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Read the following passages from the chapter and answer the questions given below :
1.I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early 19th century, and oak. I had always wanted one, but they were always far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going- far very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve.
Questions :
(i) What did the writer find in a junk shop?
(ii) What was its condition?
(iii) Why did the writer purchase it?
(iv) Find words in the passage which mean the opposite of 'cheap' and 'never'?
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Read The Following Passage From the Text and Anwer the questions :-
The old lady was sitting in a wheelchair, her hands folded in her lap. She had silver white hair pinned into a wispy bun. She was gazing out at thegarden. "Hello," I said. She turned and looked up at mevacantly. "Happy Christmas, Connie," I went on. "I found this. I think it's yours." As I was speaking her eyes never left my face. I opened the tin box and gave it to her. That was the moment her eyes lit up with recognition and her face became suffused with a sudden glow of happiness. I explained about the desk, about how I had found it, but I don't think she was listening. For a while she said nothing, but stroked the letter tenderly with her fingertips.
Questions :
(i) Who is the old lady referred to in the above passage?
(if) Why is she in wheelchair?
(ill) Why does she feel happy?
(iv) Explain the meaning of the phrase—'glow of happiness spread all over his face.'
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What did the author find in a junk shop?
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What did he find in a separate drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?
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Who had written the letter to whom and when?
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Why was the letter written? What was the wonderful thing that had happened?
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What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jum Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?
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Had Hans Wolf even been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?
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Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?
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Why did the author go to Bridport?
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How old was Mrs. Macpherson now? Where was she?
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Who did Coonie Macpherson think the visitor was?
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Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?
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How long do you think Coonie had kept Jim's letter? Give reasons for your answers.
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Why do you think the desk had been sold and when?
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Why did Jim and Hans think that games or sports were good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?
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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 answer.
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Mention various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.
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What is Coonie's Christmas present? Why is it 'the best Christmas present in the world'?
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Do you think the title of the story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other title(s)?
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(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.
(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.
(iii) Underline the verbs and arrange them in two columns, Past and Earlier past.
(a) My friends set out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home, because I had seen them already.
(b) 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!
(c) So they sat outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them.
(d) By the time I returned, they had fallen asleep!
Past
Earlier past
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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 adverb. Phrasal verbs often have meanings that are different from the meanings of their parts. Find these phrasal verbs in the story.
- burnt out
- light up
- looked 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 your sentence.
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Noun phrase
Read the following sentences.
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 (lack) and material of which it is made (tin).
• 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 :
| determiner |
modifier 1 (opinion feeling) |
modifier 2
(size, shape, age)
|
modifier 3 (colour) |
modifier 4 (material) |
head word |
| a/an/the |
nice/lazy/ beautiful |
old/young tall/round |
red/white/ light/dark |
silk/cotton/ woollen |
woman/man/ table/chair |
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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.
25th December
Its Christmas today, but the town looks-
Or
Suppose you are Jim. 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.
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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.
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Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion?
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