Chapter 3.2 The Kite Festival – Maharashtra Board Solutions

Chapter 3.2 The Kite Festival

Textbook Questions and Answers

The Kite Festival Std 8 Warming Up:

1. Cut out the wrong kites:

Answer:

2. Name the festival that you enjoy the most of all. Fill in the facts about that festival.
(a) Name of the festival:_______.
(b) When it is celebrated: _______.
(c) Why it is celebrated: ______.
(d) How it is celebrated: _______.
(e) Special cuisine: _______.
(f) Other special features: _______.
Answer:
Students can discuss and write down details about their favourite festival. They can consult their parents/friends / the internet, etc.

1. Give the Antonyms und Synonyms of the words below, choosing from those given:

Answer:

Words	Synonyms	Antonyms
Happily	Joyfully	Sorrowfully
Traditional	Old-fashioned	Modern
Halt	pause	start
Triumph	victory	defeat
Exotic	foreign	native
Rival	competitor	partner
Soar	rise	drop
Brilliance	lustre	dullness

2. Say whether the following statements are true or false:

Question a.
Fibreglass kites led to creating power – driven aeroplanes.
Answer:
False

Question b.
In Gujarat, the kite – festival is celebrated to welcome the Spring.
Answer:
False

Question c.
Uttarayana’ starts from Makar Sankranti onwards.
Answer:
True

Question d.
Kite – flying in Gujarat, is a competitive sport – cum – festival.
Answer:
True

Question e.
The kite – Bazar in Ahmedabad, is open day and night for a week.
Answer:
True

Question f.
The special thread for kite – flying is sharpened by adding sugar and glass pieces.
Answer:
False

3. Using points from the lesson, give the details of the following in a short paragraph for each topic:

Question a.
Different types of kites.
Answer:
Traditional kites are made of kite paper and have thin wooden frames. The modern kites may be motorized or made of fibreglass. Exotic kites have marvellous shapes such as that of eagles and snakes. There are also illuminated box-kites called tukals.

Question b.
International Kite Festival at Ahmedabad.
Answer:
The International Kite Festival at Ahmedabad is held either at the Sardar Patel Stadium or the Police Stadium. It attracts international kite-flyers as well as local champions. Little Indian paper kites compete with those from Japan, USA, UK and other countries. Exotic kites with marvellous shapes such as eagles and snakes soar in the sky. The Patang or Kite Bazar, in the heart of Ahmedabad, is open 24 hours a day for a whole week, and people crowd the streets through the night. Skilled craftsmen demonstrate age- old kite-making skills and how to prepare special thread. At night, illuminated box- kites are sent into the sky.

Question c.
The kite Bazar of Ahmedabad.
Answer:
During the Kite Festival at Ahmedabad, the Patang or Kite Bazar, in the heart of Ahmedabad, is open 24 hours a day for a whole week. People crowd the streets and buy their stocks, haggling through the night. Skilled craftsmen demonstrate age-old kite-making skills and how to prepare special thread covered with a mixture of glue and ground glass.

4. You hue just returned after your first experience of the kite – festival in Gujarat/Ahmedabad. You were thrilled with the festivities.

Write a short report about the kite – festival for your local newspaper. Give an attractive headline, a dateline and an account of the kite – festive. Write the report in third person with more use of Passive voice.
You have a friend who lives abroad. Write a letter to your friend describing how you enjoyed the kite-festival.

5.A. Verb forms show both, Tense (Present, Past, Future) and Aspect (Progressive, Perfect,Perfect Progressive):

Progressive (Continuous): be + verb-ing
Present Progressive: He is playing.
Past Progressive: He was playing.
Future Progressive: He will be playing.

Perfect: have / has / hod verb – en / cd
Present Perfect: They have played.
Past Perfect: They had played.
Future Perfect: They will have played.

Perfect Progressive: have/has/had + been + verb – ing
Present Perfect Progressive: We have been playing.
Past Perfect Progressive: We had been playing.
Future Perfect Progressive: We shall have been playing.

5. B. Underline the verb forms in the following sentences and state their Tense and Aspect:

(i) They are waiting for the right winds.
(ii) People were haggling over the price of kites.
(iii) Vendors had been selling kites all through the week.
(iv) Skilled craftsmen had demonstrated age-old skills.
(v) State Tourism Corporation will be organising the International Kite Festival.
(vi) Kite – flyers have demonstrated their skills with exotic kites.
Answer:

Sentences	Tense	Aspect
i. They are waiting for the right winds.	present	progressive
ii. People were haggling over the price of kites.	past	progressive
iii. Vendors had been selling kites all through the week.	past	perfect progressive
iv. Skilled craftsmen had demonstrated age-old skills.	past	perfect
v. State Tourism Corporation will be organizing the International Kite Festival.	future	progressive
vi. Kite-flyers have demonstrated their skills with exotic kites.	present	perfect

Additional Important Questions and Answers

Complete the table showing how modern ones:

Question 1.

Kites of the past	Modem kites

Answer:

Kites of the past	Modem kites
(1) made of kite paper (2) had thin wooden frames (3) box kites	(1) motorized kites (2) kites made of fibreglass

Question 2.
When is kite-flying at its peak in India?
Answer:
Kite-flying is at its peak in India during the coming of Spring and during the festival of Makar Sankranti, which coincides with the festival of Uttarayan.

Question 3.
Write how they celebrate the kite-flying festival in Gujarat.
Answer:
During the kite-flying festival, people of all ages go out into the open to fly kites and to cut’ each others’ kites. In towns and cities, where open spaces are difficult to find, terraces and rooftops are often used to fly the kites.

Activities based on Contextual Grammar:

Question 1.
People of all ages go out into the open to try their luck with their kites.
(Pick out the finite verbs and the infinitives.)
Answer:
finite verb – go; infinitive – to try

Question 2.
It is also a celebration to mark the end of winter. (Rewrite using ‘which’.)
Answer:
It is also a celebration which marks the end of winter.

Personal Response:

Question 1.
Do you like flying kites? Why?
Answer:
I am not a very big fan of kites. I do not like to fly them, but I like to watch other people do so. I used to fly kites earlier; but once I came to know that birds died because of the glass-covered thread, and there were injuries to people too, I stopped this sport.

List the reasons:

Question 1.
The kite-festival at Ahmedabad is very special.
Answer:
The kite-festival at Ahmedabad is very special because:

An International Kite Festival is held either at the Sardar Patel Stadium or the Police Stadium.
It attracts international kite-flyers as well as local champions.
Little Indian paper kites compete with those from Japan, the USA, UK and other countries.
Exotic kites with marvellous shapes such as eagles and snakes soar in the sky.
The Patang or Kite Bazar in the heart of Ahmedabad is open 24 hours a day for a whole week, and people
crowd the streets through the night.
Skilled craftsmen demonstrate kite-making age-old skills and how to prepare a special thread.
At night, illuminated box-kites are sent into the sky.

Question 2.
How do they celebrate the kite-flying festival in Gujarat?
Answer:
The kite-flying begins at dawn and continues throughout the day. People of all ages gather in the open, on rooftops and terraces. They compete with each other and are triumphant when someone cuts the thread of a rival. Some people prepare special lines for their kites. There is music in the air and traditional delicacies are specially prepared. An International Kite Festival is organized by the Gujarat State Tourism Corporation.

Complete the following:

Question 1.
A visit to the Patang Bazar proves that _______.
Answer:
the entire city of Ahmedabad is obsessed with kites

Question 2.
The special thread for kite-flying is prepared by ________.
Answer:
covering the thread with a mixture of glue and ground glass and allowing it to dry

Answer the following:

Question 1.
Different types of kites:
Answer:
Traditional kites are made of kite paper and have thin wooden frames. The modern kites may be motorized or made of fibreglass. Exotic kites have marvellous shapes such as that eagles and snakes. There are also illuminated box-kites called tukuls.

Question 2.
International Kite Festival at Ahmedabad:
Answer:
The International Kite Festival at Ahmedabad is held either at the Sardar Patel Stadium or the Police Stadium. It attracts international kite-flyers as well as local champions. Little Indian paper kites compete with those from Japan, USA, UK and other countries. Exotic kites with marvellous shapes such as eagles and snakes soar in the sky. The Patang or Kite Bazar, in the heart of Ahmedabad, is open 24 hours a day for a whole week, and people crowd the streets through the night. Skilled craftsmen demonstrate age-old kite-making skills and how to prepare a special thread. At night, illuminated box- kites are sent into the sky.

Question 3.
The Kite-Bazar of Ahmedabad:
Answer:
During the Kite Festival at Ahmedabad, the Patang or Kite Bazar, in the heart of Ahmedabad, is open 24 hours a day for a whole week. People crowd the streets and buy their stocks, haggling through the night. Skilled craftsmen demonstrate age-old kite-making skills and how to prepare special thread covered with a mixture of glue and ground glass.

Question 4.
One of the highlights of this festival is the Patang Bazar, which is open twenty-four hours a day, for a whole week.
(Underline the clauses in the sentence.)
Answer:
One of the highlights of this festival is the Patang Bazar, which is open twenty-four hours a day, for a whole week.

Question 5.
They add a grand beauty to the dark sky and compete with the brilliance of the stars.
(Rewrite as two separate sentences.)
Answer:
They add a grand beauty to the dark sky. They compete with the brilliance of the stars.

Personal Response:

Question 1.
What is the care to be taken by children while flying kites?
Answer:
Children should not run after kites on the road or try to rescue them from trees. This could lead to accidents. They should be careful if they are flying kites from terraces and rooftops. The thread should be handled with care, and there should be no injuries to animals or human beings because of it.

Do as directed:

Question 1.
Pick out two compounds, words from the lesson.
Answer:
Two compound words: kiteflying, power-driven

Question 2.
Use the following phrase in your own sentence: in the middle of the night.
Answer:
The baby woke up in the middle of the night and began to play.

Question 3.
Build a word chain of five adjectives :
Answer:
long → green → naughty → young → grateful → lovely.

Question 4.
Find out four hidden words from the given word:
traditional (Each word should have at least 3 letters.)
Answer:
traditional: tradition, train, drain, trait

Question 5.
Use the following word in two separate sentences, the word having different meanings (homographs):
watch
Answer:
(i) The policemen watched the house the whole day.
(ii) I was very upset as I had lost my watch.

Question 6.
Underline the clauses in the following sentence:
There is music in the air and traditional delicacies are specially prepared for the day
Answer:
There is music in the air and traditional delicacies are specially prepared for the day.

Question 7.
Identify the type of sentence:
The little boy would happily pick up his kite and run out into the field.
Answer:
Assertive sentence.

Question 8.
Rewrite as an affirmative sentence:
In India, however, the tradition of kite-flying has not changed.
Answer:
In India, however, the tradition of kite-flying has remained the same.

Question 9.
Rewrite in indirect speech:
The harassed mother would often say
to her restless son, “Why don’t you go fly a kite ?”
Answer:
The harassed mother would often ask her restless son why he did not go fly a kite.

Question 10.
Use the following word as a noun and a verb in two separate sentences:
cut
Answer:

The cut on my hand healed soon, (noun)
I cut my finger when I was slicing a mango, (verb)

Writing Skills:

Question 1.
You have just returned after your first experience of the kite-festival in Gujarat/Ahmedabad. You were thrilled with the festivities.
Write a short report about the kite festival for your local newspaper. Give an attractive headline, a dateline, and an account of the kite-festival. Write the report in the third person with more use of Passive Voice.
Answer:

High-Flying Kites Adorn The Sky

Ahmedabad, 17 January: A variety of colourful kites adorned the sky this year during the International Kite Festival here. A record number of countries participated in this annual festival. The famous International Kite Festival, organized by the Gujarat State Tourism Corporation, was held at the Sardar Patel Stadium. 14 countries, including India, participated. The kites were very colourful and in a variety of shapes. There were dragons, eagles, snakes, crocodiles, etc. Some had tiny lights in them, while j some were studded with stones. Excited spectators watched in awe as the kites; soared in the sky, free as birds.

This year, the first prize, a gold-plated cup in the shape of a kite, went to Korea. The Korean team succeeded in keeping their kite in the sky for the longest time. Last year’s winner and the host country, India, J did not stand a chance this year and were ; out of the competition at an early stage. “We will double our efforts for the next year and come out with flying colours,” said Rakesh ) Pandya, captain of the home team. We wish them all the best for the next year, Harsh Mehta.

Question 2.
You have a friend who lives abroad.
Write a letter to him/her describing how you enjoyed the kite-festival,
Answer:
‘Gulmohar’
Ahmedabad
17 January 2019

Hi Dominic,
How are you? You have hardly written j to me since you went to London. Why the silence?
Yes, I know you are busy, but you can spare some time for an old friend, can’t you?

Here in Ahmedabad, the kite festival is just over. We had a wonderful time flying kites and cheering others. The school was closed for two days, and my friends and I spent one j day watching the competition at the Police Stadium and the other day at the ground near our house, flying an assortment of kites. Our kites were ordinary ones, but you should have seen the exotic kites being flown at the Police Stadium! They were from Japan, the U.S., U.K., Thailand, Korea and other places. They were in the shape of eagles, snakes, crocodiles, dragons, etc. Some had shining tails while some had bejewelled bodies. The competition was very stiff-but guess what! The first prize was won by the Indian team!
Our own competition too was very thrilling. We cut so many kites! We were also awake the whole night shopping for kites and eating. It was really a wonderful time.

Well, I hope that next year you will be back in India and maybe you can come to Ahmedabad during this time. You will certainly enjoy the festival-and the eats! Hope you find time to reply.
Your friend,
Harsh.