Activities On Poem 4.1 Old Women

4.1 OLD WOMEN

Old women do not fly on magic wands
nor make obscure prophecies
from ominous forests.
They just sit on vacant park benches
in the quiet evenings,
call doves by their names
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.

They whisper like drizzles
as they roam the streets
with a lost gaze as though
something they had thrown up
never returned to earth.

They shiver like December nights
in their dreamless sleep
on shop verandahs.

There are swings still
in their half-blind eyes,
lilies and Christmases
in their failing memory.
There is one folktale
for each wrinkle on their skin.

All dawns pass
leaving them in the dark .
They do not fear death,
they died long ago.
Old women once
were continents.
They had deep woods in them,
lakes, mountains, volcanoes even,
even raging gulfs.
When the earth was in heat
they melted, shrank,
leaving only their maps.
You can fold them
and keep them handy :
who knows , they might help you find
your way home.

K. Satchidanandan




1. Webchart

A2. Complete the following statements by choosing the correct alternatives.
1. Old women sit ….. in the quiet evenings.
i. In the chair
ii. In the verandah
iii. On vacant park benches
2.The old women are seen roaming aimlessly because
i. They have lost something.
ii. They have become blind.
iii. They have become insane.
3. ‘They shiver like December nights’ mean ----
i. They undergo trauma.
ii. They don’t have anything to cover.
iii. They shiver because of severe cold.
4. ‘lilies and Christmases in their failing memory’ means ---
i. They like lilies during Christmas festival.
ii. They remember good old days with family members.
iii. They have forgotten about lilies and Christmases.
5. ‘ …. One folktale for each wrinkle on their skin’ mean…
i. Old age with wisdom and lot many experience
ii. Old age with wrinkled skin
iii. Remembering folktales in old age.
2The line 'All dawns pass leaving them in the dark' suggest....
Ans : The line 'All dawns pass leaving them in the dark' suggest that they have lost their youth and now they are old. Their days of happiness are over. Now they are living a miserable life.
3. Pick out the lines that reveal isolation and loneliness of the old women.
4. Pick out the lines that highlight that the old women were living a happy and prosperous life.

Ans :There are swings still
in their half-blind eyes,
lilies and Christmases
in their failing memory.

5 Poetic Devices
I. 'settle like sterile clouds'. Name the figure of speech used .Find similar examples .
2. In the line 'They do not fear death, they died long ago' 'death' has been treated as a human being. Name the figure of speech.
3. You know that an implicit comparison is called a Metaphor. Now find examples of Metaphor from the poem.
4. 'All dawns pass leaving them in the dark'.
A striking opposition or contrast of words or ideas is employed to achieve emphasis. Such a figurative use is called 'Antithesis'.
5. 'They whisper like drizzles'. ' The figure of speech in the line is 'Onomatopoeia'. Name the other figures of speech in it .

Activities On Aamchi Mumbai And I

A1. State whether the following statements are true or false
a. Migrants come to Mumbai in search of new opportunities.
b. Mumbai’s monsoon is pleasant.
c. The columns of the Asiatic library are made with gothic style.
d. The Nehru Centre is famous for theatre performances.
A2 Complete the webchart

A3. ‘One cannot step into the same river twice.’ Explain

Ans : As the river continuously flows , we can not step into the  same water of the river. Mumbai also like a river always keeps changing and developing. The flow of people towards Mumbai does not stop. So when we visit Mumbai for the next time we can not have same Mumbai.

A4. Word Puzzle

A5. ‘Mumbai is known as ‘cosmopolitan city.’ Give reason.
Ans: Mumbai is known as cosmopolitan city because people from different parts of the nation have come to Mumbai and settled .Though it is a capital of Maharashtra , people from almost all states reside here. It is one of the biggest cities in India.
A6. Grammar :
1. Match The Sentences in Column A with their Tense Forms in Column B

Column A	Column B
1. Grey clouds were hanging low over the Arabian sea.	a. Simple Present Tense
2. I stood trembling outside the RBI building. .	b.Past Perfct Tense.
3. The fearsome monsoon had just begun..	c. Simple Past Tense.
4.I explore the again the “Internalities and Externalities of memory. ”.	d. Past continuous Tense .

2. Identify the mood of the underlined modal auxiliary from the following sentences.
a. One could watch the world go by.
b. Someday I will return.
c. I may , perhaps, return sometime.
d. Mr. Shanbagh would materialise magically at one’s elbow with a special price.

Write down the attractions of the places in Mumbai

Places	Their attractions
1.Asiatic Library	a. Gothic columns
2.NCPA	b.Theatre Performances
3.Wilson College	c.The Amul Hoarding
4.Canteen Near SBI	d.bhelpuri and vada pav
5.Strand Book Store	e.browse books for hours
6.Fountain	f.lined pavements, could watch world go
7.Nehru Centre	g.classical music
8.Fort	h.spectacular buildings

A2 Complete the statements by choosing the appropriate options
1. The writer came to Mumbai in……….
a. Spring. b. monsoon c. winter. D. autumn
2. The palm trees teach the lesson of …….
a. Bend not with wind b. stay calm c. flexibility and elasticity d.eagerness
3. The writer would take the upper floor of the double decker bus ………..
a. To get a seat b. to see the sea c. to see the glimpse of Mumbai d. to get aloof
4. ………. seemed like old friends.
a. Mr. Shanbagh and boys b. the page three people c. co-passengers d.tourists
5. ……….. mood of the sea was mostly liked by the wrier.
a. Calm b. violent c. silent. D. tide falling
6. Migrants promise themselves that…….
a. they will return b. they will never return c. they will settle d. they will leave forever
A3 Guess how the writer would spend her time in Mumbai .
A 5. Write about the people in Mumbai.

Activities on A Tale For Many Cities

A1. State whether the following statements are true or false.
1. By the year 2020 cities will be either more chaotic or planned.
2. Improvement of planning of cities is urgently required.
3. The population in cities has been lowered marginally in the last few decades.
4. The nature of modern city is not only to run them but also to make them liveable.
5. Delhi’s population was 12.8 m in 2011 .
6. Bangalore’s population was 12.8 m in 2011.
A1. Enlist the cities having good master plans.

A2. State the requirements of a good city.
A2. Complete the web Chart.

A3. Complete The table

A3. “The time has come to have an Indian Urban Service .” Support the statement.
A3. Narrate the changes taking place in Punjab under the guidance of Graduates Welfare Association.

A5. ‘Needs of the city people change’ Explain.
A5. Write your suggestion for the development of a good city.
Grammar
Presentation A Tale For Many Cities

Practice Time : Me,Myself And I

A.1 Glance through the text and complete the statements with words or phrases used In the text
1. The majuscule ………. appears only in English.
2. The supposedly snobbish French leave all……… in………
3. The word …….comes from ‘capital”.
4. ……….was not majuscule in most cases.
5. Early ……..and …….played a major role in shaping the national character of English speaking countries.
6. The origin ……..and consequences of our civilised ‘I’ went largely unchanged.
7. Try ………..those whom you address while leaving yourselves.
8. The first evidence of the growing ‘ I ’ as a grammatical shift was found in ……
9. The generally accepted linguistic explanation for the capital ‘ I ‘ is that it could not ………
10. According to Charles Bigelow , scribes made ‘ I ‘ bigger because ……….
Ans: 1.I. 2. pronouns , lower case 3. Capitalize. 4. The first person pronoun. 5. Manuscript, typography 6. Meaning 7. To capitalize 8. The 13 th and 14 th centuries 9. Stand alone 10. It was too wimpy to carry the semantic burden.
A2.State whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Arabic and Hebrew have no capitalized letters.
2. In French language the formal form of ‘you’ is capitalised.
3. The word ‘capital’ is associated with significance , wealth and physical assets .
4. Capitalism is linked to markets, investments and ownership.
A.3 : You try to capitalize those whom You address while leaving yourselves in the lower case.
It implies that….
A.4 : Vocabulary
Use the following words into your sentences
1. Manuscript 2. Scribes
A.5 Modern e-mail culture has shown the ruin of English Language . Do you agree or not ? Explain.
A6 Do as directed
1. It was too wimpy to carry the semantic burden. ( Choose the complex Structure of it.)
a. It was so wimpy that it can not carry the semantic burden.
b. It was so wimpy that it could not carry the semantic burden.
c. It was so wimpy that it could carry the semantic burden.
d. It was so wimpy which could not carry the semantic burden.
2. It’s impossible to know. ( Use ‘not’ and rewrite the sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence)
A Time To Buy Horses
1.1 Start Where You Stand
1.2 Climb Every Mountain

Practice Time : A Time To Buy Horses

1. Enlist three announcements the narrator made.
2. Give reason: The father was shocked because……
3. “To make it possible, Dad was working at a regular job until 3 p.m. “ Here ‘it’ refers to …….
4. T/F
a. The narrator saved $200 for the project of raising horses.
b. His parents were learned so they hoped he would join college.
c. Dad’s offer was usually fair.
d. Dad was a full time farmer.
5. Flow chart
Write dad’s offer to son prior to joining agricultural course.

6. Choose the alternative and rewrite the sentences.
a. They reached Harnandez’s ranch by midday morning/ before the sun rose/ towards evening.
b. The narrator liked/disliked the ranch/house.
c. According the narrator, Harnandez’s English was easy/funny/native.
d. Narrator’s dad advised him not to make rough/hurried/rapid decision.
e. The little man offered $125/100/75 for the chestnut.
f. The chestnut was blind/moon-blind/sun-blind.
g. The narrator bought the chestnut for $ 125/100/25.
h. The chestnut was named as Sadie/Moon-blind/Saddle.
7. Match the following

Column A	Column B
1.Winter	a. Moved water siphons
2. Summer	b. Repaired fences
3. Spring	c. Sadie produced colt
4. September	d. Drove tractor on endless rounds

Vocabulary 1.2 Climb Every Mountain

Activities on "Where Have All The Birds Gone ?"

Choose the appropriate alternative and rewrite the following statements
1. The farmers in Kerala begin agricultural activities in April / June / May .
2. The New Year festival of is related to agricultural / reaping / water sport activities.
3. Four/two/three nests were made in the trunk.
4. The boy requested the wood cutters to plant/to cut/to spare the tree.
5. The fellow parrots would accompany the parrot in the morning/evening/noon.
6. Five years elder daughter/five year-old younger daughter/ five year-old son wants to hear the real story again and again.
Complete the following statements by using the suitable words/expression
1. The narrator’s favourite hobby was…………..
2. The sights the narrator enjoyed are…………..
3. ………….. would captivate the narrator.
4. The parrots would celebrate the reunion of the parrot and writer in the evening by ………….
5. The woodpeckers, parrots and weaverbirds are not seen in the writer’s locality because………..
Prove the following statements with examples from the text.
1. In the past man would support the survival of birds.
2. The narrator tried to save the chicks.
3. The parrot did strike a balance between his family bonds and friendship.
4. The urbanisation affects biodiversity.
5. The narrator is happy though the parrot did not turn up.

Personal response Type
1. We have deprived birds of their natural habitat. Give your opinion.

Ans : We have deprived the birds of their natural habitat. The natural habitat of the birds is forest, trees and fields. In the name of development trees in the city and along the road are being cut. Due to excessive use fertilizer and pesticide to grow crop birds can reside in fields.

     2.  The world around us is turning into a concrete jungle. State your plan about inviting birds like parrots, sparrows etc. into your locality.

Ans: I would manage to put water and grains on the branches of tress in my locality. I would stop people to cut trees. With my family, friends and neighbour I would plant more trees in my locality. 

Vocabulary

Activities on Suburbs

Factual : Complete the statements
1. The poet celebrates ..............
2. People buy..................... on credit .
3. The luxuries of the suburban people are..............
4. The bosses treat the workers ............
5. The two classes of society mentioned in the poem are............
6. ................ is the way of the world.
7. ................ are the executioners.
Complete the web charts.

Interpretation : Pick out
1. Pick out the line which means the middle-class people imitate the rich.
2. Pick out the line which means people have limited ambitions
Poetic Device
1. 'I celebrate the virtues and vices.' Name and explain the figures of speech and find one more example of the similar type.
2. Find two examples of Metaphor.
3. 'or of a shy hotel for travellers' Identify and explain the figures of speech.
4. ' their medals, their titles, their names' Name and explain the figures of speech.
Appreciation
1. The middle-class is treated as unimportant in cities. Explain
2. State harsh realities of middle-class conveyed in the poem.
3. Describe two types of people. Note the words employed to describe them.
Poetic Creativity
Compose four lines of your own comparing the life in city and suburbs.