At a party, Gautam met a friend (Ravi) who talked about his experiences in staging a play.
Read the dialogue.
Gautam : It’s quite some time since we met. I guess it’s because you’ve been busy as usual.
Ravi : Yes, I’ve been directing a play – Tagore’s Chandalika. Did you hear about it?
Gautam : Yes, I heard it was a great hit. In fact, I was planning to get in touch with you to ask for your help, to put on a play for our Annual Open Day. How did you go about staging your play?
Ravi : Well …. First, we chose three possible plays, and divided ourselves into reading groups. Then we exchanged views and arrived at a decision.
Gautam : What was your next step?
Ravi : Casting, of course. Once we’d got the script ready, we selected the cast.
Gautam : And then?
Ravi : We held auditions for the main parts and then made a preliminary selection. Eventually we were able to make a final choice and assign the roles.
Gautam : How did you plan your rehearsals?
Ravi : We met for a couple of hours every evening. As the play took shape, we held longer and more intensive rehearsals.
Gautam : Who else was involved in the production?
Ravi : The stage crew and the technicians. But they didn’t come in until we were out of the initial phase.
(The conversation continues.)
Gautam decides to make a written record of how Ravi produced a play in order to try it too.
Write this record, using the passive where appropriate. The first few words have been provided for you.
Three possible plays were selected and Ravi’s friends were divided into reading groups. Then views were exchanged and a decision was arrived at. The next step was of casting. When the scripts were got ready, auditions were held and a preliminary selection was made. Then a final choice for the cast was made and roles (were) assigned. As the play took shape, longer and more intensive rehearsals were made. The stage crew and technicians were only brought in at a later stage.
Now that you have enjoyed reading the story, answer the following question by choosing the correct option
The granddaughter found her grandmother in tears on her return as _____
Irony refers to the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of their literal meaning. Working in pairs bring out the irony in the following:
(a) The title of the story, “The Best Seller”.
(b) Pescud’s claim, “When people in real life marry, they generally hunt up somebody in their own station. A fellow usually picks out a girl who went to the same high school and belonged to the same singing-society that he did.”
(c) The name Trevelyan.
Answer the following questions:
Why has the word ‘chatter’ been repeated in the poem?
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following question
by ticking the correct choice.
The tone of the speaker in the first stanza is that of ______________.
You already know the two literary devices generally used by writers and poets for comparison, i.e. metaphor and simile.
e.g. a) He was a lion in the battle, (metaphor)
b) He fought like a lion, (simile)
In (a) the writer talks of the soldier in terms of a lion. The comparison is implied.
In (b) the writer compares the soldier to a lion with the use of the word like, (as may also be used for such comparisons.)
Read the poem again and note down the metaphors and similes. Complete the following chart.
| Reference | Metaphor | Simile |
| world | all the world's a stage | |
| men, women | ||
| school-boy | ||
| lover | ||
| soldier | ||
| reputation | ||
| voice |
Which comparison(s) do you find most interesting? Why?
Answer the following question briefly.
Why does Persome feel that the people pretended to be sick?
Look at the verbs in the box and put them in the correct columns in the table that follows
|
believe wish see belong |
hate own regret measure |
know understand forget touch |
weigh prefer hear
|
smell find imagine
|
think cost remember
|
suppose like taste
|
| thought | emotion | possession | perception (often used with can) | measurement |
Some verbs, like the ones mentioned above, are not normally used in the continuous (- ing) form. However, we do sometimes use such verbs in the continuous form. Look at the following examples.
1. “I can’t concentrate on my work because I’m thinking about that beautiful scene.”
2. “I think it is beautiful.”
Past passive –
“Where was it made?”
Look at what your partner is wearing. Imagine where the various items of clothing were (or might have been) made, and tell your partner. Use your imagination!
e.g. A : Was your shirt made in France ?
B : No, actually it was made in Brazil.
You are on the editorial board for the column ‘Your Problems’ in The Teenager magazine. You have received these two letters asking for your advice. (They appear to have come from the same family)
|
Dear Helpful Avanti My fifteen year old son is crazy about film music. He seems to be wasting all his pocla:t money on these meaningless CDs. He cannot even study without this noise. Though he is good at studies, I remain disturbed about this new obsession. There are all kinds of strange-looking posters on the walls of his study and he always wears those gaudy T-shirts and faded patched jeans. Also, he is very fond of Junk-food. I fear he is breaking all links with our culture. |
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Dear Helpful Avanti I love film music and I have bought a lot of CDs from my pocket-money allowance. But whenever I switch on my CD-player, my father frowns and orders me to switch off the 'jarring noise'. He calls it 'cheap' and 'uncivilised' stuff. It is not that I do not like classical music, but when I am with my friends, we listen to film music. I like Indian clothes and food. But, I also like to wear western clothes and eat continental food occasionally. I do not like to disobey my parents, but I do not want to give up my music and other interests. |
In pairs, decide what advice to give to each of them. Then write one letter each, so that both father and son get a reply from The Teenager. Remember to use some of the language in Question 5.
Rearrange the jumbled words to form meaningful sentences. Rewrite the sentences using appropriate punctuation marks:
(a) in 2004 / the Nobel Peace prize / Dr. Wangari Maathai / was awarded
_______________________________________________
(b) towards sustainable development / the award / was in / her service / recognition of
_______________________________________________
(c) Nairobi’s Uhuni Park / in 1989 / saved / single-handedly / she
_______________________________________________
(d) which is an NGO / she is / the Green Belt Movement / the founder of
_______________________________________________
(f) has earned / Dr. Wangari Maathai / “Tree Mother of Africa” / the title
_______________________________________________
