Maharashtra Board Class 10 English Kumarbharti Unit Two Chapter 2.2 Three Questions PDF Download

2.2 Three Questions

Warming Up!

1. Expressions In English Classified Under Different Heads

Pair up with your partner, guess and match the columns. (Use a dictionary.)

Teacher's Note

These are different types of wise sayings in English. Like we use proverbs in our daily life in India, "Jab tak hai jaan" teaches us the value of life.

Exam Trick

Remember: A Principle is a RULE. A Proverb is a famous saying like "Early bird catches the worm." Maxims are short rules for life.

Points to Remember

A Principle is a rule for behaviour.
A Quotation is words from a famous person.
A Moral is a lesson from a story.
An Idiom does not mean what individual words say.
A Proverb is a well-known truth.

2. Read The Polite Requests/Suggestions And Complete The Gaps In The Responses

Make sure they are polite and not repeated.

Could you lend me your dictionary?

Accept (1) _____________________________

Refuse (2) _____________________________

Can you please pass the salad?

Accept (1) _____________________________

Accept (2) _____________________________

May I know the exact time?

Accept (1) _____________________________

Accept (2) _____________________________

Shall we plan a class-picnic?

Agree (1) _____________________________

Refuse (2) _____________________________

Do you need help?

Accept (1) _____________________________

Refuse (2) _____________________________

Is it all right if I use your laptop?

Accept (1) _____________________________

Refuse (2) _____________________________

Teacher's Note

Good manners are important in India. When you ask for something politely, people like you more. Always say please and thank you.

Exam Trick

Remember: For Accept - use "Of course", "Sure", "Certainly". For Refuse - use "I'm sorry", "I cannot", "Not now". Never repeat the same words.

Points to Remember

Always use polite words like "please" and "thank you".
Do not repeat the same answer again and again.
You can accept or refuse politely.
Good manners show respect to others.
Being polite makes friends easily.

3. Let's See If You Remember A Nursery Rhyme You Must Have Sung, As Kids

Fill in the missing words:

'The time to be happy is _____________________

The _____________________ to be happy is here.

And the way to be _____________________, is to _____________________ someone happy And have a little _____________________ right here !'

(happy, make, heaven, now, place)

(You can listen to this song on the internet.)

Teacher's Note

This is a very famous nursery rhyme that teaches children about happiness. In India, we also have nursery rhymes that teach good lessons to small children.

Exam Trick

Remember: "Now" is the answer for the first blank. "Place" fits with "to be happy". Read the full sentence to find the missing words.

Points to Remember

This rhyme teaches us to be happy "now" not tomorrow.
The word "heaven" means the happiest place.
"Place" and "make" complete the sentence perfectly.
Nursery rhymes teach good things in a fun way.
Happy people make other people happy too.

2.2 The Three Questions

Once a certain king had an idea. If he always knew the right time to begin everything, if he knew who were the right people to listen to and who to avoid the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything that he would undertake and above all, if he always knew what was the most undertake. Since he was convinced that he was right in thinking this way, he had a proclamation made in his kingdom. He would give a great reward to anyone who would teach him what the right time was for every action, who the most necessary people were, and how he might know the most important thing to do.

Many learned people came to the court but they all gave different answers. In reply to the first question, some said that to know the right time for every action, one must draw up in advance a table of days, months and years, and must live strictly according to it. Others declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend to all that was going on, and then do that was most essential. Yet others said that it was impossible for one man to decide correctly the right time for every action and that the king should, instead, have a council of wise people, who would help him to fix the proper time for everything.

Equally varied were the answers to the second question. Some said the people the king most needed were his councillors; others the priests; others the doctors while some said the warriors were the most necessary.

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood and Youth.

A parable is a short story with a moral lesson. A parable usually has human characters. This parable concerns a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers to be the three most important questions in life.

Teacher's Note

This story teaches us that "now" is the most important time. In India, we say "Kal karo mat aaj karo" which means do today what you plan tomorrow.

Exam Trick

Remember: The Three Questions are about RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PEOPLE, and RIGHT ACTION. The king gets confused but the hermit teaches him through actions, not words.

Points to Remember

A parable is a short story that teaches a lesson.
The king wants answers to three questions.
Different learned people give different answers.
Leo Tolstoy is a famous Russian writer.
This story has a deep meaning about life.

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