Chapter 3.4 How the First Letter was Written Solutions

Question 1. Browse the internet to find names of people/ places, etc. in any language that is not familiar to you. Can you pronounce the names correctly? How will you find the correct pronunciation? (An example is given below.)

1. Read the remaining part of the original story.

2. Make as many 5 – 8 letter words as you can within five minutes from the name:

3. How do the following characters in the story live up to their names? Provide points from the story:

Question a.
Tegumai Bopsulai:
Answer:
The meaning of Tegumai is Man-who-does- not-put-his-foot-forward-in-a-hurry. He lived up to his name when he showed patience in mending his spear and did not just rush off home or send Taffy back to get another spear. He also did not ask Taffy too many questions about what she had been doing when he was busy repairing his spear, or about her conversation with the Stranger-man. He was patient and cautious.

Question b.
Taffimai Metallumai:
Answer:
The meaning of Taffimai is Small-person- without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked. She lived up to her name in the way in which she ordered the stranger ‘Come here’, stamped her foot and called him silly. She wanted the stranger to do her bidding and she succeeded in it. She pulled off the shark’s tooth from his necklace without his permission. She would not tell her father what she had done and she wanted him to promise to be surprised. This was a silly thing to do but he did it.

Question c.
Teshumai Tewindrow :
Answer:
The meaning of Teshumai is Lady-who-asks- very-many-questions. Though she did not ask many questions, she talked and shouted continuously at the poor stranger. She drew wrong conclusions and she spoke continuously to her friends telling them all that she had understood from Taffy’s drawing.

4.The story is written in an informal, colloquial style – the way it would be told orally. Find and write expressions where the author addresses the audience directly in the story. for example, ‘but we, O Best Beloved, will…….’, ‘Now attend and listen!’

5. Write the character sketch of the ‘Stranger- man’ using examples from the story to support the following attributes:

He again jumped to wrong conclusions when he saw Taffy’s drawing, and without even waiting to consult Tegumai he rushed off to do Taffy’s bidding. This was very unwise of him, because Taffy’s mother drew her own wrong conclusions from the drawing. He was cool, calm and polite when he met Teshumai, even though he was tired, his legs were scratched with brambles and Teshumai was rude to him.

6.Note the punctuation used in the story. Here, single inverted commas or quotation marks have been used to show conservation. Rewrite the following sentences using double quotation marks:

7. Underline the main clauses in the following sentences:

I am Taffy, the girl who gave you the drawing on the birch-bark two days back and sent you to my Mummy with it.

When we reached home that day, Mummy told me j that you had come with the birch-bark. She also told me what she had understood from my drawing, and how she had treated you. I was really horrified.

Stranger-man Uncle, I am really very sorry for what happened to you. I did not know that Mummy would misunderstand my drawing and beat you up. Please i accept my apology. See, I am not spoilt like people say. I am sorry for what happened. I will learn to write j properly so that such things do not happen again.

From a sorry little girl,
Taffy.

9. Imagine the Stranger-man narrates how the Neolithic ladies overpowered him. Write an account of the same, making him the narrator.

She screamed something to the other ladies, and they immediately pounced on me and flattened me. I was caught completely unawares, and thrown onto the ground. Those heavy and strong ladies sat on my back to prevent me from escaping. The little girl’s mother began shouting and pulling my hair. I wonder why they are doing all this, instead of helping their poor Chief?

10.Making suitable groups, convert the entire episode into a short skit and write it down. Each group leader must discuss it with the others and add a different end to the skit:

(Taffy pulls at the necklace. The Stranger-man was already in awe of Taffy and afraid of her father. He is even more impressed when she pulls at the shark’s tooth and comes to no harm, for the sharks’ tooth was supposed to be a magic one, which would make the person touching it swell up or burst.)
(The beginning lines have been given. Students can complete the skit in the same format in groups, changing the ending.)

11. Write a short passage/essay on ‘Women Power’ in the Neolithic, Medieval and Present times.

The position of women in society and the power they wield has changed through the ages. During the Neolithic Age, women spent their days gathering berries, roots, nuts, etc. They also gathered materials to make pots and weapons. Women stayed on the home front and looked after the children, but were thought to be equal to men. The men hunted and brought home the food. Later on, with the start of agriculture, women also began to farm and weave cloth.

Medieval society, however, was patriarchal, Women were to fall under male control, and regardless of class women had to submit to the male head of her household. Rural women had many domestic responsibilities, like caring for the children, preparing food and tending livestock. They also had to lend a hand in other household activities like grinding, brewing and spinning. During harvest time,, women often helped their husbands in the field to bring in the crops. However, slowly women were increasingly relegated to low-paying tasks like spinning. They suffered a lot of criticism, lacked freedom and stood nowhere next to men.

Today, around the world, women’s status in each society and culture varies. In some societies, women’s status improved gradually, while in other, it has declined or remained unchanged. This is due to the major changes that have taken place in areas such as legislations, education, employment, awareness of their rights on the part of women, etc. In some societies, women have emerged as major political leaders, statesmen, doctors, lawyers, etc. In some places, she is still subjected to inhuman cruelty, sexual exploitation, domestic violence, etc.

12. Read: ‘Just so stories’ and ‘The Jungle Book’ by Rudyard Kipling.

English Kumarbharati 9th Digest Chapter 3.4 How the First Letter was Written Additional Important Questions and Answers

Simple Factual Activity.

Complex Factual Activity.

Activities based on Vocabulary:

OR

Personal Response.

Simple Factual Activity.

Complex Factual Activity.

Activity-based on Vocabulary.

Sentence: When he found that he had broken the switch while repairing it, he tried to make the best of a bad job by taping it together.

Personal Response.

Simple Factual Activity.

Complex Factual Activity.

Activities based on Vocabulary.