Maharashtra Board Class 9 English Unit 4 Poem The Storyteller 4.2 Solutions

Warming Up:

 

Question 1. Short stories are of many types. Match the type of story in Column A with its description in Column B:

Column A (Type of Story)	Column B (Description)
(1) Anecdote	(a) A story that features supernatural elements, magic, or fairies
(2) Fable	(b) A short story about a real person or event, usually amusing
(3) Parable	(c) A story handed down from the past, which may or may not be true
(4) Myth	(d) A story that explains the origin of natural phenomena or beliefs
(5) Legend	(e) A story that teaches a moral lesson, often with animal characters
(6) Fairy tale	(f) A story that involves solving a crime or mystery
(7) Detective story	(g) A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson

Answer:
(1) Anecdote - (b) A short story about a real person or event, usually amusing
(2) Fable - (e) A story that teaches a moral lesson, often with animal characters
(3) Parable - (g) A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson
(4) Myth - (d) A story that explains the origin of natural phenomena or beliefs
(5) Legend - (c) A story handed down from the past, which may or may not be true
(6) Fairy tale - (a) A story that features supernatural elements, magic, or fairies
(7) Detective story - (f) A story that involves solving a crime or mystery
In simple words: Different types of stories have unique features. For example, fables use animals to teach lessons, while myths explain natural events using supernatural elements.

🎯 Exam Tip: Memorize the key characteristics of each story type, such as 'animals' for fables and 'magic' for fairy tales, to easily match them in exams.

 

Question 1. Match the story types in Column A with their correct descriptions in Column B:

No.	Story Type	Code	Description
1	Anecdote	a	Serious and ends in a tragedy
2	Fable	b	Untrue but realistic
3	Parable	c	Short amusing account of an incident
4	Myth	d	Where vices and folly are ridiculed
5	Legend	e	Moral bearing story with animal characters
6	Fairy Tale	f	Having historical base/characters but may not be true
7	Tragic Tale	g	Having religious base and a message or moral
8	Fiction	h	Exaggerated comedy
9	Farce	i	Having supernatural characters/ a moral for children
10	Satire	j	Originated in ancient times, authorship unknown

Answer:
1. Anecdote – (c) short amusing account of an incident
2. Fable – (e) moral bearing story with animal characters
3. Parable – (g) having religious base and a message or moral
4. Myth – (j) originated in ancient times, authorship unknown
5. Legend – (f) having historical base/characters but may not be true
6. Fairy Tale – (i) having supernatural characters/ a moral for children
7. Tragic Tale – (a) serious and ends in a tragedy
8. Fiction – (b) untrue but realistic
9. Farce – (h) exaggerated comedy
10. Satire – (d) where vices and folly are ridiculed
In simple words: This matching exercise helps us understand different types of stories, like how a fable always has animal characters and a moral, while a tragedy ends sadly.

🎯 Exam Tip: To score full marks in matching questions, first match the easiest and most familiar terms (like Fable or Fairy Tale) to narrow down your choices for the trickier ones.

Definitions and Literary Terms
4. Myth – (j) originated in ancient time, authorship unknown
5. Legend – (f) having historical base/characters but may not be true
6. Fairy Tale – (i) having supernatural characters/a moral for children
7. Tragic Tale – (a) serious and ends in tragedy
8. Fiction – (b) untrue but realistic
9. Farce – (h) exaggerated comedy
10. Satire – (d) where vices and folly are ridiculed

 

Question 2. Complete the following story using the verbs in the brackets in their proper form:

Footprint

One night a man ........................ (have) a dream. He ........................ (dream) that he was ........................ (walk) along the beach with God. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one ........................ (belong) to him and the other, to God.

After the last scene ........................ (flash), he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He ........................ (observe) that many times along the path of his life there ........................ (be) only one set of footprints and that it ........................ (happen) at the saddest, most ........................ (trouble) times of his life.

He ........................ (question) God about it. “God, you ........................ (say) that once I ........................ (decide) to follow you, you ........................ (will) walk with me all the way. So I don’t understand, why you ........................ (leave) me alone, when I ........................ (need) you most.”

God replied, “During your times of trials and sufferings, where you ........................ (see) only one set of footprints, they ........................ (be) mine for it was then that I ........................ (carry) you in my arms.”

Answer:
Footprint

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed that he was walking along the beach with God. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him and the other, to God.

After the last scene had flashed, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He observed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints and that it happened at the saddest, most troubled times of his life. This story beautifully illustrates the concept of divine support during difficult times.

He questioned God about it. “God, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way. So I don’t understand, why you left me alone, when I needed you most.”

God replied, “During your times of trials and sufferings, where you saw only one set of footprints, they were mine for it was then that I carried you in my arms.”
In simple words: This story shows that when we go through our hardest times, we might feel alone, but that is actually when we are being cared for and supported the most.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to the narrative timeline; since stories are usually told in the past tense, ensure verbs like 'had', 'dreamed', and 'observed' are kept consistent throughout the passage.

Footprint

One night a man had a dream. He dreamt that he was walking along the beach with God. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him and the other, to God.

After the last scene had flashed, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He observed that many times along the path of his life there were only one set of footprints and that it had happened at the saddest, most troubled times of his life.

He questioned God about it. “God, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way. So I don’t understand why you left me alone when I needed you the most.”

God replied, “During your times of trials and sufferings, where you saw only one set of footprints, they were mine, for it was then that I carried you in my arms.”

English Workshop

 

Question 1. From the story (Part I and Part II), find 4 words that begin with the prefix ‘un-‘ and write their opposites.
1. ………….. × …………..
2. ………….. × …………..
3. ………….. × …………..
4. ………….. × …………..
Answer:
1. unsympathetic × sympathetic
2. unable × able
3. unenterprising × enterprising
4. unlucky × lucky
These prefix-based opposites help us understand how word meanings can be completely reversed by adding a simple prefix.
In simple words: To find the opposites of words starting with the prefix "un-", we simply remove "un-" to get the base word, which represents the opposite meaning.

🎯 Exam Tip: When identifying prefix words, ensure the base word is a valid English word on its own after removing the prefix.

 

Question 1. Find one example/examples of the following punctuation marks from the story and copy the lines in which they are used:
(a) colon
(b) semi-colon
Answer:
(a) colon – Bertha was terribly frightened and thought to herself ; (Note that in some editions, a colon is used here to introduce her direct thoughts).
(b) semi-colon – The first thing that it saw in the park was Bertha; (This semicolon connects two related thoughts about the wolf's search).
In simple words: Colons and semicolons are punctuation marks used to pause or connect ideas in a sentence. Here, they help show the flow of the characters' thoughts and actions.

🎯 Exam Tip: When identifying punctuation marks, copy the exact sentence from the text and highlight the punctuation mark clearly to show the examiner you understand its usage.

 

Question 1. Read the following pieces from the story and suggest a title for each as shown in the first one:
Answer: Here are the suggested titles for each section of the story to capture the main theme of those passages.

No.	From	Up to	Title
1.	It was a hot afternoon ......	...... said the aunt weakly.	‘Children Pester their Aunt’
2.	The smaller girl created a diversion ......	...... likely to lose his bet.	‘The Bachelor’s Challenge’
3.	In a low confidential voice ......	...... it was so stupid,” said Cyril.	‘A Stupid Story’
4.	She (Bertha) did all that she was told ......	...... must be an extra good child.	‘Bertha’s Goodness’
5.	The story teller paused to let ......	...... popular tunes of the day.	‘The Prince’s Park’
6.	Bertha was trembling very much ......	...... the three medals for goodness ......	‘The Medals Betray Bertha’

In simple words: This table divides the story into different parts and gives each part a short, meaningful name based on what happens in it.

🎯 Exam Tip: When suggesting titles for story segments, focus on the main character or the central event of that specific passage to make it relevant.

From	Up to	Title
1. It was a hot afternoon ..........	.......... said the aunt weakly.	‘Children pester their aunt’.
2. The smaller girl created a diversion .............	.......... likely to lose his bet.	‘The irritating little girl.’
3. In a low confidential voice .............	.......... it was so stupid,” said Cyril.	‘Aunt tells a story.’
4. She (Bertha) did all that she was told .............	.......... must be an extra good child.	‘The horribly good Bertha.’
5. The storyteller paused to let .............	.......... popular tunes of the day.	‘Bertha’s outing at the park.’
6. Bertha was trembling very much .............	......... the three medals for goodness ..........	‘The punishment.’

Write Your Opinion, In Your Own Words:

 

Question a. Why, do you think, did the children dislike their aunt’s story?
Answer: The story was uninteresting and unenterprising. The children did not like the good little girl in the story. She appeared to be too good. Besides, the aunt could not satisfy the questions that they asked. Obviously, not only was the aunt a very bad story-teller but the story too was boring. Hence the children disliked the story. They preferred stories with more excitement and fewer obvious lessons.
In simple words: The children found their aunt's story very boring because the main character was too perfect. They also did not like how the aunt could not answer their questions.

🎯 Exam Tip: Focus on the contrast between the aunt's poor storytelling skills and the children's desire for an engaging plot.

 

Question b. Why did they appreciate and praise the stranger’s story?
Answer: The children were probably tired of the moral education imparted by the aunt. So when they came across a girl who was ‘horribly’ good, and who met a terrible end, they were thrilled. Moreover, the stranger narrated the story well. Hence they appreciated and praised the story. This unconventional ending kept them completely engaged and entertained.
In simple words: The children loved the stranger's story because it was different and exciting. Instead of a boring happy ending, the good girl met a surprising and scary end.

🎯 Exam Tip: Highlight the word 'horribly good' as it is the key phrase that captured the children's interest.

Question c. Do you think Bertha should have met such a gory end to her life? Justify your answer.
Answer: No, I don’t think that Bertha should have met such a gory end to her life. After all, she was only a small child and it was probably not her fault that she was vain about her goodness. She should have merely been frightened by the wolf, not devoured by it. It is important to remember that children often copy what adults praise them for.
In simple words: Bertha did not deserve to be eaten by the wolf just because she was proud of her good behavior. She was just a child and only needed a small lesson, not a terrible punishment.

🎯 Exam Tip: When justifying your opinion, clearly state 'Yes' or 'No' first, and then support your stance with reasons from the story.

 

Question d. What did the aunt fail to realize in Bertha’s story?
Answer: The aunt failed to see Bertha’s pride in herself; she only saw that Bertha was good, but had j yet met a gory end. The aunt failed to realize that Bertha met a gory end as a punishment for her vanity. This highlights the aunt's inability to understand the deeper moral of the bachelor's story.
In simple words: The aunt did not understand that Bertha was punished for being too proud of her goodness. She only saw that a good girl met a bad end, missing the lesson about vanity.

🎯 Exam Tip: Focus on the contrast between the aunt's simple view of goodness and the bachelor's lesson on the dangers of pride.

 

Question e. What is that one vice that nullifies all virtues that a person has?
Answer: Pride is the one vice that nullifies all the virtues that a person has. However good or talented a person is, he/she is not liked if he/she is proud or vain. Many tragic heroes in fiction and history were the victims of their own pride. It is often said that ‘Pride comes before a fall’. Cultivating humility is therefore essential for true goodness.
In simple words: Pride is a bad quality that ruins all other good qualities a person has. No matter how good you are, being arrogant makes people dislike you.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use the popular proverb 'Pride comes before a fall' to make your answer more impactful and complete.

 

Question f. Write down two or three proverbs/axioms that suit the message in Bertha’s story;
Answer:
1. “Pride goes before a fall.”
2. “Wealth is a gift from God, and pride is bequeathed to us from the devil.”
3. “Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves.”
These traditional sayings remind us that excessive self-importance always leads to trouble.
In simple words: These proverbs show that being too proud or boastful always leads to a bad ending or sadness.

🎯 Exam Tip: Memorize at least two proverbs related to pride and humility to easily answer value-based questions.

 

Question 1. Write three to five sentences about each of the following characters:
Answer:
(i) Bertha: Bertha was an extraordinarily good girl who won three medals for her goodness. However, she was very proud of her medals and her own goodness. In the end, her pride and the clinking of her medals led the wolf to her, resulting in her tragic death.
(ii) The Aunt: The aunt is a conventional, well-meaning but unimaginative woman who struggles to control or entertain the children. She tells them a boring, highly moralistic story that fails to capture their interest. She strongly disapproves of the bachelor's story because she thinks it is improper.
(iii) The Bachelor: The bachelor is an unsympathetic traveler who shares the carriage with the aunt and children. He is clever and understands children's minds much better than the aunt does. He tells an unconventional, realistic story that keeps the children thoroughly entertained.
In simple words: Bertha was a good but proud girl who met a sad end. The aunt was a boring storyteller who couldn't manage the kids, while the bachelor was a clever man who told an exciting story that the kids loved.

🎯 Exam Tip: When describing characters, highlight their main traits and their role in the story to write a well-rounded answer.

Question 1. The Aunt
Answer: The Aunt: The aunt was a meek and mild woman. She did not understand children, and could not control them. She had no imagination to make up a story, and no skills to present the story in an interesting manner. She believed that children needed a strict moral upbringing. She was upset with the bachelor’s story and thought that it was improper. She always tried to maintain a rigid sense of discipline, though she constantly failed at it.
In simple words: The aunt was a gentle woman who struggled to manage the children. She could not tell interesting stories and believed children should only hear strict moral lessons.

🎯 Exam Tip: Highlight her inability to understand children and her rigid focus on moral lessons to score full marks.

 

Question 2. The Bachelor
Answer: The Bachelor: The bachelor was impatient with the aunt’s inability to control the children. He understood kids well and knew what type of story they wanted. He was resourceful and found a method to keep the children quiet for ten minutes. He also enjoyed the fact that the children would now trouble their aunt for an improper story. His cleverness allowed him to connect with the children on their level.
In simple words: The bachelor was a clever man who knew exactly how to entertain children. He told them an unusual story that kept them quiet and amused them.

🎯 Exam Tip: Emphasize his resourcefulness and how his understanding of children contrasted sharply with the aunt's approach.

 

Question 3. Cyril
Answer: Cyril: Cyril was a normal, naughty and restless boy. He had many questions to ask and wanted answers for all those questions. He was quite outspoken in saying that he found the aunt’s story stupid. He found the bachelor’s unusual story beautiful. His curious nature made him constantly seek explanations for everything around him.
In simple words: Cyril was a curious and restless boy who asked a lot of questions. He preferred the bachelor's exciting story over his aunt's boring one.

🎯 Exam Tip: Describe Cyril as a representative of typical childhood curiosity and restlessness to show a deeper understanding of his character.

 

Question 4. Bertha
Answer: Bertha: Bertha was a young girl in the bachelor's story who was famously described as "horribly good." She earned three medals for her goodness, which she wore proudly on her dress. Her exceptional behavior earned her the privilege of walking in the Prince's private park. Ironically, her goodness became her downfall when the clinking of her medals alerted a wolf to her hiding spot, leading to her being eaten. This tragic end highlighted the unconventional nature of the bachelor's tale.
In simple words: Bertha was an extremely good girl who won medals for her behavior. Sadly, the noise from her medals showed a wolf where she was hiding, and she was eaten.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use the phrase "horribly good" and explain how her medals ironically led to her downfall to get maximum marks.

Question 4. Bertha
Answer: Bertha was a very, very good little girl. She was so good that she was horrible. She was also obedient and punctual. She won many medals for her good qualities. But she had one bad quality, and that was pride. However, the moment she was in danger, she wished that she had not been so extraordinarily good. She was finally devoured by the wolf. Her excessive pride in her own goodness ultimately led to her tragic end.
In simple words: Bertha was an extremely well-behaved girl who won medals for her goodness, but she was also very proud. In the end, her pride became her weakness when she was caught by a wolf.

🎯 Exam Tip: When describing a character, highlight both their positive traits and their flaws to show a complete understanding of their role in the story.

 

Question 6. Say whether you agree or disagree.
1. The children would have behaved well in the train if their aunt had scolded them harshly.
2. The youngest child was most irritating.
3. Being a bachelor, the stranger had no patience with children.
4. The children showed disinterest even in the bachelor’s story-telling, throughout.
5. Bertha was very good but very proud too.
6. The Prince had rare, uncommon likes and dislikes.
7. The wolf could not trace Bertha because she was behind a myrtle bush.
8. The bachelor had narrated an improper story to the children.
Answer:
1. Disagree
2. Agree
3. Disagree
4. Disagree
5. Agree
6. Disagree
7. Agree
8. Disagree
These responses help clarify the true nature of the characters and the events that unfolded in the story.
In simple words: This exercise helps us understand the characters' behaviors and the plot of the story by deciding if each statement is true or false.

🎯 Exam Tip: Read each statement carefully and relate it directly to the events in the chapter to avoid making incorrect assumptions.

7. ‘The Storyteller’ Has A Story Within A Story

 

Question 1. ‘The Storyteller’ has a story within a story. Search from the internet or your library books for other stories which have another story within. Enlist at least 3 to 5 of them.
Answer: Ramayan, Mahabharat, and Panchatantra are classic examples of such narrative structures. These ancient texts contain multiple layers of storytelling where characters narrate other tales.
In simple words: Some books have characters who tell their own stories inside the main story. Famous examples of this are the Ramayan, Mahabharat, and Panchatantra.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember that a "story within a story" is also called a frame narrative, and listing well-known epics like the Mahabharat will secure full marks.

8. List All The Verbs Related To ‘say’ Or ‘tell’ From The Passage

 

Question 1. List all the verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’ from the passage.
Answer: The verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’ found in the passage are said, exclaimed, added, asked, and protested. These words help to show how different characters express themselves in dialogue.
In simple words: Words like "said", "exclaimed", "added", "asked", and "protested" are all different ways to show that someone is speaking.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to dialogue tags in the text to easily identify synonyms for speaking verbs.

p>2. Verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’: demanded, admitted, said

3. Verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’: said, retort, demanded, began, asked.

4. Verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’: continued, quoted, demanded, said.

5. Verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’: said

9. Read: ‘The Open Window’ by H.H. Munro (Saki).

English Kumarbharati 9th Digest Chapter 4.2 The Storyteller Additional Important Questions and Answers

Simple Factual Activities

 

Question 1. Complete the following:
Answer:
1. The next stop of the train was at Templecombe.
2. Most of the remarks of the aunt seemed to begin with ‘Don’t’.
3. The bachelor said nothing out loud.
4. The child moved reluctantly to the window.
In simple words: These sentences complete the statements based on the events that happen during the train journey in the story.

🎯 Exam Tip: Read the passage carefully to find the exact words or phrases that complete the sentences accurately.

Complex Factual Activity

 

Question 1. How many occupants did the compartment have?
Answer: The compartment had five occupants. This group consisted of a small girl, a smaller girl, a small boy, their aunt, and a bachelor who was a stranger to them.
In simple words: There were five people traveling together in the train carriage.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always state the total number clearly first, and then briefly list who those occupants were to secure full marks.

 

Question 2. Why did the aunt have to use the word ‘Don’t’ so often?
Answer: The children were very bored and restless and indulged in irritating activities like smacking the cushions of the seats. Hence the aunt had to use the word ‘Don’t’ very often to try and keep them disciplined.
In simple words: The children were restless and doing annoying things because they were bored, so the aunt kept telling them to stop.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention the specific actions of the children (like smacking the cushions) to show a thorough understanding of the text.

Activities Based On Vocabulary:

 

Question 1. Write the antonyms of the following words using prefixes:
(i) occupied
(ii) limited
Answer:
(i) occupied × unoccupied
(ii) limited × unlimited. Adding a prefix changes the meaning of the base word to its exact opposite.
In simple words: Antonyms are opposite words, and we can make them by adding letters like 'un-' to the beginning of the original word.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to spelling when adding prefixes, as the base word's spelling remains unchanged.

Activities Based On Contextual Grammar:

 

Question 1. Rewrite the following as indirect speech:
“But there is lots of grass in that field,” protested the boy.
Answer: The boy protested that there was lots of grass in that field. This change from present tense to past tense is necessary when reporting spoken words.
In simple words: When we report what someone said in the past, we change words like 'is' to 'was' to show it already happened.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember to remove quotation marks and change the tense of the verb inside the quotes when converting to indirect speech.

 

Question 2. Find an example of the following punctuation mark from the passage and copy the sentence in which it is used: semi-colon
Answer: “But there is lots of grass in that field,” protested the boy; “There’s nothing else but grass there.” This punctuation mark helps connect two closely related independent clauses.
In simple words: A semi-colon (;) is used to join two complete sentences that are closely linked in thought.

🎯 Exam Tip: Look closely for the dot-and-comma symbol (;) when asked to find a semi-colon in a passage.

Personal Response:

 

Question 1. Do you like to travel long distances by train?
Answer: Yes, I do. Every year, we go to my native place by train, and we have a lovely time. Since we go during the Diwali holidays, the route along the Konkan Railway is very beautiful and scenic at that time. We watch the scenery flash by, and play card games when it gets dark. Traveling by train always brings a sense of adventure and joy.
In simple words: I love train journeys because I can enjoy the beautiful views outside and play fun games with my family.

🎯 Exam Tip: For personal response questions, always express your opinion clearly and support it with a brief personal experience or reason.

Simple Factual Activities:

Question 1. Write whether the following statements are True or False:
1. The bachelor was irritated with the situation
2. The aunt was able to satisfy Cyril’s curiosity
3. The smaller girl knew only one line of the poem
4. They could see very few cows from the windows
Answer:
1. The bachelor was irritated with the situation – True
2. The aunt was able to satisfy Cyril’s curiosity – False
3. The smaller girl knew only one line of the poem – True
4. They could see very few cows from the windows – False. Paying close attention to these details helps in understanding the characters' reactions.
In simple words: We need to decide if each statement about the story is correct (True) or incorrect (False) based on what happened.

🎯 Exam Tip: Read the passage carefully to locate the exact sentences that confirm whether each statement is true or false.

 

Complex Factual Activity

 

Question 1. To which question from Cyril was aunt unable to give a reasonable answer?
Answer: Aunt was unable to give a reasonable answer to Cyril’s question: ‘Why is the grass in the other field better?’ She struggled to find a logical explanation that would satisfy his curious mind.
In simple words: Cyril asked why the grass in another field looked better, and his aunt could not give him a sensible answer.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use direct quotes from the text when identifying specific questions asked by characters to ensure accuracy.

 

Question 2. How did the smaller of the two girls irritate the bachelor?
Answer: The smaller of the two girls began to recite the poem ‘On the Road to Mandalay’. She only knew the first line, but she repeated the line over and over again, in a dreamy but resolute and very audible voice. This constant repetition in a loud voice irritated the bachelor.
In simple words: The little girl kept saying the same single line of a poem over and over again in a loud voice, which made the bachelor very annoyed.

🎯 Exam Tip: Describe both the action (reciting) and the manner (loudly and repeatedly) to get full marks for character behavior questions.

 

Activities Based On Vocabulary

 

Question 1. List all the verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’ from the passage.
Answer: Verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’: suggested, exclaimed, persisted, repeated, said. These words help show different ways characters express themselves.
In simple words: These are different action words used in the story instead of just using the word "said" every time.

🎯 Exam Tip: Scan the passage paragraph by paragraph specifically looking for dialogue tags to find all reporting verbs.

 

Activities Based On Contextual Grammar

 

Question 1. Rewrite the following as indirect speech:
“Perhaps the grass in the other field is better,” suggested the aunt fatuously.
Answer: The aunt fatuously suggested that perhaps the grass in the other field was better. This change shifts the direct spoken words into a reported statement.
In simple words: To change this to indirect speech, we remove the quotation marks and change "is" to "was" because we are reporting what she said in the past.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember to change the tense of the verb inside the quotation marks (from 'is' to 'was') when converting to indirect speech.

 

Question 2. Find an example of the following punctuation mark from the passage and copy the sentence in which it is used: semi-colon.
Answer: She repeated the line over and over again, in a dreamy but resolute and very audible voice: it I seemed ......... .
In simple words: A semi-colon is used to connect two closely related thoughts in a single sentence. Here, it links the description of her repeating the line with what it seemed like.

🎯 Exam Tip: When asked to find a specific punctuation mark, scan the passage carefully for its symbol and copy the entire sentence exactly as it is printed.

 

Question 3. Rewrite the following sentence using ‘not’: She only knew the first line.
Answer: She did not know any other line except the first.
In simple words: To rewrite the sentence using 'not' without changing its meaning, we state that she did not know any lines other than the first one.

🎯 Exam Tip: When transforming sentences to negative form, always ensure that the original meaning of the sentence remains completely unchanged.

Personal Response

 

Question 1. What is your opinion of the aunt?
Answer: I feel very sorry for the aunt. She was very meek and completely unable to handle the three children. Knowing that she was going on a train journey with three small children, she should have brought something along to keep them occupied.
In simple words: The aunt seems gentle but struggles to manage the children on the train. She should have planned some games or books to keep them busy.

🎯 Exam Tip: For personal response questions, express your opinion clearly and support it with a logical reason based on the characters' behavior in the story.

Who Said The Following Words?

 

Question 1. “Wouldn’t they have saved her if she hadn’t been good?”
Answer: the bigger of the two girls
In simple words: This question was asked by the older girl in the railway carriage who was listening to the story.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to which character asks questions or makes comments during the storytelling scenes to easily identify the speaker.

 

Question 2. “Well, yes,”
Answer: the bachelor
In simple words: The bachelor said these words while replying to the girl's question about whether the character would have been saved.

🎯 Exam Tip: Identify the speaker by remembering the dialogue flow between the children and the bachelor in the story.

Question 2.
Answer: the aunt
In simple words: This line was spoken by the aunt in the story.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to the dialogue in the text to correctly identify which character is speaking.

 

Question 3. “I didn’t listen after the first bit.”
Answer: Cyril
In simple words: Cyril admitted that he stopped paying attention to the story after the very beginning.

🎯 Exam Tip: Quote attribution questions require precise character names, so make sure to associate each quote with the correct character.

 

Question 4. “It’s the stupidest story I’ve ever heard.”
Answer: the bigger of the two girls
In simple words: The older girl expressed her strong dislike for the story by calling it the most foolish one she had ever heard.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use the exact description of the character as given in the textbook, such as "the bigger of the two girls," to ensure accuracy.

 

Complex Factual Activity

 

Question 1. How did the children show their disapproval of the aunt’s story?
Answer: The children interrupted the story at frequent intervals with loud, petulant questionings. After the story was over, the bigger girl said that it was the stupidest story she had ever heard. Cyril agreed with her that it was stupid. The smaller girl had stopped listening and was repeating her favourite line from the poem. Their restless behavior clearly showed how bored they were with the tale.
In simple words: The children showed they did not like the story by constantly interrupting with annoyed questions, calling it stupid, and ignoring it to repeat lines from a poem.

🎯 Exam Tip: To score full marks, mention the specific reactions of all three children—Cyril, the bigger girl, and the smaller girl—as described in the passage.

 

Activities Based On Vocabulary

 

Question 2. Give the noun forms of the following words:
1. moral
2. stupid
Answer:
1. moral – morality
2. stupid – stupidity
In simple words: To change these words into nouns, we add the suffix "-ity" to the end of "moral" and "stupid".

🎯 Exam Tip: Practice converting adjectives to nouns using common suffixes like "-ity", "-ness", and "-ance" to build your vocabulary.

 

Activities Based On Contextual Grammar

p>Question 1. Rewrite the following as indirect speech:
“Wouldn’t they have saved her if she hadn’t been good?” demanded the bigger of the small girls.
Answer: The bigger of the small girls demanded whether they wouldn’t have saved her if she hadn’t been good. This conversion highlights how the question becomes an indirect inquiry using 'whether'.
In simple words: The girl asked if the people would still have saved her if she had not been a good girl.

🎯 Exam Tip: When converting questions starting with auxiliary verbs (like "wouldn't") into indirect speech, use 'if' or 'whether' and change the question format into an assertive sentence.

 

Question 2. Frame Wh-questions to get the underlined parts in the following sentences as the answers:
1. Her reputation as a story-teller did not rank high.
2. In a low, confidential voice she began the story
Answer:
1. What did not rank high?
2. How did she begin the story?
These framed questions perfectly target the subject and the adverbial phrase of manner respectively.
In simple words: We need to ask questions where the answers are the specific underlined parts of the original sentences.

🎯 Exam Tip: Identify the function of the underlined part (subject, time, place, or manner) to choose the correct Wh-word like 'What' or 'How'.

 

Factual Activities

 

Question 1. Write four words to describe Bertha to complete the web:
Answer:
The four words that describe Bertha in the web diagram are:
- good
- polite
- truthful
- obedient
These qualities define her character in the story.
In simple words: Bertha is described using four positive words: good, polite, truthful, and obedient.

🎯 Exam Tip: Read the character description carefully in the text to identify key adjectives that highlight their personality traits.

 

Complex Factual Activity

 

Question 1. What did the bachelor not agree with?
Answer: The bachelor did not agree with the aunt's popular belief that it is extremely difficult to tell stories that children can both understand and appreciate. He believed that children actually enjoy stories that are told differently.
In simple words: The bachelor disagreed with the aunt's idea that making a story both simple and interesting for children is a very hard task.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly state the point of disagreement between the characters using direct references from the conversation in the text.

 

Question 2. What roused the children’s interest in the story?
Answer: The bachelor said that the good little Bertha was ‘horribly’ good. When the children heard this, their interest was roused. The word ‘horrible’ in connection with goodness was something new that they appreciated and found acceptable. This unusual combination of words immediately captured their attention.
In simple words: The children became interested because the storyteller used the word "horribly" to describe how good the girl was. This strange combination of words was new and exciting to them.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use key terms like "horribly good" and explain why this contradiction caught the children's attention to secure full marks.

 

Activities Based on Vocabulary

 

Question 1. Write the gender of the following:
1. bachelor
2. aunt
3. children
4. infant
Answer:
1. bachelor – masculine gender
2. aunt – feminine gender
3. children – common gender
4. infant – common gender.
In simple words: Gender tells us if a noun is male (masculine), female (feminine), or can be both (common).

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember that words like "children" and "infant" can refer to both boys and girls, so they always fall under the common gender category.

 

Activities Based on Contextual Grammar

 

Question 1. Rewrite the following as indirect speech:
“Was she pretty?” asked the bigger of the small girls.
Answer: The bigger of the small girls asked whether she was pretty. This change converts the direct question into a reported statement.
In simple words: When changing a "yes/no" question into indirect speech, we use "asked" and join the sentences using "whether" or "if".

🎯 Exam Tip: When converting questions to indirect speech, remember to remove the quotation marks and question mark, and change the verb tense accordingly.

 

Question 2. Find an example of the following punctuation mark from the passage and copy the sentences in which it is used:
semi-colon.
Answer:
1. The children’s momentarily-aroused interest began at once to flicker; all stories seemed………
2. There was a wave of reaction in favour of the story; the word horrible in connection with goodness………… These punctuation marks help connect closely related independent clauses.
In simple words: A semi-colon is used to join two complete sentences that are closely linked in thought. It acts as a pause that is stronger than a comma but softer than a full stop.

🎯 Exam Tip: When asked to find punctuation marks, copy the entire sentence carefully and underline the specific mark to make it clear to the examiner.

 

Question 3. Rewrite the following sentences using ‘not only … but also …’ :
1. She was always truthful, she kept her clothes clean.
2. It’s a very difficult thing to tell stories that children can both understand and appreciate.
Answer:
1. She was not only always truthful, but she also kept her clothes clean.
2. It’s a very difficult thing to tell stories that children can not only understand but also appreciate. This grammatical structure emphasizes that both qualities or actions are equally true.
In simple words: We use 'not only... but also' to combine two related ideas and show that both of them are important. It helps make our writing sound more interesting.

🎯 Exam Tip: Ensure that the parts of speech following 'not only' and 'but also' are parallel (e.g., both followed by verbs or both by adjectives) to maintain correct grammar.

Personal Response

 

Question 1. Do you like stories that have a moral or a message?
Answer: That depends on the way the story is narrated and the message that is in the story. I don’t like the usual fairy-tale stories or the do-good type stories now; I like stories that make me think about something or affect me positively in some way. A good story should inspire the reader naturally rather than forcing a lesson.
In simple words: I prefer stories that are engaging and make me think, rather than simple fairy tales that just try to teach an obvious lesson. The way a story is told is very important.

🎯 Exam Tip: For personal response questions, always express your own opinion clearly and support it with a logical reason to score full marks.

Simple Activities

 

Question 1. Punctuate:
dont cyril dont exclaimed the aunt as the small boy began sacking the cushions of the seat
Answer: “Don’t, Cyril, don’t,” exclaimed the aunt, as the small boy began sacking the cushions of the seat. Proper punctuation is essential to convey the exact tone and dialogue of the characters.
In simple words: We add quotation marks around spoken words, capitalize names like Cyril, and use commas and apostrophes to make the sentence easy to read and understand.

🎯 Exam Tip: Don't forget to put commas inside the quotation marks when punctuating direct speech, and always capitalize proper nouns like names.

 

Question 2. Make a meaningful sentence using the phrase ‘over and over again’:
Answer: The little girl repeated the answer over and over again. This helped her memorize it perfectly for her upcoming school test.
In simple words: This phrase means doing or saying something many times. Here, the girl said the answer repeatedly to remember it.

🎯 Exam Tip: When making sentences with a given phrase, ensure the sentence is grammatically correct and clearly shows the meaning of the phrase.

 

Question 3. Spot the error and correct the sentence:
I doesn’t agree with you,” said the bachelor.
Answer: “I don’t agree with you,” said the bachelor. Correcting punctuation and subject-verb agreement is essential for clear communication.
In simple words: We use 'don't' with 'I' instead of 'doesn't'. We also need to add the opening quotation mark at the start of the spoken words.

🎯 Exam Tip: In error correction questions, look closely at both subject-verb agreement and missing punctuation marks like speech quotes.

 

Question 4. Pick out the present participle/s from the given sentence:
She began an unenterprising and uninteresting story about a little girl who was good.
Answer: unenterprising, uninteresting. These words function as adjectives in this sentence to describe the story.
In simple words: Present participles are words ending in '-ing' that are formed from verbs. Here, they are used to describe what the story was like.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember that present participles end in '-ing' and can sometimes act as adjectives to describe nouns.

 

Question 5. Identify the type of sentence:
Why is it better?
Answer: Interrogative sentence. This type of sentence is used to ask a direct question and always ends with a question mark.
In simple words: Any sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark is called an interrogative sentence.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always check the punctuation mark at the end; a question mark (?) is a clear indicator of an interrogative sentence.

 

Question 6. Find out two hidden words from the word ‘character’.
Answer: character-react, chart (heart, charter). Finding smaller words within a larger word is a great way to build vocabulary.
In simple words: Hidden words are smaller words you can make using the letters of a bigger word. From 'character', we can make words like 'chart' and 'react'.

🎯 Exam Tip: Ensure that the hidden words you write are real, correctly spelled words made only from the letters of the given word.

 

Question 7. Form the present participle of a verb from the lesson in which the last letter is doubled.
Answer: begin -beginning. This spelling rule applies when a single-syllable or stressed-syllable verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern.
In simple words: The word 'begin' ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant. When we add '-ing', we double the last letter 'n' to get 'beginning'.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to spelling rules when forming participles, especially doubling the final consonant in words like begin (beginning) or run (running).

 

Question 8. Write the following words in alphabetical order: fatuously, inevitable, interest, estimation.
Answer: estimation, fatuously, inevitable, interest. Sorting words alphabetically requires looking at each letter from left to right to determine the correct sequence.
In simple words: To put words in alphabetical order, look at their first letters. If the first letters are the same, compare the second letters, and so on, just like in a dictionary.

🎯 Exam Tip: When sorting words, write down the first letter of each word first to quickly arrange them without getting confused.

 

Question 9. Make a word chain of about four adjectives of your own.
Answer: polite → excellent thoughtful → lovely → youthful. Each adjective in this chain successfully describes a unique quality or characteristic.
In simple words: A word chain of adjectives is a list of describing words where each new word starts with the last letter of the previous word.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always double-check that every word you use in the chain is actually an adjective and that the spelling links correctly from the last letter of the previous word.

Medium-Level Activities

 

Question 1. Use the word fast in two separate sentences, the word having different meanings (homographs):
Answer:
(a) “This is a fast train and doesn’t stop at all the stations,” said the woman.
(b) The saint refused to break his fast. Understanding homographs helps in building a stronger vocabulary.
In simple words: Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. Here, "fast" means moving quickly in the first sentence, and going without food in the second sentence.

🎯 Exam Tip: When asked to write sentences for homographs, make sure the context of each sentence clearly shows the different meaning of the word.

 

Question 2. “Why is the grass in the other field better?” persisted Cyril. (Rewrite using indirect speech.)
Answer: Cyril asked persistently why the grass in the other field was better. This conversion changes the direct question into a reported statement while keeping the original meaning intact.
In simple words: Indirect speech is when we report what someone said without using their exact words. We change the tense and remove the quotation marks.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember to change the question form into an assertive sentence structure and shift the tense backward when converting to indirect speech.

 

Question 3. The children moved listlessly. (Use the past continuous tense of the verb.)
Answer: The children were moving listlessly. This tense highlights an ongoing action that was happening in the past.
In simple words: To change a sentence to past continuous tense, use "was" or "were" followed by the "-ing" form of the action verb.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always match the auxiliary verb ("was" for singular, "were" for plural) with the subject of your sentence when forming the past continuous tense.

Challenging Activities

 

Question 1. Use the following word in two separate sentences, once as a noun and once as a verb: interest
Answer:
Noun: She has a deep interest in learning new languages.
Verb: Science fiction movies do not interest him at all. Using the same word as different parts of speech showcases the versatility of the English language.
In simple words: A noun is a naming word, like a hobby or curiosity. A verb is an action word, meaning to attract someone's attention or curiosity.

🎯 Exam Tip: To use a word as a noun, place it after adjectives or articles (like "a" or "the"). To use it as a verb, place it after a subject to show an action or state.

 

Question 2. This is the stupidest story I’ve ever heard. (Change the degree of comparison.)
Answer:
(a) I’ve never heard a story as stupid as this. (Positive)
(b) This story is stupider/more stupid than any story I’ve ever heard. (Comparative)
In simple words: We can express the same idea in different ways: by saying no other story is as stupid (positive degree), or by saying this story is more stupid than any other (comparative degree).

🎯 Exam Tip: When changing the degree of comparison, make sure the core meaning of the sentence remains exactly the same.

Simple Factual Activities

 

Question 1. Write if the following statements are True or False:
Answer:
1. There were no sheep in the park – True
2. Bertha was allowed to walk in the park twice a week – False
3. There were no animals at all in the park – False
4. Bertha had the most medals in the town – True
In simple words: This exercise asks us to identify which statements about the story are correct (True) and which ones are incorrect (False).

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to specific details in the text, such as the exact number of times Bertha was allowed to walk in the park, to avoid making mistakes on True/False questions.

Complex Factual Activity

 

Question 1. For which three values did Bertha win medals? What was exceptional about it?
Answer: Bertha won medals for obedience, punctuality and good behaviour. This was exceptional because no other child in the town where she lived had as many as three medals, which Bertha had. She was highly praised by everyone for these achievements.
In simple words: Bertha got medals for being obedient, on time, and well-behaved. It was special because she was the only child in her town to have all three medals.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly list all three values first, and then explain the exceptional part in a separate sentence to score full marks.

 

Question 2. How did the Prince reward Bertha?
Answer: The Prince rewarded Bertha by allowing her to walk in his beautiful park once a week. As no children were ever allowed in it, this was great honour for Bertha. It made her feel very special and unique.
In simple words: The Prince let Bertha walk in his private park once a week, which was a huge honor because no other children were allowed there.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention both the reward (walking in the park) and why it was a reward (no other children were allowed) to provide a complete answer.

Activities Based on Vocabulary:

 

Question 1. Write the plural of the following words:
1. country
2. dress
3. storyteller
4. punctuality
Answer:
1. country – countries
2. dress – dresses
3. storyteller – storytellers
4. punctuality – punctuality. Learning plural forms helps in building a strong vocabulary and writing grammatically correct sentences.
In simple words: Plural words show that there is more than one of something, like changing 'dress' to 'dresses' when you have many.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to spelling rules when changing singular words to plural, especially words ending in 'y' which often change to 'ies'.

 

Activities Based on Contextual Grammar:

 

Question 1. Find example /examples of the following punctuation marks from the story and copy the lines in which they are used:
1. colon
2. semi-colon
Answer:
1. colon – then he resumed
2. semi-colon – sink into the children’s imaginations. These punctuation marks help to structure sentences and guide the reader's pace.
In simple words: Colons and semi-colons are punctuation marks used to connect related ideas or introduce lists and explanations in a sentence.

🎯 Exam Tip: When asked to find examples from the text, copy the exact phrase or sentence containing the punctuation mark to secure full marks.

 

Question 2. Rewrite the following as indirect speech:
“Were there any sheep on the park?” demanded Cyril.
Answer: Cyril asked in a demanding tone if there were any sheep in the park. This conversion changes the direct question into a reported statement while keeping the original meaning intact.
In simple words: Indirect speech is when you report what someone else said without using their exact words or quotation marks.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember to change the tense and remove quotation marks when converting direct questions into indirect speech.

 

Question 3. No other child in the town had as many as three medals. (Rewrite beginning ‘She was….’.)
Answer: She was the only child in the town who had as many as three medals. This transformation highlights her unique status among her peers.
In simple words: It means that she was the only child who got three medals, and no one else had that many.

🎯 Exam Tip: When rewriting sentences starting with 'She was...', ensure the meaning remains exactly the same as the original negative comparison.

Personal Response

 

Question 1. Do you like listening to stories?
Answer: I generally don’t like listening to stories; but if they are short and interesting, then I listen. It also depends on the narrator; if it is narrated well, then I like to listen. I used to listen to a lot of stories in my childhood, told by my grandmother. Hearing stories from elders always brings back fond memories.
In simple words: I like stories only if they are short, interesting, and told in an exciting way. I also enjoyed listening to my grandmother's stories when I was little.

🎯 Exam Tip: For personal response questions, write in the first person ('I') and express your genuine thoughts clearly in two or three sentences.

Simple Factual Activities

 

Question 1. Answer what the following things are, in one or two words:
Answer:
1. Bertha was sorry about the absence of this. flowers.
2. Bertha meant to keep this. her promise.
3. The flowers had been eaten by these. the animals.
4. They clinked against one another. the medals.
These details help us understand the key elements of Bertha's story.
In simple words: This list identifies key objects and actions from the story, such as the missing flowers, Bertha's promise, the animals, and her clinking medals.

🎯 Exam Tip: For one- or two-word answers, make sure you copy the exact words from the passage to avoid spelling mistakes.

Complex Factual Activity

 

Question 1. Why did the children approve of the Prince’s decision?
Answer: Maybe the children liked animals better than they liked flowers. Besides, they were probably happy that the good Bertha had no flowers she couldn’t pick. Hence they approved of the Prince’s decision. This shows how children often value animals and fairness over simple garden plants.
In simple words: The children liked the Prince's choice because they preferred animals over flowers. They were also glad Bertha didn't have to worry about flowers she wasn't allowed to pick.

🎯 Exam Tip: When explaining 'why' characters made a decision, use cause-and-effect words like 'because' or 'hence' to connect your ideas clearly.

Activities Based on Vocabulary

Question 1. Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives:
1. ……………….. things
2. ……………….. birds
3. ………………….. parrots
4. ………………. tunes
Answer:
1. delightful things
2. hummingbirds
3. beautiful parrots
4. popular tunes. These descriptive words help make the nouns much more vivid and interesting.
In simple words: Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Here, we choose the best describing words to match things, birds, parrots, and tunes.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always read the noun first to think of a describing word that fits naturally and makes sense in the context of the passage.

 

Question 2. Match the words with the parts of speech they belong to, with reference to the passage:

A	B
1. with	(a) adverb
2. approval	(b) adjective
3. rather	(c) preposition
4. green	(d) noun

Answer:
1. with - preposition
2. approval - noun
3. rather - adverb
4. green - adjective. Identifying these parts of speech helps us understand how sentences are constructed.
In simple words: Every word has a specific job in a sentence. For example, "green" describes a noun, so it is an adjective, while "with" shows a relationship, making it a preposition.

🎯 Exam Tip: If you are confused, try placing the word in a simple sentence of your own to see if it acts as a naming word, an action word, or a describing word.

 

Activities Based On Contextual Grammar:

Question 1. Find example/examples of the following punctuation marks from the story and copy the j lines in which they are used:
1. colon
2. semi-colon
Answer:
1. colon: Bertha walked up and down and enjoyed herself immensely, and thought to herself: "I am indeed a very good girl."
2. semi-colon: There was a murmur of approval at the excellence of the Prince’s decision; everyone agreed it was a wise choice.
In simple words: We need to find sentences from the story that use a colon (:) and a semi-colon (;). These punctuation marks help connect related thoughts in a sentence.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to punctuation marks when reading the text, as they help you understand the structure and flow of the sentences.

 

Question 2. Rewrite the following as indirect speech:
“Because the animals had eaten them all,” said the bachelor promptly.
Answer: The bachelor promptly said that it was because the animals had eaten them all. He explained this clearly to the children who were listening to his story.
In simple words: When changing to indirect speech, we report what someone said without using their exact words in quotation marks.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember to remove quotation marks and change the tense appropriately when converting direct speech into indirect speech.

 

Question 3. It made her feel silly to find that there were no flowers to pick.
(Replace the underlined words with gerunds.)
Answer: Finding that there were no flowers for picking made her feel silly. This change highlights the actions of searching and gathering in a more continuous form.
In simple words: A gerund is an '-ing' word that acts like a noun. Here, we changed 'to find' to 'finding' and 'to pick' to 'picking'.

🎯 Exam Tip: To convert infinitives (to + verb) into gerunds, replace them with the '-ing' form of the verb while keeping the sentence grammatically correct.

 

Simple Factual Activities

 

Question 1. Complete the following statements:
Answer:
1. An enormous wolf came prowling into the park.
2. The wolf came after her with huge leaps and bounds.
3. Bertha managed to reach a shrubbery of myrtle bushes.
4. Bertha hid herself in one of the thickest of the bushes. These completed sentences accurately describe the sequence of events during the wolf's chase.
In simple words: These sentences complete the story of how Bertha tried to escape from the big wolf by hiding in the thick bushes.

🎯 Exam Tip: Read the passage carefully to find the exact words that complete the sentences accurately to score full marks.

 

Complex Factual Activity

Question 1. Why did Bertha wish she had never come to the park?
Answer: Bertha saw an enormous wolf come stealing towards her. She was terribly frightened and wished she had never come to the park. The peaceful atmosphere she expected was suddenly replaced by sheer terror.
In simple words: Bertha got very scared when she saw a huge wolf coming towards her, making her regret visiting the park.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention both the appearance of the wolf and Bertha's reaction of fear to get full marks.

 

Question 2. Why was the wolf unable to trace Bertha?
Answer: The scent of the myrtle was so strong that the wolf could not sniff out where Bertha was hiding. The bushes were also too thick for him to see her. This natural camouflage proved to be her ultimate lifesaver in a moment of extreme danger.
In simple words: The wolf couldn't find Bertha because the strong smell of the flowers blocked his sense of smell, and the thick bushes hid her from his sight.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly state the two reasons—the strong scent of the myrtle and the thickness of the bushes—to secure maximum marks.

 

Activity-Based On Vocabulary

 

Question 1. Match the words in Columns A, B and C correctly:

A	B	C
1. white	myrtle	eyes
2. pale	little	bushes
3. thick	clean	animal
4. fat	grey	pinafore

Answer:
1. white – clean – pinafore
2. pale – grey – eyes
3. thick – myrtle – bushes
4. fat – little – animal.
These combinations perfectly describe the characters and settings from the story.
In simple words: This matching activity pairs describing words with the correct objects or characters from the story.

🎯 Exam Tip: Double-check each connection to ensure the adjectives match the correct nouns as described in the lesson.

 

Do As Directed

p>Question 1. The scent of the myrtle was so strong that the wolf could not sniff out where Bertha was hiding. (Rewrite using ‘too … to …’.)
Answer: The scent of the myrtle was too strong for the wolf to sniff out where Bertha was hiding. This grammatical structure helps to emphasize the extreme intensity of the scent.
In simple words: The smell of the myrtle bushes was so powerful that it completely blocked the wolf's ability to find Bertha.

🎯 Exam Tip: When rewriting sentences with 'too... to', ensure that the negative meaning of 'could not' is correctly preserved without using the word 'not'.

 

Question 2. She managed to reach a shrubbery of myrtle bushes and she hid herself in one of the thickest of the bushes. (Rewrite as a simple sentence.)
Answer: Managing to reach a shrubbery of myrtle bushes, she hid herself in one of the thickest of the bushes. Using a participle clause like 'Managing to reach' is an excellent way to combine two actions into one cohesive simple sentence.
In simple words: By reaching the thick myrtle bushes, she was able to hide herself safely inside them.

🎯 Exam Tip: To convert a compound sentence into a simple sentence, change one of the main verbs into a participle (like 'managing') to eliminate the coordinating conjunction 'and'.

Personal Response

 

Question 1. Do you like Bertha? Why?
Answer: No, I don’t like Bertha. She is too good to be true. She also knows that she is good and she is proud of this fact. This makes her irritating and horrible. Her constant self-righteous attitude prevents her from being a truly likable character.
In simple words: I do not like Bertha because she is overly perfect and acts very proud of her goodness, which makes her annoying.

🎯 Exam Tip: For personal response questions, always state your opinion clearly ('Yes' or 'No') first, and then provide logical reasons from the text to support your view.

Who Said the Following:

 

Question 1. Unhappy woman!
Answer: the bachelor. He said this in response to the aunt's inability to manage or entertain the children on the train.
In simple words: The bachelor said this to describe the aunt who was struggling to keep the children quiet.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to dialogue tags and character interactions in the story to easily identify who spoke each line.

 

Question 2. The story began badly.
Answer: the bigger of the small girls. She was quick to express her critical opinion about the aunt's uninteresting storytelling.
In simple words: The older girl said this because she did not like how the aunt started her story.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember which child asks which question or makes which comment during the train journey to score full marks.

 

Question 3. A most improper story.
Answer: the aunt. She strongly disapproved of the bachelor's story because it did not have a traditional moral ending.
In simple words: The aunt said this because she felt the bachelor's story about Bertha was not appropriate for children.

🎯 Exam Tip: Identify the characters' moral stances; the aunt always prefers traditional, moralistic stories, while the bachelor tells unconventional ones.

 

Question 4. I kept them quiet for ten minutes.
Answer: The bachelor said this, proud of his storytelling ability.
In simple words: This line was spoken by the bachelor. He was pleased that his story successfully kept the children silent for a short while.

🎯 Exam Tip: Identify the speaker of the quote accurately by recalling key events from the story.

Complex Factual Activity

 

Question 1. What gave Bertha away and how did she meet her end?
Answer: The clinking of her medals gave Bertha away. The wolf dashed into the bush in which she was hiding, dragged her out and devoured her to the last morsel. Her clean habits and good conduct ultimately led to her tragic fate.
In simple words: Bertha hid in a bush, but her metal medals clinked together and made noise. The wolf heard this, found her, and ate her completely.

🎯 Exam Tip: When answering two-part questions, ensure you address both parts: what revealed her location and what happened to her next.

 

Question 2. What impact did the story have on the children?
Answer: The children loved the story and said it was the most beautiful story they had ever heard. It had also kept them quiet for the remainder of the train journey. They found the unconventional ending highly entertaining.
In simple words: The children really enjoyed the story because it was different and interesting. It kept them completely silent for the rest of their train ride.

🎯 Exam Tip: Highlight the children's reaction and the practical effect of the story (keeping them quiet) to get full marks.

 

Question 3. Why was their aunt annoyed with the bachelor?
Answer: Their aunt had probably always been telling the children the advantages of having a good moral character. Now, in the bachelor’s story, the extremely good Bertha had met a terrible end. So the aunt was annoyed with the bachelor for undermining the effect of years of her careful teaching. She felt his story set a bad example for the young minds.
In simple words: The aunt always taught the kids that being good brings rewards. But in the bachelor's story, the good girl got eaten by a wolf, which ruined the aunt's lessons.

🎯 Exam Tip: Explain the conflict between the aunt's traditional moral teaching and the bachelor's realistic, dark story.

Activities Based On Vocabulary

 

Question 1. List all the verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’ from the passage.
Answer: Verbs related to ‘say’ or ‘tell’: said, observed. These verbs help show how characters communicate in the narrative.
In simple words: The words 'said' and 'observed' are used in the story to show when someone is speaking or sharing an idea.

🎯 Exam Tip: Scan the passage carefully to find all synonyms or related words for communication verbs.

Question 2. Pick out at least six abstract nouns from the passage :
Answer: Abstract nouns are: obedience, conduct, punctuality, ferocity, triumph, goodness, (decision, opinion). These words represent ideas, qualities, or states rather than concrete objects.
In simple words: Abstract nouns are words for feelings, ideas, or qualities that you cannot touch or see, like goodness or obedience.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember that abstract nouns cannot be detected by our five senses; they represent concepts and feelings.

Activities Based on Contextual Grammar

 

Question 1. Find example/examples of the following punctuation marks from the story and copy the ! sentence in which they are used: semi-colon
Answer:
1. The wolf was just moving away, when he heard the sound of the medals clinking and stopped to listen;
2. “Unhappy woman!” he observed to himself as he walked down the platform of Templecombe station. These examples show how punctuation helps to structure sentences and convey emotions clearly.
In simple words: A semi-colon is used to link two closely related ideas in a single sentence, while an exclamation mark shows strong feelings.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to punctuation marks like semi-colons and exclamation marks when reading, as they help you understand the flow and tone of the story.

 

Question 2. Rewrite the following as indirect speech:
“Unhappy woman!” he observed to himself.
Answer: He observed to himself that she was an unhappy woman. This conversion changes the direct exclamation into a reported statement.
In simple words: Indirect speech is when we report what someone said without using their exact words or quotation marks.

🎯 Exam Tip: When converting exclamations to indirect speech, remove the exclamation mark and use reporting verbs like 'observed' or 'exclaimed'.

Simple Activities

 

Question 1. Punctuate:
it is the only beautiful story ive ever heard said cyril
Answer: “It is the only beautiful story I’ve ever heard,” said Cyril. Proper punctuation ensures the dialogue is easy to read and grammatically correct.
In simple words: We add quotation marks around the words Cyril spoke, capitalize the first letter, and add an apostrophe in "I've".

🎯 Exam Tip: Always remember to capitalize proper nouns like 'Cyril' and use apostrophes for contractions like 'I've'.

 

Question 2. Make a meaningful sentence using the phrase ‘from a great distance’.
Answer: The frightened king watched the lion from a great distance. This sentence clearly illustrates the meaning of the phrase by showing how far away the king stood.
In simple words: We use the phrase to show that someone is looking at or doing something from very far away.

🎯 Exam Tip: When making sentences with a given phrase, ensure the sentence has a clear subject and verb so that it makes complete sense.

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Question 3. Spot the error and correct the sentence:
So many people would has decided the other way.
Answer: So many people would have decided the other way. We always use the base form 'have' after modal auxiliary verbs like 'would'.
In simple words: The word 'would' is a helper verb that always pairs with 'have' instead of 'has' when talking about the past. So, 'would has' is incorrect and must be changed to 'would have'.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always look at the helping verb after modal auxiliaries like 'would', 'should', or 'could'—they are always followed by the base form 'have', never 'has'.

 

Question 4. Pick out the infinitive in the given sentence and use it in a sentence of your own:
She had meant to keep her promise.
Answer: Infinitive: to keep
Sentence: The maid was not allowed to keep the clothes in the cupboard. An infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by 'to' and functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
In simple words: An infinitive is just the word 'to' followed by an action word, like 'to keep'. You can use it to show purpose or intention in your own sentences.

🎯 Exam Tip: When asked to find an infinitive, look for the pattern 'to + verb' and ensure you write both words down, not just the verb.

 

Question 5. Identify the type of sentence:
Why weren’t there any flowers?
Answer: Interrogative sentence. This sentence asks a direct question and ends with a question mark.
In simple words: This is a question sentence because it asks something and ends with a question mark. In grammar, we call these interrogative sentences.

🎯 Exam Tip: Look for the question mark at the end of the sentence to easily identify it as an interrogative sentence.

 

Question 6. Find out two hidden words from the word ‘belongings’.
Answer: belongings – belong, longing (going, single). Hidden words must be formed using the letters present in the main word.
In simple words: You can find smaller words hidden inside a bigger word by looking at the letters. For example, 'belong' and 'longing' are both found inside 'belongings'.

🎯 Exam Tip: Make sure the hidden words you find are real, meaningful words and use only the letters available in the main word.

 

Question 7. Form the present and past participle of a verb in which the last letter is doubled.
Answer: excel – excelled, excelling. When a verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern with stress on the final syllable, we double the final consonant before adding -ed or -ing.
In simple words: For some verbs like 'excel', we double the last letter 'l' when we write them in the past tense ('excelled') or continuous tense ('excelling').

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember the consonant-vowel-consonant rule to know when to double the last letter before adding '-ed' or '-ing'.

 

Question 8. Write the given words in alphabetical order: approval, animals, enormous, beautiful
Answer: animals, approval, beautiful, enormous. To arrange words alphabetically, compare their first letters, and if they are the same, compare the subsequent letters.
In simple words: To put words in alphabetical order, we look at their first letters like in the ABCs. Since 'animals' and 'approval' both start with 'a', we look at the second letters 'n' and 'p' to see which comes first.

🎯 Exam Tip: When two words start with the same letter, always compare the second or third letters carefully to get the correct order.

 

Medium-Level Activities:

 

Question 1. Use the word ‘rage’ in two separate sentences, the word having different meanings (homographs) :
Answer:
(a) Thick denims soon became a great rage all over the world.
(b) She walked off the stage in a rage.
In simple words: The word "rage" can mean a popular fashion trend, or it can mean extreme anger.

🎯 Exam Tip: When writing sentences for homographs, make sure the context of each sentence clearly shows the different meanings of the word.

 

Question 2. “The story began badly,” said the smaller of the small girls. (Rewrite using indirect speech.)
Answer: The smaller of the small girls said that the story had begun badly. This shift in tense correctly reflects the rules of reported speech.
In simple words: To change this to indirect speech, we remove the quotation marks and change the past tense "began" to the past perfect "had begun".

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember to change the simple past tense inside direct speech to past perfect tense when converting to indirect speech.

 

Question 3. She had meant to keep her promise. (Use the present tense of the verb.)
Answer: She means to keep her promise. This alteration updates the action to the present moment.
In simple words: We change the past perfect verb "had meant" to the simple present verb "means" to show she wants to keep her promise right now.

🎯 Exam Tip: Identify the main verb first, then change its form to match the requested tense while keeping the subject-verb agreement correct.

 

Question 4. Everybody talked about her goodness. (Change the voice beginning ‘Her….’.)
Answer: Her goodness was talked about by everybody. This passive construction shifts the focus to her qualities.
In simple words: We change the active sentence to passive voice by starting with "Her goodness" and using "was talked about" to show the action was done to it.

🎯 Exam Tip: When changing active voice to passive voice, ensure the preposition (like "about") remains attached to the verb.

 

Challenging Activities

 

Question 1. Use the word ‘park’ in two separate sentences, once as a noun and once as a verb :
Answer:
(a) Children love going to the park to play. (noun)
(b) The driver was looking for a place to park the car. (verb)
In simple words: As a noun, "park" is a place where people go to play, and as a verb, "park" means to leave a vehicle in a specific spot.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly label which sentence uses the word as a noun and which uses it as a verb to make it easy for the examiner to grade.

 

Question 2. Use the words ‘immense’ and ‘beautiful’ in a single sentence of your own.
Answer: The immense mountain had beautiful flowers on its slopes, creating a breathtaking view for all the hikers.
In simple words: This means making one sentence that contains both the word 'immense' (which means very big) and 'beautiful' (which means pretty).

🎯 Exam Tip: Make sure the sentence is grammatically correct and clearly shows you understand the meaning of both words.