Comprehension Check (Page 10)
1: What did the
author find in a junk shop?
Ans: The author
found a nineteenth-century roll-top desk which was put up for sale in a junk
shop. It was in a very bad condition, with scorch marks all down one side and
several broken pieces, as one leg was clumsily mended.
2: What did he find
in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?
Ans: The author
found a shallow space underneath the roll-top desk drawer which was a secret
drawer. There was a small black tin box which had a piece of lined notepaper
that was cello-taped to its top. There was a note written on it in shaky
handwriting “Jim’s last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me
when the time comes.”
It seems the
letter was put inside the box by Mrs Jim Macpherson, with her full name and
address written on the envelope.
Comprehension Check (Page 14)
1.
Who had written the
letter, to whom, and when?
Ans: Captain Jim
Macpherson of the British army, who was fighting a war against the Germans, had
written the letter to his wife Connie on 26th December, 1914.
2.
Why was the letter
written — what was the wonderful thing that had happened?
Ans: Jim
Macpherson wrote the letter to his wife, Connie, and described the wonderful
event that happened on the day of Christmas. Although a war was going on
between the British and the Germans, they celebrated Christmas and played a
friendly football match together.
3.
What jobs did Hans
Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?
Ans: Before
joining the armed forces, Hans Wolf from Dusseldorf used to play the cello in
an orchestra and Jim Macpherson was a school teacher from Dorset.
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4.
Had Hans Wolf ever
been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?
Ans: No, Hans
had never been to Dorset in the past. He had learned about Dorset from school
and read several English books. One of his favourite books was ‘Far from the
Madding Crowd’ written by Thomas Hardy.
5.
Do you think Jim
Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?
Ans: No, it
appears that Jim Macpherson never returned home from the war. Perhaps, due to
this reason his wife Connie had preserved all his letters carefully.
Comprehension Check (Page 15)
1.
Why did the author
go to Bridport?
Ans: The author
went to Bridport to meet Connie Macpherson and deliver the letter which had her
address – Mrs. Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport and Dorset. He
wanted to deliver the letter to her written by her husband, which the author
had mistakenly opened and read the contents of.
2.
How old was Mrs
Macpherson now? Where was she?
Ans: Mrs Connie
Macpherson was a hundred and one years old. She was in the Burlington House
Nursing Home that was located on Dorchester road, on the other side of town.
Comprehension Check (Page 16)
1.
Who did Connie
Macpherson think her visitor was?
Ans: Connie
Macpherson thought that the visitor carrying the letter was her husband, Jim Macpherson.
2.
Which sentence in
the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?
Ans: The
sentence which shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity is, “I
explained about the desk, about how I had found it, but I don’t think she was
listening”. From this sentence, we understand that although the author tries
his best to explain how he found the letter in the old roll-top desk, Mrs
Macpherson didn’t pay attention to his words; rather, she stroked the letter
tenderly with her fingertips.
Working with the text (Page 16)
1.
For how long do you
think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your Ans.
Ans: Connie kept
Jim’s letter for a long period of time. We understand this from the fact that
she told the narrator how she used to read the letter every day and could feel
Jim’s presence around her always.
2.
Why do you think the
desk had been sold, and when?
Ans: The
roll-top desk was put up for sale when the house in which Mrs Jim Macpherson
lived caught fire, and she was taken to the Burlington House Nursing Home. Most
of the things got burned and were put up for sale thereafter.
3.
Why do Jim and Hans
think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?
Ans: Jim and
Hans thought that games or sports were good ways of resolving conflicts because
nobody lays down their lives in matches. Neither do children become orphans,
nor do wives become widows of martyred soldiers. Both Jim and Hans thought that
war only leads to death, conflict and devastation, whereas playing matches is a
good way to end the conflicts.
Yes, I agree
with both Jim and Hans that playing friendly matches is definitely an ideal way
to resolve conflicts between two enemy countries without any loss of life and
property.
4.
Do you think the
soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other?
Find evidence from the story to support your Ans.
Ans: The
soldiers of the two armies are similar to each other as per the following
reasons derived from the story
1.
Both armies
celebrated Christmas together.
2.
They shared good
moments together by eating, laughing, drinking and talking with each other.
3.
Both armies
played a friendly football match and approved the fact that conflicts could
have been resolved by playing a match.
4.
They agreed
about the consciences or negative impact that war has upon families.
5.
Both armies
longed for peace and exchanged Christmas carols, and hoped to unite with their
respective families soon.
5. Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become
friends and find things in common at Christmas.
Ans: Both the
British and the German soldiers were enemies at war and belonged to different
camps. However, at the end of the day, both armies comprised human beings who
had similar feelings of love and compassion for their respective families and
all those who were fighting the war. Both groups shared the festive spirit of
Christmas, and enjoyed a feast together by eating, drinking and making merry
together. They also talked of Bathsheba and Gabriel Oak and Sergeant Troy and
Dorset. They also sang Christmas carols together and spent some quality time
with each other. They got over hatred and played a friendly game of football
and wished that all conflicts in the world could be resolved by playing games.
Both Jim and Hans hated war and knew well how the war affected the lives of
their families. Both were anxious to return home to their families once the war
comes to an end.
6.
What is Connie’s
Christmas present? Why is it “the best Christmas present in the world”?
Ans: When the
narrator visited Connie to deliver her husband’s letter, she mistook him to be
her husband, Jim Macpherson due to her old age and memory loss. She was looking
forward to Jim returning home for Christmas. She felt this was the best Christmas
present she could ever receive.
This was the
best Christmas present in the world for Connie because Jim had mentioned in the
letter that he would return home from the war on Christmas. She used to read
that letter multiple times a day to feel her husband’s presence nearby. Hence,
when the narrator told her how he found the letter, she was extremely happy and
felt it was Jim who had come to visit her after a long time.
7.
Do you think the
title of this story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other title(s)?
Ans: In my
opinion, the title of the story is very apt and suits it perfectly. The festive
spirit of Christmas prevails throughout the story. It clearly mentions how the
warring troops longed for peace and had a strong desire to return home safely
to their respective families. They shared a wonderful moment together by
sharing food and drinks, talked to their heart’s content and played a football
match among themselves. However, when the narrator goes to visit Connie along
with the letter written by her husband, Jim Macpherson, she presumes the author
to be her husband and thanks him for gifting her the best Christmas present
ever.
Some suitable
titles could be – “The Best Christmas Gift” and “When a Christmas wish comes true”.
Working with language
(Page 17-19)
Look at these sentences from the story.
I spotted it
in a junk shop in Bridport… The man said it was made in the
early nineteenth century… This one was in a bad condition…
The italicised
verbs are in the past tense. They tell us what happened in the past,
before now.
(i) Read the passage below and underline the verbs in the past tense.
A man got on the
train and sat down. The compartment was empty except for one lady. She took her
gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24
hours and then freed him.
Ans: A man got on
the train and sat down. The compartment was empty
except for one lady. She took her gloves off. A few hours
later the police arrested the man. They held him
for 24 hours and then freed him.
Now look at these sentences.
The veneer had
lifted almost everywhere. Both fire and water had taken their toll on this
desk.
Notice the verb
forms had lifted, had taken (their toll).
The author found
and bought the desk in the past.
The desk was
damaged before the author found it and bought it.
Fire and water
had damaged the desk before the author found it and bought it.
We use verb
forms like had damaged for an event in the ‘earlier past’. If there are two
events in the past, we use the ‘had…’ form for the event that occurred first in
the past.
We also use the
past perfect tense to show that something was wished for or expected before a
particular time in the past. For example, I had always wanted one…
Discuss with
your partner the difference in meaning in the sentences below.
When I reached
the station, the train left.
When I reached
the station, the train had left.
(ii) Fill in the
blanks using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
My little sister
is very naughty. When she __________ (come) back from school yesterday, she had
__________ (tear) her dress. We __________ (ask) her how it had __________
(happen). She __________ (say) she __________ __________ (have, quarrel) with a
boy. She __________ __________ (have, beat) him in a race and he __________
__________ (have, try) to push her. She __________ __________ (have, tell) the
teacher and so he __________ __________ have, chase) her, and she __________
__________ (have, fall) down and __________ __________ (have, tear) her dress.
Ans: My little
sister is very naughty. When she came back from school yesterday, she had torn her dress. We asked her how it had happened. She said she had quarrelled with a boy.
She had beaten him in a race
and he had tried to push her.
She had told the teacher and
so he had chased her, and
she had fallen down and had torn her dress.
(iii) Underline the
verbs and arrange them in two columns, Past and Earlier past.
1.
My friends set
out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home, because I had seen
them already.
2.
When they
arrived at the station, their train had left. They came back home, but by that
time I had gone out to see a movie!
3.
So they sat
outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them.
4.
By the time I
returned, they had fallen asleep!
|
Past |
Earlier past |
Ans:
1.
My friends set
out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at
home, because I had seen them already.
2.
When they arrived at
the station, their train had left. They came back
home, but by that time I had gone out to see a movie!
3.
So they sat outside
and ate the lunch I had packed for them.
4.
By the time
I returned, they had fallen asleep!
|
Past |
Earlier past |
|
1.
set out, stayed |
had seen |
|
1.
arrived, came |
had left, had
gone |
|
1.
sat, ate |
had packed |
|
1.
returned |
had fallen |
2.
Dictionary work
By the end of
the journey, we had run out of drinking water.
Look at the verb
run out of in this sentence. It is a phrasal verb it has two parts, a verb and
a preposition or an adverb. Phrasal verbs often have meanings that are
different from the meanings of their parts.
Find these
phrasal verbs in the story.
burn out light up look on run
out keep out
Write down the
sentences in which they occur. Consult a dictionary and write down the meaning
that you think matches the meaning of the phrasal verb in the sentence.
Ans
- Burn out “House number 12
turned out to be nothing but a burned-out shell, the roof gaping, the
windows boarded-up.” – This line implies that the house was destroyed
by fire.
- Light up “That was the
moment her eyes lit up with recognition and her face became suffused with
a sudden glow of happiness.” – This line implies that Connie’s
face brightened up with happiness.
- Look on “Hans Wolf and I
looked on and cheered, clapping our hands and stamping our feet, to keep
out the cold as much as anything.” – This line implies that both
Jim and Hans watched and cheered each other while playing a football
match.
- Run out “The time came,
and all too soon, when the game was finished, the schnapps and the rum and
the sausage had long since run out, and we knew it was all over.”
– This line implies that the game was over and so was the fun and
food that was all used up.
- Keep out “Hans Wolf and I
looked on and cheered clapping our hands and stamping our feet, to keep
out the cold as much as anything.” – This line implies that they
tried to avoid the cold by clapping their hands and stamping their feet.
3.
Noun phrase
Read the
following sentence.
I took out
a small black tin box.
- The phrase in italics is
a noun phrase.
- It has the noun — box —
as the head word, and three adjectives preceding it.
- Notice the order in which
the adjectives occur — size (small), colour (black) and material (tin) of
which it is made.
- We rarely use more than
four adjectives before a noun and there is no rigid order in which they are
used, though there is a preferred order of modifiers/adjectives in a noun
phrase, as given below.
Ans: Check the
properly and try to understand the placement of noun phrase and adjectives in
it.
4.
The table below
contains a list of nouns and some adjectives. Use as many adjectives as you can
to describe each noun. You might come up with some funny descriptions!
|
Nouns |
Adjectives |
|
elephant |
circular,
striped, enormous, multi-coloured, round, cheerful, wild, blue, red, chubby,
large, medium-sized, cold |
|
face |
|
|
building |
|
|
water |
Ans:
|
Nouns |
Adjectives |
|
elephant |
enormous, large, cheerful, wild, medium-sized |
|
face |
round, cheerful, chubby, |
|
building |
multi-coloured, blue, red, medium-sized |
|
water |
blue, cold |
Speaking (Page 19)
1.
In groups discuss
whether wars are a good way to end conflicts between countries. Then present
your arguments to the whole class.
Ans: War brings
in a lot of hatred and devastation with it. It exhibits the unseen and unfair
side of humans. Nations fight a war sometimes for petty reasons like sharing or
corning a piece of land or due to religion. Soldiers who fight the war leave
their families behind, their children become orphaned, and wives become widows
when they lay down their lives for their respective countries. Therefore, wars
are definitely not an ideal way to end conflicts and cause huge destruction to
life and property.
(Note Students may depict their views in front of the whole class as
per their own thinking).
2.
What kind of
presents do you like and why? What are the things you keep in mind when you buy
presents for others? Discuss with your partner. (For example, you might buy a book
because it can be read and re-read over a period of time.)
Ans: On the
personal front, I do not like the practice of exchanging costly gifts. However,
if we really want to thank someone with a present, we can buy some flowers as a
token of affection for the respective person. Due to this reason, we notice
that on formal occasions, many guests bring flower bouts as gifts to express
their warm feelings.
(Note Students may depict their own views and discuss it with their
partner as per their convenience).
Writing (Page 20)
1.
Imagine that you are
Jim. You have returned to your town after the war. In your diary record how you
feel about the changes you see and the events that occur in your town. You
could begin like this
25 December 1919
It’s Christmas
today, but the town looks…..
Or
Suppose you are
the visitor. You are in a dilemma. You don’t know whether to disclose your
identity and disappoint the old lady or let her believe that her dear Jim has
come back. Write a letter to a friend highlighting your anxiety, fears and
feelings.
Ans:
25 December 1919
It’s Christmas
today, but the town looks different from other days. The town was devastated by
war. The buildings have been destroyed and are in complete ruins. My house is
almost burnt by the bombardments happening due to war. All such events have
taken a heavy toll on the lives of the soldiers as well as the civilians as a
whole. I am in complete distaste of whatever is happening around and want to
curse the warmongers. I truly long for peace and brotherhood among the
countrymen and the people from across the borders.
2.
Given below is the
outline of a story. Construct the story using the outline.
A young, newly
married doctor _______________ freedom fighter _______________ exiled to the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British _______________ infamous Cellular
Jail _______________ prisoners tortured _______________ revolt by inmates
_______________ doctor hanged _______________ wife waits for his return
_______________ becomes old _______________ continues to wait with hope and
faith.
Ans:
In the year
1929, when India was under the British Raj, the English education system
enlightened the minds of a few people. Gradually people started thinking
progressively and were fighting hard to free the country from British rule. At
that time, a young, newly-married doctor was framed in a conspiracy case and
sent to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which was located in the Bay of Bengal. He
was a freedom fighter who was exiled to the infamous Cellular Jail for a few
years. He, along with other prisoners in this jail, was subjected to inhuman
torture due to the revolt made by the inmates. One fine day, he was hanged. But
his wife kept waiting for his return until she grew old. However, she never
lost her hope and faith and continues to wait for her husband to return
someday.