Verbs of appearing, e.g., appear, look, seem.
(3) Verbs of emotion, e.g., want, wish, desire, feel, like, love, hate, hope, refuse, prefer
(4) Verbs of thinking, e.g., think, suppose, believe, agree, consider, trust, remember forget, know, understand, imagine, mean,
mind.
(5) Have (= possess), own, possess, belong to, contain, consist of, be (except when used in the passive).
e.g. Acceptable Unacceptable

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These grapes are tasting sour. These grapes taste sour.
I am thinking you are wrong. I think you are wrong.
He is seeming sad. He seems sad.
She is having a cellphone. She has a cellphone.
However, the verbs listed above can be used in the continuous tenses with a change of meaning; as,
 She is tasting the soup to see if it needs more salt. (taste = test the flavour of )
 I am thinking of going to Malaysia. (think of = consider the idea of)
 They are having lunch. (have= eat)
 He has just gone out. To indicate completed activities in the immediate
 It has just struck ten. past (with just).
 Have you read 'Hamlet'? To express past actions whose time is not given and
 We have never known him to be angry. not definite.
PRESENT  Gowhar has eaten all the biscuits (i.e., there aren't To describe past events when we think more of their
PERFECT any left for you). effect in the present than of the action itself.
TENSE  I have cut my finger (and it is bleeding now).
 They have finished their work (= now they are free).
 I have known him for a long time. To denote an action beginning at some time in the
 He has been ill since last week. past and continuing up to the present moment (often
 We have lived here for ten years. with since and for - phrases).
NOTE: The following adverbs or adverb phrases can also be used with the present perfect (apart from those
mentioned above): never, ever (in questions only), so far, till now, yet (in negatives and questions), already,
today, this week, this month, etc.
 He has been sleeping for five hours (and is still The present perfect continuous is used for an action
sleeping). which began at some time in the past and is still
PRESENT  They have been building the bridge for several continuing
PERFECT months.
CONTINUOUS  'Why are your clothes so wet?' – „I have been This tense is also sometimes used for an action
TENSE watering the garden'. already finished. In such cases, the continuity of the
activity is emphasized as an explanation of
something

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PAST TENSES
TENSE USAGE FUNCTIONS
 We received your letter a week ago. The simple past tense is used to indicate an action
 They left school last year. completed in the past. It often occurs with adverbs or
adverb phrases of past time.
SIMPLE PAST  I learnt English in Bangalore. Sometimes this tense is used without an adverb of
TENSE  I didn't sleep well (i.e., last night). time. In such cases the time may be either implied or
indicated by the context.
 He studied many hours every day. The simple past is also used for past habits.
 She always carried an umbrella.
 We were listening to the radio all evening. The past continuous tense is used to denote an action
 It was getting darker. going on at some time in the past. The time of the
PAST  When I saw him, he was playing chess. action may or may not be indicated.
CONTINUOUS NOTE: As in the last two examples above, the past continuous and simple past are used together when
TENSE a new action happened in the middle of a longer action. the simple past is used for the new action.
 He was always grumbling. This tense is also used with always, continually, etc.
for persistent habits in past.
 I met him in New Delhi in 1996. I had The Past Perfect Tense describes an action completed
seen him last five years before. before a certain moment in past.
PAST  When I reached the station the train had If two actions happened in the past, it may be
PERFECT started (so I couldn't get into the train). necessary to show which are happened earlier than
TENSE  I had done my exercise when they came to the other. The past perfect is mainly used in such
see me. situations. Simple Past is used in one clause and the
 I had written the letter before he arrived. past perfect in the other
PAST  At that time he had been writing a novel The past perfect continuous tense is used for an action
PERFECT for two months. that began before a certain time in the past and
CONTINUOUS  When Mr. Mushtaq came to the school in continued up to that time.
TENSE 2005, Mr. Anayat had already been
teaching there for 10 years.

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 Class 11th General English

FUTURE TENSES
TENSE USAGE FUNCTIONS
 I shall be twenty next Saturday. The simple future tense is used to talk about things
 We will know our exam results in May. which we cannot control. It expresses the future as
 I'm sure Helen will get a first class. fact.
 It is raining, I will take an umbrella. As in the above sentences, we often use this tense
with I think, and I'm sure. We can use this tense when
FUTURE we decide to do something at the time of speaking.
SIMPLE  It is going to rain; look at those clouds. We also use the going to form to talk about what
TENSE  The boat is full of water. It is going to sink. seems likely or certain, when there is something in
 She is going to have a baby. the present which tells us about the future.
 Let's get into the train. It's going to leave. The going to form may also express an action which
 Look! The cracker is going to explode is on the point of happening.
 Let's get into the train. It's about to leave. Be about to: Be about to + base form can also be
 Don't go out now. We are about to have lunch. used for the immediate future
 I suppose it will be raining when we start. We use the future continuous tense to talk about
 This time tomorrow I will be sitting on the actions which will be in progress at some time in the
beach in Singapore. future.
FUTURE  "Can I see you at 5 o'clock?" - "Please don't
CONTINUOUS come then. I will be watching the tennis match
TENSE on TV."
We also use this tense to talk about actions in the  I will be staying here till Sunday.
future which are already planned or which are  He will be meeting us next week.
expected to happen in the normal course of things.  The postman will be coming soon
NOTE: Be To: We use be to + base form to talk about official plans and arrangements; as ,
 The Prime Minister is to visit America next month. The conference is to discuss "Nuclear Tests."
Be to is used in a formal style, often in news reports. But Be is usually left out in headlines, as
 Prime Minister to visit America.
FUTURE  He will have left before you go to see him. The future perfect tense is used to talk about actions

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 Class 11th General English
PERFECT  By the end of this month, 1 will have worked that will be completed by a certain future time.
TENSE here for five years.
FUTURE  By next March we shall have been living here The future perfect continuous tense is used for
PERFECT for four years. actions which will be in progress over a period of time
CONTINUOUS  I'll have been teaching for twenty years next that will end in the future.
TENSE July. (This tense is not very common.)

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 Class XI General English

Assessment
EXERCISE I
 Choose the correct verb form from those in brackets:
1.The earth ________________ round the sun. (move, moves, moved)
2. She __________ worried about something. (looks, looking, is looking)
3. It started to rain while we __________tennis. (are playing, were playing, had played)
4.He ___ fast when the accident happened. (is driving, was driving, drove)
5.He __________ a mill in this town. (have, has, is having)
6.He __________ here for the last five years. (worked, is working, has been working).
7. I __________ him for a long time. (know, have known, am knowing)
8.Don't disturb me. I __________my homework. (do, did, am doing)
9.The soup __good. (taste, tastes, is tasting)
10.He __ out five minutes ago. (has gone, had gone, went)
11.When he lived in Hyderabad, he __ to the cinema once a week. (goes, went, was
going)
12.The baby __________ all morning. (cries, has been crying)
13. I __________ Rahim at the zoo. (saw, have seen, had seen)
14. This paper __________ twice weekly. (is appearing, appearing, appears)
15. He fell off the ladder when he __________the roof. (is mending, was mending,
mended)
EXERCISE II
 Use the appropriate forms of the verbs to fill in the blanks:
1. The plane __________ at 3.30. (arrive)
2. I will phone you when he __________ back. (come)
3. The train__________before we reach the station. (arrive)
4. Unless we __________now we can't be on time. (start, will start)
5. Do you ___________ a lift? (want)
6. The next term ___________ on 16th November. (begin)
7. By 2020, robots ___ many of the jobs that people do today. (taking )
8. I'm sure she __________ the exam. (pass)
9. I _____________home next Sunday. (go)
10. I _____________ you one of these days, I expect. (see)
11. Help! I ______________ fall. (fall) .'
12. He _________ some clothes the other day. (buy)
13. Hurry up! The programme ____________ at 4:00 P.M. (start)
14. This book is not long. I _________ it by lunch time. (read)

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Class XI General English

2. AUXILIARIES

AUXILIARY

PRIMARY MODALS

The verbs – be (am, is, was, are were), have and do, when used with ordinary verb
make tenses, passive forms, questions and negatives, are called primary auxiliary
verbs (Auxiliary= helping). These primary auxiliaries can be used as main verbs as
well.

S.NO AUXILIARY USAGE FUNCTION/

. MEANING
1. BE He is working. In the
I was writing. continuous
tenses
I am to see him tomorrow. To indicate a
plan,
We are to be married next
arrangement,
month.
or agreement
You are to write your name at To denote a
the top of each sheet of paper. command
Mother says you are to go to
market at once.
A: He catches the ball. In the
P: The ball was caught by him. formation of
the passive
2. HAVE He has worked. formation of
He has been working. the perfect
tenses
3. DO He doesn't work. He didn't work. in negative and
Does he work? Did he work? interrogative
of the present
& past simple
tenses
You do look pale. used to
I told him not to go, but he did emphasize
go.
Do be quiet. In the
Oh, do come! It's going to be imperative
such fun. (In such cases
do is strongly
stressed.)

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Class XI General English

MODALS
Read the following sentences:

1. My grandfather could speak many languages.

2. They can attend the conference.
3. She must be tired now.
4. It might be true.
5. You should consult a good doctor.

Notice the usage and function of words in bold letters in the above sentences. They
are used before main verbs and express meanings such as ability, permission,
certainty possibility, and suggestion.

Such words in bold letters like can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should,
must and ought to, need, dare and used to are called modal verbs or modal
auxiliaries. They are also known as defective verbs because some parts are
wanting in them. They have no -s in the third person singular; they have no - ing
and -ed forms.
Now study the chart given below to learn about the usage and
functions/meanings of different modals:

S.NO MODAL USAGE FUNCTION/

. MEANING
1. CAN I can swim across the river. Ability
He can work this sum.
Can you lift this box?
You can go now. Permission
(informal)
Can I borrow your pen?

You can do it Possibility

(Theoretical)
NOTE CANNOT/ You cannot/can’t enter the building Prohibition
CAN’T
2. Could I could swim across the river when Ability
(Past of I was young.
Can) She wondered whether it could be Possibility
true. (Possibility)
Could/ Could /Would you pass me the Polite request
Would salt?
Could/ He said I might/could go. Permission
Might
3. May It may rain tomorrow. Possibility
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Class XI General English

He may be at home.
May I borrow your umbrella? Permission
(formal)
We eat so that we may live Purpose
May you live happily and long! Wish
May success attend you!
4. Might I thought he might be at home. Possibility
It might rain tomorrow. Possibility
(remote)
You might pay a little more express a
attention to your appearance. degree of
dissatisfaction
or reproach
5. Shall I shall be twenty-five next birthday. to express pure
future (Ist
When shall we see you again? persons only)
He shall not enter my house again. Command
You shall have a holiday tomorrow. Promise
You shall be punished for this. Threat
Which pen shall I buy? Advice
Where shall we go? Suggestion
6. Should We should obey the laws. Duty/
You should keep your promise. Obligation
Children should obey their
parents.
I expected that I should get a first past
class. equivalents of
shall
He should be in the library now. Probability
NOTE LEST Walk fast lest you should miss the “Lest is always
bus. followed by
“should” to
express purpose
7. Will We will need the money on 15th Intention
March.
Tomorrow will be Sunday. to express pure
future
You will see that I am right. Determination
I will succeed or die in the attempt.
I will carry your books. Willingness
I will try to do better next time. promise
Will you have tea? Invitation
Will you lend me your scooter? Request
He will talk about nothing but Characteristic
films. habit

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Class XI General English

She will sit for hours listening to

the wireless.
This will be the book you want Assumption or
That will be the postman probability
8. Would He said he would be twenty-five past
next birthday. equivalents of
She said she would carry my “would”
books.
She would sit for hours listening to (Past habit)
the wireless.
He would rather starve than beg. Preference
Would that I were a child again! Wish or Desire
9. Must You must improve your spelling. Necessity
We must get up early. Obligation
I must finish this work today. Determination
She must have left already. express logical
certainty
NOTE Had to Yesterday we had to (past of “must”) Necessity
get up early.

10. Ought to We ought to love our neighbours. Moral duty

We ought to help him. /obligation
You ought to consult a good Advice
doctor.
This book ought to be very useful. probability
Prices ought to come down soon.
11. Need He need not go. Denoting
I need hardly take his help. necessity or
Need I write to him? obligation in
negative, semi-
negative and
interrogative
sentences
12. Dare He dare not take such a step. Used in
How dare you contradict me? negative and
He dared not do it. interrogative
sentences to
express
challenge
13. Used to There used to be a house there. a discontinued
(Semi- I used to live there when I was a habit
auxiliary) boy.

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Class XI General English

Assessment

 Supply appropriate modals:

1. You………….respect your elders.
2. ……………….his soul rest in peace!
3. It is advisable that we ……………. go for a morning walk daily and it is the only
way by which we ………….. grow healthier and stronger.
4. You………..leave these papers.
5. Every young person……………. understand that they ………. obey the rules of
the road while driving.
6. I saw her come. She ……….ne inside.
7. Run fast lest you……………get late.
8. ………….. you stand on your head?
9. ………..I help you?
10. …………….we come in?
11. …………you like to say something?
12. My sister………….reach here tomorrow
13. He………….. prefer not to give any explanation.
14. You……… shut the door.
15. How many below the rank of a philosopher……….. be capable of complete
absent-mindedness? Most of us are born with prosaically efficient memories. If
it were not so, the institution of the family ……… not survive in any great
modern city.
16. This, it……… be thought,………………….be due to a lack of interest in other
people‟s letters; but that cannot be the explanation, for I forget to post some
even of the few letters that I myself remember to write.
17. This ………… not have happened.
18. When………. you bring a new car?
19. Why isn‟t she here? She……. have missed the train.
20. He ………drive a car easily.
21. You ………..obey your parents.
22. We ………..obey the traffic rules.
23. They ………..be at home by now.
24. She ……………do it if you ask him.
25. …………I come in?

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Class XI General English

3. Relative Clauses
Study the following sentences:
1. The man who lives next door is an engineer.
2. The bus which goes to the airport runs every hour.
Sentence 1 is actually a combination of two sentences: “A man lives next door.”
and “He is an engineer.” These two sentences are joined by “who” which is a
relative pronoun and the clause: “who lives next door” is a relative clause.

Similarly, Sentence 2 is a combination of two sentences: “A car goes to the

airport.” and “It runs every hour.” These two sentences are joined by “which”
that is a relative pronoun and the clause: “which goes to the airport” is a
relative clause.
A clause is a group of words which forms a sentence or A relative
part of a sentence and has a subject and a predicate of pronoun is a
its own. It always has a verb, e.g., pronoun (who,
I have a chain which is made of gold. that, which, etc.)
which joins/
In the above sentence, there are two clauses: “I have a
links the relative
chain” which is the main clause because its meaning
clause(s) to
is not dependent on anything else, and “which is made
another clause(s)
of gold” is subordinate/dependent clause because its
meaning is dependent on the main clause. in a sentence.

A relative clause is a clause which gives us essential information about

the subject in a sentence. It is always placed immediately after its
antecedent in the sentence.

There are two main types of relative clauses: defining and non-defining.
These clauses are introduced by relative pronouns, Such as who, that,
which, whom, whose, etc.

 In defining relative clauses, we often leave out the relative pronoun if it is the
object of the verb in a relative clause; as,

The only thing he cares about is his horse.

 Clauses that do not require a relative pronoun are called contact-clauses.
 Non- defining relative clauses give extra information about the subject (noun /
noun phrase) and are separated by commas. They are not essential for giving
the full meaning of a sentence like defining clauses; as,

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Class XI General English

My sister, who works in China, likes sweets.

The phrase „who works in China‟ is additional information. The message is

clear even without the clause.

Assessment

Join the following sentences using relative pronouns or by changing one

of the sentences into a relative clause:

1. Her brother is an engineer. He lives in Bangalore.

2. Some men are repairing the road. They want water to drink.
3. A girl was injured in an accident. She is now in hospital.
4. There is a woman living next door. She is a journalist.
5. I don‟t know the woman. I spoke to on the phone.
6. What‟s the name of the old man? He just went out.
7. We stayed at a hotel. It was dirty.
8. The workers spoke to the factory owner. Their work was up to the mark.
9. Some people live next door. They are clumsy fellows.
10. She is a rich lady. She lives in our neighbourhood.
11. It is the road. It leads to the city
12. A waitress served us. She was very polite.
13. An old woman lives in my apartment. She is a doctor.
14. A boy answered the phone. He told me that you were away.
15. A bus goes to the village. It runs every two hours.
16. A man helped us. He was a soldier.
17. She works in a school. She is Head teacher there.
18. This is my son. He is a software engineer.
19. This is my brother‟s daughter. She is an astronaut.
20. The history museum houses several antiques. It is partly funded by the
Archaeological Survey of India.

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Class XI General English

3. Conditional Clauses
Study the following sentences:

1. Butter melts when/if you heat it.

2. If I you take this medicine, you will recover soon.
3. If I were you, I would help him.
4. If he had worked the whole year, he would have passed the examination.
In the above sentences, there is some condition, i.e., the situation or action
represented/denoted by the main clause is dependent on the condition in the
subordinate clause.

Conditional sentences are sentences expressing factual, real or

hypothetical situations and their consequences.

Broadly, there are four main kinds of conditional clauses. They are defined below:

USAGE STRUCTURE FUNCTION

Zero If you freeze water it If + Present General/Uni

Conditional becomes ice/solid. Simple + versal/
Plants die if they don‟t get Present Scientific
enough water. Simple truths
If you put oil in water, it
remains on the surface.
1st If it is cold tomorrow, I‟ll stay If + Present to express
Conditional home and watch T.V. Simple + things that
If you eat too much Future are possible
chocolate, you‟ll get fat. Simple in future/
prediction
2nd If I lived in a big city, I‟d go If + Past Present
Conditional out every night. Simple + hypothetical
If I had more time, I would “Would + condition
learn English. First form of
If I were you, I would go to the Verb”
London.
3rd If I had done all questions, I If + Past Regret/
Conditional would have got Distinction. Perfect + Blame/Criti
If you had listened to my “Would + cism
advice you wouldn‟t have lost Have + 3rd
all money. form of the
Verb

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Class XI General English

Assessment

Correct the following sentences using appropriate conditional clauses:

1. If water will reach 100 degrees, it always boils.
2. If you touch fire you will get burnt.
3. If we had known the movie was so awful, we wouldn‘t waste our money on it.
4. If you woke up early, you would not have been late.
5. Candles stop burning if oxygen supply will be cut off.
6. If you put oil in water, it will float.
7. If you don‘t hurry, you would be late for work.
8. If I won the lottery, I will buy a house.
9. If you had stayed out in the rain too long, you‘ll get sick!
10. If a cat crossed your way, you‘ll have a bad luck.
11. If you will go to shopping tomorrow, I‘ll go with you.
12. If I see Riyan today, I‘ll told him to call you.
13. If you said that again, I will hurt you.
14. If you would come late, you‘ll get punished.
15. If you hadn‘t put your toys away, you won‘t get any dresses.
16. If I had lived in a big city, I‘ll go out every night.
17. If I were her, I will apologize for being late.
18. If I had more money, I will buy a car.
19. What will you do if you were fluent in English?
20. What would you do if you win a lottery?
21. If I was the president, I would cut taxes.
22. If I win lottery, I would take my family on a trip around the world.
23. Children would be healthier if they spend more time exercising and less time playing
video games.
24. He would be healthier, if he doesn‘t smoke.
25. If my grandmother were alive today, she would have been 110.

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Class XI General English

5. SENTENCES: SIMPLE, COMPOUND AND COMPLEX

Study the following sentences:

1. His courage won him honour.
2. The money was spent and we returned home.
3. We rested when evening came.
We see that sentence 1 has only one Subject and one Predicate. Such a
sentence is called a Simple Sentence.

A Simple sentence is one which has only one Subject and one Predicate. [Or]
A Simple sentence is one which has only one Finite Verb.

Sentence 2 consists of two parts: (i) The money was bright. (ii) We returned home.
These two parts are joined by the Coordinating Conjunction “and”. Each part
contains a Subject and a Predicate of its own. Each part is what we call a Clause.

We further notice that each Clause makes good sense by itself, and hence could
stand by itself as a separate sentence. Each Clause is therefore independent of the
other or of the same order or rank, and is called a Principal or Main Clause. Such a
sentence is called a Compound Sentence.

A sentence, such as the second, which is made up of two or more

Principal or Main Clauses, is called a Compound Sentence.

Sentence 3 consists of two parts: (i) They rested. (ii) When evening came. Each
part contains a Subject and a Predicate of its own, and forms part of a large
sentence. Each part is therefore a Clause. We further notice that the Clause, They
rested, makes good sense by itself, and hence could stand by itself as a complete
sentence. It is therefore called the Principal or Main Clause. The Clause, when
evening came, cannot stand by itself and make good sense. It is dependent on the
Clause, they rested. It is therefore called a Dependent or Subordinate Clause.
Such a sentence is called Complex Sentence.

A sentence, such as the third, which consists of one Main Clause

and one or more Subordinate Clauses is called a Complex
Sentence

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Class XI General English

 Study the following sentences:

1. You must work hard to succeed.

2. Work hard or you won‟t succeed.
3. Unless you work hard, you won‟t succeed.
Do you notice any difference(s) in the above sentences or are they
same? If yes, what is that?
……………………………………………………….............................
………………………………………………………………………………

The above given sentences have same meaning and tense, but they only
differ in structure, i.e., Sentence 1 is Simple Sentence, Sentence 2 is
Compound Sentence and Sentence 3 is Complex Sentence.

Assessment
 Below are given some sentences. Identify them whether they are
Simple, Compound or Complex Sentences. Then
transform/combine them into the other two.
1. I went because I was invited.
2. He was honoured for his honesty
3. I returned home because I was tired.
4. Unless you do as I tell, you will regret it.
5. A guest is unwelcome when he stays too long.
6. Search his pockets and you will find the watch.
7. He tried hard, but he did not succeed.
8. You must work hard to pass the examination.
9. She must weep or she will die.
10. He confessed his guilt.
11. Tell me the news as you have heard.
12. He is poor but honest.
13. We must eat to live, but we should not live to eat.
14. He was sacked for his dishonesty.
15. She was fined as she misbehaved with the teacher.
16. Good student never play truancy.
17. This was a vague possibility.
18. He would be caned because he had no excuse.
19. She was honest, so she was honoured.
20. He took his gun and shot at the bird.
21. Spare the rod and spoil the child.
22. Invite him or else he will not attend the function
23. He is too weak to run a race.
24. They saw the danger, but carried on.
25. He should apologise to escape punishment.

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Class XI General English

 Suggested readings/e-resources:

 A Practical English Grammar by A.J. Thomson & A.V. Martinet (OUP).

 Murphy’s English Grammar by Raymond Murphy (Cambridge)

 A Course in Grammar & Composition by Geetha Nagaraj (Foundation Books)

 YouTube Channel of British Council: Grammar Snacks

 YouTube Channel of Unacademy – English Learning

56
Class XI General English

SECTION D
LITERATURE
(BASED ON CHINAR –I, ENGLISH
TEXTBOOK PRESCRIBED BY JKBOSE
FOR CLASS XI)

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Class XI General English

CHAPTER 1

The Suitor and Papa (Anton Chekhov)

 Introduction

The Suitor and Papa is written by the Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov. Chekhov uses wit
and irony to add interest and humour to this story, which tells the tale of a charming lad who
wishes to put off any real responsibility in life for as long as possible. Chekhov, whose greatest
masterpieces are The Cherry Orchard and Uncle Vanda, uses familiar themes and morals in The
Suitor and Papa. This short story is not one of Anton Chekhov's most famous works, but it still
reflects his mental sophistication, and exposes uncomfortable truths through expert storytelling.

 Learning Outcomes
 To write the theme, message and characters in the story.
 To use new words and phrases from the story in daily life.
 To communicate with each other and discuss the social/economic issues in different
societies.
 To listen, speak, read and write in different situations out of the classroom.
 Summary

The story is about a young man who enjoys the summer season in the countryside, spending his
time visiting with a family and courting one of the family's daughters. Over time, the young
man's charm has its effect, and the daughter is irrationally enthusiastic. Most of the locals,
friends as well as the daughter's father (and the daughter herself) believe that the young man
Pyotr, will speak about marriage. However, their belief turns out to be a distant dream, as the
carefree playboy has no desire to give up his freedom over an innocent summer fling.

The story develops as Pyotr Petrovitch Milkin is attending a party with his male friends in the
summer season. All his friends ask him about his marriage. His friends tell him about the
dinners- and suppers with the Kondrashkin family and singing of songs with their girls. He
gives flowers to Nastya and walks with her. All these activities point to the marriage of Milkin
with a girl of the Kondrashkins. Milkin is shocked to learn this and rushes to Kondrashikan‘s
home to clear the doubts about his intentions.
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Class XI General English

The father of Nastya wants to hook Milkin at any cost and confronts him about his tight-
lipedness, asking him why he doesn't ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. Pyotr tries his best
to run out of the situation, telling all manner of tales about himself that paint him as a drunkard,
on trial for embezzlement, a runaway convict, a criminal and a lunatic. To his embarrassment
Pyotr finds all his argument falling flat on Kondrashkin who avoids all the concerns as
insignificant and wants the young man to marry Nastya.

At the end, Pyotr Petrovich Milkin feigns "insanity" and longs to fetch a certificate to prove he
is insane, his would-be father-in-law tells him that he was not mad as a mad man did not argue
so logically. Milkin rushes to his doctor friend to get a certificate to certify him as a mad man.
After listening to Milkin, his friend Dr.Fituyev tells Milkin he would give him another
certificate. One that says he is completely sane. The doctor reasons that any chap who doesn't
wish to wed is totally sane, and, therefore, Pyotr is in perfect mental health. The story concludes
leaving Pyotr utterly disappointed and flustered to negotiate the situation that has emerged.

 Theme/Message

This story highlights the marriage problem of girls in Russian society. The parents are in a state
of desperation to find matches for their girls. Marriage is a source of income, becoming rich and
getting easy money and name for most of the Russian people. This is a story about a young man
who wishes to put off any real responsibility in life for as long as possible but the father of the
girl on the other side urges the boy to get married at any cost. This story has another important
message to share: that marriage is a futile exercise, relationship and family have no value in
European society but job and enjoyment get primary importance.

 Character sketch of Pyotr Petrovich Milkin

Pyotr Petrovich Milkin is the main character of the. Pyotr seems to be a well-built young man.
He is referred to as a wonderful lad by his would-be father-in-law Kondrashkin. He wears a hat
but keeps it off the head most of the times. He mumbles and stutters while speaking
Pyotr is a kind of young lad who believes in love and enjoyment as the only purpose of life. He
throws parties and enjoys with his young unmarried friends. He is a non-serious person
believing in trivial relations and amusement in life without taking any responsibility. Pyotr
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would love to take flowers to Nastya, the female character of the story, dance with her and go
out with her on evenings and enjoy life to the maximum. Pyotr would compromise everywhere
and tell irrational things full of deceit. He did not believe in marriage and could not tolerate the
advances of Kondrashkin in this matter. In fact he showed a false hurry in refusing the proposal
and leaving the place immediately.
In spite of all his pretensions, Pyotr got deeply hooked in the net of Kondrashikan and finally
wanted to feign madness to avoid the trap of marriage. His unreasonable responses, immature
concerns present him as a confused and secretive kind of person whom nobody would trust. In
the end even Pyotr‘s friend was against his strange demand and he refused to certify him as a
mad man.

Thus in the story we see how, in spite of being the best story cooker, Pyotr Petrovich Milkin
was unable to convince his friends, Kondrashkin and finally to his friend to help him to resolve
the issue. This simply tells us that a non-serious attitude with irrational excuses can only
confuse people but has no solution for the problem that Pyotr faced in the story.

 Title of the Story

This is a farcical story in which the two characters — although there is a huge contrast in their
roles — speak at the same degree of triviality and ridicule. The suitor who literary means a
young man who courts a woman or seeks to marry her and Papa an idea that is known in the
entire world as the biological father of a child.
The story finds aptly its plot woven around these two characters. The suitor who ironically turns
out to be a playboy only has the purpose of life to enjoy and roam carefree. He finds a beautiful
girl Nastya and acts as a perfect suitor but finds it insignificant and irrelevant to ask her hand in
marriage. On the other hand, the story presents a father Kondrashkin who seems to be in extra
hurry to find a husband for his daughter. He leaves no stone unturned to hook the suitor Milkin
in the plot and forces him to enter into the nuptial knot. The play runs like a ‗seek and find‘
game between the two characters thus giving a beautiful reason for the story being titled as the
The Suitor and Papa.

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 Assessment
1. Comment on the theme of the story.
2. Sketch the character of Pyotr Petrovich Milkin.
3. What message does the story convey?
 Further reading/e-resources
 Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov
 The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
 https://youtu.be/ob9VLrWkYKl
 https://youtu.be/r90Fs9d6jel

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CHAPTER2

The Star Ducks (Bill Brown)

 Introduction
The Star Ducks by Bill Brown is a short story which falls in the category of science fiction (sci-
fi). The writer has exploited the scientific concept of extraterrestrials (ETs) popularly known as
aliens. Aliens are supposed to be special creatures from outer space that have been reported to
visit our planet occasionally. The enthusiastic newspaper reporter, Ward Rafferty wants to have
a firsthand proof of the aliens for a sensational story, but for being ill-equipped, he is left
disappointed at the end.
 Learning Outcomes
 To write about the theme or message and characters in the story.
 To practice the vocabulary items.
 To develop a notion and taste about the short stories.
 To develop an understanding about writing a dialogue and newspaper reporting.
 To effectively acquire communication skills through LSRW.
 Summary
Ward Rafferty worked for a well-known newspaper, The Times. He received a mysterious
phone call about an air crash near the farm of the Alsop family. However on reaching the spot,
he was shocked to find that nothing of the sort had happened as there was no ambulance to
carry the dead or the injured and there was no curious crowd of onlookers. However, on
enquiring from Mr. and Mrs. Alsop, he learnt that some wingless and globular unidentified
flying object (UFO), which the Alsops described as a contraption, had actually landed there and
was then stationed in the barn behind the Alsop house.
The contraption belonged to a strange looking couple of aliens from some other planet. They
had earlier visited the Alsops about six years before and had exchanged their star-shaped eggs
called the star ducks with normal eggs provided by the Alsops. However, the eggs rotted on the
way and so the Aliens had to turn back for a fresh supply from the Alsops.
Rafferty also learnt from the Alsops that the aliens were named Men-Who-Bent-Iron and they
communicated by making only pictures on their screens after bending their antennae in the
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direction of the person who wanted to communicate with them. Initially Rafferty was doubtful
about the aliens and could not believe in them. But once the folks turned their antennae towards
him, he went through a strange and painful experience to realize that the aliens were not a fraud.
Rafferty felt excited and wanted a solid proof for this sensational story that he intended to
publish for his newspaper. But unfortunately, he did not have a phone or a camera to do the job
and the aliens in no time flew off and vanished. Rafferty then hoped to get some proof from the
Alsops but they disappointed him too by informing him that the star ducks brought by the aliens
were hatched by them under a hen that raised six legged-star shaped ducks which resembled
somewhat to a hippopotamus and something like a swallow. The Alsops had eaten the ducks on
the Thanksgiving festival and had even fed their bones to a dog that had died a long time
before.
Rafferty felt crushed. It was already dark in the night and he decided to leave the spot. While he
was leaving, Mr. Alsop shouted that he had found their camera for Rafferty. But it was of no
use then as the most sensational story had already vanished into space.

 Theme / Message
The story is based on the theme that scientific fiction can be used to create an interesting story.
At the same time it depicts the simplicity of the village folks like the Alsops as they could not
understand or make out anything about the aliens. The story also highlights the blunder
committed by Rafferty who was not well-equipped for his job, in spite of being a professional
and a thoroughly knowledgeable reporter.
 Characterization
The central character of the Story is Ward Rafferty, The Times reporter, though Mr. & Mrs.
Alsop also play vital roles. The Alsop couple is simplistic village folks having no exposure to
scientific knowledge. Still they prove themselves to be intelligent people with a lot of common
sense.
On the other hand, Rafferty is a professional reporter who carefully and meticulously notices
every detail when he reaches the Alsop farm. He is a careful and alert reporter who knows his
job very well. He is sensitive to the details and feels proud for being the top reporter of The

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Times. He does not trust blindly as he eyes the aliens with suspicion. He believes them to be
real after he goes through a strange experience with them. In this regard he is guarded but
patient. His only flaw is that he is not well-equipped with a phone or a camera to perform his
professional duties. Had he been fully equipped, he would have got some solid proof about the
aliens and thus created a sensation in the whole world and become an overnight star.
 Title
The title of the Story derives its name from the star-shaped eggs brought by the aliens for the
Alsops in exchange. The star ducks on hatching produced the six-legged ducks that resembled
somewhat to the hippopotamus and the swallow.
 Assessment
1. Why do you think the aliens visited the Alsops?
2. What do you think could have happened if Rafferty had got a phone or a camera at the
right time?
3. How would you rate Rafferty as a newspaper reporter?
4. The contraption was made by the Alsops. (True / False)
5. Rafferty left satisfied in the end. (Yes / No)
6. Rafferty needed a camera to take _______________ of the Aliens.(bones / pictures)
 Further reading /e-resources
 True Texas Tales by Bill Brown
 https://youtu.be/XxT-gc7Jxwk

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CHAPTER 3

The Daffodils (William Wordsworth)

 Introduction

‗The Daffodils‘ is one of the most famous poems written in the English language. William
Wordsworth, also known as ‗the poet of nature‘, vividly recreates the beautiful sight of a stretch
of daffodils. He also shares with the reader how the memory of the daffodils brings him back
from a serious and deep mental state.

 Learning outcomes
A daffodil is a trumpet-shaped
 To recite the poem with correct intonation.
yellow flower. Wordsworth wrote
 To appreciate the use of personification in nature
the poem after actually seeing a
descriptions in poetry.
vast stretch of daffodils while
 To appreciate the use of rhyme.
having a walk in the country with
 To understand the subjective point of view in
his sister.
literary writing.
 Summary and explanations

‗The Daffodils‘ has four stanzas. The first three stanzas describe the enchanting beauty of the
daffodils. Once the poet, while wandering around purposelessly, came upon a vast stretch of
daffodils beside a lake. Under the shade of trees the daffodils fluttered and tossed in the wind.
This created a sense of joy in the poet. The mesmerizing sight made him so happy that he kept
watching on for a long time.

The final stanza delivers the message that whenever the poet is lost in thought or becomes very
serious, reminiscence of the gleeful daffodils brightens his mood and brings joy back to his
heart.

 Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: The daffodils were much happier than the waves.
 But little thought/What wealth the show to me had brought: The poet did not realize
at that time how beneficial the memory of the scene was going to be to him in future.
 In vacant or in pensive mood: In deep and serious contemplation.

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 Inward eye: Memory/mind.

 Bliss of solitude: The gift received (by the poet) after meditating in solitude.
 Theme

The poem primarily describes a kind of therapeutic and beneficial effect that nature has on the
poet‘s mind. When he is unhappy or seriously thoughtful, it is the memory of the beautiful
scene of the daffodils that transforms his sadness into joy and his heart dances. The poet calls it
‗wealth‘ in order to highlight how caring and motherly nature can prove to be. The poet‘s power
of imagination has also been highlighted since it is the ‗inward eye‘ of the poet that receives the
scene and stores it so that it can be recreated in a beautiful and valuable way.

 Point of view

The poem describes the poet‘s personal or emotional experience of seeing and then
remembering a beautiful sight of nature. The poem has been written from a subjective or
personal point of view.

 Tone

The first three stanzas that describe the daffodils through expressions like gold, stars and
sprightly dancers reveal a joyful tone. The last stanza has a more thoughtful or contemplative
tone because the poet dwells on the impact of the daffodils on him.

 Devices/techniques
 Simile: ‗lonely as a cloud‘
 Personification: The poet has personified the daffodils by using the expressions ‗a
crowd‘, ‗a host‘, ‗fluttering and dancing in the breeze‘, and ‗Tossing their heads in
sprightly dance‘.
 The waves have been personified in ‗The waves beside them danced‘.
 Rhyme scheme: ababcc
 Assessment
1. What is the central idea of the poem?
2. How would you respond to the last stanza of the poem?

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 Further reading/e-resources
 The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth
 https://youtu.be/aLWri3PU8iU

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CHAPTER 4

Quality (John Galsworthy)

 Introduction

Quality was written by John Galsworthy in 1912. The story is about two German shoemakers,
the Gessler Brothers. It is about the hard work of Mr. Gessler and his brother and their
exceptional honesty, resolution, compassion, humility and commitment. They used to dedicate
their complete energy in making boots. According to the author, the boots would never tear for
years and hence in spite of his desire, he could not go to the Gessler Brothers. With time, new
factories emerged that manufactured cheaper boots though they were not durable. This affected
the Gessler Brothers‘ business and they died.

 Learning Outcomes

 To write the theme, message and characters in the story.

 To use new words and phrases from the story in daily life.
 To communicate with each other and discuss the social/economic issues in different
societies.
 To listen, speak, read and write in different situations out of the classroom.

 Summary

The story starts with the description of the boot shop. On top is the name plate ‗Gessler
Brothers‘ and a few shoes displayed in the window. The Gesslers make shoes on order. The
narrator then narrates one of his meetings with Mr. Gessler. He says it has not been possible to
go to him much because the shoes he made have lasted very long and are the best of their kind.

One day the narrator goes to their shop to get a pair of Russian-leather shoes. Mr. Gessler
retreats upstairs and comes back after some time holding a fine golden Russian leather piece for
the boots. One day the narrator goes to their boot shop and tells him that the shoes he got from
them creaked. After a long pause Mr. Gessler asks him to bring the shoes to him. He assures
that if he cannot repair them, he will give the money back.

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Another day he goes to the Gessler Brothers to order a new pair, wearing a pair of shoes which
he bought due to some emergency from a big firm. Mr. Gessler at once recognizes that the
shoes are not made by him. He touches a particular spot on the narrator‘s shoe where it isn‘t
comfortable for the narrator and says that it hurts there. He expresses his contempt that those
large firms attract customers through shiny impressive advertisements to sell their inferior
quality products. Then the author explains to him under what circumstances he had to buy those
shoes.

The new shoes lasted nearly two years. And in his next visit he receives quite a shock. When he
enters the shop, he sees the younger Gessler brother who informs him of elder Gessler‘s death.
That day he orders several pairs. It takes longer to make them but the quality is even better than
the previous ones. Soon after, the narrator leaves for abroad and returns after over a year. The
first shop he goes to is Mr. Gessler‘s. Mr. Gessler, now seventy-five, is unable to recognize him
at first. The narrator gives a huge order. The wait is longer than ever but the quality only gets
better. After a week, while passing the little street, the narrator thinks to go in and tell Mr.
Gessler that the boots were perfect. But when he goes to the place where the shop was, the
name plate is no longer there. He finds out that the shoemaker had died because of starvation
and lack of resources.

 Theme

The story highlights the virtues of hard work, honesty, resolution, compassion, humility and
commitment. The theme of loss and death is also woven into the story with both Mr. Gessler
and his brother dying in the story. However, the idea of honest work‘s pay and dedication to
quality work is celebrated, both in times of scarcity and plenty.

 Character of Mr. Gessler

Mr. Gessler is the younger of the two Gessler brothers and the protagonist of the short story.
We cannot help but admire, as well as deeply sympathize with Mr. Gessler, for being an
extremely skilled and committed shoemaker. His skin is leathery, yellowish, crinkled and his
eyes are grey-blue and somber with a look of utter commitment and seriousness. He has crinkly,

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curly, red hair, and a thick red beard. His voice is deep, guttural, monotonous, and he speaks
with a heavy German accent. He seems a little stooped and bent because of hard work.
A shoemaker by profession he has devoted his whole life to making the best quality shoes for
his customers. Mr. Gessler is a serious, sober person with no inclination towards being frivolous
or humorous. He is a perfectionist, and gives only the best to his customers. He does not
compromise on quality and is unable to adjust with the changing times.
In spite of their popularity, the Gessler Brothers begin to lose valued customers as they do not
keep up with the changing demands and trends. Their rigid, fixed attitudes and work ethics see
them lose business gradually and steadily, resulting in their ill health and starvation. Towards
the end of their lives, Mr. Gessler and his brother begin to look upon the big firms as the enemy
that would ultimately take away all their business.

It is hard not to sympathize with Mr. Gessler and his misfortune and tragic end. If only he and
his brother would have welcomed the technology and accommodated new people while
teaching them the skill of shoemaking.

 The title of the story

The title of the story is intended to emphasize the importance of values and principles in life.
Gessler sticks to one principle through the thick in thin of life without compromising oh his
standards which he has set for himself. Gessler‘s devotion to one single virtue is so intense and
single-minded that he not only loses his business and clientele but his life. In a way Gessler is a
martyr to upholding values in life and symbolizes idealistic principles. However, the title is also
ironical because a minor adjustment in what Gessler so staunchly believes to be his driving
principle would have saved him and his brother from penury and misery.

Assessment

1. Give a character sketch of Gessler.

2. Give the theme /message of the story.
 Further reading/e-resources
 The Little Man by John Galsworthy
 www://youtu.be/HAsZNYxG1iU
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CHAPTER 5

Youth and the Tasks Ahead (Dr. Karan Singh)

 Introduction

―Youth and the Tasks Ahead‖ is a speech given by Karan Singh. Karan Singh tells the youth to
become responsible citizens of India. He appeals to the post-independence generation to realize
their responsibilities towards the nation. Freedom should not be taken for granted. The youth
should safeguard and strengthen freedom. The youth should serve the nation, accelerate the
process of economic development, demolish poverty and strengthen the fabric of democracy.
They should make India a secular and democratic nation based on the principles of justice,
liberty, equality and fraternity.

 Learning Outcomes
 To read and infer the meaning of unfamiliar words, phrases and sentences by reading
them in the text.
 To use a dictionary, thesaurus to find meanings of words while reading and writing.
 To use appropriate grammatical forms in communication (clauses, etc.)
 To participate in debates and speeches organized by school and other organizations.
 Summary

Dr. Karan Singh says that India got freedom after centuries of slavery. It took great struggle and
sacrifice. This freedom should not be taken for granted by the post-independence generation
particularly the youth of India. The maintenance of this freedom is now a very important task.
The youth can play an important role in maintaining it. Our youth must have idealism and
energy to safeguard our country which is founded on the ideals of secularism and democracy.
Our youth who are studying in schools colleges and universities are full of vigour and vitality.
If this energy is properly canalized, it can be very useful for our country. These are the people
who will be required to provide leadership in all walks of life. They must develop the ability to
be useful to the country.

The writer demands that this generation must be physically strong to protect the country from
aggressors. In order to defend our country, we need physically fit youth who must be
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disciplined and have the spirit of cooperation. For this there are National Cadet Corps, physical
fitness centres and other similar organizations. Our youth must fully avail these opportunities.

We are living in an age of science and technology so our youth must be intellectually alert. Our
youth studying in schools colleges and universities must attain academic ability to highest
order. Only the privileged few get this opportunity to study in colleges and universities. Some
poor people cannot even dream of getting higher education. Those who are privileged must try
to repay their debt by not wasting a single moment of their academic life in futile pursuits.
Students should not take part in party politics.

Our youth must be intellectually superior, alert and efficient to be able to cope with the rapid
changes taking place in the modern age. Our youth must be patriotic and they must rise above
narrow nationalism. They should concentrate on national unity and economic growth. This will
help our nation in getting rid of corruption nepotism and casteism. Then they will be able to
serve the nation in a better way. The writer quotes from a speech of Shri Aurobindo Ghosh to
the students of Bengal National College, where he tells the youth to think what they can do for
the country and not what country can do for them.

The writer wants the youth to be spiritually strong as well. Spiritual fervour leads to
fearlessness and dynamism. This will enable them to overcome all difficulties and obstacles.
The youth must take part in the great adventure of nation building.

The writer says that physical intellectual and spiritual dimensions can help our young men and
women to be of effective service to the nation. Our youth must have keen sense of participation
in the great adventure of nation building.

 Theme

The basic theme that works in the background is India‘s freedom and how it is not to be taken
for granted and should rather be appreciated and maintained for all the blood-soaked struggle
that brought this freedom and comfort, which should be acknowledged and respected. The
author speaks out how it is for the generation to come after independence to respect freedom
and independence and to carry the spirit ahead.

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Karan Singh states that the immense strength of the youth should be properly canalized. The
youth should safeguard the nation which has the two ideals of secularism and democracy. They
should have a commitment to safeguard the nation. Mere desire to serve the nation is not
sufficient. It should be accompanied by the ability to do so effectively. In order to serve the
society effectively, it is important for the youth to develop their physical, intellectual, patriotic
and spiritual dimensions. Karan Singh states that it is a continuing process. The youth should
give their whole-hearted participation in nation building. They can serve the nation by
transcending political, communal, regional and linguistic diversities. Thus Karan Singh appeals
the youth to undertake the noble tasks of defending and developing a free India.

The chapter sees the youth as the mainstream power in the coming times and truly the group
that can and should work for the strengthening and development of the nation. The theme is
complimented with the idea of supporting and fuelling the youth with all the pre-requisites to
evolve, grow, keep, retain and apply the potential power that is seen in them for the coming
future.

 Assessment
1. What is the role and responsibility of post-independence generation to safeguard our
nation?
2. What according to the writer is crucial to the success of democracy?
3. Do you agree with the writer that all human beings are inherently divine? Discuss.
4. Write a speech on ‗The younger generation today faces challenges graver than any with
which their forefathers were confronted‘.
 Further reading/e-resources
 An Examined Life: Essays and Reflections by Dr. Karan Singh
 https://youtu.be/nwmJXNjTk_w

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CHAPTER 6

The Listeners (Walter De La Mare)

 Introduction

‗The Listeners‘ uses language to bring alive the eerie surroundings and the creepy inside of a
haunted house in a forest. As a traveller‘s knocking at the door goes unanswered, he leaves
perplexed not knowing that he has left behind a horde of unmoved resident ghosts in the house.

 Learning outcomes
‘Listeners’ in the poem’s title
 To recite the poem with correct intonation.
underlines the mysterious
 To appreciate the use of visual and sound imagery in
inability of the phantoms to
poetry.
not be able to communicate
 To appreciate the use and value of ambiguity.
with the human world.
 Summary and explanations

A traveller comes to a house in a forest to keep an unknown promise. As he knocks on the

moonlit door nothing stirs except a bird in the turret. The traveller repeats the knocking and
tries calling while his horse chomps the grass. The ghosts residing in the house are from another
world and cannot answer the call of someone alive. Finally, he leaves in fright and stillness
returns to envelop the house.

 He smote upon the door: The traveller struck or knocked on the door.
 Leaf-fringed sill: A sill that has a border of leaves.
 Quiet of the moonlight: Stillness in the moonlit house.
 Their stillness answering his cry: As the traveller‘s call is not answered he feels the
silence more acutely.
 The sound of iron on stone: The sound the horse‘s hoofs make against the graveled
path.
 The silence surged softly: After the traveller‘s departure silence gradually returns to and
envelops the house.

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 Theme

The characters in the poem are the lonely traveller and the spirits. The traveller tries to access
the supernatural world by his repeated calling and knocking but he fails. Taking the traveller to
represent humanity and the house to represent the supernatural, it follows that humans cannot
know much about the unseen in this world. This gives rise to loneliness and dread which are
evident themes of the poem. Besides, mystery pervades the poem because the traveller only
senses the presence of the supernatural dwellers but does not get to see them.

 Point of view

The poet describes the events in the poem as a third person. He lets the reader see and hear the
action unfold sometimes from the point of view of the traveller and sometimes from that of the
spirits.

 Tone

The tone of the poem is ominous. Words like ‗lone‘, ‗empty‘, ‗still‘ and shadowy set the eerie
tone of the poem and the graphic description of the inside of the house enhances it through to
the traveller‘s departure and the return of the creepy silence to the house.

 Devices/techniques
 Alliteration: ‗forest‘s ferny floor‘, ‗Louder and lifted his head‘, ‗silence surged softly
backward‘.
 Onomatopoeia: ‗chomped‘.
 Visual imagery: ‗thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair‘, ‗the starred and leafy
sky‘, ‗plunging hoofs‘, ‗leaf-fringed sill‘.
 Sound imagery: ‗Knocking on the moonlit door‘, ‗air stirred and shaken/By the lonely
Traveller‘s call‘, ‗sound of iron on stone‘.
 Ambiguity: The traveller‘s knocking on the door shows that he has a purpose in coming
to the lonely house. When the traveller decides to leave, he calls out, ‗Tell them I came,
and no one answered, That I kept my word.‘ The traveller‘s purpose is not stated. It is not
clear who he wants to know that he came and who he addresses in the call. His call may
even be a cry out of fright.
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 Assessment
1. What does the traveller‘s mode of transport suggest about the poem?
2. What could the traveller‘s possible message to the listeners be?
3. Comment on the concluding lines of the poem.
 Further reading/e-resources
 ‗The Raven‘ by Edgar Alan Poe
 https://youtu.be/X35HAvwGFoU
 https://youtu.be/Q9c7rJLTI3c

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CHAPTER 7

Appa-Mam (Padma Hejmadi)

 Introduction

‗Appa-mam‘ is closely interwoven short story and has lots of characters with interconnections.
Appa-mam was the uncle of the writer to whom she was much attached and shared a good bond
with. The writer met him at her grandparent‘s house and was intrigued by his unusual character.

 Learning Outcomes
 To write about the theme, message and characters in the story.
 To use new words and phrases from the story in daily life.
 To communicate with each other and discuss the pseudo characters, faith healers and
dervishes found in our society.
 To listen, speak, read and write in different situations out of the classroom.
 Summary

The word ‗mam‘ has been taken from Tamil which means uncle. This is a humorous story that
deals with a man who claims to be a sanyasi although he enjoys his living. Later he turns out to
be a cheat. Appa-mam is an uncle to the younger members and the elders call him Appa. Apart
from his epithet, he is labelled as shameless rascal and old burnt face. However, he takes these
epithets as titles or decorations.

The narrator met Appa-mam for the first time at her grandparents‘ home. He was seated in the
grandfather‘s chair wearing his dhoti and smoking his bidi and was busy reading a newspaper.
His head was clean-shaven and forehead coated with ashes. He made tall claims about having
renounced his desire for worldly possessions, about his ascetic life and long stints of meditation
and his belief in having no possessions. His nephews teased him for his faked sanyasi-hood like
pretending to adjust his halo. He took all the insinuations like a good sport and enjoyed the
jokes cracked on him as much as those who cracked the jokes enjoyed them.

One of his nightmares had become the part of family legend. Once he returned after three years
at night. The boys were away at college and the writer‘s grandparents had gone to bed early.
Suddenly a dark figure appeared at the gate calling ―Premavati Premavati‖. Actually, he had
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returned and brought back 25 rupees he had taken from the grandfather‘s desk which made the
uncles decide that this virtuous act had brought on the nightmare. Later grandfather woke up at
midnight finding Appa-mam shouting some nonsense and dancing like a dervish around his
bed. Grandfather stopped him and felt astonished to see that he had been sleeping all the time.

One day to the utter surprise of Grandfather, Appa-mam‘s disciples paid a visit as they wanted a
darshan and blessings for he had been practicing meditation for years near a north Indian
village. Everybody made a critical remark that hardly mattered to Appa-mam. He gave a damn
to everything, finished his breakfast, sat cross-legged under the neem tree and attended to his
devotees one by one. This surprised the whole family who had never thought that Appa-mam
could give blessings to others proving himself to be a real sanyasi.

Two days later the earrings of the writer‘s aunt were missing as was Appa-mam. Appa-mam‘s
disappearance again jolted the writer‘s opinion of him.

 Theme

This is a perfect example of pseudo faith healers who are quite commonly seen active in our
society. It is really difficult to differentiate between a good and pious man and a false dervish as
the story takes many turns to bring home the truth. The unusual events attached to Appa-mam
keep the tongues wagging and force the reader to postpone his decision about the actions of
Appa-mam. One witnesses the double standards in Appa-mam's character evidently. On one
side he enjoys his life and makes use of all such things that give comfort and ease, on the other
side Appa-mam amazingly prefers to go to the mountains and go through a life of difficulty and
steadfastness. It is amazing to experience that Appa-mam is not even believed by his family. He
shows some good traits by offering alms to the poor and the needy but steals things and enjoys
doing so. The author has some good opinion of Appa-mam throughout the story but when he
disappears with the earrings of the writer‘s aunt, it seriously jolts the writer‘s opinion.

 Title of the Story

‗Appa-mam‘ highlights one of the most common concerns in our social life. The pseudo faith
healers are found almost in every locality and people get deprived of their valuables in the

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hands of these false dervishes. The title ‗Appa-mam‘ is glorified all through the story to present
a lesson to the students to get educated about the false practices in our society.

 Character sketch of Appa-mam

Appa-mam as the main character in this story is a very recognizable figure because of his
unusual appearance and extraordinary traits. He is portrayed as a lethargic, prodigal, lazy and
above all a conman who is filled with confidence to be fit in any children's group.

Appa-mam is presented as one of the fewest people who don't mind if they are called with
nicknames. He is nicknamed as "shameless rascal‖, ―old burnt face‖. Every member of the
family (including the younger ones) address him like that but it has no adverse effect on him.
The writer has sympathies with Appa-mam but she fails to reach any conclusion as he is always
unpredictable.

Appa-mam plays with children, he solves there algebra sums but more than half of them are
wrong. Appa-mam is a sanyasi but no one in the family treats him like one. Appa-mam still
enjoys his controversial designation.

Appa-mam is presented as a kind-hearted man and gives away all his belongings to the needy
he comes across. He is cheerful as ever and has a creative mind having a different story for each
person depending on what he thinks of their individual taste and appreciation. Appa-mam
enjoys smoking. He tells unbelievable stories. He sits in the sun and sleeps in the shade. He
plays cricket with the writer‘s cousins and helps them with their homework. He is rather lazy.
The writer humorously says that Appa-mam enjoys life more than anyone else.

Nobody in the home trusts him and all the family feels surprised to see Appa-mam giving
blessings to his disciples. This incident brings back some trust and confidence of the family but
after two days he disappears along with the earrings of the writer‘s aunt and leaves the family in
deep confusion and mistrust.

Thus Appa-mam ends up as a pseudo faith healer who allures people by his extraordinary traits
cheating his family most of the times and vacillating from a good man to a bad person.

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 Assessment

1. What is your opinion about this unusual character?

2. How will you react to a person like Appa-mam in your society?

3. Scan the message /theme present in the story.

 Further reading/e-resourcess:
 Birthday Deathday and Other Stories by Padma Hejmadi
 Dr. Salaam and Other Stories of India by Padma Hejmadi
 https://youtu.be/TLv8fdiEWiQ

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CHAPTER 8

The Many and the None (Bansuri Taneja & Ashish Kothari)

 Introduction

This essay is of great relevance to the modern developed world. It deals with the challenges we
have to overcome to secure and stabilize the biological diversity on our planet. We must
struggle to strike a balance between economic development and conservation of biodiverse life
in order to ensure a happy living on this planet.

 Learning outcomes
 To comprehend the lesson and get acquainted with biodiversity.
 To have group discussion about bio-piracy and its effects.
 To respond in writing to the biodiversity of species in our country.
 To ask and respond to questions based on text from books or other resources.
 Summary

In ‗The Many and the None‘ the writers talk about biodiversity and its disappearance at a fast
rate. Human beings, being superior in the food chain, are responsible for the extinction of many
species because of their greed. In order to sustain an ecological balance in the world, species are
a necessary part of the food chain. Variety is the spice of life and life without variety becomes
dull and boring. Variety of things around us makes life interesting. Variety adds to excitement
and interest in our life. Each day of the week is different. So we enjoy the days of the week.
This is also true of the dishes we eat. If all days of the week were alike and we were to eat the
same dish every day, we would find life quite dull and boring.

The variety and variability of life on this planet earth is called biodiversity. It can be seen in
about a thousand varieties of mangoes in India. It is present in the fourteen different kinds of
wood that we see inlayed in a wall painting. Biological diversity is present in the exciting
colours of Holi and Indian clothes and the beautiful and attractive animals like tiger, rhino and
the elephant. Finally, it also includes the ecosystem both natural and human influenced, forests,
lakes, rivers, coasts, seas, grasslands, agricultural fields, pastures, deserts and snow bound
peaks, etc.
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Then comes the genetic variety which is the basic building blocks of all life and is also the base
of continues evolution. We humans are a product of the same process of evolution. It is because
of genetic diversity that species decrease and they ultimately become extinct. In fact it is such
loss of resilience which makes some vegetables lose their characteristic taste. No doubt the
yield is maximized but at the cost of genetic diversity. We all depend on the genetic diversity of
species and their loss is a direct attack on our survival diversity of species, of animals, of plants
and micro-organisms is valuable to all of us. But sometimes we feel proud of our technological
superiority and start thinking that we are apart from nature. It is diversity in genes which also
provides the basis for continued survival against changing environment. When the number of
species of an animal or plant decreases these species lose their strength and ability to come back
to their previous condition.

The writers have given us a very good illustration to explain to us the alarming reality about
biodiversity of life on earth. When a ship loses one nut, the loss seems very minor. But if the
ship goes losing nut after nu, the loss becomes alarming. The sinking of the ship then seems a
foregone conclusion. In the same way, if we go on losing species and genes that sustain the
earth, our survival will be impossible. Global changes in climate, hydrological patterns and
other ecological functions on which we all survive continue to assume threatening proportions.
These warnings are not to be taken non-seriously. It will be dangerous to forget that biological
diversity is closely linked to our lives and the loss of biodiversity will affect the coming
generation. We should not be selfish to think that the earth is meant to serve our needs as we are
capable of thinking and feeling, we must realize that loss of biodiversity will have its negative
impact on the rest of the living world as well. Biodiversity concerns all of us but it is very
directly related to the everyday lives of India‘s ecosystem people. Hundreds of small farmers,
fisher folk, herders and hunter gatherers depend on the diversity of species, genetic varieties and
ecosystem services for their livelihood and cultural lives. Any loss of it is a direct attack on
their survival. Diversity of species of animals and plants and micro-organisms is valuable to
rural communities. Jagat Singh Chaurdhary of the Kumon Himalayas has rightly laid due stress
on the diversity of species as of the greatest importance to the ecosystem people in the country.

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It has to be realized that biological diverse farming systems are the future of our agriculture.
Talking too much about high tech biotechnology is not enough. Agricultural scientists must
know this in the future interest of India‘s agriculture. The widespread bio-piracy is a danger. So
it has to be stopped. Individual interests must be subordinated to the corporate interests for the
wellbeing of the humanity.

It is undoubtedly true that India has benefitted from commercialization and globalization. This
fact must not lead us to ignore the bad effects of globalization and commercialization. The
interests of the majority of the Indians must not be ignored. We shall have to strike a balance
between economic development and observation of bio diverse life. If this is not done our
survival will be at stake. Seattle, the Native American Chief, has rightly said that when all the
eagles and the fish have gone and the waters killed by pollution, only then people will realise
that money cannot be eaten.

 Theme

The essay is based on the theme that no doubt we have benefitted from commercialization and
globalization, but we must be concerned about their adverse effect. Biodiversity concerns all of
us. It is directly related to India‘s ecosystem people. People in cities have benefitted from
commercialization and globalization. But people in the countryside can survive only if
biodiversity is preserved. A balance between economic development and conservation of bio
diverse life has to be devised at all costs. Otherwise our survival will not be possible. Loss of
biodiversity is linked to the survival of people.

 Assessment
1. What is biodiversity? How can we maintain biodiversity?
2. What is bio-piracy how can it affect our country?
 Further reading/e-resources
 A Textbook of Biodiversity by K V Krishnamurthy
 https://youtu.be/b6Ua_zWDH6U
 https://youtu.be/gk_vrthjzu4

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CHAPTER 9

Where the Mind Is Without Fear (Rabindranath Tagore)

 Introduction

The poem is a prayer for what Tagore wishes and envisages for his country. For a country in the
clutches of slavery and superstition (the poem was written in the pre-independence era) he
invokes God to bring about a new dawn of freedom,
In 1913 Rabindranath Tagore
dignity and knowledge.
became the first non-European to
 Learning outcomes
win the Nobel Prize in literature for
 To recite the poem with correct intonation.
Gitanjali, his collection of poems.
 To appreciate the poet‘s vision of an ideal society
He wrote the poems in Bengali and
free of prejudices.
then himself translated them into
 To appreciate the importance of reason and clarity
English.
of mind for national integration and progress.
 To understand the value of prayer in times of great distress.

 Summary and explanations

The poem is an extended prayer in which the poet enlists the challenges his country is facing
and invokes God‘s grace to remove the blights and troubles of his country. The poet‘s utopian
prayer begins by envisioning a society where people do not have to live in fear and where
knowledge is free. Next he seeks a united society where people work hard to attain perfection
not wealth, name or fame. The poet asks God to free the minds of his countrymen so that they
can break free of their superstitions, blind faith and conservative beliefs and experience a fresh
dawn of reason.

 the head is held high: People live with dignity and self-respect.
 the depth of truth: Pure truth.
 the clear stream of reason: Clarity of mind based on the use of reason, not contaminated
by superstition and blind faith.

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 ever-widening thought: Progressivism or a state where the human mind‘s capability to

advance is not curtailed.
 Theme

The poem was written when India was ruled by the British. The poet‘s wish for respect and
dignity underlines the subjugation of Indians by British rule. The poet‘s prayer for freedom
from ‗the dreary desert sand of habit‘ and release into ‗ever-widening thought and action‘
demonstrates that education can be a liberating and enlightening force for the masses. The
conclusion of the poem also reveals that belief in God‘s help is the power that can bring about
the impossible and sustain hope of the subjugated and the downtrodden in times of misery and
helplessness.

The poet‘s prayer is essentially secular, democratic and inclusive as he dreams for a world that
is not divided on the basis of religion, caste, class, etc. The use of the expression ‗my Father‘
indicates that the poet does not invoke a denominational God.

 Point of view

The point of view in the poem is that the shackles of the oppression, superstition and
backwardness can be broken by education and God‘s grace.

 Tone

The tone of the poem is optimistic because it displays hope in amelioration though education
and belief in God‘s grace.

 Devices/techniques
 Anaphora: The poem‘s successive lines begin with the word ‗Where‘.
 Alliteration: ‗the head is held high‘, ‗tireless striving stretches‘, ‗dreary desert sand of
dead habit‘, ‗freedom my Father‘.
 Personification: ‗tireless striving stretches its arms‘, ‗stream of reason has not lost its
way‘, ‗my country awake‘.

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 Symbolism: In the line ‗Where words come from the depth of truth‘ the poet refers to a
state where people speak the pure truth and shun falsehood. Depth of truth also
symbolizes the virtue of realizing the deeper meaning of things.
 The ‗narrow domestic walls‘ superficially means the division of land into plots, estates
and households. It also symbolizes India‘s internal struggles of class, creed, religion, etc.
 Assessment
 What kind of world does Tagore envision?
 What idea of freedom do you get from the poem?
 Further reading/e-resources
 Geetanjali by Rabindranath Tagore
 https://www.youtu.be/H_Kvbe1rwu4

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CHAPTER 10

The Surgeon (Roald Dahl)

 Introduction

Sandy is as a profound surgeon who is not in the business for money. But upon saving a Saudi
Arabian prince, he is offered a diamond worth almost a million dollars. He leaves with his wife
for the weekend and they hide the diamond at a safe place in their house. When they return,
they find their house broken in and the diamond missing. Will it ever be found?

 Learning Outcomes
 To write about the theme, message and characters in the story.
 To use new words and phrases from the story in daily life.
 To communicate with each other and discuss taking care of valuables, jewellery and
costly items in one‘s home.
 To listen, speak, read and write in different situations out of the classroom.
 Summary

Robert Sandy was a modest, hardworking man. He worked as a general surgeon in England. He
was not at all concerned with fame and riches. Sandy enjoyed his work. One night he was the
only surgeon available to work on a young man. The patient had been in a car wreck and had
sustained massive abdominal injuries. Robert Sandy worked for three and a half hours to save
the man's life. By the next day, the patient was showing signs of recovery. He was the prince of
Saudi Arabia and his associates wanted to move him to a hospital with famous surgeons. The
patient said that he wanted to stay with the man who saved his life. Seven weeks later, he met
with the prince who offered Sandy money, but the surgeon refused the money as always. Then,
the prince gifted him a diamond. Sandy, who was quilted into accepting the diamond, came to
know from Harry Gold, a jeweller, that the diamond was worth half a million dollars in the
trade. The excited surgeon got on his bike and drove straight home to tell his wife Betty.

Betty was ecstatic. Soon they remembered that they were supposed to spend the weekend at
their friends' house. They couldn't exactly bring the diamond with them, they would be anxious
all weekend. They decided to freeze the diamond in a piece of ice and leave it in the ice box. So
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after they froze the diamond, they packed up and left for the Renshaws. After a pleasant
weekend, Robert and Betty came back to find their house in ruins. Everything was smashed and
thrown around. The kitchen was the worst of all. Robert and Betty called the police and told
them about the diamond. The police looked, but could not find it.

The next day, two surgeons were operating on a young man who had a piece of something
lodged in his intestine. William Haddock and a nurse looked at the object and realized it was a
diamond. They used glass to test if it really was a diamond. They took it to Harry Gold to get
appraised. Harry realized it was Robert's diamond, and called him. Robert called the police and
reached the jewellery store.

William and the nurse were in handcuffs. They explained to Sandy the story of surgery and the
removing of the diamond from the patient‘s intestine. Sandy asked the police to release them
and asked them to head to the hospital to arrest the recovering thief. The young hooligan John
Diggs had evidently made himself a drink in Sandy‘s house, and he had swallowed the ice cube
in which the diamond was hid.

 Theme/Message

There are various themes of the story. One can read the message of humility, magnanimity,
loyalty and integrity in the character of Robert Sandy. He is a different doctor who presents a
loud and clear message to the world of doctors and other professionals to work with zeal and
loyalty that certainly pays you beyond your expectations. He in a way is a messiah who is
preferred by the royal people over the costly doctors who lack the true ethics and the
professionalism that the job demands. In the current scenario the docs charge too much which is
always beyond the reach of common masses.

On the other hand one should not be careless about one‘s precious and costly things. These
things need to be kept at some safe places where they are not stolen easily. In the story, it is
quite strange to see that Sandys keeping the diamond in a freezing tray in the refrigerator. They
leave the house unattended and see the result after returning.

 Title of the Story

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The title of the story is aptly ‗The Surgeon‖ as the whole actions is structured around Robert
Sandy. It is also very interesting to read that the most precious stone the diamond comes back to
Sandy after a surgery conducted on the thief.

 Literary Elements

In "The Surgeon" one can find many literary elements while enjoying a humorous story. An
example of a literary element used in the story is foreshadowing. Before Mr. and Mrs. Sandy
leave to go out of town for the weekend, they talk about where they should hide the diamond in
case a robbery was to occur. While a robbery is highly unlikely as they say, they still hide it.
Their conversation about a possible robbery foreshadows that a robbery will occur later in the
story, just as it does. Another example is dramatic irony. When the diamond resurfaces the
audience/reader knows where it is, however everyone in the story does not know, leaving it a
mystery to them.

 Character of Robert Sandy

Robert sandy is the main character of the story. He is a soft-spoken man with great humility and
empathy. Sandy is a highly skilled and committed surgeon. He is a simple man and loves to ride
a bicycle to attend his duty. He has devoted his life to operate and heal his patients with utmost
patience. Sandy is humorous and a sober person with no inclination towards becoming famous
and rich. He is a perfectionist, and gives only the best possible care to his patients. He does not
believe in receiving bribes, extra money or gifts from his patients. He feels happy to receive
simple things like a bottle of beer from his patients as a gift.
He gets excited and feels delighted to receive a gift from the prince whom he had operated and
cured recently. He eagerly wants to show the diamond to an expert goldsmith and then to his
wife whom he loves very much. In a fit of humour he tries to avoid telling the cost and forces
his wife to think it out and takes time to tell her the real worth of the diamond. His work ethics
makes him a successful and most dedicated surgeon as the royal people avoid costly hospitals
and love to be operated by him. He is an admirable person who never wants to see people in
trouble as he quickly asks the inspector to release the doctor and the nurse and arrest the real
thief.

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In spite of all odds Sandy‘s good work pays in the end. The diamond comes back to him
because he really deserves it for his invaluable service, professionalism, modesty and honesty.

 Assessment
 Write your opinion about the profession of a doctor/surgeon after reading about Sandy.
 What do you think of Sandy as a human being?
 In what way do you think Sandy‘s life will change after possessing the precious
diamond?
 Further reading/e-resources
 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
 https://youtu.be/ej5y6olUlak

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CHAPTER 11

National Prejudices (Oliver Goldsmith)

 Introduction

In this essay Goldsmith talks about prejudices which people have about other people of other
countries. They consider their nation good in every respect and think that other nations are not
as great as theirs. People no longer consider themselves general inhabitants of the globe, or
members of that grand society which comprehends the whole humankind.

 Learning Outcomes
 To read the text silently and comprehend the difficult words by using the context.
 To speak about prejudice and its effects on people.
 To write a paragraph on international brotherhood.

 Summary

The essay is about the narrator‘s encounter with some elderly people and a conversation about
nationalism. He starts off by stating that he was drinking at a bar and was drawn into a
conversation held by a group of elderly men about political affairs when one of the men stated
that the English were better than the Dutch, the Germans, the French, and the Spaniards. He
praised the English for their bravery, generosity, mercy and other virtues .When asked for an
opinion, the narrator decided not to talk as he was sure to contradict that statement while the
rest of the group agreed with the man. When directly asked, the narrator had to speak his
thoughts reluctantly .He could not make such a broad statement about the characteristics of the
other European nations unless he has made the tour of Europe and examined the manners of
these several nations with great care and accuracy.

The narrator goes on to say that perhaps a more impartial judge would not hesitate to affirm that
the Dutch were more frugal and industrious, the French more temperate and polite, the Germans
more hardy and patient of labour and the Spaniards more sober and composed than the English
who undoubtedly were brave and generous, but at the same time rash, headstrong, and
impetuous and too apt to elated with prosperity, and to despond in adversity. He quotes a
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philosopher who says that we should not be ―countrymen‖ but we should be ―citizens of the
world‖ meaning we should view ourselves as inhabitants of the world and not of a certain part
of it.

If these prejudices prevail among the meanest and lowest of the people, they might be excused
because they get few opportunities of correcting them by reading, travelling, or conversing with
foreigners. But the misfortune is that they infect the minds, and influence the conduct, even of
our gentlemen. The mark of a gentleman is that he should be free from national and other
prejudices. There are some who are most apt to boast of national merit. It is just like a vine
which twists around a sturdy oak, for no other reason in the world because it has not strength
sufficient to support itself.

The essay concludes with saying that, it is okay to be proud of one‘s own land and country but
that should not stop us from thinking outside the box. Narrowing our minds won‘t make
anything useful. Instead, try to be a citizen of the whole world without the need to hate others.

 Theme/Message

In this essay first published in the British Magazine in August 1760, Goldsmith argues that it is
possible to love one‘s own country ―without hating the natives of other countries.‖ It is good
that people have good opinions about their own countries, but at the same time they should not
think in negative terms about the people of other countries. We should not pass judgments about
others without meeting these people .We can understand others only when we live with them.
We come to know through the author that there is no doubt that The English who are brave
and generous ,are at the same time rash ,headstrong, and impetuous ;too elated with prosperity
and to despond in adversity On the other hand, the Dutch are more frugal and industrious, the
French more temperate and polite ,the Germans more hardy and patient of labour and fatigue,
and the Spaniards more sober and composed than the English. People should not think at the
national level, but should think at the global level. They should consider themselves citizens of
the world.

 Assessment

1. What message does the writer want to convey?

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2. Write a paragraph on the role of youth in nation-building.

3. What are the evil effects of national prejudices?

4. Express your views on how to be tolerant to others?

 Further reading/e-resources
 Essays by Oliver Goldsmith
 https://youtu.be/HZ3z4m88CC0
 https://youtu.be/RkJBdQdMA9c

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CHAPTER 12

The Season of the Plains (Shahid Ali)

 Introduction

‗The Season of the Plains‘ brings alive the pangs of separation experienced by people who are
living away from their homeland. Absence of a particular season in exile acts as a trigger for
longing and nostalgia. Shahid Ali lived most of his adult life outside his homeland, Kashmir
and passed away in the USA. This brings an intensely personal feeling into the poem.

 Learning outcomes
 To recite the poem with correct intonation and Shahid Ali wrote his first poem
feeling. when he was twelve. The
 To appreciate the feelings of people living away from University of Utah Press
their homeland or in exile. awards the Agha Shahid Ali
 To respond to difference in feelings towards events Prize annually in his memory.
on the basis of age group.
 Summary and explanations

The poet‘s mother, having actually been born in Lucknow and married in Kashmir, misses her
past life in her hometown. She especially misses the monsoon season which does not occur in
Kashmir. She keeps listening to the Banaras thumri-singers who sing of longing and separation.
The monsoon is a season of relief and enjoyment for children who drench themselves in the rain
after the scorching summer heat. But for lovers, who have to hide their love from the
conservative and censuring society, the rain intensifies their feeling of separation. The poet
becomes curious whether his mother longed for somebody, especially during the monsoon, in
her hometown. His mother says nothing to this except humming a lover‘s lament.

 soaking their utter summer: Children drench themselves in the rain because it brings
relief from summer‘s scorching heat.
 their love forbidden: The lovers are not allowed to disclose their love because they live
in a conservative society which forbids such relationships.

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 soft necks of ash: The shape of the burned out incense stick with the soft ash hanging
around on a curved slender thread of burnt wood.
 Theme
The theme of separation has been dealt with in the poem at two levels: separation from
homeland and separation in love. Separation from homeland is an intensely painful experience.
The poet‘s mother finds the beautiful seasons of Kashmir painfully wanting because unlike
Lucknow no monsoon occurs here. She keeps listening to Siddheshwari and Rasoolan who sing
thumris of longing when the rains come. The poem is also about separation in love. As the
lovers await each other‘s message fearing their love may be discovered by society, the rains
bring sharp feelings of separation and longing. The anxious nightly watch of the lovers has been
captured in the image of the incense stick burning away overnight and leaving behind but a soft
neck of cold ash.

 Point of view
The poem is written from the point of view of an exile. It vehemently advocates that separation
from homeland and separation in love are both deeply felt and cause agony that cannot be
expressed.

 Tone
The tone is nostalgic and melancholic as the poem deals with separation and longing. The tone
is reinforced by the imagery of the incense stick.

 Devices/techniques
 Allusion: ‗Siddheshwari and Rasoolan‘, ‗the invisible blue god‘, ‗Heer and Ranjha‘.
 Visual imagery: ‗blue god‘, ‗soft necks of ash‘.
 Assessment
1. Why do children and lovers respond differently to the monsoon rain?
2. The image of the burned out incense stick is the most beautiful component of the poem.
Discuss.
 Further reading/e-resources
 The Country without a Post Office by Shahid Ali
 https://youtu.be/6lu3pkJQJOw
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CHAPTER 13

The Price of Flowers (Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay)

 Introduction

‗The price of Flowers‘ is an emotionally touching story about a young but poor British teen age
girl, Maggie, who sacrifices her hard-earned shilling for offering a floral tribute to her dead
brother, Frank. Her sacrifice and the contentment derived out of it are invaluable and priceless.

 Learning Outcomes

 To write about the theme or message and characters in the story.

 To practice the vocabulary items in daily usage.
 To develop a notion and taste about the short stories.
 To generate feelings of compassion and fellow feeling towards the poor.
 To effectively acquire the communication skills through LSRW.

 Summary

The story is about a young teenage British girl, Maggie, her widowed mother, Mrs. Clifford and
her soldier Brother, Frank.
Frank was posted as a soldier in the British Army on the frontier in India. Maggie and her
mother were too much worried and apprehensive about Frank as they had no information about
him for the past many months. Mrs. Clifford wanted to meet some Indian who could remove her
misconception about India and apprehensions about the safety of her son. Fortunately, Maggie
met an Indian, Mr. Gupta in a London Restaurant. She pleaded to him and he agreed to
accompany her poor household in Lambeth.
After a detailed discussion with Mr. Gupta, Mrs. Clifford was greatly relieved. However, she
took him for a yogi and wanted him to concentrate on the crystal of the ring sent by Frank as a
gift from India. The ring was supposed to have magical powers and could be used to predict
about any person while focusing on it. Mr. Gupta did not believe in these superstitions but at the
insistence of Maggie was compelled to have a look at the ring, though he failed miserably.
About three months later Mrs. Clifford‘s health condition worsened seriously. Maggie wrote a
letter to Mr. Gupta and wanted him to provide a helping hand. When Mr. Gupta arrived, Maggie
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requested him to concentrate on the ring again and hinted to him to lie about Frank‘s safety, for
the sake of her mother. Mr. Gupta did exactly the same and Mrs. Clifford recovered instantly.
However, Frank had already been killed at that time on the frontier in India.
When it was time for Mr. Gupta to return to India, he did not have the courage to go to
Maggie‘s home for offering condolences and to inform them about his departure, for he felt
ashamed of what he had told them about Frank. So he informed them through a letter. A day
before his departure, Maggie visited him to say goodbye and at the same time handed him a
shilling for offering flowers on the grave of her brother. At first Mr. Gupta felt reluctant to take
the money but then he realized that he should not deprive Maggie of the satisfaction of that
sacrifice, which was so invaluable and priceless.
 Theme/Message
The story has a powerful theme that we should feel empathy for the poor and downtrodden,
especially when they feel pride in working hard with dignity. Besides, we should honour the
feelings and emotions of our fellow human beings. Even the smallest gesture shown and
expressed in a sincere way carries a lot of importance and no wealth in the world can be
compared to it.
 Characterization
Maggie, Mrs. Clifford and Mr. Gupta are important characters in the story. Maggie is a young,
teenage British girl whose perception of beauty, decency, refinement and truthfulness coupled
with her innocence and sincerity, are overwhelming and praiseworthy. Her sense of decency
and self-dignity beat Mr. Gupta when she accompanies him to her home in Lambeth. She is
sensitive to her situation and responsibilities and singlehandedly takes care of her mother by
working hard and over time. She is a loving sister who is much concerned about her brother and
at the end sets an example through her willingness to sacrifice her hard-earned money for the
sake of her brother.
Mrs. Clifford is also a loving and self-sacrificing woman. Though she is a widow, she takes
care of her family with a courageous heart. She is always concerned about the safety of her
children.

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Mr. Gupta is a learned and educated Indian gentleman. He is sincere and compassionate. He
goes an extra mile to help Maggie and her mother in distress.
 Title of the story
The title of the story is appropriate as it highlights the love of a sister for her brother and the
importance of Maggie‘s sacrifice.
 Assessment
1. Do you think Mr. Gupta was right in telling a lie to Mrs. Clifford after being compelled
by Maggie?
2. What is your understanding of the phrase ―the price of flowers‖?
3. Attempt character sketches of Mr. Gupta and Mrs. Clifford.
4. Mr. Gupta was not a yogi (True/False)
 Further reading/e-resources
 ―The Muscular Son-in-Law‖ by P.K Mukhopadhyay
 https://youtu.be/PMwc9w3iT-U

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CHAPTER 14

A Handful of Dates (Tayeb Salih)

 Introduction

―A Handful of Dates‖ is an interesting but thought-provoking short story. The writer attacks the
false religiosity and pretentious piety of the adults like the grandfather in the story. The young
boy considers him a role model. He adores him to the skies and regards any service to him as a
sort of worship. However, on knowing his true self, he dislikes and hates him so much that he
spews out the dates given to him by the grandfather.

 Learning Outcomes

 To write about the theme and characters in the story.

 To practice the vocabulary items in daily usage.
 To develop a notion of and taste about the short stories.
 To appreciate the contrast and contradiction between the words and deeds.

 Summary

The story is about a young boy who adored his grandfather to such an extent that he wanted to
emulate him as a role model. The grandfather too loved him dearly for being intelligent,
hardworking and obedient. He loved to take the boy along whenever he went for an outing. The
grandfather had a charismatic personality with tall stature and sparklingly flowing white beard
and the boy blindly followed him without having any doubt about his intentions. There lived
another person in their neighbourhood. His name was Masood. However, the grandfather
disliked him and described him as an indolent and lazy person.

With the passage of time, the young boy learnt that all the lands his grandfather possessed had
belonged to Masood at one time. The grandfather, taking advantage of Masood‘s weakness for
women and the financial compulsions, made him to sell about two-thirds of the land and even
intended to grab whatever little was left with Masood.

It was during one harvesting season that the young boy got a chance to know his grandfather
through and through. All the dates that were harvested actually belonged to Masood but
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surprisingly the dates were distributed among the grandfather, and some others leaving nothing
at all for Masood. The boy was shocked to see the true colours of his grandfather. He felt
disgusted with his greed and opportunism. The grandfather had out of love given the boy a
handful of dates to taste and eat. However, the sensitive boy developed such hatred for his
grandfather that he ran away from his sight and at a distance spewed up the dates, thereby
expressing complete disregard and disgust for his selfish and mean grandfather.

 Theme/Message
The story highlights the age-old truth that appearances can be deceptive and actions speak
louder than the words. The grandfather from his physical appearance appears to be a deeply
religious and pious soul but in reality proves to be a devil filled with elfish and opportunistic
designs. His greed knows no bounds and he leaves no stone unturned to grab Masood‘s land
without feeling any pity on him. Thus in the words of Shakespeare, ―One may smile and smile
and still be a villain‖.
 Characterization
The story has three important characters, the young boy, the grandfather and the neighbour
Masood. The young boy is loving, intelligent and submissive. He is punctual to the mosque, in
learning the Quran and providing every service to his grandfather. He learns with interest which
endears him to his Grandfather. Even the Sheikh at the mosque makes him recite the holy
verses of the Chapter of the Merciful, whenever there are any special guests.
The young boy is too much fond of his grandfather. He wants to follow him and emulates him
as role model. The boy is very sensitive too. He loves Masood for his humane nature. He takes
his words seriously when he remarks that trees, like humans, express joy and suffering and
while harvesting the dates we shouldn‘t cut the heart of the palm tree. On the other hand, the
grandfather is a devilish character who takes undue advantage of Masood‘s situation. He is
filled with greed, opportunistic tendencies and mean mentality.
Masood too has a true humane nature. However, he is indolent and has a weakness for women.
 Title
The title of the story is really striking. The boy receives a handful of dates from his grandfather.
At face value he takes them as the token of love and affection. But once the reality of his
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grandfather dawns upon him, he is filled with disgust and hatred for him. He spews out the
dates to express his disregard for his grandfather‘s greed and selfishness.
 Assessment
1. How did the boy show his respect for his grandfather?
2. Why did Masood allow himself to get exploited at the hands of the grandfather?
3. Why did the boy‘s feelings about his grandfather change?
4. Attempt character sketches of the grandfather and Masood.
5. Do you think that Masood was himself to blame? Why/Why not?
 Further reading/e-resources
 "The Wedding of Zein" by Tayeb Salih
 https://youtu.be/l7AYb_mA-yo

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CHAPTER 15

The Mosquito (D H Lawrence)

 Introduction

In a direct address to the mosquito, Lawrence enumerates its qualities – likeable and otherwise
– in a hilarious and playful manner while evincing various shades of feeling towards this
seemingly insignificant creature.

 Learning outcomes D H Lawrence worked as a

 To recite the poem with correct intonation. junior clerk at a surgical
 To understand and appreciate the use of sarcasm in appliances factory. After that he
writing. went on to become a certified
 To appreciate the value of every creature, however teacher. He was also a famous
small in size, in nature. novelist.
 Summary and explanations

Addressing a mosquito as a fellow being the poet begins by asking it questions. The questions
are about the poet‘s amazement at the mosquito‘s weak legs, its weightless body and ability to
trick its victim before biting. The poet is astonished at how the mosquito performs intricate
movements in the air to lull its victim before biting him or her. Impressed by the mosquito, the
poet describes its body movements and actions in detail and compares it with Winged Victory, a
legendary ancient Greek statue.

The poet challenges the mosquito to a game of bluff. He expresses his dislike of the mosquito‘s
bad policy i.e. the buzzing sound it makes as if declaring victory. The mosquito draws first
blood but becomes heavy with the blood it has sucked. Soon after, the poet swats it on the wall.
The mosquito‘s limbs stick to the wall with the blot of blood and the poet rejoices in victory.

 Stand upon me weightless, you phantom?: The poet cannot feel the weight of the
mosquito on his skin because it is too light.
 Invisibility and anesthetic power: The mosquito‘s tiny size and the power to mislead by
not remaining at one place.

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 You lurch off sideways into air/Having read my thoughts against you: The mosquito
flies off before the poet can hit it.
 Shakes my sudden blood to hatred of you: The poet feels extreme disdain for the
mosquito‘s cheating tactics.
 enspasmed in oblivion, obscenely ecstasied: The state of drunkenness and stupour the
mosquito experiences after having sucked the poet‘s blood as if it had drunk liquor.
 Theme

The poem revolves round the conflict between mosquito and man i.e. nature and culture. The
disgust of the poet for the mosquito is almost universal in mankind because the tiny insect
causes tremendous nuisance to humans and leaves them in pain and irritation. The disgust,
however, is misplaced as the mosquito bites people for survival, not out of malice. Shredded
shank, phantom, frail corpus, ghoul on wings, dull clot of air, speck, fiend, hateful bugle, bad
policy, obscenely ecstasied, gorging, filthy magic, evil little aura and trespass are expressions
that reveal the poet‘s disgust with the mosquito and also show that he considers it a nonentity.
However, the poet also treats the seemingly insignificant mosquito as an equal by addressing it
as monsieur, calling it Winged Victory and by challenging it to the game of bluff. Expressions
like ‗You turn your head towards your tail, and smile‘ and ‗Eyeing me sideways, and cunningly
conscious that I am aware‘ show as if the mosquito knows its own power and potential. The
mosquito proves itself worthy of the respect because it draws first blood and succeeds in
sucking the poet‘s blood before getting killed.

 Point of view

It is at the end of the poem that the poet‘s point of view becomes clear. Even though the
mosquito is squashed, it is not precisely defeated because it succeeds in sucking the poet‘s
blood which he so sacredly protects. This demonstrates that in the scheme of nature a tiny-sized
organism can achieve victory over a much bigger and more powerful being.

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 Tone

The tone in the poem is mostly sarcastic and comically offensive and the poet keeps addressing
the mosquito in a belittling manner. The sarcastic tone carries underneath the poet‘s admiration
of the mosquito‘s perfect game plan to achieve victory.

 Devices/techniques
 Humour: ‗The Mosquito‘ is a hilarious poem. It begins on a humorous note as the poet
addresses the mosquito as monsieur. The expressions used to describe the mosquito are
humorous because they are exaggerated comparisons e.g. phantom, Winged Victory,
aura, anesthetic power, sorcerer, paean, etc.
 Metaphors: phantom, ghoul, speck, trump, friend, bugle, forbidden liquor, blood-drop.
 Word play: The poet has played on the word trump. The word has been used in two
senses: (i) to mean the buzzing of the mosquito (trumpet of victory) and (ii) as an
advantage held in reserve to be used when needed for getting the better of an opponent
(as trump card). This type of word-playing is called punning.
 Allusion: ‗Winged Victory‘.
 Oxymoron: ‗suspended transport‘.
 Assessment
1. The poem is a tribute to the spirit of the mosquito. Comment.
2. How does the poet feel after being bitten by the mosquito?
3. The poet‘s celebration after killing the mosquito is unfair. Discuss.
Further reading/e-resources
 Birds, Beasts and Flowers by D H Lawrence
 https://youtu.be/VsF4JUFqRAA
 https://youtu.be/7H8vFyZp1WE

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CHAPTER 16

Machines and the Emotions (Bertrand Russell)

 Introduction

In this essay Bertrand Russell describes some of humanity‘s natural instincts, desires and
cultural practices. Then he explains how machines are beneficial or harmful to our general
nature and our nurtured or learned, cultural practices.

 Learning Outcomes
 To read the text silently and understand it using the techniques like scanning and
skimming.
 To write about the theme /message of the essay.
 To talk about Machines v/s emotions.
 Summary

In this essay Bertrand Russell examines how machines have affected human life. The invention
of machines brought the Industrial Revolution which changed the mode of production. Russell
repeats Samuel Butler‘s all-important question – ‗Will machines destroy emotions or emotions
destroy machines?‘

Machines are capable of mass production and increasing income but more purchasing power
does not mean more happiness.

Men have both physical needs and emotions. While physical needs are unsatisfied, they take
first place. But when they are satisfied, emotions unconnected with them become important in
deciding whether a man is to be happy or unhappy. Why do we desire to increase our incomes?
It is man‘s instinct to excel others that forces him to earn money and purchase goods to impress
his neighbours.

One of the most powerful of all our passions is the desire to be admired and respected in
society. Respect is given to rich men. When a man moves to a more costly locality, sends his
children to more expensive schools, or purchases paintings of the old master to have a gallery in
his house, he feels he will be respected by his neighbours.

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All this might be different in different societies .In some circles in Paris, men are admired for
their artistic or literary excellence, in Germany a university man for his learning, in India saints
and in China sages. These examples show that modern desire for wealth is not inherent in
human nature.

If, by law, we all had exactly the same income, we would find some other way of being superior
to our neighbours and most of our present craving for material possessions will cease.
Moreover, since this craving is in the nature of competition, it only brings happiness when we
outdistance our rival to whom it brings co-relative pain.

There is, of course some pleasure derived from the actual enjoyment of goods purchased but his
is a very small part of what makes us desire wealth .Machines deprive us of two things -
spontaneity and variety. Machines are regular. Human emotions are irregular. The rebellion of
our instincts against enslavement to mechanism has increased our impulse to violence and war
as a release from the monotony created by machines.

The greater ferocity of war is attributable to machines which operate in three different ways:(i)
they make it possible to have large armies(ii) facilitate a cheap press which appeals to men‘s
baser passions(iii) They starve the anarchic spontaneous side of human nature to which the
thought of war appeals.

Machines have altered our way of life, but not our instincts. Consequently there is
maladjustment.

Moral self-control, and external prohibition of harmful acts, are not adequate methods of
dealing with our anarchic instincts. The only adequate method is to discover what the needs of
our instinctive nature are, and then to search for the least harmful way of satisfying them .Since
spontaneity is what is most thwarted by machines, the only thing that can be provided is
opportunity; the use made of opportunity must be left to the initiative of the individual.

 Theme/message

Russell makes the argument that people want wealth in order to be able to obtain material goods
but more so to gain respect from other people. In other cultures, he gives examples of how
respect is achieved by some other standard: by birth (aristocracy), art or wisdom, all depending
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on their cultures and historical periods. Therefore, it is not wealth that we naturally believe is
necessary in order to obtain happiness: it is respect born out of competition .This is Russell‘s
logical argument for what we would probably call an obvious ethical argument. Since wealth is
not inherently necessary for happiness, emotions play a vital role in making a man happy. It is
man‘s instinct to excel others that forces him to earn money and purchase goods to impress his
neighbours.

Moral self-control and external prohibition of harmful acts are not adequate methods of dealing
with our anarchic instincts. The only adequate method is to discover what are the needs of our
instinctive nature and then to search for the least harmful ways of satisfying them.

 Assessment
1. Comment on the title of the essay.
2. Discuss the topic machines cannot replace emotions.
3. Write a paragraph on the theme of the essay.
4. Write an article on how to achieve happiness.
 Further reading/e-resources
 Essays by Bertrand Russell
 https://youtu.be/AfMiOZ72osY

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CHAPTER 17

Personal Helicon for Michael Longley (Seamus Heaney)

 Introduction

In a tribute to Michael Longley, his contemporary poet and friend, Seamus Heaney describes
his experiences of growing up as a poet. The powerful poem depicts the stages of his artistic
development.

 Learning outcomes Seamus Heaney spent much of

 To recite the poem with correct intonation. his childhood on his father’s
 To understand the sublimation and maturity in farm where he was very scared
creative writers. of rats.
 To appreciate the rich use of imagery from
nature.
 Summary and explanations

The poet begins by reminiscing about his childhood when he was very attracted to wells. Then
he goes on to describe three wells in particular. The first well is in a brickyard and has a rotted
top. The poet used to like the bucket crash into the well which was so deep that one could not
see his own reflection in it. The second well is shallow and teeming with mulch and long roots
with a white bottom. The third well is scary because out of the ferns and foxgloves a rat slaps
across the poet‘s reflection.

The poem concludes with the poet saying things like watching down wells do not behoove an
adult. Therefore, he has started looking within himself and writing poetry.

 As a child, they could not keep me from wells: The poet was very much attracted to
wells.
 I savoured the rich crash: This refers to the bucket crashing into the deep well which
the poet liked to see and hear.
 With a clean new music in it: This refers to the echo produced by a well.

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 Theme

‗Personal Helicon‘ is a powerful and profound poem. The poet has used the well as a symbol
for the experiences of a poet in the making. The maturing of a poet pervades the whole poem
and the theme is particularly dealt with in stanzas 2 to 4. The first well represents the poet‘s
self-discovery as it is deep but reveals very little. The second well represents the stage where his
power to fathom has increased so that the well is shallow but teeming with life. The third stanza
talks about well that emanates music i.e. the poet is now in the stage of productivity although he
still experiences some fears (represented by the rat).

Having now written about and surveyed life outside, the poet turns within, i.e., he becomes
introspective and reflective. This is the profoundest stage for the poet because it lends him
dignity and he can set the unknown (‗darkness‘) open (‗echoing‘) in poetry. It also indicates that
poets or writers sublimate their feelings and energies in order to produce great and enduring
works of art.

 Point of view

The poem has been written from the personal point of view. The underlying message is once a
person has realized his potential, he or she can work out with perseverance and dedication a
bright future.

 Tone

The poet‘s tone is nostalgic, positive and serious. He does believe that adult life is not as
carefree as childhood, but he also talks about maturity as the fruit of labour and dedication.

 Devices/techniques
 Allusion: The word ‗Helicon‘ in title of the poem, ‗Narcissus‘.
 Alliteration: ‗dark drop‘, ‗dry stone ditch‘, ‗ferns and tall/Foxgloves‘.
 Onomotopoeia: ‗crash‘.
 Synaesthesia: ‗dark drop‘, ‗set the darkness echoing‘.
 Symbolism: The symbol of the well has been accurately developed in the poem. The well
is a common object in nature but the poet has used it to signify the depth of knowledge

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and the secrets of nature, which the poet is meant to open through stages of growth till he
attains maturity in his art. The well is also the poet‘s source of inspiration from childhood
as well as the symbol of quest and curiosity. The poet has been shown to be a serious,
contemplative, mature and wise being.
 Imagery Visual: ‗old pumps with buckets and windlasses‘, ‗ferns and tall/Foxgloves‘,
‗white face‘.
 Auditory: ‗rich crash‘, ‗echoes‘, ‗clean new music‘.
 Olfactory: ‗the smells/of waterweed, fungus and dank moss‘.
 Tactile: ‗the soft mulch‘, ‗to finger slime‘.
 Assessment
 The poem is about growing up. Explain.
 Comment on how the poet has treated wells in the poem.

 Further reading/e-resources
 ‗Blackberry Picking‘ by Seamus Heaney
 ‗Digging‘ by Seamus Heaney
 http://youtu.be/caiggDROAJA

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CHAPTER 18

The New Hangman (Laurence Houseman)

 Introduction

In this play unusual hero, the new hangman, refuses to carry out his share of work at the
execution of a criminal. His revolt is against the inhumanity of taking a man‘s life in cold blood
and the injustice of foisting such a terrible duty on a fellow man. Though shocked and
embarrassed by the unexpected behaviour of the new hangman, everyone in the prison is
secretly relieved.

 Learning Outcomes
 To learn the concept of dialogue and use it in day to day life.
 To talk about the topic whether capital punishment should be abolished or not.
 To write the character sketches of different characters.
 To know about role play.

 Summary

The action of the one-act play takes place in the office of a prison. The Governor of the jail is
told about the arrival of the new hangman. He is also informed that the Deputy Sheriff would be
attending the impending hanging. The Chaplain has also been informed about the hanging
which is taking place after twenty minutes.

The prisoner is a bit restless and is crying. He vomits his breakfast. Then he is given two drinks
which make him feel better. The Governor directs to give him third drink if he wants.

Meanwhile the Chaplain who is drunk comes. He has to be present at the hanging but he feels
disgusted and indecent to be present at a hanging.

The new hangman informs the chaplain not to worry as he is not going to hang the prisoner. He
considers the hanging as the dirtiest job as it is without all honour and respect. By refusing to do
the hanging in the nick of time, he saves the life of a man because no one else is ready to hang
the prisoner. The Governor is forced to report the matter to the Commissioner who informs the

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Governor that he would seek advice from the Home Office. The new hangman, therefore, goes
away.

Outside the prison a large crowd is waiting. When the hangman comes out, they cheer. The
Hangman tells them everything that has happened as a result of his refusal to execute. The
crowd makes a lot of noise and indulges in repeated cheering.

 Theme/message

The theme of this play is that capital punishment should be abolished. The author is strongly
opposed to capital punishment. He considers it to be something like a murder. He believes that
the judgment against a criminal might not be the right one. The hangman says that the last time
he assisted a hangman and they hanged a man who, he believed, was innocent. The others did
not. But if the jury had been made to come and see their verdict carried out, they would have
realized that the truth shows clearer on the drop sometimes than in the witness-box. If it was
part of the law that judges and juries must be in at the death, there would be more acquittals.

By refusing to hang the criminal, he saves a life. He registers a strong protest against capital
punishment. He is the mouthpiece of the author. The writer speaks his inner feelings against
capital punishment through the hangman.

 Character Sketch of the new hangman

The new hangman is youngish, with a thin face, slightly lined. Dressed in black, he is the only
one who is bareheaded. He carries his hat in his hand and presently has laid it on the desk.

He refuses to hang the criminal. The Governor tells him that it is not honourable. He replies that
one cannot have much sense of honour left to become a hangman .He lost all his honour being
an assistant. He applied for the job of a hangman because he thought by doing this he might
save just one man‘s life, and shame a few others from ever taking part again in such a dirty
business as this.

The new hangman is confident. When the Governor asks him what he will do after getting
himself dismissed he tells him that he could go to a music hall in London just to stand up and be
looked at for a week. He would be given at least three hundred pounds. A Sunday paper would

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give him another hundred for an interview. He is hopeful that someone would give him a
cleaner job for a bit less pay.

The hangman is happy that by not hanging the criminal, he has made his conscience clear. He
thinks that he has been a murderer and thinks he is making a public confession. He says that a
hangman is a murderer who murders to order for money in cold blood. A hangman does not get
any respect in society. He has to hide himself under a changed name. Decent men would not
know him and a decent woman would not marry him.

Before becoming a hangman, the new hangman worked as an assistant to another hangman. The
last time he assisted, they hanged a man who, he believed was innocent, but others did not. But
if the jury had been made to come and see their verdict carried out, they would have thought so,
too. The truth shows clearer on the drop sometimes than in the witness-box. The hangman
believes that if it was part of the law that judges and juries must be in at the death, there would
be more acquittals.

The new Hangman is appreciated by people when he comes out. He speaks to the crowd .There
is cheering. In this way the hangman makes himself popular and he wins our hearts too.

 Setting

This one-act play takes place in a prison in United Kingdom. Within the entrance to the prison
is a sort of office, containing a desk, an office-stool, a hanging clock and a telephone. Along
one wall stands a bench. Everything is severely plain, ugly as well-for even plain things in a
prison must not be beautiful. The office leads into a stone corridor, the door to which is now
open. It is early morning and winter; for the clock says seven forty and it is still almost dark. A
gas-jet gives dull illumination to the scene into which the cold morning light gradually enters.

The atmosphere is gloomy because the prisoner is going to be hanged. By reading about this
setting, we get a clear picture of what is happening inside the prison from seven forty to eight
o‘clock in the morning.

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 Title of the play

The title of the play is suggestive and quite apt and appropriate. It conveys the main theme to
the reader. The whole story revolves round the protagonist i.e. the hangman. The writer rightly
calls him the new hangman because the hangman in this play is quite contrary to the other
hangmen. The hangmen hang the criminals in the prisons whenever they are ordered to do so.
The hangman of this play refuses to hang the prisoner because he thinks it is murder in the cold
blood. The Governor insists that he should execute the criminal, but he continues to refuse.
Finally he succeeds in his mission. Whatever the hangman does in the play is quite unusual or
new. That is why the play is titled ‗The New Hangman‘. He can be rightly called a novel
hangman because he thinks and acts in a novel way. The title of the play suits it well. It cannot
have any other title other than this.

 Assessment
 Comment on the title of the play.
 Write a character sketch of the new hangman.
 What is message does the writer want to convey?
 Write a dialogue between two friends discussing whether capital punishment should be
abolished or not.
 Further reading/e-resources
 Little plays of St Francis by Laurence Houseman
 https://youtu.be/q5hWRvEE0bo

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MODEL QUESTION PAPER

SUBJECT: GENERAL ENGLISH
MAXIMUM MARKS: 100 TIME: 3hrs

Section: A (Reading Comprehension) 15 Marks

1. Read the following poetic passage/s carefully and answer the given
questions:
As a child, they could not keep me from wells and old pumps with buckets and
windlasses. I loved the dark drop, the trapped sky, the smells of waterweed,
fingers and dank moss.
a) Explain the meaning of the phrase, “they could not keep me from wells.
b) Why the poet found wells fascinating?
c) What is the poet‟s attitude towards wells in this stanza? Does the
attitude change as an adult?
d) The poem is basically about the poet‟s journey from childhood to
________________.
e) The above lines have been written by ____________.
OR
Where the clear stream of reasons has not lost its way into the dreary desert
sand of dad habit where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening
thought and action.
a) How does the poet contrast reason and „dead habit‟?
b) Why does the poet use the expression „dreary desert sand‟?
c) What does the poet refer to as “thee” in these lines?
d) Give an example of visual imagery from the above verses?
e) The poem is an invocation. (True/false)
(01x05=05 marks)
2. Read the following unseen prose passage/s carefully and answer the given
questions:

(A) Science has always been regarded as a search for truth which sprang from
the noblest attribute of the human spirit. Yet it was the same search for truth
that had brought our civilization to the brink of destruction hence we have
been confronted with the tragic irony that when we have been most successful
in pushing out boundaries of knowledge, we have at the same time endangered
the possibility of human life on this planet. In this situation what should we do
– curb our science or clinging to the pursuit of truth and run the risk of having
our society to run to pieces?
1. Science has always been regarded as the search for truth.
(True/false)
2. What is the antonym of success?
3. Sprang is the past form of _______________.

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4. Science has brought our civilization to the brink of

a) Success
b) Destruction
c) knowledge
d) None of the above
5. Endangered means________________ (01x5 =5 marks)

(B) Politeness is necessary to success in life rough, ride and selfish people are
disliked; kind, polite and unselfish people are always popular. A rude shopkeeper or
businessman is never liked by the customers. They always go to the shop of that
man who greets them with a smile on his face, speaks to them politely, offers them a
chair to sit on, and is nice to them in behaviour.
a) Politeness is a virtue. (True/false)
b) Give the synonym of rude.
c) Find any collocation from the above given passage.
d) Use the word “selfish” in your own sentence.
e) Suggest a suitable title to the passage.
(1x5=5 marks)
Section: B (Writing Skills) 20 Marks

3. Write a paragraph (60-80 words) on any one of the following:

A visit to a historical place

or
An ideal teacher 4 marks

4. Write an essay (100-150 words) on any one of the following:

Value of sports
Sports – integral part of health. Inculcates value of teams man ship, leadership, co-
operation etc Builds up physique, provides national and international platform for
the sportsmen. Live with the spirit of one for all and for one.
OR
Pleasure of reading books
Reading – an activity of leisure. Our best companions guides and moral teachers
increase our knowledge, refine our taste and transparent us into a world of thought
and intellect keep us away from the bad company, make our character and
personality. A priceless treasure
(1x7 = 7 marks)
5. Write a letter to the Principal of your school requesting him/her to arrange an
educational tour for your class. (60 to 80 words)
OR
Write a letter to your friend inviting him to spend Summer Vacation with you
in Kashmir. ( 60 to 80 words)
((1x4 =4 marks)
6. Read the following passage carefully and make notes:
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Warning came too late or not at all last December. The count of dead and
missing numbered 30,000 and millions more have lost homes and livelihoods
in the wake of the earthquake generated tsunami that struck more than a
dozen countries throughout the Indian Ocean. Many of the communities hit,
had virtually no memory of a powerful tsunami or what the warning signs of
an approaching one would be the last ocean wide wave from the issue of
Krakatau off southern Sumatra, occurred in 1883. Lacking that knowledge
and any kind of detection or warning systems in the Indian Ocean coastal
areas were defenseless against the waves. With tectonic plates groaning
against each other by pulling apart in every ocean floor, the risks of large
submarine quakes resulting tsunamis have galvanized scientists and planners
to prepare for the next onslaught.
(01x05 = 05 marks)

Section – C (Grammar) 25 Marks

7. Do as directed:

I. Change the following sentences as directed:

i). He admitted his fault. (Change into complex)
ii). If you spare the rod, you spoil the child (Change into compound)
iii).We eat that we may live. (Change into simple)
iv). Search his pockets and you will find the watch. (Change into complex)
v). I had lost a book, but I found it. (Change into simple)
(1x5 = 5 marks)
II. Use the right tense forms of the verbs, if required, to complete the
sentences.
i). He ___________________ his home work when his friends ______________
(arrive/complete).
ii). The baby ____________________all morning. (cries, is crying)
iii).We __________________our lunch half an hour ago. (finished, have finished, had
finished).
iv). A stitch in time -------------- nine. (save).
v). The news regarding flood alert was ------------ on radio. (broadcast)
(1x5 = 5 marks)
III Fill in the blanks with the correct auxiliaries:
i). You ______________ respect your elders.
ii). _____________________you lend me some money?
iii). He ___________ speak Urdu.
iv). ____________ you done bungee jumping?
v). Whatever is , it __________ right.
(1x5 =5 marks)
IV Join the following sentences using relative pronouns or by changing one of
the sentences into a relative clause:
i).The men are repairing the road. They need water to drink.
ii).What did you do with the money? Your mother lent you money
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Class XI General English

iii). This is my daughter Suma. She is a software engineer.

iv). Some young people live next door. The people are noisy.
v). Mohan‟s wife works for the UN. She is in India for a week.
(1x5 = 5 marks)
V. Correct the following sentences using appropriate conditional clauses:
i). If it rains, I would stay at home.
ii). You will break it if you were not careful.
iii). If you heat iron, it will expand
iv). It would have been better if you had been waited.
v). If I were a bird, I will fly.
(1x5 = 5 marks)

SECTION: D (Literature) 40 Marks

8. Answer the following questions:-

Describe the character of Appa-man

OR

Describe the opening scene of the Star Ducks?

(1x8 =8 Marks)
9. Discuss the theme of supernatural in “The Listeners”?
OR
What kind of freedom does Tagore envisage for his country?
(1x7=07 Marks)
10. Answer any two questions :-

(i) When did Pyotr realise that everyone expected him to marry Nastya?
(ii) Why did the narrator compare the atmosphere of the shop to that of a
church?
(iii) All is contained in that one single advice? Which advice of Sri Aurobindo is
the author referring to?
(iv) Do you think Mr. Gupta was right in accepting the shelling from Maggie?
Why?
(2x5=10 Marks)
11. Attempt any three questions:
a) Give an example of personification form the poem „The Daffodils‟?
b) Give the examples of alliteration from the poem „The Listeners‟?
c) List the imagery used in the poem “Where the Mind is Without Fear”?
d) Identify the metaphors used in the poem “The Mosquito”?
e) Define Onomatopoeia with examples from the “The Listeners”?
(03x03=09 marks)
12. Explain the following with reference to the context:
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way.
They stretched in never ending line

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Class XI General English

Along the margin of a bay

Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
OR
The second dimension is intellectual. We live in a highly competitive age of
science and technology, and can no longer afford mediocrity if we are to forge
ahead.
(01x06 = 06 marks)

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