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Chapter 4.4 A Mad Tea Party

Chapter 4.4 A Mad Tea Party

Textbook Questions and Answers

1. Read the passage aloud playing the roles of different characters.

Question 1.
Read the passage aloud playing the roles of different characters.
Answer:
We all follow a class time table made by the school. Imagine for a minute what will happen if there was no time table for your class.

2. Write any three of the silly remarks made by the characters other than Alice. Write why you think the remark is silly.

Question 1.
Write any three of the silly remarks made by the characters other than Alice. Write why you think the remark is silly.
Answer:
Three silly remarks made by the characters other than Alice:
a. I see what I eat – I eat what I see – Hatter
b. I like what I get – I get what I like – March Hare
c. I breathe when I sleep -1 sleep when I breathe – Dormouse
All have a statement and an inverted version of the same. There is no intention of conveying any message. They are spoken for the sake of speaking. However, they sound silly.

3. Read the following sentences.

Question 1.
1. I mean what I say. I say what I mean.
2. I see what I eat. I eat what I see.
Use your imagination to write a funny sentence on this pattern.
Answer:
1. I do what I love.
2. I love what I do.

4. Write what would you like to do if ‘Time’ was your friend.

Question 1.
Write what would you like to do if ‘Time’ was your friend.
Answer:
If ‘Time’ was my friend, I would want to do a lot of things. I will want to get back to my childhood days. I would go back in time and keep my grandparents and all my near and dear ones (who are no more now) alive.

5. Can you think of a similarity between a raven and a writing desk? Write at least five differences between the two.

Question 1.
Can you think of a similarity between a raven and a writing desk? Write at least five differences between the two.
Answer:
Five differences between a raven and a writing desk:
a. A raven is a living creature whereas a writing desk is a non-living thing.
b. A raven can fly whereas a writing desk cannot fly.
c. A raven cannot be used for writing purposes but a writing desk can be used for the same purpose.
d. A raven can lay eggs but a writing desk cannot.
e. A raven is natural and a writing desk is man¬made.

6. Visit a library: Read Lewis Carroll’s book ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

Question 1.
Visit a library: Read Lewis Carroll’s book ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
Answer:
Apart from class/school, where else are you likely to find a time table useful?

Additional Important Questions and Answers

Answer in one sentence.

Question 1.
How were March Hare, the Hatter and the Dormouse seated despite the large size of the table?
Answer:
Although the table was a large one, all the three of them were crowded together at one corner of the table.

Question 2.
What did all the three of them say when they saw Alice coming?
Answer:
When the Dormouse, the Hatter and the March Hare saw Alice coming, they shouted that there was no room (place) on the table to seat anyone.

Question 3.
What was Alice’s response to this comment of no space being available on the table?
Answer:
On hearing the cry of all the three of them stating that there was no room on the table, Alice replied very angrily that there was PLENTY of room. Saying so, she sat down.

Question 4.
Ultimately, where did Alice sit down?
Answer:
Alice sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

Question 5.
What did the March Hare tell Alice after she sat down?
Answer:
The March Hare told Alice to have some wine, in an encouraging tone.

Question 6.
Did Alice see any wine on the table? If not, what did she find on the table?
Answer:
Alice did not see any wine on the table. Alice looked all around the table, but she found nothing on it except tea.

Question 7.
What was Hatter’s first speech to Alice?
Answer:
Hatter remarked that Alice’s hair wants cutting.

Question 8.
How did Alice react?
Answer:
Alice spoke with severity that Hatter should learn not to make personal remarks as it is rude.

Question 9.
What kind of discussion did the Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse have with Alice?
Answer:
They had silly, senseless and stupid discussion with Alice.

Reading Skills, Vocabulary and Grammar

Question 1.
Where was the table set out?
Answer:
The table was set out under a tree in front of the house.

Question 2.
Who all were seated at the table?
Answer:
The March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at the table and a Dormouse was sitting between them.

Question 3.
Why did Alice think that the Dormouse must be uncomfortable?
Answer:
The Dormouse was sitting between the March Hare and the Hatter. They both were using the Dormouse as a cushion, resting their elbows on it and talking over its head. So, Alice thought that the dormouse must be uncomfortable.

Question 4.
Why did the Dormouse not mind the discomfort, according to Alice?
Answer:
Alice thought that the Dormouse did not mind the discomfort caused by the March Hare and the Hatter only because it was asleep.

Question 5.
Give the antonyms of:
a. uncomfortable
b. asleep
Answer:
a. comfortable,
b. awake

Question 6.
A Dormouse was sitting between them. (Identify the tense)
Answer:
was sitting – Past continuous

Question 7.
What does the paragraph remind you?
Answer:
The paragraph reminds me of a “Garden Tea Party”.

Language Study.

Question 1.
There was a table set out under a tree. (Separate the subject and predicate)
Answer:
a table – subject
was set out under a tree – predicate

Question 2.
A Dormouse was sitting between them. (Pick out the verb and state its tense)
Answer:
was sitting (verb) – Past continuous tense

Question 3.
The table was a large one. (Add a question tag)
Answer:
The table was a large one, wasn’t it?

Question 4.
There’s plenty of room! (State the kind of sentence)
Answer:
Exclamatory sentence

Question 5.
The other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. (Pick out the conjunction)
Answer:
and – Conjunction

Question 6.
She sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table. (Pick out the preposition)
Answer:
in, at, of – prepositions

Question 7.
Pick out an example of an Imperative sentence from the passage.
Answer:
‘Have some wine’ – Imperative sentence

Question 8.
The three were all crowded together at one corner of it. (Pick out the adjective and state its kind)
Answer:
one – Adjective of number (Definite Numeral Adjective)

Question 9.
The March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it. (Pick out the nouns and state their kinds)
Answer:
March Hare, Hatter – proper nouns tea – common noun

Question 10.
I suppose it doesn’t mind. (Pick out the pronoun and state its kind)
Answer:
I – Personal pronoun (first-person pronoun)

Write the noun form of.

Question 1.

  1. waste
  2. silent
  3. know
  4. believe
  5. rude
  6. civil

Answer:

  1. wastage
  2. silence
  3. knowledge
  4. belief
  5. rudeness
  6. civility

Write the adjective forms of.

Question 1.

  1. severity
  2. curiosity
  3. conversation
  4. hair
  5. time
  6. table

Answer:

  1. severe
  2. curious
  3. conversational
  4. hairy
  5. timely
  6. tabular

Write degrees of comparison of:

Question 1.
1. great
2. wide
3. loud
4. well
Answer:

Positive

Comparative

Superlative

great

greater

greatest

wide

wider

widest

loud

louder

loudest

well

better

best

Write the verb forms of:

Question 1.

  1. conversation
  2. head
  3. proposal
  4. beginning
  5. reason

Answer:

  1. converse
  2. behead
  3. propose
  4. begin
  5. reason

Write the adverb forms of:

Question 1.

  1. bright
  2. feeble
  3. hoarse
  4. suppose
  5. alarmed

Answer:

  1. brightly
  2. feebly
  3. hoarsely
  4. supposedly
  5. alarmingly

Write the homophones of:

Question 1.

  1. as
  2. no
  3. once
  4. so
  5. in

Answer:

  1. ass
  2. know
  3. ones
  4. sow
  5. inn

Writing Skills

Question 1.
Write a book review after reading “Alice in Wonderland”.
Answer:
‘Alice in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll is a nice book of fantasy. All the characters in the book are very interesting, even though they seem too funny to be real. The way Alice deals with all the three characters is also quite impressive. They way Alice experiences adventures after falling into the rabbit hole and travels to places makes for an interesting read. The book holds our attention and keep us imagining the scenes as we also travel along with Alice. Alice’s emotions and expressions also show her emotional side and how she cares and feels for the Dormouse, etc. On the whole, it is a captivating book which entertains us to a limitless extent.

Student’s Activity

Question 1.
A Project: Time Tables
Answer:
Make a time table of your daily routine.
1. On a school day
2. On a holiday, and
3. During examinations.
Start at the time you normally get up and list your acitivities hourly: 7 am to 8 am, and so on.

Summary in English

Alice falls into a rabbit hide and happens to attend a tea party with the March Hare, the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse.
Alice makes herself comfortable on a large arm-chair at the corner of a large table, though all the three tell her that there was no space to accommodate her. After getting seated, Alice get into arguments with them for various reasons, due to their silly remarks. Ultimately all of them get tired of their own talks and the March Hare suggest that Alice should tell them a story. When Alice refuses, they suggest that the Dormouse who was sleeping should tell. The Dormouse opening his eyes tells that he wasn’t asleep all the while, but was listening to every word that they all were saying.

Introduction:

‘A Mad Tea Party’ is a part of the fantasy novel ‘Alice in Wonderland’ written by Lewis Carroll. This novel is all about a little girl named Alice and all her adventures in a fantasy world. This particular part deals with a tea party attended by her along with the three particular creatures – The March Hare, the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse.

Glossary:

  1. fantasy (n) – imagination
  2. mingle (v) – mix
  3. peculiar – odd
  4. indignantly – angrily
  5. but – except
  6. civil-polite
  7. curiosity – eager desire to know or learn something
  8. severity – harshness
  9. hastily – hurriedly
  10. dropped – stopped (discussion)
  11. wearily – in a tired manner.
  12. contemptuously – a feeling of dislike
  13. cautiously – paying attention to warning/ safety
  14. to accounts for – provide to an explanation for
  15. to not stand – to not tolerate
  16. keep on good terms – keeps in good relations
  17. instance – a particular situation
  18. in a twinkling – in a very short time
  19. ventured – dares