yt \, Prasaranga » (Gs) BANGALORE UNIVERSITY ; Bengaluru - 560 056 CONFLATIONS-III General English Course Book & Comprehension BSc.,/ BCA., / Other Courses under the Faculty of ScienceCONFLATIONS-III General English Course Book & Comprehension Ill Semester B.Sc.,/BCA (Other Courses under the Faculty af Science) © Prasaranga BANGALORE UNIVERSITY Jnanabharathi, Bengaluru — 560 056Members of the Text Book Committee Dr. L. N. Seshagiri, Associate Professor Govi. First Grade College, Yediyur, Jayanagar, Bengaluru 1. Prof. Muralikrishna L. Associate Professor Department of English, Govt. First Grade College, Vijayanagar, Bengaluru 2. Prof. Amala. C BMS College for Women, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru 3. Dr. Sartaj Khan Al- Ameen Aris, Science and Commerce College Bengaluru 4. Dr. Jayashree C. Kambar KLE S Nijalingappa College, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru 5. Prof. Narasimhan N.G Vijaya Evening College, Bengaluru 6. Dr. Harish M.G GFGC, Channapama 7. Dr. Deepthi. S GFGCW, Ramanagar 8. Prof. Santoshi B.R MLA Academy of Higher Learning, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru 9. Prof. Manjushree M LBS GFGC, Dinnur Main Road, RT Nagar, Bengaluru 10. Prof. Govindappa S. Maharani’s Arts, Commerce & Management College for Women Sheshadri Road, Bengaluru y ij i a 2 Sa eras Preface Conflations-III, the Course Book of General English for Ill Semester B.Sc./BCA, ushers the learners into a pleasant literary world that presents an array of stories, poems and prose pieces written by masters of literature from various parts of the world. The texts envelope relevant issues haunting the present world. They involve pieces on gender, human relationship, caste, class, classic literature and a one- act play too. The texts come with brainstorming, comprehension, suggested reading and language activity. Hore the texts motivate the students and propel them to pinnacle of success. Well-chosen texts also play a vital role in exposing the students to various nuances of the English language. Moreover, a committed learning of these may help varich cultural and literary sensibility in students. So is the cise with grammar and usage and the entailing exercivs which are intended to strengthen the linguistic skills of students and make them confident to use English, the sign icance of which in a student's career can hardly be over emy vasized. The Textb:\ok Committee has spared no efforts in selecting the suitable ‘iterary pieces, giving a brief introduction as a brainstorm, .reparing the required glossary, suggesting further readig and setting exhaustive questions on the selected piec:s. The Committee has left no stone unturnedto introduce useful topics of grammar and comprehension which will, when properly used, enhance the student's linguistic skills. I hope that students will make use of this text through the able guidance of their teachers and equip themselves better for their career challenges. Dr. K. S. Vaishali Editor & Chairperson, Department of English Bangalore University Note to the Teacher 'Conflations-IIl’, the text on hand, is, evidently for IIT Semester B.Sc./BCA. The text comprises 8 literary pieces of different genres, English grammar and usage and extended reading. The text’consists of literary pieces from English Classic Literature and Indian Writing in English. A pattern of the question paper has also been provided at the end as a pointer to paper setters and teachers while focusing on the examination. The teachers and the students can make use of a Model Question Paper too. The literary pieces are from an assortment of poetry, prose and fiction and a one-act play. Every lesson begins with a pre-reading section called brainstorming, followed by a brief introduction to the author of the piece. Glossary has been provided for difficult words and this is not exhaustive. The teacher concerned may have to prepare it according to the needs of the class. The questions given at the end can be considered as 'Short answer’, 'Paragraph' and 'Essay Type’ based on the scope of the question and the length of the expected answer and the pattern of the question paper. The suggested reading is on broad similarity between the themes and may not be very close. However, they do add to the perception and may be handy in explaining the dimensions. Instead of a separate text for grammar, the topics have been integrated into the text itself. The topics have been graded on their complexity and the nature of dealing with them. The note given here, the brainstorming section, the glossaryor suggested reading are all merely indicative by nature and their use depends on the teacher's potential and preparation. This has been an outcome of the collective effort of all the Members of the Committee who have toiled day and night, have spared even their weekends and holidays to bring it out, They deserve our acknowledgement, while thanking all the authorities of the University, BOS and the officials concerned. We are thankful to Dr. S. Harish, Principal, Vijaya Evening College, R.V. Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, and his Staff for their hospitality shown during the meetings of the committee to frame text books for second and third Semesters. We wish to thank Dr. K. S. Vaishali, Chairperson, English Department, Bangalore University for her support and co- operation. We are equally grateful to Prof. Gangadhar of Prasaranga for printing the texts.. Text Book Committee ee eg a Se Publisher’s Note The General English Text Book CONFLATIONS-II for Third Semester Degree B.Sc. / BCA and other courses coming under the Faculty of Science has a diverse collection of stories, poems and essays from the literary giants. They address different themes and core issues of today’s world. Specific texts have been selected to cultivate reading and writing habits among the learners. They also aim at developing critical and creative thinking. These texts provide ample space for the leamer to explore linguistic competence’ and literary sensibilities. They also instil human values. 1 thank the members of the BOS, Chairperson and the members of the Text Book Committee and the Chief Editor who have made commendable efforts in creating such a Text Book. I thank the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor for his guidance and practical support in bringing out this book. University for extending his wholehearted co-operation and support. I am extremely thankful to the Registrar, Bangalore 1 also thank the Staff of Prasaranga and Printing Press for the support in bringing out the book so neatly within the stipulated time. Dr. B. Gangadhar Director, Prasaranga and Printing PressCONTENTS 1. AsaSon, My Daughter - Sampurna Chattarji 2. The Roman Image -R. K. Narayan 3. The Escape: - Naraya «Shyam 4. Tightrope - Kanu Acharya 5, My Daughters - Chinua Achebe 6. Death, Be Not Proud John Donne 7. Mirror of Innocence - Perumal Murugan 8. The Proposal - Anton Chekhov 9. From Bumps to Handwriting - Martin Gardner (Extended Reading) 10. Model Question Paper 24 28 50 69 87 119 145 155ee ee ee ee ee GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION . REMEDIAL GRAMMAR . LISTENING AND NOTE TAKING (Listening) -3. PRESENTATION SKILLS (Speaking) . READING AND NOTE MAKING (Reading) . REPORT WRITING (Writing) 4 . INFORMATION TRANSFER (Writing) 19° 40 58 72 99 1121. AS A SON, MY DAUGHTER - Sampurna Chattarji Brainstorming: e Do parents have different ways of bringing up:sons ané-. daughters?) © What are gender roles? What are the traits associated with a particular gender? e Are girls in the globalised world breaking the gender roles and becoming fiercely independent? Discuss. About the Poet Sampuma Chattarji writes poetry and fiction. She also translates from Bangla. She was awarded the second prize in the All-India — Poetry Competition (2005) organised by the Poetry Society of ) India and The British Council, Her publications include E Abol Tabol: The Nonsense World of Sukumar Ray. Sampurna Chattarji’s poems are contemporary in their setting and tone. In this poem, she wants her daughter to be all that she is/was not. Having brought her up as a son, the poet finds the daughter now “too a ierce, too strong, too free” and that frightens her. When you grow up, you will be a healer loved for your smile and your sorceress skill, "flations asm B.5¢, F-4 2You will be a composer of concrete dreams,. songs of towering glass. You will be the one to split the gene and shed light on every last particle of doubt. You will know numbers so well that you will reject them all save two for they will be enough to keep you engaged endlessly in running the world, efficient and remorseless. A network of binary combinations. ‘When you grow up, you will be all that I am not. Wise, patient, with shiny long hair and good teeth, ye ata sadiant skin to:ge- 2.0.2 sin 6 een. ‘with your razor intellect, as brilliant as you are beautiful. You will be a wife and a mother, your children will be brilliant and beautiful, exactly as I see them, perfect miniature of all that I am not. J brought you up as a son, my daughter, fierce and strong and free. But now, now that you are, have become, all that I am not. you are too fierce, too strong, too free. Your hair is too short. Your absences too long. aLeuesirs t You fear nothing. _ You frighten me. ‘ Glossary & Sorceress : A woman who practices magic. Remorseless : Relentless, continuing in a way. that does not end or that seems! ee to stop. Binary Combinations:A number system based only on the numerals 0 & 1 (Computer ianguage) Razor intellect : A sharp mind and intelligence.Miniaturé : Very small of its kind, represented on a smaller scale. Comprehension I. Answer the following questions in one or two ~; Sentences: 1. The poem is addressed to the: a. Daughter b. Son c. Mother d. Father 2. What is the ‘healer’ loved for? 3. The daughter will be a composer of. 4. Which mysteries does the daughter unravel? vo. Why does the daughter reject all the numbers _ except the binaries? 6. The.Mother/ poet wants to see in her daughter the attributes which she lacks — (True/ false) 7. How will the grandchildren of the poet be? 8. How has the poet/mother brought her daughter up? 9. Why is the poet/ mother frightened? YL. Answer the following questions in 80-100 words: i % What are the-dreams and aspirations of the mothet for her daughter? Why does the speaker want her daughter to-be ali that she is not? : Explain the reasons foc bettie Up a daughter like a son?, | | 4. Having brought the daughter up as a son, the poet finds her now “too fierce, too strong, too free.” Is her fear justified? Explain. ____ TL. Answer the following questions in 200-250 words: ip, There is a noticeable difference between the mother and the daughter. Are they brotight up in two different milieus? Comment. 2, The Poet wants her daughter to be all that she was not. Is she right in thinking so? Discuss. Suggested Reading: 1. Watch the movie “My Left Foot.” 2. Read Jyothi Lanjewar’s poem “Mother.” Source: Chattarji, Sampurna.’“As’a Son, My Daughter.” We Speak in Changing Languciges: Indian Women’ Poets 1900-2007. Edited by E V Ramakrishna and Anju Ma SahityaAkademi 2009, PP 81-82. ee Sni-gaminesapcgial othe2. THE ROMAN IMAGE -R. K. Narayan Brainstorming e Discuss the popularity of ithe Indian short tstory in. -roeonelish., eit © Whatis “willing susension ar disbelieP? e Explore productive hobbies for college students. About the author Rasipuram Krishnaswami lyer Narayanaswami better known as R.K.Narayan was born on October 10 1906in Chenmai:'* He is one of the three leading | figures of early Indian literature in English, along with Mulkraj Anand and Raja Rao. The setting for most of his stories is the fictional town of Malgudi, first introduced in Swami and Friends. In a writing career that spanned over sixty years, he received many awards and honours, This short story taken from Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories is about an ambitious Talkative man. He discovers an image on the banks of the Sarayu river, supposedly a statue of the Roman Emperor Tiberius II. The story captures incidents and situations without a hint of contrivance and losing out on the elements of a story. The Talkative Man said: Once I was an archaeologist’s assistant. I wandered up and down the country probing, exploring, and digging, in search of antiquities, a most interesting occupation, although cynics Sometimes called us “grave-diggers”. I enjoyed the work immensely. I had a master who was famous archaeologist called Doctor something or other. He was a superb, timeless being, who lived a thousand years behind the times, and who wanted neither food nor roof nor riches if only he was allowed to gaze on undisturbed at an old coin or chip of a burial urn. He had torn up the earth in almost all parts of India and had brought to light very valuable information concerning the history and outlook of people of remote centuries. His moriographsron sh. of his excavations filled several shelves in all te libraries. And then, as our good fortune would have it, he received an inspiration that Malgudi district was eminently diggable. I am not competent to explain how he got this idea, but there it was. Word was brought to me that the great man was staying in the dak bungalow and was in need of assistant. Within an hour of hearing it I stood before the great man. He was sitting on the floor with the craziest collection of articles’in’ front of him “pots*and’ beads‘ahd, useless coins and palm leaves, all of them rusty and decaying. He had a lens by his side, through which he looked at these articles and made notes. He asked me: “What do you know about archaeological factors of your district?” I blinked. Honestly I didn’t know there was any archaeology in our place. He looked at me through his 7spectacles, and I realized that my leaving depended upon my answer. I mustered up all the knowledge of elementary history I had acquired in my boyhood and replied: “Well, ~ nothing has so far been done in any methodical manner, although now and then we come across some ignorant villagers: ploughing up: old «un-usual: bits ‘of’ pottery ‘and metal.” “Really,” he asked, pricking up his ears. “And what do they do with them?” “They simply throw them away or give them to children to play with,” I replied. ‘ “Oh, too bad,” he muttered. “Why couldn’t you have collected these things in one place?” “Twill take care to do that hereafter, Sir’, I said: and that settled it. He engaged me on the spot at fifty rupees per month, and my main business was to follow him about and help him. Thad my wits alive, and within a month I was in a position to lead him by the hand. Not the slightest object escaped my notice I picked everything | saw, cleaned and polished it, and held it up for his opinion. Most times, 1 am sorry to confess, they were useless bits of stuff of known origin — namely, our own times. But I am glad to say that once IT scored a hit. We camped one week-end at Siral -a village sixty miles from the town. It is a lovely ancient place, consisting of a hundred houses, Sarayu River winds its way along the northern boundary of the village. The river here is broader than it is anywhere else in district. On the other bank of the river we have the beginnings of a magnificent jungle of bamboo and teak. ‘The most modern jstructure incthe place was a small two-roomed inspection lodge. The doctor occupied one room and I the other. We were scouting the surroundings for a mound under which was supposed to be a buried city. This discovery was going to push the earliest known civilization three centuries farther back and rival Mohenjadaro in antiquity. We might be pardoned if we sent about our business with some intensity. Our doctor somehow seemed to possess an inexplicable feeling of rivalry with the discoverers of Mohenjadaro and such other places. His greatest desire was to have a monopoly of the earliest known civilization and place it where he chose. This seemed to me a slight weakness in his nature, but pardonable in a great man, who had done so much else in life. This is all beside the point. Let me get on with the story. One day I had gone to the river to bathe. It was an exhilarating evening, I had done a good day’s work, assisting doctor to clean up and study a piece of stained glass picked up in a field outside the village. The doctor kept gazing at this glass all day. He constantly shook his head and said: “This is easily the most important piece of work which has come under my notice. This bit of glass you see is not ordinary archaeological stuff, but a very important link. This piece of glass is really Florentian, which went out of vogue in A.D.5. How did this come here? It is not found anywhere else in the world. If the aidentity of this is established properly, we may ultimately have a great deal to say about the early Roman Empire and this part of India. This will revolutionize our whole knowledge of history.” He talked of nothing but that whole day..He trembled with excitement and acquired and lost all taste for food. He kept on muttering: “We must tread warily and not overlook the slightest evidence. Keep your eyes open. We are on the eve of the greatest discoveries...” And I caught this excitement and acquired a permanently searching look. I was on this state when I plunged into the waters of Sarayu that evening. | am a good diver. As I Went down, my hand struck against a hard object in the sandy bed. Feeling the surface again | came up bearing that image with me. Dripping with water, I sat on the river step, without even drying myself, and examined the image. “This takes us on to an entirely new set of possibilities!” exclaimed the doctor in great joy. He keenly examined it by our tin lantern. It was a stone image a foot high, which had acquired a glass-like smoothness, having been under water for years, it had an arm, an eye, the nose, and the mouth missing. There were a few details of omament and drapery, which the doctor examined with special care. It was 3 A.M. when he went to bed. An hour later the doctor peeped in at my doorway and announced: “This is a Roman statue. How it came to be found in these parts is a historical fact we have to wrest from evidence, It is going to give an entirely new turn to Indian history.” Within the next two months all the important papers and periodicals in the world published details of this discovery. 10 Papers were read before historical associations and conference. I came to be looked upon as a sort of saviour of Indian history, for the doctor insisted upon giving me my due of share of fame. University honours came my way. I was offered lucrative positions here and there. It was finally decided that the image was that of a Roman Emperor called Tiberius IL. It would be out of place to go into the details that lead to this conclusion : but you need to have no doubt that the doctor had excellent reasons for it. Besides the study of the image itself he went through some Roman texts which mentioned South India. For the next few months we toured about a great deal lecturing on this subject and demonstrating. 1 went with my doctor to Madras and started work on monograph on the subject. It was to be a monumental work covering over a thousand pages of demy size, full of photographs and sketches. You can understand why it should be so big when I tell you that it was going to be a combined work on early Roman history, Indian histery, archaeology, and epigraphy. My name’ was going to! appear as the joint author of the work. I realized that here was my future —fame, position, and perhaps some money, too. The doctor left me in entire charge of this work and went away to Upper India to continue a piece of work which he had already been doing. I sat in a large library the whole day, examining, investigating, studying, and writing. I became fairly important person in learned societies. I worked from seven in the morning to eleven in the evening almost without a break, and throughout the day I had visits from people 11interested in the discovery. Papers and journals contained paragraphs now and then'— “Archaeologist assistant working on monograph...” and its progress was duly reported to the public. And then there came a time when the press.could.announce: “Monography on which --- has been working for months now will be ready for the publication in ten days. It is expected that this is going to make the richest contribution to Indian history ...” My fingers were worn out with vg. My eyes were nearly gone. I looked forward to the end of the work, when, as my doctor wrote: “you can have a holiday for three months in any hill station you like and forget the whole business...” The manuscripts piled a yard high on my table. Tt was at this stage that I had to visit Siral once again. | had to obtain measurements of the spot where the image was found. I left my work at that and hurried to the village. J plunged into the river and came up. I sat on the river step, still dripping with water, noting down figures, when a stranger came and sat near me. We fell to talking, and I told him about my: work, instherhopeiofidrawing out further facts. He was rustic, and he listened to me without emotion. At the end of my narration he remained peculiarly moody and asked me to repeat facts about the image. He compressed his lips and asked: “Where do you say it came from?” iy “Rome---” “Where is that?” “In Europe,” I said. He stood still, puzzled, and I amplified: 12 “Where the European people live—” “I don’t know about that — but if it is the image which you found in these parts I can tell you something about it. It is without nose and'arm, isn’t it? I assented, not knowing what was coming. He said: “Follow me, if you’ want' to know anything more about this image.” He led me up the bank, along a foot track which wound through the jungle. We reached a hamlet a mile off. He stopped in front a little shrine and said. “That image belonged to this temple.” He led me into the shrine; we had to go stopping into it because of its narrow doorway and low roof. At the inner sanctum there was an image of Mari with a garland of yellow chrysanthemums around her neck; lit by a faint wick lamp. On one side of the sanctum doorway stood a dwarapalaka — a winged creature a foot high. My friend pointed at the image and said: “This formed a pair with the one you picked up, and it is used to adorn that side of the doorway.” I looked up where he pointed. I noticed a pedestal without anything on it. A doubt seized me. “I want to examine the figure.” I said sheybroughtsdowm thenwick lamp; examined by its flickering light the dwarapalaka. “Is this exactly. like the one which was on that side?” it was a superfluous question. This image was exactly like the image T had found, but without injuries. “Where was this made?” “I had it done by a stone-image maker, a fellow in another village. You see that hillock? Its stone made into images all 13over the world, and its foot is a village where they make images.” “Are you sure when it was made?” “Yes, I gave an advance of twenty rupees for it, and how that fellow delayed! I went over to the village ‘and sat up the night and day for two months and got the pair done. I watched them take shape before my eyes. And then we collected about fifty rupees and gave it to him. We wanted to improve this temple.” I put back the lamp and walked out. I sat down the temple step. “Why do you look so sad? I thought you'd be pleased to know these things,” he said watching me. “Tam, I am --only I’ve been, rather unwell,” I assured him. “Can’t you tell me something more about it how it came to be found in river?” “Yes, yes,” said my friend. “It was carried and thrown into the river; it didn’t walk down there.” “Oh!” T exclaimed. “That is a.story. For this we yent to, the,court and had the priest dismissed and fined, He cannot come near the temple now. We spent one thousand rupees in lawyer fees alone; We were prepared to spend all our fortune if only to see that priest removed. It went up to Malgudi court —we got a vakil from madras.” “What was wrong with your priest?” “No doubt he had hereditary claim and took up the work when his father died, but the fellow was a devil for drink if ever there was one. Morning till night he was drinking, and 14 he performed all the puja in that condition. We did not know what to do with him. We just tolerated him, hoping that someday the goddess would teach him a lesson. We did not like to be harsh, since he was a poor fellow, and_he went about his duties quietly. But when we added these two dwarapalakas at the doorway he got queer notion in his head. He used to say that the two doorkeepers constantly harried him in the neck. Sometimes he would peep in from within to see if the images were looking away, and he’d scream, ‘Ah, still they are watching me,’ and shout at them. This went on for months. In course of time he began to shudder whenever he had to pass these doorkeepers. It was an acute moment of suspense for him‘when he had to cross that pair and get in to the sanctum. Gradually he complained that if he ever took his eyes off these figures, they butted him from behind, kicked him, and pulled his hair, and so forth. He was afraid to look anywhere else and walked on cautiously with his eyes on the images. But if he had his eyes on one, the other knocked him from behind. He showed us bruises and ‘Scratches sometimes. “We declared we might treat his complaints seriously if he ever went into the shrine without a drop of drink in him. In course of time he started to seek his own remedy. He carried a small mallet with him, and whenever he got a knock he returned the blow; it fell on a nose today, on arm tomorrow, and on ear another day. We didn’t notice his handiwork for months. Judging from mallet blows, the image on the left side seems to have been the greater offender.“The culmination came when he knocked it off its pedestal and carried it to the river. Next morning, he declared he saw it walk off and plunge into the river. He must have felt that this would serve as a lesson to the other image if it should be thinking of any trick. But the other image never got its chance: for we dragged the priest before a law court and had him sent away.” Thus, ended the villager’s tale. It took time for me to recover. I asked: “Didn't you have to pick up the image © from the water and show it to the judge?” “No, because the fellow would not tell us where he had flung it. I did not know till this moment where exactly it could be found.” When I went back to Madras, | was a different man. The doctor had just returned for a short stay. I told him everything, He was furious. “We have made ourselves mighty fools before the whole world”, he cried. I didn’t know what to say. I mumbled,.“I am so sorry, sir”. He pointed at the pile of manuscripts on the table and cried: “Throw all that rubbish into the fire, before we are declared mad...” I pushed the whole pile off the table and applied a matchstick. We asked, pointing at the image: ‘And what will you do with it?” “I don’t know”, | said. “Drown it, After all, you picked it up from the water-that piece of nonsense!” he cried. 16 I had never seen him in such a rage before. I wrapped the image in a piece of brown paper, carried it to the seashore, and flung it far into the sea. I hope it is still rolling about at the bottom of the Bay of Bengal. I only hope it won't get into some large fish and come back to the study table! Later a brief message appeared in all the important papers :” The manuscript on which Doctor -and assistant were engaged has been destroyed , and the work will be suspended.” The doctor gave me two months’ salary and bade me good bye. Glossary Archaeology _ : study of the ancient and recent human past through material remains Antiquity : relics of monuments of ancient time Dak bungalow : guest house Dwarapalaka _ : figures of gods placed at the entrance ofa temple Monograph : specialist work of writing on a subject Mohenjadaro _ ; an ancient city in Indus Valley Civilization Manuscript __: written in hand Hamlet : small village Mallet : hammer Butt : blow Epigraphy : study of inscriptions oh ez aComprehension lL. Il. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each: ee How does the Talkative Man re-invent himself? By what other name are archaeologists called? What was the duo’s first discovery? What did the Talkative Man find in the river? How did the Talkative Man become popular after finding the statue? Why did the rustic ask the Talkative Man to follow him to the shrine? What did the doctor suggest to the Talkative Man about the image at the end of the story? Answer the following questions in a short paragraph each: Ls ee = What were the doctor’s tall claims? Why was the rustic’s information about the image convincing? The Talkative Man was looking for fame, position and money. Did he succeed? Contrast the characters of the Doctor, the Talkative Man and the rustic. Why was the image disfigured by the priest? Tif. Answer the following questions in a page each: 15 “This is easily the most important piece of work which has come under my notice”. Comment on the master’s work. 18 How does the Talkative Man’s description of himself, his master and Malgudi engross the reader? . ata Discuss how the story blends reality with elements of fantasy and the supernatural. Suggested Reading /Activity: Short stories of Guy de Maupassant Harry Potter books /movie for magical realism REMEDIAL GRAMMAR JUMBLED SENTENCES Look at the following examples. 1s Navigate/can/thousands of miles/their way/birds/in the sky Complex beings/of/have/knowledge/different sorts/all Was floating/an/in/abandoned well/near/a_corpse/the village it The words in the above examples are jumbled and do not convey proper meaning. If they are arranged properly they would look like this. i Birds can navigate their way thousands of miles in the sky. All complex beings have knowledge of different sorts. A corpse was floating in an abandoned well near the village.Now they can be read properly and understood correctly. Interestingly, different meanings emerge with different combinations as we expand our horizons of perception. Task: Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences: 1. They/green/shoots/maize/put before/a sheaf offthe horse 2. The well/walked towards/the head/the steps/ constable/ of 3. _Listening/I/was/intently/to/between/this/Anna/the head constable/dialogue/and 4. Several hundred/passing/ there were/of them/at this moment 5. The load/although/was light/the old man/toc miuch/it/for/was 5 6. Which enables/to understand/is/reading/is a skill/a written text 7. Communication/this/an/form/effective/of/is A: 8. Submarine earthquake/if/occurs/the earthquake/on the sea floor,/it is called/a 9. DNA/one percent/humans/differs/just over/only/by/ chimpanzees/ and/of 10. Geometry, arithmetic/the origins of/and algebra/go back to/in India/remote periods 20 FORMS OF WORDS Some words can be used in different forms in sentence formations. These formations not only break the monotony but also bring novelty in sentence construction and widen the possibilities. Look at the following example. The word *well’ could be used in different forms: The water in the well is sweet (noun) Well water is good for health (adjective) 1 2. 3. Tears welled up inhereyes (verb) 4. She has done well inexams (adverb) Similarly there are other formations that could be made. The word ‘protect’ has different forms like protection, protective, protector ete. Look at the example. The letter of termination was issued to Ramu and his services were terminated, ma\zini\not THEA The word terminafe is used in different forms in a single sentence. sae : } Let.us try out these exercises. 1. Write the suitable forms of words given in brackets and fill in the blanks: L.. ore was made easy by the . (exam) 2. Twas by the around me. (sad) 22The students were very to read the text which gave to the teacher. (happy) The flowers added a new to the flower show. The kids took their pencils to draw the pictures (colour) The ‘multilingual skills in the five- filled drama. (act) showed his play which was an is an act of . (terror) Man has invented many gadgets using his knowledge of siete in man will resolve complex issues . (science) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of words given in brackets using the suffixes- ly, ness, er, able, ful. Watch out for some tricky ones! (slow, kind, play, honour, wonder) 1 The traffic was in the morning and the vehicles moved. The of inviting the guest was mine. die ee shown by the hearted person was divine. The got the award for fair__. I was filled with a sense of when the opportunity came my way. 22 The attitude among children will vanish as they mature a The had a rapport with all his team members. Construct meaningful sentences using the words and phrases given below: i, 2 Lynched:------------------- 2 -2-ennene anne Unscrupulous:--: Mallice:-------------—-—-~------—-- nnn nenneee nee Inquest:-------------------------—---en0nenennene enn Breath taking:--------—------------------—-—--n-n-- = Combat? -------------=2+-2- 2-2 nee VIrtUG:~---------------- aaa anna Deplorable:-----------------------------0-eeneeaaeeeee 233. THE ESCAPE - Narayan Shyam Brainstorming: e Anger is a temporary madness. Do you agree with this statement? 2 How does hatred begin and How should it end? ¢ Have you noticed that wars have taken place for trivial reasons in the past? Could those blunders be stopped in future by resorting to saner ways of understanding? Discuss. e Translation is a challenge in literature. Share your views on this statement. About the poet Narayan Shyam (1922-1989) is an exemplary . Sindhi poet who pioneered Sindhi poetry and popularized it. He introduced western forms as well as classical forms like doha, ghazal, bait and vai in his poetry. 11 collections of poetry including Waria Bhario Paland have been appreciated by the reading public. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1970. This poem The Escape is a special tribute’ to the poetic talent which subtly explains the futility and needlessness of enmity and hatred. This is translated from Sindhi by Param | Abhichandani. Yes, My foe he was! Where did he come from? He stood by my side And like this! . I gnashed my teeth, Bit my lips, And for a moment— Ah! With saucy spearing eyes, Into his face ] looked, And then, turned away my face, Move he didn’t, however, Peremptorily, There he stood! And said to me, “One day, When this age of animosity will face away, And when we shall have spent the last bullet Or even if the bullets remain We shall not load them; For our injured imbecile hands will not move to pick them. Then, we may perhaps ask— What were we fighting for? And we may feel helpless To find any reason therefor, 25That we were hating each other will lapse into a history.” He stood in expectation ves To hear from me But... Tescaped— Had I waited there any longer, : Certainly I would have embraced him. Glossary Foe :enemy i ; ! Gnash : to grind teeth in anger or in pain Spearing ;piereing, penetrating 3 ai : Peremptorily ; > styl emmity os Animosity Bain ns Imbecile : weak; lacking strength Comprehension e aK 1 .,, Answer the following questions in.one or two ‘Who ‘is the addressing? 3 weal Mention any two expressions which, denote anger. and ill will. Who was the first to express anger between the speaker and his enemy? 26. 4. The foe was meek and timid. TRUE/FALSE 5. What did the foe tell the speaker about their future status of rivalry? 6. According to the foe, what ‘will Japse into a history’? Pike earl ey 7. Why did the speaker escape from the scene? 8. Is the speaker afraid to face his foe? Il Answer the following questions in 80-100 words: 1. Explain the opening of the poem and the expressions on the face of the speaker.” 2. How different was the reaction of the enemy to that of the speaker’s? 3. What does the ending of the poem convey? HI Answer the following questions in 200-250 words: 1. Narayan Shyam subtly brings out the futility of animosity between ‘two _ individuals or two factions ih the poem Explain’ 2. Human relations are being “poisoned by petty moments of anger and hatred which destroy the longevity of the bonding. Explain with reference to the poem. The biggest encmy of man is his mind and his Perception of people around him. “Doés. ‘The Escape’ endorse this statement?:Substantiate. Suggested reading: (°° : A Poison Tree- a poem by William Blake 274. TIGHTROPE -Kanu Acharya Brainstorming Who are street performers? Have you seen any such performance? : What do you mean by dief? Discuss. d Has any government policy been successful in providing food for the needy? Substantiate. About the author aa Kanu Acharya writes fiction on Adivasi life and has also written biographies in Gujarati. This story highlights the life of marginalized around Gujarat. His works are known for realistic values. His subtle humor and the language are the strength of his works. Translator: tps.) ; Zs sie, isl Burke is Head of the Department o! nglish i os Ahmedabad. She uses her writing / are skills in English, Gujarati and Hindi for cult _ ivism. She has a number of publications to her cre eit eva and:-various, collections of ries and drama, in English Hindi translations of the 1 the PEN Translators haye tgcently been uploaded on International site. ie f Literary ‘Translation and. “Paba, tell me what happens when one doesn’t take a balaticed diet?” asked the teacher. I was staring at the blackboard - white boxes against a black background. How much to eat in one meal? Morning + Afternoon + Evening. I felt lost while teading the breakfast list itself. | nudged Baka with my elbow and asked, “What are cashewnuts, almonds, and pistachios? What do they look like?” Teacher looked at us. Baka cautioned me. Asa student, Baka was very dull. I turned to the afternoon meal. It was more than | could take it at a glance. Even The vedhas (horizontal divisions on fingers, three on each finger) would be inadequate if began to count on them. When I read ‘salad’ I straight away asked teacher - “What is salad?” Teacher retorted. “Fool, you don’t even know this much? Cucumber, tomatoes, onions, carrots, bananas, mangoes, guava, beetroot, cabbage, all seasonal fruits and vegetables, ~ only that they must be eaten raw.” My father used to rotate a plate on one finger and then pass it on to his other finger and then pass it on to his other finger. Oh, how the plate would Spin, just like spinning top. «1 Then he would transfer it atop 4 smooth-erided wooden Pole and balance it ow his teeth, My brother Tago would run ‘at “the end “Wahbajania, ‘cheered loudly,How could so much food be accommodated in one such plate? I was picking up one food item after another from the blackboard and placing it on the plate. When teacher made me stand up I, was scared. death. and I cried out “ma” in fright. een a Like when the leather covering at the mouth of the drum splits, the students suddenly ran out of steam. Teacher growled with menacing eyes, “What are you all giggling for?” Then he turned to me, “You, why were you not paying attention? I’ve just finished explaining which nutrient is found in: which food:and which disease is caused by the deficiency of which of them. It is not written-on the blackboard. What are you staring there for?” Like the flame of an oil-lamp which is near extinguishment when the wind blows I was also almost flunked out. But soon] jerked my head upwards and struggled to breathe as I managed to-answer;:“Sir, if-ohe ‘doesn’t/get'a balanced diet he'll end up like my mother,”705 :97is0s1 ci-eAned) 2007 Teacher looked intently. He said enthusiastically, “Attention everyone . . . How clever Paba is!” With this he put an end to the giggling of my classmates. In fact, the mouths of some looked as if they had been bitten by bugs. Teacher continued, “Truly, Paba deserves to stand first in the class: This year also he’ll' break the- record in’ standard seven. Paba, now describe: the!-characteristics.”' 1 was confused. Teacher said, “Okay then, and let us derive the characteristics from the example. What has happened to your mother?” That put me to ease. | said, “My mother has drastically lost weight. She cannot sleep a wink at night because of the nagging cough. She is reduced to skin and bones.” Teacher said, “Answer, which deficiency leads to low blood count and weight loss? Which food should be eaten to make up for eT Nobody answered. Teacher started explaining all over again. “The women in our country are deficient in haemoglobin.” Then he started enlisting... carbohydrates fat, Protein, iron, calcium, Phosphorous, zinc, ieee potassium, fibre . . . I started counting all of them on ny: fingers — gosh ... . how can one acco: ou mmodate. i the stomach? oe It’s the lack of a balanced diet that is making mother shrink. T hurried straight home and looked at mother’s eyes. They ae pale as ever. No vitamins at all. I cried out to her, T’ve found a cure for you.”. Suddenly life was infused: a mother’s.dry wrinkles-arid she: exclaimed excitedly: My Son, bonny boy, education has’ made you'clever. What cure have you. found?” “Ma, you'll have to drink milk every day. poste deficiency, has made your legs weak. There’s ne lood in your body. And then I Tepeated in one breath whatever teacher, had. said in the class... right down to, the ae detail. Mother's eyes were,on the verge of popping i as.she said, “My, my, how you sound like.a doctor.” tt = you: whatialliis One 'supposed:to eat. I started ee a or puri, dal, rice, two vegetables, papad, oe a t-milk, salad... and mentioned everything that ‘0 a salad. I looked at mother. As she gathered my 31y slipped back down on the floor. “Son, words the, aten in the course everything that you mentioned is to be ¢ of amonth, right?” : “No, Ma, on the daily basis.” Mother’s enlivened wrinkles “Good lord, in one day?” in one go? Is started trembling as she continued, “All of this it even possible?” “Why shouldn't it be nutrients on a daily basis. ~ because you don’t eat properly We don’t eat dal at all. Where are we going to get protein from?” Mother was pressing the knot at the end of her sari with her thumb. My tongue froze. Mother hastened into the kitchen. The teacher made us revise whatever previous day. | kept sitting with bowed everything —word to word -- I didn’t want to said, “It’s not enough to memorize what constitutes a balanced diet . You must eat accordingly every day. Tell me, who all will eat a balanced die from tomorrow?” Many students raised their hands. I didn’t. Teacher glanced curiously at me but pretending, not to have looked remarked, “Good, almost all have agreed.” And with this, teacher started cleaning the blackboard with soon everything that he had written about the d was back to its possible?” The body needs: all All vitamins are essential. It’s that you have become weak. he had taught the head. I remembered speak. Teacher a duster and balanced diet was gone. The blackboar: 32 original plain black form Te - Chalk dust flew here and there Whe as ais eae water Jatinda put his hand on . startled. The tips of hi my sides lik © tps of his fingers prick cet eee It was Jatinda’s daily: habit %B: ons fae Ia rhe nara they eat roasted papad, and they drink a fe trough and become bloated. I e hee hand. His face mellowed down acta igged off his abla, I’ve heard your mother is very sick. of He inquired, “Why are you bothered?” I reacted. He paid = _ deat car to my words and said, “You should things to your mother t a Ee ee ier to eat, do you und 2 as coo mother will die Prematurely. eae fi, en ca my anger to melt, Janti’s 5 as ee 'y heart — Mother will die Boerne a : Pasi : went to the green grocer in the sisi * fe ; cucumber, tomatoes, onions, one b: fs Sitied toe out their prices. Presently, the groc a iS going your war e : — 'y. Do: i You don’t want to buy anything.” lace es a 1 intended to filch a ban: pene: f ana and a cucum i. ee away. Bananas are eee a - ee not have haemoglobin de: = Bes offs : Was sitting idly and just wouldn’t take hi U dumped aa home: with a heavy heart. As ve f Pugh recat oa bag T heard a cracking eatin iF th en es Ppass- box which I handled with ith. and saw that it was a banana. I ate m ficiency anymor:: MG Bhd E77, Bise, p. 2: ‘ 3