CBSE Class 7 English My Grandfather Worksheet

SECTION A - READING

A1. Read the following passage and answer the following questions:

My Grandmother

My grandmother and I were good friends. My parents left me with her when they went to live in the city and we were constantly together. She used to wake me up in the morning and get ready for school. She said her morning prayers in a monotonous singsong while she bathed and dressed me in the hope that I would listen and get to know it by heart; I listened it because I loved her voice but never bothered to learn it. Then she would fetch my wooden slate which she had already washed and plastered with yellow chalk, a tiny earthen ink-pot and a red pen, tie them all in a bundle and hand it to me. After a breakfast of a thick, stale, chapatti with a little butter and a sugar spread on it, we went to school. She carried several stale chapattis with her for the village dogs.

My grandmother always went to school with me because the school was attached to the temple. The priest taught us the alphabets and the morning prayer. While the children sat in rows on either side of the verandah singing the alphabet or in chorus, my grandmother sat inside reading the scriptures. When we had both finished, we would walk back together. This time the village dogs would meet us at the temple door. They followed us to our home growling and fighting with each other for the chapattis we threw to them.

Khushwant Singh

Question Q1.1. Read the following summary of the passage and fill in each of the spaces with one word only.
Khushwant Singh and his grandmother lived in a ________. Every morning she would say her ________ in a singsong hoping that the boy would also ________ it .Then she would get ready him for school. This school was attached to a temple .After ________ the two would leave home together. While the temple ________ taught the boys ,the old lady sat inside reading the ________ . Then after school , they would come back home together .
Answer: Khushwant Singh and his grandmother lived in a city. Every morning she would say her prayers in a singsong hoping that the boy would also learn it. Then she would get ready him for school. This school was attached to a temple. After breakfast the two would leave home together. While the temple priest taught the boys, the old lady sat inside reading the scriptures. Then after school, they would come back home together.
In simple words: The summary states that Khushwant Singh lived with his grandmother in the city, she prayed daily, walked him to the temple school where he studied and she read holy books, and then they returned home together.

Exam Tip: Always refer back to the exact sentences in the passage to find the precise missing vocabulary words for fill-in-the-blank summaries.

Question Q1.2(a). Why did the grandmother say her morning prayers loudly?
Answer: The grandmother said her morning prayers in a monotonous singsong while bathing and dressing the author in the hope that he would listen and get to know the prayers by heart.
In simple words: She prayed aloud so that the young author would hear it repeatedly and memorize it.

Exam Tip: Focus on the author's stated reason in the text: "in the hope that I would listen and get to know it by heart."

Question Q1.2(b). What was Khushwant Singh given for breakfast?
Answer: Khushwant Singh was given a thick, stale chapatti with a little butter and sugar spread on it for breakfast.
In simple words: He ate a stale chapatti covered with butter and sugar.

Exam Tip: Include all descriptive adjectives used in the text (thick, stale, butter, sugar) for a complete answer.

Question Q1.2(c). Why did the grandmother always accompany Khushwant Singh to school?
Answer: The grandmother always accompanied Khushwant Singh to school because the school was attached to the temple, where the priest taught children and she could sit inside reading the scriptures.
In simple words: She went with him because the school was next to a temple where she could read holy books.

Question Q1.2(d). Who taught the boys? What were they taught?

Answer: The temple priest taught the boys. They were taught the alphabet and the morning prayer.
In simple words: The priest taught the children their letters and morning prayers.
Exam Tip: Keep the answer direct by answering both parts of the compound question clearly.

Question Q1.3. Below you can see some headings. Choose the best heading for the paragraphs indicated below.
Paragraph 1: ________
Paragraph 2: ________
Answer: Paragraph 1: GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL (or THE MORNING PRAYERS / THE BREAKFAST)
Paragraph 2: ACTIVITIES AT SCHOOL (or READING THE SCRIPUTERS / FEEDING THE DOGS)
In simple words: Match each paragraph to the main activity described in it - getting ready in the first paragraph and school/temple activities in the second.

Exam Tip: Select the most encompassing heading from the provided bubble options in the worksheet.

A2. Read the following poem carefully and answer the questions that follow:

The centipede
The little creature
With a hundred feet
Was on its journey
To where
Only it knew.
My civilized foot
Dressed in polished leather
Came down upon it
Ever so gently
There was only a soft sound
Signifying
The end
Of a creature of God
My maker.
I looked to see
If my sole was soiled
And walked away

Chandak Chatterji

Question Q2.1. Below you can see a page from the poet's diary which summarizes the events in the poem. Fill in the blank with one word only.
Today I had an important meeting, so I dressed my best clothes and ________ my shoes until they were shining. On my way to the meeting, I stepped on a centipede, a ________ little thing, with so ________ legs. I wondered where it was going. I wasn't walking fast so I could have stepped very ________ on it, but there was a ________ sound and I knew I had killed it. I checked immediately to see if there was any ________ on my shoes; I was worried about my appearance in the meeting. Still it seemed strange that the ________ who made me also made such a tiny ________.
Answer: Today I had an important meeting, so I dressed my best clothes and polished my shoes until they were shining. On my way to the meeting, I stepped on a centipede, a little little thing, with so many legs. I wondered where it was going. I wasn't walking fast so I could have stepped very gently on it, but there was a soft sound and I knew I had killed it. I checked immediately to see if there was any dirt (or *soil*) on my shoes; I was worried about my appearance in the meeting. Still it seemed strange that the Maker (or *God*) who made me also made such a tiny creature.
In simple words: This diary entry retells the poem where the speaker accidentally steps on a centipede while dressed up for a meeting, checks if his shoe is dirty, and reflects on God's creation.

Exam Tip: Use words directly from the poem (such as polished, gently, soft, maker, creature) to accurately complete diary summaries.