Maharashtra Board Class 9 English Unit Four Chapter 4.2 The Storyteller PDF Download

The Storyteller

Warming Up

Short stories are of many types. Match the type of story in column A with its description in column B.

Teacher's Note

Different stories teach us different things. In India, we have Panchatantra stories which are fables with animal characters that teach us good lessons.

Exam Trick

Remember: Fable = animals. Myth = old gods and godesses. Fairy tale = magic and supernatural things. This helps you match quickly!

Points to Remember

Stories come in many types based on their message and characters.
Fables use animals to teach lessons about right and wrong.
Myths are very old stories about gods and goddesses.
Fairy tales have magic and supernatural things.
Each story type teaches us something special about life.

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

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 foot prints in the sand; one belonged to him and the other, to God.

After the last scene flashed, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He observed that many times along the path of his life there had been only one set of footprints and that it 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 will 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."

Teacher's Note

This beautiful story teaches us that God is always with us, even when we feel alone. It is like how your mother helps you when you are sad and cannot walk forward by yourself.

Exam Trick

Remember: Past tense = ed ending or irregular verbs like "was", "had". Present perfect = has/have + past participle. Look at the sentence time to choose the right verb form.

Points to Remember

Verbs must match the time of the story.
Past events need past tense verbs.
Read the full sentence to understand what time is needed.
Some verbs are irregular and do not follow the ed rule.
Always check your verb forms before you write answers.

The Storyteller

It was a hot afternoon, and the railway carriage was correspondingly sultry, and the next stop was at Templecombe, nearly an hour ahead. The occupants of the carriage were a small girl, and a smaller girl, and a small boy. Their aunt occupied one corner seat, and the further corner seat on the opposite side was occupied by a bachelor who was a stranger to their party, but the small girls and the small boy emphatically occupied the compartment. Both the aunt and the children were conversational in a limited, persistent way, reminding one of the attentions of a housefly that refuses to be discouraged. Most of the aunt's remarks seemed to begin with 'Don't,' and nearly all of the children's remarks began with 'Why?' The bachelor said nothing out loud.

"Don't, Cyril, don't," exclaimed the aunt, as the small boy began smacking the cushions of the seat, producing a cloud of dust at each blow.

"Come and look out of the window," she added.

The child moved reluctantly to the window. "Why are those sheep being driven out of that field?" he asked.

"I expect they are being driven to another field where there is more grass," said the aunt weakly.

"But there is lots of grass in that field," protested the boy; "there's nothing else but grass there. Aunt, there's lots of grass in that field."

"Perhaps the grass in the other field is better," suggested the aunt fatuously.

"Why is it better?" came the swift, inevitable question.

"Oh, look at those cows!" exclaimed the aunt. Nearly every field along the line had contained cows or bullocks, but she spoke as though she were drawing attention to a rarity.

Teacher's Note

The aunt tries to stop the children by saying "Don't" all the time. This is like when teachers say "no running" in school - children need better reasons to behave, not just orders.

Exam Trick

Remember the character names: The aunt is not good with children. The boy Cyril asks many "Why" questions. The bachelor is quiet and watching. These details help you answer questions about the story.

Points to Remember

The aunt used the word "Don't" many times because the children were naughty.
The children asked many questions starting with "Why".
The bachelor stayed quiet and watched what was happening.
The aunt's answers were weak and not helpful.
The children and aunt were stuck in a hot train for an hour.

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