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Chapter 2.6 The Past in the Present

Chapter 2.6 The Past in the Present

Textbook Questions and Answers

Warming up:

1. We find the following in the script of a skit | or play. Rearrange the steps in these proper j order and write them down in the form of a flow chart:

Question 1.
We find the following in the script of a skit | or play. Rearrange the steps in these proper j order and write them down in the form of a flow chart:
Answer:

2. Think of a play/skit which you have seen enacted on the stage and which has impressed you. Write the following details about it.

• Name of the play/skit: ……………………………..
• Important characters: ……………………………..
• Any famous actors/actresses: ……………………………..
• Theme: ……………………………..
• Climax: ……………………………..
• Ending: ……………………………..
• Use of lights and special effects if any: ……………………………..
• Use of background music and sound effects if any: ……………………………..
• Use of sets: ……………………………..
• The costumes, make up, etc. of the characters: ……………………………..
• How well the actors present the play and behave on the stage: ……………………………..
• Your own opinion about the play: ……………………………..

Question 1.
Think of a play/skit which you have seen enacted on the stage and which has impressed you. Write the following details about it:
Answer:
1. Name of the play: Pygmalion (My Fair Lady)
2. Important characters: Professor Henry Higgins, Eliza Dolittle, Colonel Pickering, Mr. Dolittle (Eliza’s father) and Professor Higgins’ mother.
3. Any famous actors/actresses: No. The cast is made up of newcomers.

4. Theme: Bernard Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’ centres round a bet made by Professor Henry Higgins, a well-know phonetician, with his best friend Colonel Pickering. The professor states that he can change a flower girl’s entire behaviour and speech in such a way that in a few months she can be passed off as a duchess.

5. Climax: The scene between Eliza and Professor Higgins, when she throws away the jewellery he had given her, and they have a grand fight.

6. Ending: An ambiguous ending, left to the imagination of the viewer.
7. Use of lights and special effects, if any: The lights change frequently to depict various scenes and places.

8. Use of background music and sound effects, if any: This is a musical, with superb foot-tapping music and amusing lyrics. The sound effects and background music add authenticity to the market place scene, Eliza’s diction, the Professor’s anger, etc. and are excellent.

9. Use of sets: The sets change appropriately as per the needs of the play. There is not much time wasted in between acts.

10. The costumes, make-up, etc. of the characters: Excellent. The costumes of the early and mid-20th century are entrancing. The big hats with feathers, the lovely gowns, the Professor’s elaborate I suits, etc. are a sight to behold. The make-up is suitable.

11. How well the actors present the play and behave on the stage: The dialogue delivery and the movement of the actors on stage was smooth and flawless. The song-and-dance sequences were enacted perfectly.

12. Your own opinion about the play: An excellent and interesting play, with a classic British sense of humour. The characters portray this sense of humour very well. As a result, every single sentence is worth listening to, and every single song is melodious and meaningful.

3. Present these points in the form of a review, and give it a suitable title.

Question 1.
Present these points in the form of a review, and give it a suitable title.
Answer:

Review of ‘Pygmalion’ Bernard Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’ centres round a bet made by Professor Henry Higgins, a well-know phonetician, with his best friend Colonel Pickering. The professor states that he can change a flower girl’s entire behaviour and speech in such a way that in a few months she can be passed off as a duchess.

The important characters in the play are Professor Henry Higgins, Eliza Dolittle, Colonel Pickering, Mr. Dolittle (Eliza’s father) and Professor Higgins’ mother. The play has been performed by newcomers, and there are no known names. It is a musical, with superb foot-tapping music and amusing lyrics. The sound effects, sets and use of lights add authenticity to the market place scene, Eliza’s diction, the Professor’s anger, etc. and are excellent.

The climax is the scene between Eliza and Professor Higgins, where she angrily flings the jewellery he had given her, and they have a grand fight, resulting in Eliza walking off from the house. The ending is ambiguous and left to the imagination of the viewer.

The costumes of the early and mid – 20th century are entrancing. The big hats with feathers, the lovely gowns, the Professor’s elaborate suits, etc. are a sight to behold. The dialogue delivery and the movement of the actors on stage is smooth and flawless. The song- and-dance sequences are enacted perfectly.

Overall, an excellent and interesting play, with a classic British sense of humour. The characters portray this sense of humour very well. As a result, every single sentence is worth listening to, and every single song is melodious and meaningful.

4. Prepare a ‘power point’ presentation, using one slide for each of the above points. Present your review in a PPT format in the classroom.

Question 1.
Prepare a ‘power point’ presentation, using one slide for each of the above points. Present your review in a PPT format in the classroom.
Answer:
(Students can prepare the PPT in their Computer labs.)

English Workshop:

1. In the diagram below encircle the various features that make the script of a skit! play. List the other words and mention the form of writing of which it is a feature.

Question 1.
In the diagram below encircle the various features that make the script of a skit! play. List the other words and mention the form of writing of which it is a feature.
Answer:

1. Sender’s address – Part of a letter.
2. Salutation – Part of a letter.
3. Leadline – Part of a news report.
4. Diagram – Part of non-verbal communication.

2. Choose the proper alternative to complete the following:

Question i.
The skit covers a period of about ………………. in the past.
(a) 3000 years
(b) 1000 years
(c) 5000 years
(d) 1800 years
Answer:
(c) 5000 years

Question ii.
…………….. characters from Neel’s ancestral lineage make an appearance in the play.
(a) Fourteen
(b) Seven
(c) Sixteen
(d) Twelve
Answer:
(a) Fourteen

Question iii.
The task that all boys abhorred was ……………. .
(a) cleaning up their room
(b) farm-work
(c) filling up water
(d) making their beds
Answer:
(d) making their beds

Question iv.
The skit conveys that doing your daily chores at home ………………. .
(a) make you stronger
(b) sharpens your intellect
(c) saves a lot of expenses
(d) inculcates a sense of responsibility
Answer:
(d) inculcates a sense of responsibility

3. Fill in the table 

Question 1.
Fill in the table.
Answer:

4. Answer in your own words.

Question a.
What excuses did Neel give to avoid cleaning his room?
Answer:
Neel says that he is going out to meet his friends. He then says that he had cleaned his room just two days earlier. He wonders why it needs to be cleaned daily, for it makes no difference.

Question b.
Why does mother tell Neel about his Grandpa?
Answer:
Mother tells Neel about his Grandpa to make him realize that Grandpa had many more daily chores to finish than him, Neel, and much tougher ones too. He also had to make his bed, just like Neel would have to.

Question c.
What task did Grandpa wish to avoid?
Answer:
Grandpa wished to avoid the task of making his bed.

Question d.
What did the ancestor from 1910 wish to do instead of making his bed?
Answer:
The ancestor from 1910 wished to go to the riverside with his friends instead of making his bed.

Question e.
How many chores did the ancestor from 1800 have to do?
Answer:
The ancestor from 1800 had to do about six chores.

Question f.
How is the boy from 1500s dressed?
Answer:
The boy from 1500s is dressed in a loose, sleeveless, V-neck top and a short dhoti.

Question g.
What chores did the boys from the 1st century CE do on their farms/fields?
Answer:
In the 1st century CE, the boys would feed the poultry, tend to the sheep, keep away the birds and plaster the yard with dung.

Question h.
What did Neel realize from his encounter with his ancestors?
Answer:
From his encounter with his ancestors, Neel realized that at that time teenage boys had chores to do outdoors as well as in their homes. They also had to make their beds.

5. In the play two devices that make use of wheels are given.
The devices are 1. …………….., 2. ………………..
From the internet or other sources, trace the history of the use of the wheel. Write ‘An Autobiography of a Wheel’.

Question a
In the play, two devices that make use of wheels are given. The devices are:
Answer:
The devices are: 1. bicycle, 2. grinders

Question b.
From the internet and other sources, trace the history of the use of the wheel.
(Students can attempt this on their own.)

6. Imagine that the ancestor from 1910 CE visits Neel in his dream. Compose a dialogue between the two about the various gadgets the visitor sees in Neel’s room

Question 1.
Imagine that the ancestor from 1910 CE visits Neel in his dream. Compose a dialogue between the two about the various gadgets the visitor sees in Neel’s room
Answer:

• Neel: Hello! Who are you, Sir?
• Ancestor: I am your great-great-grandfather, Neel. I have heard a lot about your life, and I came to see you. Oh my! What are all these things here?
• Neel: All these things? What things, great, great Grandpa?
• Ancestor: This box here and that one there and this …
• Neel: Oh, this is my TV set and that is my laptop. Haven’t you ever seen these things? This is my mobile phone.
• Ancestor: TV? What is it? And phone – no, no, this is not a phone! Such a tiny thing!
  (Students can continue this conversation in this manner.)

7. Imagine and compare an argumentative dialogue between the mothers of the 2OthJ2lst century and those of the earlier era, about which life was better for women.

Question 1.
Imagine and compare an argumentative dialogue between the mothers of the 2OthJ2lst century and those of the earlier era, about which life was better for women.
Answer:

• 21st Century mother: There’s no question. Your life was certainly better, Rukmini.
• 19th Century mother: Better, Reena? You mean, bending over the old wood stove and the grinding stone was better?
• 21st Century mother: That may have been difficult, Rukmini, but otherwise your life was peaceful. You only had to look after the home and family. While today, we …
• 19th Century mother: ‘Only look after home and family’? That was a full-time job! There were no short cuts like takeaways and ready-made stuff! And what about freedom? The freedom you have!
• 21st Century mother: Freedom with chains! I have to work hard both at home and in the office. I have to be a ‘supermom’ and ‘superboss’! Do you know how terrible it is?
  (Students can continue the dialogue in this manner.)

8. Read the entry about ‘voice’ in the ‘Language Study’ pages. Note that the speeches of all the boys are in the ‘active’ voice. Turn them into passive constructions.
Example:
Neel – I put the dishes in the dishwasher. (active)
Dishes have been put in the dishwasher. (passive)
195 Boy – I have watered the garden
………………………………………..
brought home the groceries
………………………………………..
dusted the living room
………………………………………..
cleaned my bicycle…

9. Think of suitable names for the boys from the earlier centuries.

Question 1.
Think of suitable names for the boys from the earlier centuries.
Answer:
(Some examples: Vitthal, Namdeo, Manu, etc.)

10. Form groups of 5-8. Translate the play into your mother tongue (or Hindi) as a group activity. Enact the translation in the classroom.

11. Read ‘The Story of the Amulet’ by E. Nesbit.

Additional Important Questions and Answers

Read the following passages carefully and complete the activities:

Simple Factual Activity:

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks:
Answer:

1. Neel puts the dishes in the dishwasher.
2. Neel had cleaned his room two days earlier.
3. Neel forgets to make his bed.
4. Neel’s mother remembers something about his Grandpa.

Question 2.
Write if the following sentences are True or False:
Answer:

1. The 1910s boy was wearing loose trousers and a shirt. False
2. The 1910s boy did many outdoor chores. True
3. The 1800s boy was rude to his mother. False
4. The 1800s boy wanted to play Ashtapada with his friends. False

Question 3.
Name the following:
Answer:

1. The game the 3000 BCE boy wishes to play: Chaupar
2. The yard is plastered with this: dung
3. The game the 100 CE boy wishes to play: Bagh-chal
4. Pots for cooking are made of this: mud

Question 4.
Complete the web :
(The answers are directly underlined.)
Answer:

Activity-based on Vocabulary:

Question 1.
Write the antonyms of the following:

1. necessary
2. forgot
3. late
4. tougher

Answer:

1. necessary × unnecessary
2. forgot × remembered
3. late × early
4. tougher × easier.

Question 2.
Match the given verbs with the nouns:

Question 2.
Fill in the blanks with the correct verbs from the brackets:
(fixed, washed, took, chopped)
The 1800s boy ……….. clothes, ………….. wood, ……….. the broken fence and ………….. the goats up to the hills to graze.
Answer:
The 1800s boy washed clothes, chopped wood, fixed the broken fence and took the goats up to the hills to graze.

Question 3.
Give the plurals of:

1. jewellery
2. wood
3. grandfather
4. terrace

Answer:

1. jewellery – jewellery
2. wood – wood
3. grandfather – grandfathers
4. terrace – terraces.

Question 4.
Give the noun forms of the following:

1. recede
2. enter
3. repeat
4. impossible

Answer:

1. recede – recession
2. enter – entry
3. repeat – repetition
4. impossible – impossibility

Activities based on Contextual Grammar:

Rewrite the following sentences in the passive voice:

Question 1.
I have watered the garden.
Answer:
The garden has been watered.

Question 2.
I have brought home the groceries.
Answer:
The groceries have been brought home.

Question 3.
I have dusted the living room.
Answer:
The living room has been dusted.

Question 4.
I have cleaned my bicycle.
Answer:
The bicycle has been cleaned.

Question 5.
Mummy, I collected wood for the stove.
Answer:
Mummy, wood for the stove has been collected.

Question 6.
I fixed the broken fence.
Answer:
The broken fence has been fixed.

Question 7.
Rewrite the sentence in passive voice:
I fed the poultry.
Answer:
The poultry have been fed.

Question 8.
Rewrite using the modal auxiliary for permission:
I need your kind permission to go out and play Chaupar with my friends.
Answer:
May I go out and play Chaupar with my friends?

Rewrite the following sentences as assertive sentences:

Question 1.
Is it necessary to clean up every day?
Answer:
It is not necessary to clean up every day.

Question 2.
What difference does it make?
Answer:
It does not make any difference.

Personal Response:

Question 1.
Do you think you should make your bed every day?
Answer:
Yes. In a dusty and tropical country like ours, we have to see that the beds are clean and dust- free. It also feels better to lie down on a clean and fresh bed. So we must make the beds every day.

Question 2.
Do you do any chores in the house? What chores?
Answer:
I dust the furniture every day. I lay and clear the table before and after every meal. I fold clothes and keep them in the cupboard. These are my daily chores, besides keeping my own things like books, shoes, etc. in their proper places.

Question 3.
What do you do when you have to do a chore that you do not like?
Answer:
If I have to do a chore that I don’t like, I first try to see if I can avoid it in some way, like getting someone to do it for me. If it is not a very important chore, like making beds, I ignore it till my mother shouts at me. If it is an important chore that cannot be avoided, I hurry up and do it as fast as I can to get it over with.

Question 4.
Which life would you prefer: your life of today or the life of a teenager in 3000 BCE?
Answer:
I would certainly prefer my life of today. It is more interesting and I have more freedom. Life at any time without the computer, the TV and the mobile phone would have been terribly dull and boring. Oh, yes, life today is much better than it could have been in 3000 BCE.

Add question tags to the following statements:

Question 1.
That’s your daily work.
Answer:
That’s your daily work, isn’t it?

Question 2.
I also chopped the wood.
Answer:
I also chopped the wood, didn’t I?

Complex Factual Activity :

Question 1.
How is the boy from 1500s dressed?
Answer:
The boy from 1500s is dressed in a loose, sleeveless, V-neck top and a short dhoti.

Question 2.
What chores did the boys from 1000 CE do on their farms/fields?
Answer:
The boys from 1000 CE had to fetch water, clear blocked channels, water the crops and pull out the weeds.

Activities based on Contextual Grammar:

Question 1.
Rewrite the following sentence in the passive voice:
I have fetched vegetables from our farm.
Answer:
Vegetables have been fetched from our farm.

Question 2.
Rewrite the following sentence as an assertive sentence:
Don’t talk back.
Answer:
You should not talk back.

Question 3.
What chores did the boys from 1000 CE do on their farms/fields?
Answer:
The boys from 1000 CE had to fetch water, clear blocked channels, water the crops and pull out the weeds.

Simple Activities:

Question 1.
Write two compound words from the lesson.
Answer:
dishwasher, grandfather

Question 2.
Make a meaningful sentence using the phrase: pulled out
Answer:
The slave pulled out the thorn from the lion’s paw.

Question 3.
Spot the error in the verb/verbs and correct the sentence:
I wish I had a robot to makes my bed and tidies up my room.
Answer:
I wish I had a robot to make my bed and tidy up my room.

Question 4.
Pick out the infinitive from the given sentence:
You forgot to make your bed.
Answer:
Infinitive – to make

Question 5.
Identity the type of sentence:
Ahhh! Yes! They didn’t have any electric grinders in those days!
Answer:
Exclamatory sentence.

Question 6.
Find out two hidden words from the word:
permission
Answer:
permission – mission, prism (prison, person)

Question 7.
Pick out the verb which forms its past participle with the last letter doubled.
collect, sleep, chop, tell
Answer:
chopped

Question 8.
Write the following words in alphabetical order:
triple, recede, revered, stacked
Answer:
recede, revered, stacked, triple

Medium-Level Activities:

Question 1.
You haven’t cleaned up your room.
(Change the voice starting ‘Your
Answer:
Your room hasn’t been cleaned up.

Question 2.
Use the word ‘right’ in two separate sentences, the word having different meanings (homographs):
Answer:
(a) What you have done is not right.
(b) “Turn to the right,” said the policeman.

Question 3.
I put the dishes in the dishwasher.
(Use the past tense of the verb.)
Answer:
I put the dishes in the dishwasher.

Question 4.
Prepare a word register for clothes.
Answer:
clothes – trousers, shirt, kurta, pyjama, saree, dhoti, kurta, tunic.

Challenging Activities:

Question 1.
Use the word ‘show’ in two separate sentences, once as a noun and once as a verb.
Answer:
(a) The last show ended at midnight, (noun)
(b) “Show me your ticket,” said the doorkeeper. (verb)

Question 2.
If you try you can make such a robot.
(Pick out the clauses.)
Answer:
you can make such a robot – Main Clause If you try – subordinate clause

Working Skills:

Question 1.
Write ‘An Autobiography of a Wheel’.
Answer:
An Autobiography of a Wheel
I am very, very proud of myself, for I am considered to be one of the most important of man’s inventions. Yes, I am the wheel.
It is said that my invention was the turning point in human civilization. Of course, no one knows exactly when I was invented and by whom. As soon as I was invented and perfected, there was a revolution in the manufacturing industry. I was used for everything and by everybody – right from the potter to the assembly line of super-luxury cars. Yes, and planes and helicopters too. I am even used to go into space.

I help human beings and animals to pull things. I make work easy for them. The principle on which I work is the basic principle in many mechanical devices. Many of the things that were invented along with me have been forgotten, but I am accepted and still in demand today, in some form or the other. If I was not there, there would have been no cars, buses, trains or aeroplanes. Or even bullock carts. I know I sound proud, but that is not so. It is only that I know my own worth, and that I will be around as long as the wheel of time turns!