VEENA TUTORIALSTM

STD.SYJC ENGLISH TIME:2

I. Read the following stanzas and answer the questions given below: The banyan tree was three times all as our house Its trunk had a circumference of fifty feet Its scraggly aerial roots fell to the ground From thirty feet or more so, first they cut the branches Sawing them off for seven days and the heap was huge Insects and birds began to leave the tree And then they came to its massive trunk Fifty men with axes chopped and chopped The great tree revealed its rings of two hundred years We watched in terror and fascination this slaughter As a raw mythology revealed to us its age Soon afterwards we left baroda for Bombay Where there was no tree except the one Which grows and seethes in one`s dreams,its aerial roots Looking for ground to strike. Questions: 1. How does the poet describe the banyan tree? 2. Would you find it disturbing to see a tree being cut? 3. Write down example of repetition from the stanzas. 4. How is the banyan tree alive in the poets residence in Mumbai? 5. Who became shelterless at the cutting of the tree? 6. Pick out the words which are associated with killing of the banyan tree? 7. Imagine the banyan tree speaks to you about the unfair treatment given to it for no fault of its? Write a dialogue between you and the banyan tree. Conclude your dialogue with a pledge to reassure the banyan tree of its regrowth and future survival. II. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below: Some people can just never wake up early. They munch their breakfast on the way to work. They have excuses ready when they reach office late. They miss train on regular basis. They have never seen a sunrise or met the milkman. Until a loved one turned over a new leaf recently, she was one such late riser. Try as she might, she could`nt help pressing snooze button a hundred times before she finally got up. She felt terrible about this tendency but there was nothing she could do about it. In morng, she would just not be able to shrug of the desire to sleep a while more. Only when divine intervention answered her prayers recently was she able to join the early birds club. Another relative has no plans of joining this league through. She is rather unabashed about walking up past noon on a daily basis. To be fair , her husband is a media personality who typically arrives home from work past mid-night. That just indeed give them sufficient justification to stay longer in slumberland each morning. This practise does lead to a certain oddities though. He goes for his morning walk at 1pm, heatwaves and appalled onlookers notwithstanding. They once returned from night out only to meet the neighbours son who was off on a early morning jog! Early risers clearly have edge in life. By the time most of us wake up, they have been through their morning rituals , enjoyed their walk, had their tea & read the daily news. They are also likely to have much long distance calls before dawn to those similarly inclined. Thus, by the time sun warms up they are likely to have discussed all varieties of men ,matters, and affairs with a dozen people.

HELLO: 2409 9208

WE GIVE THE BEST

MOBILE: 9821 57 4466

VEENA TUTORIALSTM
STD.SYJC ENGLISH TIME:2
QUESTIONS: 1. When was the late riser to join the early birds club? 2. What strange situation does the author mention about the media personality? 3. Why does the writer say that early risers clearly have an edge in life? 4. Is the writer an early riser or a late riser? 5. Do as directed: (1) some people can just never wake up early (change the sentence in to affirmative) (2) they have excuses ready when they reach office late (rewrite a s a simple sentence) (3) he goes for his morning walk at 1pm.(rewrite the sentence using used to) 6. use prefixes to form opposites of the following: (a) regular (b) abashed 7. GRAMMER: (do as directed) (1) The boy is too ill to appear for the examination (rewrite using so.that) (2) We will win the match. (rewrite using present perfect tense) (3) We should help.poor and .needy (use proper articles) (4) They offered him a good job. (change the voice) III. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below: Rabindranath tagore was born in a distinguished Bengali family in Calcutta on May 7,1861. Tagore had to study at home because of health reasons. He wrote his first poem when he was 8. At the age of 17 he was sent to England for formal schooling in law. In 1879, he enrolled at University college, London. While in England he wrote a poem,Bhagna Hriday . the poem depicts the sufferings of a broken heart away from home . he returned from England in 1880 & married Mrinalini Devi in 1883. He had 2 sons and 3 daughters, but Mrinalini Devi died in 1902 at age of 30. Tagore lasted unusual success by the end of 19th century. The period from 1890 to 1900 was the time when Tagores literary genius was its peak. The best of his work like Manasi, Sonar tari, Chaitali,Kalpana, and Kadi O Komal came up during these years. In the novel Naukadubi, Tagore gave clear images of upper middle class life in Bengal. Similar images were prevalent in Chokher Bali and later in Gora and Ghare Baire. Tagore wrote many plays, composed 3000 songs and excellent as a painter. In 1901, he founded a school at Shantiniketan for promotion of the creative and performing arts of India and also for those interested in western and Indian philosophy and education. The school started with 5 pupils and 5 teachers . It became a University in 1921. Tagores fame attained a luminous height with the publication of Gitanjali, which he started writing in 1901. He translated some of his songs from Gitanjali to English in 1912, during his journey to London for the second time. This translated work was published under the auspices of the great poet Yeats. And it was for this work that the Nobel prize for literature was awarded to Tagore QUESTIONS: 1. What did the novel Naukadubi portray? 2. Prepare a list of Tagore`s well known literary works? 3. Why did Tagore setup Shantiniketan? 4. Name any 4 Indian writers other than Tagore. 5. Do as directed: (1) Manasi is one of the Tagore`s best work.(change to comparative degree) (2) While in England he wrote a poem,Bhagna hriday. (rewrite beginning with when) (3) It was for this work that the Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Tagore.(rewrite as a simple sentence) 6. Write from the passage: (1) a word that means shining (2) phrase that means with the support of IV. Read the following stanzas and answer the questions given below:

HELLO: 2409 9208

WE GIVE THE BEST

MOBILE: 9821 57 4466

VEENA TUTORIALSTM
STD.SYJC ENGLISH TIME:2
Old women do not fly on magic wands Nor make obscure prophecies From ominous forest. They just sit on vacant park benches In quiet evenings, Call doves by their name And charm them with grains of maize. Or,trembling like waves They stand in endless queues in Government hospitals Or settle like sterile clouds In post offices awaiting mail From their sons abroad, Long ago dead. QUESTIONS: 1. How do the old women charm the doves/ 2. You must have seen old women wandering on the streets. What are your feelings for them? 3. Pick out 2 examples of simile from the given stanzas. 4. What is the poem about? 5. Pick out the lines that reveal the isolation and lonliness of the old women? 6. What are some of the ways in which the grandparents care for their grandchildren? 7. Do you think you too should care for your grandparents ia a similar way? Why? 8. What role do your grandparents play in your life? Read the following extract. Extend it adding a short paragraph of your own (about 120 words) So, Rosalind said goodbye to him, and waited impatiently for his return. Two oclock came, however, but no Orlando, and Rosalind began to feel angry and disappointed. Just then Oliver, Orlandos elder brother, came running through the forest to their cottage. He held a blood stained handkerchief in his hand which he gave to Rosalind, saying that Orlando had sent it to her. What has happened? What must we understand by this? Rosalind, full of fear to her lovers safety. Oliver told them his story. He had searched for Orlando everywhere in the forest, he said, and at last, tired and hungry, he had fallen asleep under a tree. On his way from Rosalinds cottage, Orlando had seen his brother lying asleep. A big snake had curled round Olivers neck and was just going to bite him when it saw Orlando and slipped away in bush. And the Orlando saw that a hungry lion was waiting under the same bush, ready to kill Oliver as soon as he woke up. Orlando thought of all his brothers unkindness to him in the past. Why should he risk his own life to save his brother who had always been cruel to him? Twice he turned away to leave Oliver, but he had a kind and noble heart and at last he decided he would not leave his brother to die. So, he fought the lion. The fierce animal tore and bit his arm, but he managed to kill it. Oliver wakened by the noise of fight saw Orlando was risking his own life to save him. He was filled with shame at all his past unkindness to his young brother, and he begged Orlando to forgive him. SECTION D: WRITING SKILLS: 1. LETTER WRITING: write any one of the following letters: 2. Read the advertisement and prepare a letter of application.(do not give your bio-data)

V.

VI.

HELLO: 2409 9208

WE GIVE THE BEST

MOBILE: 9821 57 4466

VEENA TUTORIALSTM
STD.SYJC ENGLISH TIME:2
WANTED Secretary Who can handle office routine independently, Knows English, Hindi& Marathi Minimum typing speed 40 w.p.m Experienced candidate will be preffered. Apply to: P.O Box No. 3438, The times of India, M.G. Road, Mumbai -400001 3. LETTER WRITING: write any one of the following letters: 1. On the occasion of MOTHER`S DAY, write a letter to your Mother thanking her for the valuable things you have learnt from her. OR 2. Write a letter to the principal of your college, suggesting improvement b your college library. 4. Tourist leaflet / Appeal OR Report writing / Dialogue writing: 1. APPEAL: Prepare a appeal to be made before your class, persuading your classmates to save trees. 2. DIALOGUE WRITING: Write a dialogue between your friend and you, about the increasing numbers of terror attacks all over the world. 5. IMFORMATION TRANSFER / DEVELOPING OF A COUNTERVIEW. Read the following tree diagram and prepare a short paragraph of about 120 words regarding The VEDAS. THE VEDAS

Rig veda

Sama veda

Yajur veda (each has three parts)

Atharva veda

Samhitas Prayers & Hymns VII.

Brahmanas Rituals & theology & Explanation of samhitas

Upanishads Philosophy in the form of dialogues

Tourist leaflet: Write a tourist leaflet about a hill station of your own choice, with the help of the following points: (1) How to get there (2) Speciality of the place (3) Best time to visit (4) Places worth seeing (5) Means of communication (6) Accommodation, food, entertainment etc

MONDAY 16TH 2013 - TIMINGS

8.00 A.M. ECONOMICS 10.00 A.M. ECONOMICS

8.00 A.M. MATHS I

HELLO: 2409 9208

WE GIVE THE BEST

MOBILE: 9821 57 4466