SOLVED EXERCISES BASED ON TEXT BOOK

1. Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
There is a lovely story of a tree and a little boy who used to play in its shade. They had become friends. One day, the boy sat leaning against the trunk of the tree, crying. He was hungry, “Eat my fruit”, said the kind tree bending down one of its branches. The boy ate the fruit and was happy. The boy grew up. One day, he sat under the tree with an anxious look on his face. “What is the matter”? asked the tree. “I am going to marry and I want a house to live in.” said the young man.”Cut down my branches and build your house”; said the tree. The young man built a house with the branches of the tree. The young man became a sailor. One day, he sat under the tree with a worried look. “What is the matter?” asked the tree. “My Captain is a cruel fellow. I want a ship of my own,” said the sailor. “Cut down my trunk and build a ship.” The sailor lost his ship and returned home as a helpless old man. On a cold winter’s day, he stood where the tree once was leaning on his stick, and trembling with cold. “Make a fire of me,” said the stump of the tree, and warm yourself,” The stump of the unselfish tree burnt in the fire, softy humming a tune”.

Questions.
1. What was the boy doing, leaning against the trunk of the tree?
2. What did the kind tree say to the little boy?
3. Why did the boy sit under the tree, one day, with an anxious look on his face?
4. How were the tree and the little boy related to each other?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. The boy was crying because he was hungry.
2. The tree asked the boy to eat the fruit which is offered to him.
3. The boy looked worried because he was going to marry while he had no house to live in.
4. The tree and the boy became close friends due to their long mutual company and association.
5. bending down = bringing one of its branches close to the boy.
worried look = sight reflecting the anxieties or worries of the mind.
6. Best Friend

(2) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions
given below it :
A man was kept in jail without any fault. When the King visited the jail, he told him that he was innocent. The King found out that this was true. He gave him a sum of money and set him free. He went straight to the market, where some birds were kept for sale. He purchased all the birds from the shopkeeper and set them free. At this, the shopkeeper was surprised. Then the man said to him, “If you had been in prison like me for no fault, you would have done the same.”


Questions.
1. What did the king do when he found out the prisoner innocent?
2. Where did the prisoner go after he was set free by the king?
3. Why was the shopkeeper surprised?
4. What did the man say to the shopkeeper?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. The king gave the innocent prisoner a sum of money and released him from jail.
2. After his release from the jail, the man went straight to the market, where some birds were kept for sale.

3. The shopkeeper was surprised because the man set all the birds free which he had purchased.
4. The man told the shopkeeper that he too would have done the same thing if he had been in prison like him for no fault.
5. Set him free = released him.
surprised = astonished.
6. Change of heart.

(3) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
Good deeds may be done by anyone in any walk of life–by the soldier in barracks or on the battle field, by the woman in the home, the nurse in the hospital, the businessman in his office, the boy at school or the inventor in the workshop. The actual performance of a good deed is the happiness both of the doer and of those for whom it is done. The memory of a good deed excites love and gratitude renews men’s belief in their minds and inspires others to go and do likewise. It is an incentive to them to live purely, act uprightly and deal justly with their fellow men.


Questions.
1. Should good deeds be done by a chosen few?
2. Where does the performance of a good deed lead to?
3. What does the memory of a good deed do?
4. What is the incentive to the doers of the good deed?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. No, good deeds may be done by all the people wherever they are the places of their work.
2. The performance of a good deed leads to happiness of both the doer and those for whom it is done.

3. The memory of a good deed excites love and gratitude and motivates to do good deeds.
4. The example of good deeds proves to be an incentive that inspires the people to live purely, act uprightly and deal justly with their fellow men.
5. The actual performance = the real level of doing things.
Incentive = a kind of encouragement or motivation.
6. Good Deeds.

(4) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
At Shantiniketan, classes are held in the open air. The students sit on the ground under the trees and listen to their teachers. They often act plays, they have written themselves and very often they act those written by Rabindranath Tagore, the great poet who founded Shantiniketan. The place fills anyone with peace and quiet. The meaning of the word ‘Shantiniketan’ is abode of peace. It is one of the best places of learning in India. Many of our greatest leaders were educated at Shantiniketan.


Questions.
1. How is Shantiniketan different from other places of learning?
2. Who is the founder of Shantiniketan?
3. Who was Rabindranath Tagore?
4. What does the word ‘Shantiniketan’ mean?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. Shantiniketan is different from other institutions in the sense that its way of working is unique, such as classes in the open air, acting of plays written by students themselves etc.
2. Rabindranath Tagore is the founder of Shantiniketan.

3. Rabindranath Tagore was the great poet of India.
4. The word ‘Shantiniketan’ means the abode of peace.
5. are held = are organised or conducted.
abode of peace = a place where peace or quiet prevails.
6. Shantiniketan – A Unique Centre of Learning.

(5) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
Sardar Patel was a strict man. People call him the ‘Iron Man of India’. He was, no doubt, an iron man in the sense that he was an efficient administrator. But as a man to those who had the good fortune of coming into close contact with him, he was kind and gentle. At times, he even became emotional, when his personal friends and followers were concerned. However, it goes without saying that the Sardar had the great skill for organising affairs. He knew the art of selecting proper men for proper posts. Once he judged the man and found him correct, he trusted him fully and got him to do anything he wanted.


Questions.
1. What was the main quality of Sardar Patel?
2. Why do people call him ‘The Iron Man of India’?
3. When did he become emotional?
4. How do you know that the Sardar Patel had the great skill of organising affairs?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. The main quality of Sardar Patel was his capacity of efficient administration.
2. People call Sardar Patel ‘The Iron Man of India’ because he was a strict man and had an efficiency of managing the affairs well.
3. Sardar Patel became emotional particularly when his personal friends and followers were concerned.
4. It is well-known that Sardar Patel was an excellent administrator and he knew the art of selecting proper men for proper posts.
5. Emotional – sentimental, full of strong feelings. Concerned – the matter related to someone.
6. Sardar Patel – The Iron Man of India.

(6) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
A good transport system is very essential in the world today. The word transport means carrying of people and goods from place to place. Millions of people travel from town to town, country to country and continent to continent. They travel over the land, on the water, through the air, under the ground and even into the space. People travel for service, business, sight seeing and to meet other people. A good transport system is very important for the progress of agriculture, mining and industry. It is also very important during the war, floods or famine. All means of transport have made travel easy, comfortable and fast.


Questions.
1. What does the word ‘Transport’ mean?
2. Where do people travel all over the world?
3. What are the reasons for travel?
4. Why is a good transport system so important?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. The word ‘Transport’ means carrying of people and goods from place to place.
2. The people travel from town to town, country to country and continent to continent. They include their travel over the land, on the water, through the air, under the ground and even into the space.
3. People have travel because of services, business, sight seeing and to meet other people.
4. A good transport system, is very important for the progress of agriculture, mining and industry. It is also very useful during war, floods and famine.
5. essential – necessary progress – development.
6. Importance of Good Transport System.

7.  Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
Prince Gautam was married to a beautiful princess named Yashodhara at the early age of twenty. But Gautam from his very childhood was of a contemplative mind. The sight of disease, old age and death filled him with sorrow and he found no peace of mind. He passed ten years of his married life in this way, till at the age of thirty, a son was born to him. The birth of a child set him at thinking and he was afraid of that of this new tie should bind him to the varieties of the world beyond hope of release. Accordingly, one night he secretly left the palace leaving everything behind him, his wealth and riches, his wife and baby and his royal home.


Questions.
1. How old was Prince Gautam when he got married?
2. Why did Gautam find no peace of mind?
3. What did he begin to think when a son was born to him?
4. What did he do secretly one night?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. Prince Gautam got married when he was twenty years old.
2. From the very childhood Gautam of a contemplative mind and he became sad at the sight of people suffering from disease, old age and facing death.
3. When a son was born to Gautam, he began to think that it (the birth of a son) was a new tie binding him to worldly life which would make his release more difficult.
4. One night he secretly left the palace leaving everything behind him, his wealth and riches, his wife and baby and his royal life.
5. Contemplative mind – temperament of deep thinking. Peace of mind – the state of mind when it is calm and quiet.
6. Renunciation of Gautam.

(8) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
About five hundred years ago, a town called Hamelin, in north Germany was over-run with rats. The rats were so big that they used to fight the dogs and kill the cats and bite the babies in the cradles. At last, all the people came to the town hall to see the Mayor, who was the chief man of the town. They begged him to do something to rid them of the rats. The next day, the Mayor held a meeting. A tall man wearing long coat from heel to head entered the hall. He went up to the table and said, “I can rid your town of rats, if you pay me one thousand pieces of gold.” “We shall be glad to give you much more than that, to be rid of the rats”, said the Mayor.

Questions.
1. Where was Hamelin?
2. Why were the people of Hamelin afraid of rats?
3. Why did the people of the town go to the town hall?
4. What did they do to get rid of the rats?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. A town called Hamelin was in north Germany.
2. The town was over-run with rats. The people were afraid of rats because they were so big that they used to fight the dogs, kill the cats and bite the babies
in cradles.
3. The people went to the town hall to request the Major to do something to rid them of the rats.
4. The people agreed to pay stall man more than he demanded as he assured them to rid their town of rats.
5. to rid them – free them from. from heel to head – from top to bottom.
6. Riddance of Hamelin of rats.

(9) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
Can man fly like birds? No, he can’t. But a man can sit in an aeroplane and fly. An aeroplane is like a bird. Birds can move their tails from one side to the other and they can also move their wings up and down. An aeroplane has two wings and a tail. It can move its tail, but cannot move its wings. Some aeroplanes are big and some are small. Big aeroplanes have four engines and they travel long distances in a short time. Small aeroplanes have only one or two engines and they don’t travel very fast. Some big aeroplanes have seats for a hundred or a hundred and fifty passengers. A very big aeroplane carries four to five hundred people. Do you want to fly? You can’t fly with wings. But you can become a pilot and fly an aeroplane.


Questions.
1. Can a man fly like birds? Why?
2. Can a man fly? How?
3. Is an aeroplane different from a bird? How?
4. What are the differences between a big aeroplane and a small aeroplane?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. No, man cannot fly like birds. Birds have wings and they fly with their help but man does not have wings.
2. Yes, man can fly. He can sit in an aeroplane and fly.
3. Yes, an aeroplane is different from a bird. An aeroplane has two wings and a tail, it can move its tail but it cannot move its wings. That is the difference.”
4. A big aeroplane has four engines and it can travel long distances in a short interval of time. A small aeroplane has only one or two engines and it does not travel very fast.
5. long distances – places of destination located very far away.
Passengers – travellers.
6. Importance of Aeroplanes.

(10) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
Pratap took a vow that until Chittore was recovered, he would lead a hard life. He would not use gold and silver dishes at meal, he would use the leaves of trees instead. His bed would be of straw and he would not shave his beard. He ordered that no one should plough the fields and no crops should be grown in the country. He showed greatest valour in the battle of Haldighati. With a small body of twenty two thousand Rajputs, he fought against the huge army of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and made himself immortal. So he is honoured even today for his spirit and sacrifice.


Questions.
1. What vow did Pratap take?
2. What orders did Pratap give?
3. With how many soldiers did he fight against the army of Akbar?
4. Why is Pratap honoured even today?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. Pratap took the vow that he would lead a hard life until Chittore was recovered. He would not use gold and silver dishes at meal. He would use bed of straw.
2. Pratap gave the orders that no one should plough the fields and no crops should be grown in the country.
3. He fought against the huge army of Akbar with a small army of only twenty two thousand soldiers.
4. Pratap is honoured even today for his spirit of sacrifice and valour.
5. Valour – bravery
Spirit of sacrifice – the will to lose anything for honour’s sake.
6. Pratap’s spirit of sacrifice.

(11) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
Lions usually are among the foolest of creatures and by reason of their love of dead flesh and their habit of returning to their victims again and again after being driven away, they are fairly easy to poison when they become troublesome. Poison, therefore, is the most effective weapon to use against them. Man -eaters, as a rule, however, are extremely difficult to destroy by their method; their meeting with man seems to fill them with an unusual cunning. The most striking example I know of this cunning of a man-eater is connected with a panther, which was killed in the Garhwal district of the lower Himalayas, but not until it had terrorised the place for seven years and during this time had killed 125 persons. Every method which the skill of man could think of failed. This terrible man-eater was at last shot-dead by a European man, who sat up mightly for ten weeks till he got his chance.


Questions.
1. Why are the lions the most foolish of creatures?
2. Why do they return to their victim again and again?
3. What is the most effective weapon to get rid of a lion?
4. How many persons did the panther of Garhwal kill?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. The lions are regarded the most foolish creatures they are habitual of returning to their victims again and again. So they are easy to poison.
2. The lions return to their victims again and again because of their love for dead flesh.
3. Poison is the most effective weapon to get rid of a troublesome lion.
4. The panther of Garhwal killed 125 persons.
5. Usually – most of ten
6. The lions becoming man-eaters.

(12) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
Gandhiji was not against machines. He believed that a machine is good if it serves man, but it is harmful when it seeks to master him. He was against the large scale use of machines, because he wanted to utilize the immense man power and cattle power of India. He was completely in favour of village and cottage industries so that people could employ their own resources to improve their economic condition. Gandhiji was a believer in self-dependence so that people might not rely upon a British and foreign aid for their prosperity. The revival of hand-spinning and hand weaving industry in our country shook the foundation of the British Empire. Another reason of Gandhiji’s dislike for machines was that large scale production has the tendency of concentrating wealth in a few hands.


Questions.
1. What was Gandhiji’s belief about machines?
2. Why was Gandhiji against the large scale use of machines?
3. Why was Gandhiji completely in favour of village and cottage industries?
4. What shook the foundation of the British Empire?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. According to Gandhiji a machine is good if it serves man but it is harmful when it seeks to master him.
2. Gandhiji was against the large scale use of machines because he wanted to utilize the immense man power and cattle of India.
3. Gandhiji was in favour of village and cottage industries so that people could employ their own resources to improve their economic condition.
4. The revival of hand-spinning and hand-weaving industry in our country shook the foundation of the British Empire.
5. Revival – the process of something being made popular again. Concentrating – bringing something together at one place.
6. Machines – Our Servants, Not Masters.

(13) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
The Himalayas are beautiful mountains to the North India. They stretch for two thousands miles from Kashmir to Assam. Some of the world’s highest peaks are in the Himalayas. The highest peak is Mount Everest. The tops of the mountains are covered with snow throughout the year. Therefore, we call them the Himalayas or ‘the abode of snow’. There are many beautiful lakes and forests in the Himalayas. Many passages connect India with Tibet, Turkistan and Afghanistan. Many rivers, the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Brahmaputra and the Beas flow from these mountains. The climate and the scenery of these mountains are so charming that people have built many hill stations there. Many visitors go to the hill stations for pleasure and relaxation.


Questions.
1. How far do the beautiful mountains of the Himalayas stretch?
2. What other name is given to the mountains of the Himalayas?
3. What does the word ‘Himalayas’ stand for?
4. Why do the visitors go to the hill stations?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. The beautiful mountains of the Himalayas stretch for two thousand miles from Kashmir to Assam.
2. The other name given to the mountains of the Himalayas is ‘the abode of snow’.
3. The word ‘Himalayas’ means the abode of snow.
4. The visitors go to hill stations for pleasure and relaxation. They enjoy the beautiful scenes of nature there.
5. Stretch – spread over The abode of snow – the place of living or stay of snow.
6. The Himalayas.

(14) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
Of all the Mughal Emperors, Akbar is the most secular in the sense that while other Mughal emperors thought of their religion, sect or tribe, Akbar treated all the religions equally. To him, the Hindus were as dear as the Muslims. He initiated a religion by the name of “Deen-e-Elahi”. He had many Hindu kings as his friends. His ‘nine jewels’ are quite famous. Pandit Nehru has showered lavish praise on Akbar.

Questions.
1. In what sense was Akbar the most secular?
2. Who has showered lavish praise on Akbar?
3. How did he treat the people of other religions?
4. Name the religion Akbar initiated.
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. Akbar was the most secular Mughal Emperor in the sense that he treated all the religious equally while other Mughal Emperor thought of their own religion, sect or tribe.
2. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru has showered lavish praise on Akbar.
3. He treated the followers of all the religious equally and there was no distinction of any type.
4. Akbar initiated a new religion called “Deen-e-Elahi”.
5. Initiated – started Nine jewels – nine distinguished courtiers.
6. Akbar – The Most Secular Mughal Emperor.

(15) Read the following passage carefully and on the basis of your reading answer the questions given below it :
A nation does not live by its big factories, dams or buildings. During the hundred years of foreign rule, our moral character was shaken. Now students are still in the process of training. It is their sacred duty to build up their character.They must learn from the very beginning the lessons of self help, self-reliance and self-sacrifice. These are the essential qualities of character which they must acquire. The time has come now when competition must give way to co-operation in every walk of life. Students must learn to co-operate with each-other in their class-rooms, on the playground and in other activities of life. For them, no duty is of greater importance than the development of character.


Questions.
1. What makes a nation great?
2. Why was our moral character shaken during the last hundred years?
3. Point out the main duty of the students.
4. What should the students try to learn from the very beginning?
5. Explain the italicized words in the passage.
6. Give a suitable title to the above passage.
Answers:
1. Strong character of citizens make a nation great.
2. During the hundred years of foreign.
3. The main duty of the students is to build up their character.
4. From the very beginning the students must learn the lessons of self-help, self-reliance and self sacrifice.
5. Shaken – upset, made unstable  Acquire – achieve.
6. Development of character.