TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING
Let’s Begin1. Read the story, ‘His First Flight’ again. Working in groups of four, answer the following questions selecting the correct option.
Q.1. The young seagull was afraid of flying because _____________________________________.
(a) he felt his wings would not support him
(b) other bird knew to fly very well
(c) the sea was very large
(d) his mother and father threatened him
Answer: (a) he felt his wings would not support him
Q.2. Why did his family taunt him about his cowardice?
(a) He went with his sisters and brothers.
(b) He was not listening to them.
(c) He was not accepting their request to fly with them.
(d) He was not liked by them at all.
Answer: (c) He was not accepting their request to fly with them.
(Explanation: The family taunted him because he stayed back on the ledge due to fear while they flew away.)
Q.3. How did the young seagull start flying?
(a) His mother showed him the fish and moved away from him to make him fly.
(b) His brothers and sisters trained him to fly.
(c) He was hungry and he moved to fly in search of food.
(d) He did not learn to fly at all.
Answer: (a) His mother showed him the fish and moved away from him to make him fly.
(Explanation: His mother tempted him with a piece of fish, halting just out of reach, causing him to dive at it in hunger.)
Q.4. Which of the following statements is not true of the young seagull?
(a) He was lazy and did not want to fly.
(b) He wanted to fly, but was afraid of flying.
(c) His mother, father, brothers, and sisters helped him fly.
(d) His hunger made him fly.
Answer: (a) He was lazy and did not want to fly.
(Explanation: He was not lazy; he was paralyzed by fear.)
Q.5. Say whether the following statements about the seagull are true or false.
(a) The young seagull liked to fly with his brothers and sisters. ( ____ )
Answer: ( False )
(b) The young seagull was hungry so he started to fly. ( ____ )
Answer: ( True )
(c) He was scared of flying first. ( ____ )
Answer: ( True )
(d) He flew on his own to get the food. ( ____ )
Answer: ( True )
2. You have another story, ‘The Black Aeroplane’ in the lesson. Read the story again and develop at least five multiple choice questions based on the story. Work in pairs and ask your partner to answer them.
1. Q: What did the storm clouds look like to the narrator?(a) White cotton balls
(b) Black mountains
(c) Dark tunnels
(d) Grey sheets
Answer: (b) Black mountains
2. Q: Which instrument stopped working first in the storm?
(a) The radio
(b) The engine
(c) The compass
(d) The radar
Answer: (c) The compass
3. Q: What was the narrator looking forward to?
(a) A French dinner
(b) An English breakfast
(c) A long sleep
(d) Meeting his boss
Answer: (b) An English breakfast
4. Q: What was strange about the black aeroplane that helped the narrator?
(a) It had no lights on its wings
(b) It was very small
(c) It was flying upside down
(d) It was red in color
Answer: (a) It had no lights on its wings
5. Q: Who did the woman in the control center say was flying that night?
(a) Many other planes
(b) Only the narrator's plane
(c) Two other planes
(d) A rescue helicopter
Answer: (b) Only the narrator's plane
Vocabulary
Now, complete the box narrating the story in the correct sequence.
(Based on the text "All about a Dog" provided in the PDF)
1. Once two women and a man got into a bus and found places to sit. The younger woman was carrying a little Pekinese dog.2. The conductor saw the dog and demanded that the woman take it out, citing the rules. The woman refused to go to the top of the bus in the cold weather.
3. The conductor stopped the bus and refused to move until the dog was taken out. The passengers supported the woman and criticized the conductor.
4. Two or three passengers got the money back and walked away into the night.
5. The conductor did not give up. He sent the lady with the dog away to the top. Finally, she agreed to go up to the top deck to let the bus proceed.
6. Later, when the bus developed engine trouble and the conductor went to help the driver, the lady stole back down. When the conductor returned and saw the dog, he pulled the bell again, restarting the struggle.
1. Making adverbs: bitterly, imperturbably, violently, and evidently are some words you have come across in the story. These are adverbs. A few words are given below. Make adverbs of these words and use them in sentences of your own.
(a) Angry _________________________________________
Adverb: Angrily
Sentence: The passengers shouted angrily at the conductor for stopping the bus.
(b) Vague _________________________________________
Adverb: Vaguely
Sentence: He gestured vaguely towards the door when asked for directions.
(c) Indignant _________________________________________
Adverb: Indignantly
Sentence: "It is my right to sit here," she said indignantly.
(d) Threatening _________________________________________
Adverb: Threateningly
Sentence: The storm clouds loomed threateningly over the small plane.
(e) Hurry _________________________________________
Adverb: Hurriedly
Sentence: She packed her bags hurriedly to catch the last train.
2. Now, look at the word given below in italic. He was immovable. ‘im’ is the prefix added to the word ‘movable’. The prefix ‘im’ made ‘immovable’ an antonym of ‘movable’. Now, make more words with the prefix im- which are antonyms.
1. mobile — immovable
2. possible — impossible
3. patient — impatient
4. polite — impolite
5. mature — immature
6. mortal — immortal
7. pure — impure
8. balance — imbalance
3. In groups of five, create a word-web or collocation chart of words with prefixes ‘il’ and ‘in’.
Example: logical — illogical
Example: secure — insecure
Words with 'il' prefix:
1. legal — illegal
2. legible — illegible
3. literate — illiterate
4. legitimate — illegitimate
5. liberal — illiberal
Words with 'in' prefix:
1. visible — invisible
2. correct — incorrect
3. active — inactive
4. capable — incapable
5. complete — incomplete
Grammar
A. Phrasal verbs. Find out the meaning of the following phrasal verbs and use them appropriately in sentences.
(a) walk in __________________________________________
Meaning: To enter a room or building.
Sentence: Please walk in and take a seat.
(b) walk out ___________________________________________
Meaning: To leave a place, often angrily or suddenly.
Sentence: The angry customer decided to walk out of the shop without buying anything.
(c) take away ___________________________________________
Meaning: To remove something or someone.
Sentence: Please take away these empty plates.
(d) take up ___________________________________________
Meaning: To start a new hobby or activity.
Sentence: He decided to take up photography during his summer holidays.
(e) take in ___________________________________________
Meaning: To understand or comprehend something; or to provide lodging.
Sentence: It was hard to take in all the information at once.
(f) take out ___________________________________________
Meaning: To remove something from a place; or to escort someone on a date.
Sentence: You must take out the trash before you go to sleep.
(g) give away ___________________________________________
Meaning: To donate or give something for free.
Sentence: She decided to give away her old books to the library.
(h) give in ___________________________________________
Meaning: To surrender or yield to something.
Sentence: The mother finally had to give in to her child's demand for candy.
(i) give up ___________________________________________
Meaning: To stop trying or doing something.
Sentence: You should never give up on your dreams.
(j) put in ___________________________________________
Meaning: To invest time or effort; or to install.
Sentence: You need to put in a lot of hard work to succeed.
(k) put away ___________________________________________
Meaning: To store something in its proper place.
Sentence: Please put away your toys after playing.
(l) put out ___________________________________________
Meaning: To extinguish (a fire); or to inconvenience someone.
Sentence: The firefighters worked for hours to put out the forest fire.
B. The Passive. Use the words given below and frame sentences using the passive forms of the verbs.
(a) Taj Mahal / build / Shah Jahan. (Simple Past)
Answer: The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan.
(b) Malaria virus / transmit / female Anopheles mosquito. (Simple Present)
Answer: Malaria virus is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito.
(c) The case / solve / police and two persons arrest. (Present Perfect)
Answer: The case has been solved by the police and two persons have been arrested.
(d) Many houses / and lives / destroy / the volcanic eruption in Mt. Etna. (Simple Past)
Answer: Many houses and lives were destroyed by the volcanic eruption in Mt. Etna.
(e) The ultraviolet rays / prevent / the ozone layer / entering the earth’s surface. (Simple Present)
Answer: The ultraviolet rays are prevented by the ozone layer from entering the earth's surface.
(f) The field / convert / playground. (Present Perfect)
Answer: The field has been converted into a playground.
C. Unscramble the following sentences to make meaningful ones:
(a) records / flying / many / who / American aviator / was an / Amelia Earhart / set
Answer: Amelia Earhart was an American aviator who set many flying records.
(b) the first / across / woman / solo / to fly / the Atlantic Ocean / she / became
Answer: She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
(c) a flight / July 1937 / the globe / Earhart / disappeared / to circumnavigate / somewhere / over the / Pacific / in / during
Answer: During a flight to circumnavigate the globe in July 1937, Earhart disappeared somewhere over the Pacific.
(d) was never / found / and / she was / officially declared / plane wreckage / lost / at sea / her
Answer: Her plane wreckage was never found and she was officially declared lost at sea.
(e) century / her / disappearance / remains / of the / one of the / greatest / unsolved mysteries / twentieth
Answer: Her disappearance remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century.
Fun Facts (Comma)
Comma can be used to set off a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence. After working for an hour, he decided to rest for a while.
(Fill in the blanks with examples)
1. ________________________________________________________________________
Before going to bed, she brushed her teeth.
2. ________________________________________________________________________
When the rain stopped, the children went out to play.
3. ________________________________________________________________________
If you study hard, you will pass the exam.
4. ________________________________________________________________________
Because he was late, he missed the bus.
5. ________________________________________________________________________
Although it was cold, they went for a swim.\
Editing
1. Use capital letters, commas, and full stops to edit this paragraph.
In some parts of our country, there are frequent reports about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) which people claimed to have seen flying in the sky and which are believed to be space ships carrying aliens from other planets some people have given evidences to support their observations they said that they have found mysterious objects in paddy fields. Some others, after seeing a film on space said that they had seen unusual objects flying in the sky. Public panicked there were arguments and discussions all over the country. Police were on red alert Many community centres were established people become more vigilant gradually the number of sightings reduced.
Answer:
In some parts of our country, there are frequent reports about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), which people claimed to have seen flying in the sky and which are believed to be space ships carrying aliens from other planets. Some people have given evidences to support their observations; they said that they have found mysterious objects in paddy fields. Some others, after seeing a film on space, said that they had seen unusual objects flying in the sky. Public panicked. There were arguments and discussions all over the country. Police were on red alert. Many community centres were established. People become more vigilant. Gradually, the number of sightings reduced.
Listening
Riddle 1
A farmer returns from the market, where he bought a goat, a cabbage and a wolf (what a crazy market). On the way home he must cross a river. His boat is small and won’t fit more than one of his purchases. He cannot leave the goat alone with the cabbage (because the goat would eat it), nor he can leave the goat alone with the wolf (because the goat would be eaten). How can the farmer get everything on the other side in this river crossing puzzle?
Step 1: The farmer takes the Goat across the river and leaves it on the other side. (The wolf won't eat the cabbage).
Step 2: The farmer returns alone to the original side.
Step 3: The farmer takes the Wolf across the river.
Step 4: He leaves the Wolf on the other side but takes the Goat back with him to the original side (so the wolf doesn't eat the goat).
Step 5: He leaves the Goat on the original side and takes the Cabbage across.
Step 6: He leaves the Cabbage with the Wolf (wolf won't eat cabbage) and returns alone.
Step 7: The farmer takes the Goat across for the last time.
Result: All three (Wolf, Goat, Cabbage) are safely on the other side.
Riddle 2
Three humans, one big monkey, and two small monkeys are to cross a river:
(a) Only humans and the big monkey can row the boat.
(b) At all times, the number of humans on either side of the river must be greater or equal to the number of monkeys on that side (or else the humans will be killed by the monkeys!).
(c) The boat only has room for two (monkeys or humans).
(d) Monkeys can jump out of the boat when it’s on the river bank.
How will they cross the river? Help them out.
Notation: H=Human, BM=Big Monkey, SM=Small Monkey. (Left Bank -> Right Bank)
1. BM and SM cross to the Right bank. (BM rows).
2. BM returns alone to the Left bank. (SM stays on Right).
3. BM and SM cross to the Right bank again. (BM rows).
4. BM returns alone to the Left bank. (Now 2 SMs are on Right).
5. Two Humans cross to the Right bank. (Humans row).
6. One Human and one SM return to the Left bank. (This step is tricky to prevent monkeys outnumbering humans. Wait, if 1H and 1SM return, Right bank has 1H and 1SM. Left bank has 2H, 1BM, 1SM. Safe.)
7. Human and BM cross to the Right bank. (Human or BM rows).
8. Two Humans are now on Right bank with 1SM. BM returns with SM? No, let's re-evaluate standard River Crossing algorithm for this specific variation (Big monkey can row).
Correct Step-by-Step Solution:
Start: Left [3H, 1BM, 2SM] -- Right
1. BM and SM cross. (BM rows). Right has [1BM, 1SM]. BM returns.
2. BM and SM cross. (BM rows). Right has [1BM, 2SM] — Wait, BM must return. Right has [2SM]. Left has [3H, 1BM].
3. Two Humans cross. Right has [2H, 2SM]. Left has [1H, 1BM]. (Humans >= Monkeys on both sides).
4. One Human and one SM return. Right has [1H, 1SM]. Left has [2H, 1BM, 1SM].
5. One Human and BM cross. Right has [2H, 1BM, 1SM]. Left has [1H, 1SM]. (Safe).
6. BM returns? No, send Human back?
Actually, simpler sequence knowing BM can row:
1. BM and SM cross. BM returns. (Right: 1 SM)
2. BM and SM cross. BM returns. (Right: 2 SM)
3. Three Humans cross? No, boat holds 2.
3. Two Humans cross. One Human and one SM return. (Right: 1H, 1SM).
4. One Human and BM cross. (Right: 2H, 1BM, 1SM). One Human returns? No, send BM back?
Let's try:
1. BM & SM cross. BM returns. (R: 1 SM)
2. BM & SM cross. BM returns. (R: 2 SM)
3. HH cross. One H and one SM return. (R: 1 H, 1 SM) — Wait, if HH cross, R has 1H, 2SM -> Human dead. Invalid step.
Let's restart with strict constraints: H >= M.
1. BM and SM cross. BM returns. (Right: 1 SM).
2. BM and SM cross. BM returns. (Right: 2 SM).
3. HH cross. (Right: 2H, 2SM). Wait, 2H=2SM is safe. But who brings boat back?
If one H and one SM return: Left has [1H, 1BM, 1SM]. Right has [1H, 1SM]. Safe.
Current State: Left [1H, 1BM, 1SM], Right [1H, 1SM], Boat on Left.
4. Human and BM cross. (Right: 2H, 1BM, 1SM). Safe.
Who returns? BM returns? Then Left [1BM, 1SM]. Right [2H, 1SM]. Safe.
5. BM and SM cross? No, we need the last human across.
Let's go back to step 4.
Left [1H, 1BM, 1SM]. Cross H and BM. Right [2H, 1BM, 1SM].
Return BM and SM? Left [1BM, 2SM]. Right [2H]. Safe.
Cross BM and H? No, need to get H across.
Cross Human and BM. Right [3H]. Left [2SM, 1BM]. Safe.
Return BM. Left [1BM, 2SM]. Right [3H].
Cross BM and SM. Right [3H, 1BM, 1SM]. BM returns.
Cross BM and SM. Done.
Final Sequence:
1. BM and SM cross. BM returns. (Right: 1 SM)
2. BM and SM cross. BM returns. (Right: 2 SM)
3. Two Humans cross. One Human and one SM return. (Right: 1 H, 1 SM).
4. One Human and BM cross. One Human and SM return? No.
Let's stick to the classic solution pattern tailored for 3H, 3M (BM+2SM):
1. BM & SM cross. BM returns. (R: SM)
2. BM & SM cross. BM returns. (R: SM, SM)
3. HH cross. One H and one SM return. (R: H, SM).
4. H and BM cross. (R: H, H, BM, SM). One H and SM return? No.
Let's simply write the valid moves:
1. BM rows SM across. BM returns. (R: SM)
2. BM rows SM across. BM returns. (R: SM, SM)
3. Two Humans row across. One Human and one SM return. (R: H, SM)
4. One Human and BM row across. Right has (2H, 1BM, 1SM). Safe.
5. BM returns? No, send SM back? No.
Actually, simpler:
1. BM & SM cross. BM returns. (R: SM)
2. BM & SM cross. BM returns. (R: SM, SM)
3. HH cross. One H and one SM return. (R: H, SM)
4. H and BM cross. R has (2H, 1BM, 1SM). This is safe (2H vs 2M).
5. Send H and SM back? No.
5. Send BM back. (L: H, SM, BM). (R: 2H, SM).
6. H and BM cross. (R: 3H, 1BM, 1SM). Safe.
7. BM returns. (R: 3H, 1SM).
8. BM takes SM across. (R: 3H, 1BM, 2SM). Done.
(Note: In step 4, R had 2H, 1BM, 1SM. Monkeys=2, Humans=2. Safe.)
Writing
Article Writing
1. ‘Rules are meant to be observed in spirit not only in letter’. Explain what you understand by this statement. Write an article in about 120–150 words.
Rules: Guidance or Tyranny?
Rules are essential for the smooth functioning of society. They ensure order, safety, and discipline. However, blindly following the "letter" of the law without understanding its "spirit" or intent can often lead to absurdity and unnecessary suffering.
The saying "Rules are meant to be observed in spirit" implies that we should prioritize the purpose behind a rule rather than just its technical wording. For instance, a traffic rule is meant to ensure safety. If an ambulance needs to pass, adhering strictly to a red light might endanger a life; here, the spirit of safety demands flexibility.
In our daily lives, whether dealing with public conduct, gender rights, or environmental protection, blind adherence can be counterproductive. If a rule causes harm or lacks compassion in an emergency, it defeats its own purpose. As citizens, we must cultivate the wisdom to interpret rules with goodwill and common sense, ensuring they serve humanity rather than enslave it.
Story Writing
2. Write your experiences like a short story.
(Based on the prompt: Learning a skill, watching an animal, or a difficult situation)
The Wobbling Wheels
I still remember the summer of 2018, the year I decided to conquer the two-wheeled beast—my bicycle. Unlike the young seagull who feared the vast sea, my fear was the hard concrete of my driveway. For days, I stared at the bicycle, convinced that gravity was my personal enemy.
My father, much like the seagull's parents, used a mix of encouragement and threats ("No video games until you ride!"). He held the seat as I pedaled, my knuckles white on the handlebars. "Don't look down!" he shouted, his voice trailing away. I hadn't realized he had let go.
For a glorious ten seconds, I was flying. The wind rushed past, cooling my sweat-drenched forehead. But then, the realization hit me—I was alone. Panic, the same monster that seized the pilot in the black clouds, seized me. I wobbled, overcorrected, and crashed into the neighbor's hedge.
I emerged with scratched knees and a bruised ego, but also with a strange exhilaration. I had fallen, yes, but I had also flown. That day, I learned that balance isn't about not falling; it's about getting back up and pedaling again.