CBSE Class 10 English Formal Letters and Literature Assignment Set 05

Answer: 28-A, Uttam Nagar
New Delhi
12 May 20XX

The Director
Fortune Graphics Computers
Main Road, New Delhi

Subject: Enquiry about short-term courses in computer graphics

Sir/Madam,

I am a student of Class X and wish to join a short-term course in computer graphics during the coming holidays. I request you to send me details of the courses you offer.

Kindly let me know the duration and timings of the batches, the syllabus and software covered, the fee structure and any discount for students. Please also tell me the last date for admission, the number of seats in a batch, and whether a certificate is given at the end.

An early reply will help me make my plans. I shall be grateful for your help.

Yours faithfully
Anuj

Teacher's Note:
1. A formal enquiry letter has a subject line and a list of clear questions.
2. Keep the tone polite and end with a request for a reply.

Answer: The Librarian
City Public School
Kolkata
12 May 20XX

The Sales Manager
Ushas Publications Limited
Kolkata

Subject: Order for books for the school library

Sir,

Kindly supply the following books to our school library: 1. Class X reference books in English, 25 copies. 2. Encyclopaedia of science, 5 sets. 3. Illustrated atlas of the world, 10 copies. 4. Collected stories for children, 30 copies.

Please let us know the discount you can allow on this bulk purchase. The books should be delivered within two weeks by road transport, and the bill should be sent along with the consignment. Payment will be made by cheque on receipt of the books in good condition.

Yours faithfully
Smriti
Librarian

Teacher's Note:
1. An order letter lists the items, the quantity, the delivery time and the payment terms.
2. Asking for a discount is part of the question and must not be left out.

Answer: The Physical Education Instructor
St. Mary's School
Agra
12 May 20XX

The Manager
Student Sports Enterprises
Agra

Subject: Complaint about defective sports goods and request for replacement

Sir,

We placed an order with you on 2 May for sports goods for our school, under order number 214. The goods reached us yesterday, but on opening the packages we found that six cricket bats are cracked, four footballs are punctured and the nets are torn.

Such items are of no use to our students. I request you to replace the defective goods with new ones within a week, or return the amount paid for them. The damaged items are available for collection at the school.

I hope you will treat the matter as urgent.

Yours faithfully
Instructor, Physical Education

Teacher's Note:
1. A complaint letter states what was ordered, what is wrong and what action is wanted.
2. Use polite but firm language and give a time limit.

Answer: Mandela promised that the country would never again suffer the oppression of one group by another. He said that never, never and never again would the beautiful land experience such injustice and that it would not be the skunk of the world again.

Teacher's Note:
1. His promise is a firm rejection of apartheid.
2. Quote the line about never again in your answer.

Answer: The young seagull lost his fear when he was very hungry and his mother held a piece of fish a short distance from him. He dived for the food and found to his surprise that he could fly.

Teacher's Note:
1. Hunger forced him to try.
2. His mother's tactic helped him break his fear.

Answer: The pilot was tired and eager to reach his home, so he did not want to go back to Paris. He also felt confident of crossing the storm, but this was a risk that almost cost him his life.

Teacher's Note:
1. Overconfidence led him into danger.
2. He was saved by the mysterious black aeroplane.

Answer: Anne had loving parents, a sister and about thirty people she called friends, but she had no real friend with whom she could share her deepest thoughts. Her friends talked only of ordinary things, so she turned to her diary.

Teacher's Note:
1. Loneliness is about not being understood.
2. The diary became her confidant.

Answer: Anne received a diary as a birthday present. She decided to write her private thoughts in it and addressed it as 'Kitty', as if it were a friend.

Teacher's Note:
1. Kitty is the name she gave her diary.
2. The diary gave her the friend she wanted.

Answer: Anne Frank is an intelligent, witty and sensitive girl. She is lively and talkative, which annoys her mathematics teacher, but she answers his punishments with humour and wins his respect. She is lonely despite having many friends, and she treats her diary as a true friend. She is honest about herself and shows maturity beyond her age. Readers admire her courage and her optimism in times of danger.

Teacher's Note:
1. Support each trait with an example from the text.
2. Mention both her humour and her loneliness.

Answer: The Kodavas are known for their martial tradition and bravery. They are the only community in India permitted to carry firearms without a licence, which is a special privilege linked to their history as warriors.

Teacher's Note:
1. Their reputation as soldiers is the reason.
2. They also show it in their customs and festivals.

Answer: According to the legend, a Buddhist ascetic named Bodhidharma vowed to meditate for years without sleep. When he felt sleepy, he cut off his eyelids and threw them to the ground, and the first tea plants grew from them.

Teacher's Note:
1. The legend explains why tea keeps us awake.
2. Name the ascetic and the eyelids in your answer.

Answer: Kisa Gotami went from house to house asking for mustard seeds to save her dead child, with the condition that the house had never known death. She found no such house and realised that death comes to everyone, so she accepted her loss and became a follower of the Buddha.

Teacher's Note:
1. The search itself taught her the lesson.
2. Death is universal and cannot be avoided.

Answer: (a) The poet was sad and gloomy. (b) A crow shook some snow on him from a hemlock tree, and the small incident made him cheerful and saved the day. (c) Rued. (d) The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd.

Teacher's Note:
1. Even a small thing in nature can lift our mood.
2. The poet's mood moves from regret to joy.

Answer: (a) Ice stands for hatred and coldness of heart. (b) Perish. (c) Both fire, which stands for desire, and ice, which stands for hatred, could end the world, and ice would be enough if the world had to be destroyed twice.

Teacher's Note:
1. Fire and ice are symbols for human feelings.
2. The poet warns against hatred and greed.

Answer: (a) The tiger is a wild animal kept in a zoo for people to see. (b) Ignoring. (c) He walks restlessly up and down his cage and takes no notice of visitors, since he longs for freedom.

Teacher's Note:
1. The tiger is a symbol of lost freedom.
2. His behaviour shows anger at captivity.

Answer: (a) The speaker is Amanda's mother or another adult who keeps instructing her. (b) Amanda has bad habits such as biting nails and slouching. (c) Hunch or slouch.

Teacher's Note:
1. The speaker keeps giving orders in the poem.
2. Amanda dreams of freedom while she is scolded.

Answer: (a) Carl Sandburg. (b) The fog is compared to a cat. (c) Metaphor, as the fog is directly spoken of as walking on cat feet. The cat's feet show how silently and softly it arrives.

Teacher's Note:
1. The comparison is made without 'like' or 'as'.
2. The cat image explains the silent movement.

Answer: Custard had big sharp teeth, spikes on top and scales underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace, his nose like a chimney and he had daggers on his toes. Yet he was timid and cried for a nice safe cage while the others claimed to be brave.

Teacher's Note:
1. The description is exaggerated and humorous.
2. The surprise is that the fierce-looking dragon is the real hero.

Answer: Anne Gregory says she wants to be loved for herself and not for her yellow hair. She would dye her hair brown or black so that people would value her real self.

Teacher's Note:
1. The poem says outer beauty is not true worth.
2. Real love looks beyond appearance.

Answer: Dr Urquhart's book invited young people to help him study the migration of monarch butterflies by tagging them. Ebright joined the project, and this gave him a chance to do real research as a boy.

Teacher's Note:
1. The book connected a young boy with a scientist.
2. It encouraged his early interest in butterflies.

Answer: Bholi stammered badly, was slow to learn and spoke very little, and she had pockmarks left by smallpox. Her family neglected her, so they took her to be dumb and simple-minded.

Teacher's Note:
1. Her silence came from fear and neglect.
2. School and her teacher later gave her confidence.

Answer: Mathilde was not happy with the invitation because she had no suitable dress and no jewels to wear. She cried in distress, and her husband gave her four hundred francs for a dress, though she still needed jewellery.

Teacher's Note:
1. She cared more about appearance than joy.
2. Her wish to look rich is the start of her ruin.