English T-2 Class 8Th

Prose 6: Polo – Julius Caesar (T2)

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

Q1. Why did certain party of Romans wish to kill Julius Caesar?

Ans. Julius Caesar was a great Roman soldier and leader.  Since he was bold and brave also, so certain parties suspected that he might be offered the crown of king, which they did wish to be made as king. So they made a plan to kill him.

Q2. Why did Calpurnia beg Caesar not to go to the Capitol?

Ans. Calpurnia, the wife of Caesar, did not want Caesar to go to the Capitol, because she had had a most frightening dream, in which Caesar’s statue, which stood in marketplace, had poured forth blood, and the Roman people came smiling to wash their hands in it. And in another dream, someone saw a lion in the marketplace and graves opened and gave up their dead. There was the noise of the battle in the air and cries of men and horses in pain. She explained him that these terrible things were warnings and anything could happen.

Q3. What two reasons did Anthony give to show that Caesar was not ambitious?

Ans. At the Caesar’s funeral, Mark Anthony gives two reasons to the Roman people to prove that Caser was not ambitious. First, that Caesar was always kind and generous to the poor and always felt great love and pity for them.

Second, that he was three times offered kingly crown at the games and all time he refused.

This shows that he was not ambitious.

Q4. Why was Brutus’ decision to march from Sardis to Philippi wrong?

Ans. Brutus’s decision to march from Sardis to Philippi was wrong because Octavius and Anthony had the advantage of a good defence position as well as a fresh and rested army.

Q5. Why has Brutus been called ‘the noblest Roman of the all’?

Ans. Brutus was ‘the noblest Roman of them all’ because he was the only on with honest thoughts for the good of the people. He was a brave and honourable man. He did not acted in the envy of the people.

LANGUAGE WORK

1. Match the words on the left with the words on the right to form common collocations.

Ans.

1. Work ………………. Important

2. Wide ……………….. Open

3. Well ………………... Aware

4. Great ……………….. Success

5. Vitally ……………… Ethic

Poem 9: Stars Speak To Man (T2)

THINKING ABOUT THE POEM

Q1. What do stars say to man in the first two lines?

Ans. In first two lines, stars remind man that he was born to enlighten the world, but he has chosen the fire and showed his insensitiveness, thus put the humanity in disgrace.

Q2. Nature had fashioned you to apportion love and affection

      But you took to buying and selling religion and faith instead.

Explain these lines.

Ans. These lines have been taken from the “Stars Speak to Man” written in Kashmiri by a Kashmiri writer Abdul Ahad Azad and translated in English by Prof G. R Malik.

In these lines, stars tell the man, that he was designed to distribute love and affection proportionally among people but he made the business of his religion and thus have lost the faith in religion.

Q3. Why is man described as a serpent?

Ans. A serpent is a poisonous animal. If it is given the task to guard the treasure, it will allow no one to come near it. Nature had bestowed treasure for all to share it equally, but man, with his selfishness took it all, and sat like a serpent on it, thereby allowing no one to come near it.

Q4. “That which you call awakening is a stupefying hangover”. Why?

Ans. Man has created divisions on the basis of religion. His own mischief has divided humans in the name of religion, thus they have lost faith on it. Man called this mischief an awakening while as it was a sedative to make it restless and away from the belief of others.

Q5. Do you think the poem is the wake-up call? Explain.

Ans. The poem clearly reveals the deeds of man. So this poem is a wake-up call for man, because he has misused his religion created divisions among brothers that lead to bloodshed. He has forgotten the humbleness, honour, help, sympathy, and sharing. Now it is time that he should repent from his all misdeeds. Thus the poet through his art of poetry wants to warn man for his misleads.

LANGUAGE WORK

Q1. Fill in the blanks to make a meaningful summary of the poem.

Ans. The poem is addressed to Man. The poet tells Man that he was the light of reason but he put humanity to disgrace. Nature had provided him with treasures of bounties to share them equally, but he sat like serpent on them. His heart is restlessly vibrating and his vision clouded by fantasies. In his own garden he cut the roots while watering twigs and leaves. He has ransacked and ravaged his own home.

Q2. Use the following phrases in your own sentences.

Ans.

(i). Choose to be: He chooses to be a teacher.

(ii). Take to: He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

(iii). Throw open: The warden throw open the door for all students to come in.

(iv). Pose to be: He poses to be genius.

(v). Fall into: I told him not to fall into conversation with them.

(vi). Tear apart: The professor tore apart the paper.

Poem 10: Summer and Winter (T2)

THINKING ABOUT THE POEM

Q1. What do the opening lines of the poem describe?

Ans. The opening lines of the poem describe the bright and cheerful charm of sunny afternoon of the month of June.

Q2. What is the effect of the shining sun on the objects of nature?

Ans. Beneath the shining sun all the objects, like the weeds, the river, the cornfields and reeds are happy. The leaves of trees have become visible in the light and are seen waving here and there.

Q3. How is winter described in the poem?

Ans. Winter is, described as lifeless season in the poem. The poet says that winter seems to be as lifeless for birds; they die, as they cannot move freely in summer. Fishes in this season become firm in the frozen water, which looks slime and sticky. Wrinkled clod becomes hard as brick. The children together with their parents feel cold although in front of fire. The beggars become homeless. This symbolizes winter as lifeless and gloom season.

Q4. Explain the following lines:

            All things rejoiced beneath the sun; the weeds,

            The river, and the cornfields, and the reeds;

            The willow leaves that glanced in the light breeze,

Ans. These lines have been taken from the poem “Summer and Winter” written by Percy Bysshe Shelley. In these lines, poet says that when the summer sun rises, all things like weeds, the river, the cornfields and other plants feel happiness. The leaves seem to move freely under the moderate breeze. It seems that summer has brought life on the earth to things that were in a lifeless condition in winter.

Q5. How does the poem end?

Ans. The poem ends with the description of the family where children together with their parents feel cold although in front of great fire. The poet is sorry for the homeless beggar of winter who suffers the harshness of winter and cold being homelessness.

LANGUAGE WORK

Q1. Write down some visual images from the poem:

Ans. Some visual images from the poem are:

Floating Mountains, Stainless Sky, Wrinkled Clod, Hard as Brick

Q2. Pick out the rhyming words from the poem.

Ans. Rhyming Words:

Weeds …………… Reeds

Breeze …………… Trees

Die ………………. Lie

Cold …………….. Old

Crowds ………….. Clouds

Q3. Write down five adjectives from the poem.

Ans. Five adjectives from the poem are:

1. The Silver Clouds: In summer we see silver clouds floating in the sky.

2. The Stainless Sky: The stainless sky looks attractive in summer.

3. The Lager Tress: The larger trees are found in the forests of Kashmir.

4. The Translucent Ice: In winter the translucent ice floats on the surface of water.

5. The Homeless Beggar: The homeless beggars are always seen begging in streets of cities.

Play 1: A Strange Trail (T2)

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

Q1. What did Alice remember?

Ans. Alice remembered, following a white rabbit and got entered in a rabbit hole behind it. She remembered the whole lot of odd creatures there talking and acting oddly. She also remembered the drinking of a strange liquid that made her smaller and a cake made her larger again. In fact she was in a strange party, called the Mad Tea party.

Q2. Why according to Gryphon were the Jurymen putting down their names?

Ans. According to Gryphon, the Jurymen were putting down their names, because they feared that they should forget them before the end of the trial.

Q3. The first witness was:

a) Alice           b) White rabbit          c) King            d) Mad Hatter

Ans. (d) Mad Hatter

Q4. ‘Give your evidence or ‘I’ll have you executed whether you’re nervous or not.

a)      Who says these words and whom?

b)     What do you mean by ‘I’ll have you executed’?

Ans.

(a). These words are told by the King to Mad Hatter.

(b). The King tells Hatter, if he shows any nervousness or have no evidence of his innocence, he will be punished.

Q5. What, according to Alice, is the first wise thing that the King has said that day?

Ans. “You are a poor speaker too” was the wise thing that according to Alice told the King to Hatter that day.

Q6. Knave denies having imitated somebody’s handwriting. What evidence does he give?

Ans. Knave denies having imitated somebodies handwriting. In order to prove himself he argued that if he had written that letter he would have signed at the end.

Q7. What happens when the whole pack of cards and all the animals fall upon Alice?

Ans. When the whole pack of cards and animals fall upon Alice, she screams and tries to beat them off but they run in different directions and disappear.

Q8. A strange trial was a dream which Alice dreamt. (True/False)

Ans. True. A strange trial was a dream, dreamt by Alice on a stage.

LANGUAGE WORK

A. Match the phrasal verbs on the left with their meaning on the right:

Ans.

i. Put down ………………….. Write down

ii. Pick up ……………………. Take in hand

iii. Send for ………………….. Send someone a message asking them to come to see you.

iv. Take off ………………….. Remove

v. Put on ……………………... Wear

vi. Stare at …………………… Look at something continuously

vii. Hurry up ………………… Makes haste

viii. Look at …………………. See

ix. Fall in ……………………. Make a line

x. Hand over ……………….... Give

xi. Beat off …………………... Defeat

xii. Hit out …………………… Criticize strongly

B. Do it yourself.

C. Fill in the blanks with the words given:

Bevy, Brood, Throng, Staff, Suite, Chest, Cluster, Litter, String, Shoal, Chain

Ans.

1. A shoal of fish.

2. A bevy of ladies.

3. A suit of rooms.

4. A cluster of stars.

5. A staff of officials.

6. A throng of people.

7. A brood of chickens.

8. A litter of puppies.

9. A chest of drawers.

10. A string of camels.

11. A chain of mountains.

D. Give the antonyms of the italicized word in the following sentences:

Ans.

1. Honesty is the best policy.

Ans. (b). Deceit

2. The chairman initiated the proceeding with a brief speech.

Ans. (c). Closed

3. William Wordsworth is celebrated for his lucid style.

Ans. (a). Notorious

4. A faithful officer is always vigilant towards his duties.

Ans. (d). Careless

Prose 7: Polythene: A Disaster (T2)

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

Q1. What is polythene? Who discovered it?

Ans. Polythene is a tough, light, flexible synthetic resin made by polymerization ethylene, chiefly used for plastic bags, food containers, and other packing. It was discovered by a German Scientist Hans Von Pechmann.

Q2. What does Rakesh’s father expect from kids?

Ans. Rakesh’s father expects from kids that they will stop using polythene bags which the elders have so far failed to do.

Q3. Why is polythene widely used?

Ans. Polythene is widely used because it is cheap and easy to carry everywhere.

Q4. What is biodegradation?

Ans. Biodegradation is a chemical process by which decaying or decomposition of organic matter takes place. This chemical dissolution of materials is carried out by bacteria, fungi or other biological means.

Q5. What are the harmful effects of polythene?

Ans. Polythene has many harmful effects. Diseases like cholera, malaria etc. are caused by the polythene. Since it is non-biodegradable, so it increases infertility of soil. It plays a major role in the blockage of water systems like sewage and water pipes, causing floods during rainfall. Polythene bags are often eaten by animals and sometimes cause their death.

Q6. How is soil affected by polythene?

Ans. Since, polythene is a non-biodegradable material, so it is not decomposed in the soil. After remaining in the soil, it damages the ecosystem of soil by retarding its carrying capacity. Besides, polythene has a property of non-permeability, so it cuts off respiration of soil system which in turn not only affects plant life but other creatures living in the soil.

Q7. How does polythene affect animals?

Ans. When polythene bags, carrying eatables like fruits, after usage, are thrown in open roads, then these are often eaten by stray animals, which sometime cause their death. It also affects the marine animals. About one billion marine animals die each year due to polythene pollution.

Q8. What is SRO 182?

Ans. SRO 182 is a law, made by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir on 18^th of June 2008, by which the use of polythene has been banned within the territorial limits of the state.

Q9. How can we save our posterity from the harmful effects of polythene?

Ans. We can save our posterity by completely avoiding the use of polythene. Instead of polythene we can use the bags made of jute and cotton. In this way we can save ourselves from the diseases and harmful effects of polythene.

LANGUAGE WORK

1. Choose the correct sentence from the following: (Answers only)

Ans.

1. I knew him since 2009.

2. The freedom struggle against the Maharaja started in 1930.

3. Television revolutionized the game of cricket in 1980.

4. The economic depression in USA started in 1920.

2. Give the full form of following acronyms.

Ans.

(a). IPL: Indian Premier League

(b). WHO: World Health Organization

(c). WWF: World Wildlife Fund

(d). ILO: International Labour Organization (Office)

(e). BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation

(f). FIFA: Federation International Football Association

(g). HBO: Home Box Office

(h). PIL: Public Interest Litigation

(i). ICC: Integrated Circuit (Chip) Card

(j). IMF: International Monetary Fund

GRAMMER WORK

Exercise:

1. Identify following sentences as Simple, Compound or Complex sentences:

1. I don’t like girls/boys who are lazy……..Complex Sentence

2. He called her but didn’t respond………Compound Sentence

3. She went because she was invited……..Compound sentence

4. You should work hard or you will fail…….Compound sentence

5. He stood first in the class……Simple sentence

6. They must apologize or they will be punished……Compound sentence

7. She must apologize to avoid punishment…..Complex sentence

8. The mother hit him and made him cry……..Complex sentence

9. She succeeded in the very first attempt………Simple sentence

10. She has lost the book that my brother had given her…….Complex sentence

11. Men may come and men may go but I go on forever……..Compound sentence

12. We eat so that we may live……Complex sentence

13. They serve God well who serve his creatures…….Complex sentence

14. One blushes when one is guilty…..Complex sentence

15. Man proposes, but God disposes……..Compound sentence

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