Words and Expressions Grade 9 Solutions Unit 5

Words and Expressions Class 9 Solutions Unit 5

Let’s Begin:

You have read the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’. Now read the poems given in the textbook, Beehive, ‘The Snake Trying’ (Page 125) and ‘Green Snake’ (Page 126).

Note the actions of these three snakes.

Note the reactions of the story writer and the poets. What do they feel?

Do you think any of the snakes wanted to do any harm?

What is the human behaviour towards them?

Discuss all these points with your partner and together share with your other friends.

Abdul: Hi, Ram! How are you today?

Ram: I'm good, Abdul. How about you?

Abdul: I'm doing well too.

Ram: Hey, did you notice those snakes in our Beehive textbook stories and poems?

Abdul: Yes, Ram. In "The Snake and the Mirror," the cobra didn't hurt the writer, even though it was poisonous. In "The Snake Trying," the snake swam away when it felt threatened. And in the poem "Green Snake," that snake didn't harm anyone, but it got killed.

Ram: Right! The snakes don't want to harm anyone unless they're in danger. But what about the people in the stories? How did they react?

Abdul: Well, the writer in the story thought it was a killer snake, but he didn't do anything. But the poets in the poems admired the snakes' beauty and didn't harm them.

Ram: Do you think the snakes wanted to hurt anyone?

Abdul: No, I don't think any of the snakes wanted to hurt anyone.

Ram: So, how do people usually act towards them?

Abdul: Sadly, people often kill them, thinking they're dangerous. But snakes only bite when they feel threatened.

Reading Comprehension:

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.

Text – I

The Miraculous Escape:

I had been very wealthy and prosperous and was leading a very comfortable life. I had all the worldly pleasures with me. But soon I became bored of my idle life. The urge to go on a voyage became stronger and stronger day by day. It haunted me like anything. So one day I boarded a ship and went trading from island to island with other merchants.

When we started, the weather was fine and the sea was calm. But on the fourth day of our voyage, our ship was caught in a terrific/terrible hurricane and we wandered from our set course. The tempest continued for several days and drove us near an island. The captain of the ship was reluctant to cast anchor at the port as it was a much dreaded place.

The violent waves of the sea had exhausted us. We were all tired and hungry so we went in search of food and water. We were fortunate enough to find fruit trees and a stream of fresh and cool water which gave us strength and energy and relieved us from hunger.

It had started getting dark. As we were tired we went to sleep but were soon startled by a rustling noise which came from a very long and huge python like serpent gliding swiftly towards us. We ran to save our lives but the serpent was quick enough to swallow one of my companions. We kept running till we had covered a good enough distance from the serpent. We felt a bit relieved but at the same time sad as we had lost a friend of ours. We took shelter on the top of a tree and thought ourselves to be safe.

But we were mistaken for we had hardly slept a little time when we heard a hissing sound which alarmed and frightened us. Coiling itself round the tree, the serpent reached my other companion who was positioned somewhat lower than me on the tree. It swallowed him and went away. Terror stricken I clung to the branch of the tree tightly and I did not know when I fell asleep. It was daylight when I awoke.

I climbed down. It seemed to me that I had no courage left. It took me no time to realise that if I would not think of a way to escape soon, I would be a dead man. It was just a matter of time when I would also be swallowed like my two other companions. The instinct to prevent one’s life is greater than any fear or frustration.

I thought I should spare no means to save myself. I collected a lot of dry wood and bushes and tied them into a bundle with reeds. I arranged them in a circular structure round the tree and tied some of them with the branches of the tree. In this way I made a tent like structure in which I sat after dusk and securely tied from within. I had the satisfaction that whatever I could do I did it to prevent myself. This time when the serpent arrived he crept round the tree but he could not penetrate the defensive structure I had made around me. It just sat and waited the whole night like a cat that waits for the mouse to emerge out of its hole.

At dawn the serpent crept back but I dared not come out of my fortress. I lay there half dead and almost suffocated. When the Sun began to shine, I came out of my wooden fortress. I was so desperate that I ran towards the seashore. When I was about to jump into the sea, I saw a ship sailing at some distance. I shouted wildly, I took off my shirt and waved it too, which attracted the sailors on the ship and a rescue boat was immediately sent for me. This was my miraculous escape from the deadly serpent. (Source: Anonymous)

Discuss what effect did the story have on you? What would you have done, if you were in the narrator’s place? Does it teach you how to save yourself from danger? Now based on your reading of the story, answer the questions that follow. You may read the story again.

1. What made the narrator go on a voyage?

(a) He was rich and satisfied with his life.

(b) He felt bored of his life. ✔

(d) He was adventurous.

2. How did the narrator and his friends feed themselves?

(a) They ate fish.

(b) They could not find anything to eat.

(d) They ate the food they had brought with themselves.

3. The narrator and his companions were on the tree. The serpent swallowed his companion but not the narrator. Why?

The serpent swallowed his companion but not the narrator because his companion was positioned somewhat lower than the narrator on the tree.

4. How did the narrator save himself from the serpent?

The narrator collected a lot of dry wood and bushes and tied them into a bundle with reeds. He arranged them in a circular structure like a tent and sat inside it. The serpent could not penetrate that defensive structure and this is how, the narrator saved himself from the serpent.

5. Find the words in the story which mean the nearest to the words given below.

(a) rich (First para) wealthy

(b) moved (Second para) wandered

(d) scared (Fifth para) frightened

(e) urge (Fifth para) instinct

6. Now find words in the story which mean the opposite of the given words.

(а) poor (First para) wealthy

(b) weak (Third para) strength

(d) insecurely (Sixth para) securely

(e) offensive (Sixth para) defensive

Vocabulary:

1. The story of Miraculous Escape has a number of words which describe the narrator’s feeling of fear and getting tired of the journey. List the words of the two feelings and experiences.

Fear – Getting tired

Terrific – Exhausted

haunted – tired

alarmed – half dead

frightened – suffocated

terror stricken – desperate

Question 2.

Can you now add suffix which can mean or relate to the word ‘fear’? First one has been done for you.

Fear

(a) fearsome

(a) fear ___________ fearsome

(b) fear ___________ fearing

(d) fear ___________ fearless

(e) fear ___________ fearlessly

(f) fear ___________ fearlessness

(g) fear ___________ fearfulness

(h) fear ___________ feared

Grammar:

Reported Speech: Reporting questions

1.You have learnt how to report questions from direct to indirect speech. Here is a paragraph with direct speech questions. Read them carefully and report into indirect speech. Rewrite the paragraph in the space given below.

Once an old man asked a young boy, “Who do you think are the most intelligent people?” The young man said in return, “Who do you think so?” The old man said, “How can sons and daughters be intelligent without learning from their parents?” The young man said, “How did you as a parent learn?” The old man said, “Why are you hijacking my question by asking me back?” The young man said, “Didn’t you know that you as a parent, now have learnt all the things on your own?” The old man said, “How do you say that we all learnt from others?” The young man said, “Why do you ask me about how to operate electronic gadget all the time?” The old man said, “Why can’t I ask you because I have paid for the gadget you use?”

Once an old man asked a young boy who he thought were the most intelligent people. The young man replied who he thought so. The old man asked how sons and daughters could be intelligent without learning from their parents. The young man asked how he, as a parent, had learnt. The old man asked further why he was hijacking his question by asking him back. The young man asked if he had not known that he, as a parent, then had learnt all the things on his own. The old man asked how he said that they all had learnt from others. The young man asked why he asked him about how to operate electronic gadget all the time. The old man asked why he could not ask him because he had paid for the gadget he used.

2. Now here is a set of sentences given in indirect speech. Change them into direct speech.

Indirect Speech	Direct Speech
(a) Romesh asked Lata whether she could go with him for a picnic the next day.	(a) Romesh
(b) Lata replied why had he asked her to join.	(b) Lata
(c) Romesh asked Lata why she was questioning him.	(c) Romesh
(d) Lata replied there was no use visiting the place she had seen before.	(d) Lata
(e) Romesh asked Lata what was wrong in visiting the same place again for the place was not the same.	(e) Romesh

(a) Romesh asked Lata, “Can you come with me for a picnic tomorrow ?”

(b) Lata said, “Why have you asked me to join ?”

(d) Lata said, “There is no use visiting the place I have seen earlier.”

(e) Romesh asked Lata, “What is wrong in visiting the same place again as the place is not the same ?”

Editing:

1. Some of the prepositions are incorrectly used in the following story. Correct them and read the story aloud. Then rewrite the story in the space given below.

The Dog and His Bone:

A hungry dog while searching about food found a bone. He picked it out and held it tightly in his mouth and ran out into the woods, to a safe place to enjoy it in ease. He growled and frowned at anyone who attempted to take it over. He chewed the bone for a very long time and this made him quite thirsty. He came to a stream to quench his thirst. He trotted around the footbridge and happened to glance into the water.

He saw his own reflection in the water. Thinking it was another dog with a bigger bone, he growled and scowled towards it. The reflection growled and scowled back. Being greedy by nature, he wanted that bone too. He snapped his sharp teeth at the image on the water. He barked at the other dog, hoping to scare him into giving that bone. His own big bone fell with a splash, went over of sight, the moment he opened his mouth to bite!

Answer:

A hungry dog while searching for food found a bone. He picked it up and held it tightly in his mouth and ran out into the woods, to a safe place to enjoy it with ease. He growled and frowned at anyone who attempted to take it out. He chewed the bone for a very long time and this made him quite thirsty. He came to a stream to quench his thirst. He trotted over the footbridge and happened to glance in the water. He saw his own reflection in the water. Thinking it was another dog with a bigger bone, he growled and scowled at it. The reflection growled and scowled back. Being greedy by nature, he wanted that bone too. He snapped his sharp teeth at the image in the water. He barked at the other dog, hoping to scare him for giving that bone. His own big bone fell with a splash, went out of sight, the moment he opened his mouth to bite!

2. Rearrange each set of words to make sentences. Use appropriate punctuation marks.

(a) when I gave her, the bad news, she turned pale

She turned pale when I gave her the bad news.

(b) become rotten, as it has, the apple, don’t eat

Don’t eat the apple, as it has become rotten.

(c) great friends, last quarrel, after their, they became

They became great friends after their last quarrel.

(d) first and only novel, after her, got a prize, she became famous

She became famous after her first and only novel got a prize.

Listening:

How brave are you? Take a minute to think over this question. There are people who risk their lives to save someone’s life from danger. Here is a child who dared and saved lives. Let us listen to the story of a brave-heart.

The Brave Hearts:

On October 26,2009, Jhalaram’s hut in the village Sameshwar in Rajasthan, suddenly caught fire. His two daughters, aged two-and-a-half years and one year, as well as ten goats were in the hut at that time.

Shrawan Kumar, a six-year old boy, was playing in his house at a distance of about 200 feet. Seeing smoke coming out from Jhalaram’s house, he ran towards it. He saw the children sitting on a cot and screaming for help, and the goats caught in the flames.

Shrawan entered the house, lifted the younger child in one arm and pulling the older one by the hand, brought them out safely. He took them to his house, then ran to inform his father and the children’s father.

The elders rushed to the site. But by that time, the goats had died and the household belongings had been destroyed in the fire. It was Shrawan Kumar’s daring act that saved the lives of the two children.

(Shrawan Kumar, 6 years old, Sameshwar, Rajasthan) (Source: Children’s World, May 2012)

Your teacher will read out the story. Listen to the story carefully and answer the questions below. You may ask the teacher to read out the story more than once.

1. Where is the village of Sameshwar?

Sameshwar village is in Rajasthan.

2. Whose hut had caught fire?

Jhalaram’s hut had caught fire.

3. Who all were there in the hut when it caught fire?

His two daughters and ten goats were in the hut, when it caught fire.

4. Why did Shrawan run towards Jhalaram’s house?

He ran towards Jhalaram’s house for help.

5. How did Shrawan save the two children?

He lifted the younger child in one arm and pulled the other one by hand.

6. What happened to the goats?

The goats died in the fire.

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