Samacheer Kalvi solutions for English Class 11 TN Board chapter 1.1 - The Portrait of a Lady [Latest edition]

Nuclear Family or Joint Family

Based on the visuals given above, give five words/phrases each, to describe these two family types.

Describe the grandfather as seen in the portrait.

Why was the author left with his grandmother in the village?

Where did the author study in his childhood?

Why did the grandmother accompany the author to school?

What made the dogs follow the grandmother after school hours?

Why didn’t the grandmother feel sentimental when the author went abroad for higher education?

What was the happiest time of the day for grandmother?

Describe the author’s grandmother.

What was the daily routine of the grandmother at home?

How is school education in the village different from that in the city?

The grandmother appreciated the value of education. Give instances in support of your answer.

The grandmother was strong-minded. Justify

How did the grandmother spend the last few hours of her life?

The grandmother played a vital role in the author’s formative years. Give your own example of how elders have a positive influence on the younger generation. Include examples from the story also.

As young Khushwant Singh, write a letter to your parents describing your daily routine expressing your thoughts and feelings about staying in the village.

Animals are capable of empathy. Substantiate this statement with examples from the story as well as your own experiences.

Read the following word and choose the correct antonym from the option given:

moist

Read the following word and choose the correct antonym from the option given:

frivolous

Read the following word and choose the correct antonym from the option given:

omitted

Read the following word and choose the correct antonym from the option given:

protest

Read the following word and choose the correct antonym from the option given:

serenity

Read the following word and choose the correct antonym from the option given:

scattered

Read the following word and choose the correct antonym from the option given:

monotonous

Fill in the blanks choosing the appropriate compound words from those given in the box:

Reeta hurried along the road, dressed in her ______new dress towards the bus stop. Before ______, she had to reach the house of her ______. But the first ______of her travel was slow due to traffic jam. Her ______would be regarded with joy. She was ______ herself to reach the place. When she finally stepped into the ______, she was received with a big hug by her kind aunt. She was in time to join the ______at the village, for a ______.

Match the words in Column A with their pairs in Column B to form compound words and write them in Column C.

Frame meaningful sentence of your own using the following expression from the story. Use a dictionary if required.

the thought was almost revolting

Frame meaningful sentence of your own using the following expression from the story. Use a dictionary if required.

an expanse of pure white serenity

Frame meaningful sentence of your own using the following expression from the story. Use a dictionary if required.

a turning point

Frame meaningful sentence of your own using the following expression from the story. Use a dictionary if required.

accepted her seclusion with resignation

Frame meaningful sentence of your own using the following expression from the story. Use a dictionary if required.

frivolous rebukes

Prefixes and Suffixes

Form two derivatives from each of the following words.

e.g. honest- dishonest, honesty

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

We have a short ______between the sessions.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

The car skidded to a halt when I applied the ______,

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

Shivani wears a belt around her ______.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

We should never misuse or ______natural resources.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

Oxygen is the ______ element present in the earth’s crust.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

Both these machines work on the same ______.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

Turtles should be ______ in a healthy environment.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

I like to have toasted ______ for breakfast.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

This medicine will ______your pain.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

Finally, the manager learnt a ______the hard way.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

The child looks very sick and ______.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

I need a ______of water to wash these cups.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

Ravi picked the banana peel and ______it in the dustbin.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

 The soldiers had to pass ______ a dark tunnel.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

The ______was covered with a shroud.

Fill in the blank with suitable homophone:

A five-day annual training camp for the senior cadets of the National Cadet ______has been organised.

Read the following statements and the given options. Now, listen to your teacher read aloud a passage or play it on a recorder. You may listen to it again if required, to help you choose the right options.

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. It is the mother who rocks the cradle. It is she who exercises her influence over the mind of her children. She moulds the character of her children with her noble qualities. Napoleon said, “Give me good mothers, I will give you a good nation”. Mothers play an important role in building nations. The love of our mother is usually the first and deepest love that we come across. For many people, their mother’s love becomes the pattern of love in later life.

A mother’s love is unconditional. No matter what you do, you know that your mother will always love you. The phrase ‘mother’s love’ derives from the love traditionally shown by a biological mother to her child. But indeed any love that is deeply caring and unconditional can be described as a motherly love, Adoptive mothers show this type of love to the children they adopt. It is important in life to be cherished and loved for who you are and to be supported in all you do! Love is the most important thing in the world. Why not exhibit love to creatures and all those around you?

i) According to Napoleon ‘Good mothers make good ______.

1. housewives
2. jobs
3. nations
4. ideas

ii) Mothers exhibit ______love.

1. unauthorized
2. unapproved
3. unacceptable
4. unconditional

iii) ______ mothers care much for their children.

1. Adapted
2. Adopted
3. Adoptive
4. Adaptable

iv) ______ is the most important thing in the world.

1. Wealth
2. Power
3. Love
4. Influence

v) Love should be extended to ______too

1. friends
2. relatives
3. countrymen
4. creatures

Work in pairs and arrive at five points that bring out the benefits and challenges of living in either a nuclear family or a joint family. Share your views with your class.

Build a conversation of eight to ten sets of exchanges , with your grandmother, discussing the incidents that happened in your school that day.

Every member contributes to forming a happy family. Share your views for a minute or two with your class.

Now, read the following passage on “Laughter Therapy” and answer the questions that follow.

1. Laughing is an excellent way to reduce stress in our lives; it can help you to cope with and survive a stressful life. Laughter provides full-scale support for your muscles and unleashes a rush of stress-busting endorphins. Since our bodies cannot distinguish between real and fake laughter, anything that makes you giggle will have a positive impact.
2. Laughter Therapy aims to get people laughing, in groups and individual sessions and can help reduce stress, make people and employees happier and more committed, as well as improve their interpersonal skills. This laughter comes from the body and not the mind.
3. Laughter Yoga (Hasya yoga) is a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter. It aims to get people laughing in groups. It is practiced in the early mornings in open-parks. It has been made popular as an exercise routine developed by Indian physician Madan Kataria, who writes about the practice in his 2002 book ‘Laugh for no reason'. Laughter Yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological as well as psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter.
4. Laughter yoga session may start with gentle warm-up techniques which include stretching, chanting, clapping, eye contact and body movements to help break down inhibitions and encourage a sense of playfulness. Moreover, laughter is the best medicine. Breathing exercises are used to prepare the lungs for laughter followed by a series of laughter exercises that combine a method of acting and visualization techniques. Twenty minutes of laughter is sufficient to augment physiological development.
5. A handful of small-scale scientific studies have indicated that laughter yoga has some medically beneficial effects, including cardiovascular health and mood. This therapy has proved to be good for depressed patients. This laughter therapy also plays a crucial role in social bonding.

Answer the following.

a. How does laughter help one to cope with stress?

b. Which word in the text (para 2) means the same as ‘dedicated'?

c. Why do you think voluntary laughter provides the same physiological as well as psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter?

d. ‘Laughter is the best medicine’. Explain.

e. Given below is a set of activities. Which of these are followed in the ‘Laughter Yoga’ technique?

• sitting on the ground with legs crossed 
• body movements
• clapping
• closed eyes 
• breathing exercises 
• chanting
• stretching of arms and legs
• bending backwards 
• running/jogging
• eye contact

f. ‘Laughter therapy also plays a crucial role in social bonding’. How?

Read the paragraph below and fill in the blanks using ‘a, an’, or ‘the’.

It is said that 1 ______computer is 2 ______ electronic extension of the human brain. Therefore, in principle, 3 ______ computer can do all those activities which 4 ______human brain can do. Today computers are found to be 5 ______ most useful devices as knowledge providers. Another important field of application of computers is 6 ______ development of robots. 7 ______ internet has brought 8 ______ drastic change in communication systems.

In the following paragraph, insert ‘a, an’, or ‘the’ wherever necessary and rewrite the sentences.

In our family, we have planned to take children to zoo next Sunday. Van has been arranged and we are sure to have comfortable journey. Zoo is interesting place for children who enjoy watching animals and want to know more about them. Even youngsters love to visit zoo.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate determiners. (Articles have been included)

Once the emperor gave a bag of seeds to his council of ministers and said that he would give them six months’ time to grow the seeds. Whoever does a good job will be made the ______ emperor of that empire. ______ the ministers took their task seriously. After six months ______ ministers had small plants in their pots. A ______ had very large plants. ______ had medium sized plants. The emperor entered the hall. He was ______ amused to see ______ plants. He called the ______ minister and asked him what he did with the seed. ______ minister explained the process he adopted to make ______ plant grow. The emperor called ______ the other ministers to explain what they did. Only ______ minister had come with an empty pot. They laughed loudly at the foolishness of this minister. But the Emperor applauded him and made him the ______ Emperor. Do you know why? He had given them boiled seeds which will not grow. Only ______ minister was honest.

They came early but there was ______work to do.

Anand invited ______ friends for the birthday party.

The teacher gave ______ student a separate topic for the assignment.

______ the water overflowed from the tank.

______ of my friends wished me on my birthday.

Vijay had ______ idea about the problem.

Adhi had taken ______ photos during the programme.

______ girls who attended the class informed the others about the test.

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets and read the completed passage aloud.

The people of India, as a whole, 1 ______(be) warm-hearted and hospitable. Any calamity in any part of the world immediately 2 ______(arouse) their charity and generosity and a committee 3 ______(be) promptly 4 ______(set ) up to collect funds to help the distressed. The most endearing quality in them 5 ______(be) the respect they show for the work done in any capacity. They 6 ______(believe) in what we 7 ______(call) the dignity of labour.

Now, use the verb given in bracket in the following sentence in their correct form.

I ____(like) to spend time with my friend, whenever I ____(be) free.

Now, use the verb given in bracket in the following sentence in their correct form.

He ____(be) likely to miss the train. He ____(run) up to the station.

Now, use the verb given in bracket in the following sentence in their correct form.

At the moment they____ (wait) at the bus-stop. But I ______(not know) their plans for the journey.

Now, use the verb given in bracket in the following sentence in their correct form.

They firmly _______(believe) in the existence of God.

Now, use the verb given in bracket in the following sentence in their correct form.

We ______(hear) a lot of noise because the new buildings ______(transmit) sound vacant.

Now, use the verb given in bracket in the following sentence in their correct form.

She always ______(make) excuses for coming late.

Now, use the verb given in bracket in the following sentence in their correct form.

The Prime Minister ______(leave) for America to meet the delegates tomorrow.

You are a commentator for a 5000 metre running race. Use simple present and present continuous tenses and complete the commentary from the beginning to the end of the race. Read the completed passage aloud.

The 5000 metre race is about to begin. Lined up at the starting point, from left to right, are John of Great Britain, Peter of Nigeria, and Jeeva of India. The runners are warming up for the great event. Now they 1 ______(take) their positions on the track. They 2 ______(be) all ready for the start. There 3 ______(go) the starter’s gun! Yes, the race has begun. John 4 ______(lead) and Jeeva 5 ______(follow) him closely.

Read the extract from Kayal’s diary entry regarding her Nepal Trek, and fill in the blanks with the correct tense form of the verbs given in brackets.

DAY 1 We ______(leave) Anna International Airport in Chennai two days ago catching a direct flight to Kathmandu in Nepal. We ______(spend) a day sightseeing. Kathmandu is full of people, rickshaws and the smell of sandalwood. I’ve never ______(be) on a trip like this before. So I’m really excited.

DAY 2 It ______(rain) when we reached Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city, and saw the snowy peaks of the Himalayas for the first time. We ______(reach) Pokhara after a hairraising six-hour bus journey along very narrow roads with a lot of hairpin bends. The bus ______(be) so full that one person had to share the driver’s seat.

DAY 3 We _______________ (begin) our trek at last. We are at about 900 metres and the weather is warm and humid. For lunch we had chips and yak cheese sandwiches. I didn’t like them very much. I’m thrilled that we ______(pitch) tents for our camps in the dense forests.

DAY 4 Yesterday a landslide ______(block) our path and we had to use ropes to get over it. This morning we walked along the river Kali Gandaki through dense forests of oak trees and we pitched our camp at Tukuche below the Annapurna mountain range. The main danger in addition to landslides, is ‘yak attack’. Yaks ______(be) not dangerous but you have to be careful if you meet a herd of them because they can push you off the sides of the mountain.

DAY 5 We met a lot of children on our trek through the villages. They ______(play) in the pool of muddy rain water as we left the place. We have already climbed 2,400 metres. Up here, it never ______(rain) and there are no trees. It ______ (be) windy and dusty and I am always thirsty.

DAY 6 Yesterday we ______(go) up to the mountainside of the township of Mukthinath, at 3,600 metres. The thin air with less oxygen there ______(leave) us breathless. We ______(feel) that we couldn’t go any further. We ______(drink) a lot of extra fluids to prevent altitude sickness.

DAY 7 We turned around today and started to descend to Jomosom. As we went down, the oxygen-filled our blood again and we seemed to ______ (fly) instead of walking.

DAY 8 We went back to Pokhara in a small plane yesterday. It was exciting when we _____(fly) between the mountain peaks. We arrived in Kathmandu this afternoon and we ______(spend) our last few hours in shopping. We leave for Chennai tomorrow. We’ve had a trip of a lifetime.

In the following passage, circle(bold) the verbs in simple present tense and underline the verbs in simple past. The first one has been done for you.

Unless one is upright there is no use in being a charming fellow. Sometimes it is better to be honest than attractive. These are the great truths of modern life which Shyam never realised. He never said an ill-natured word in his life. He was always polite and spoke softly to everybody

In the following passage, circle(bold) the verbs in simple present tense and underline the verbs in simple past. The first one has been done for you.

That night he strolled into the Palette Club about eleven o’clock and found Trevor sitting by himself in the long room. “Well, Alan, did you get the picture finished all right? ” he said, as he lit his cigarette. “Finished and framed, my boy!” answered Trevor, “and by-the-bye, you have made a conquest. That old model you saw is quite devoted to you. I had to tell him all about you - who you are, where you live, what your income is, what prospects you have.”

In the following passage, circle(bold) the verbs in simple present tense and underline the verbs in simple past. The first one has been done for you.

"And now tell me how Laura is. The old model was quite interested in her." "You don’t mean to say you talked to him about her?" said Hughie. "Certainly I did. He knows all about the relentless colonel, the lovely Laura, and the £10,000." "You told that old beggar all my private affairs?" cried Hughie, looking very red and angry. "My dear Alan," cried Hughie, "I shall probably find him waiting for me when I go home."

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

I ______never______(see) such a beautiful sunrise before I came here.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

We were not able to stay overnight as we______not______(reserve) the tickets in advance.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

Nirmala ______(be) to the concert several times.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

Mariappan knew Pudukottai so well because he ______(live) there for five years.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

Yusuf understood the problem because he ______(experience) the situation earlier.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

Catherine did not have any cash because she ______(lose) her purse.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

My father ______(be) to Mumbai once before.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

The cat ______(chase) the bird before it flew out of the yard.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

Edith ______(visit) several doctors before she found out what the problem was with her knee.

Fill in the blank using past perfect tense form of the verb:

If we ______(call) the manager ahead, we would not have needed to wait so long for a table.

Read the following news report and underline the past perfect tense form of the verb and circle the simple past tense form of the verb.

INDIA BEAT PAKISTAN TO WIN BLIND CRICKET WORLD CUP

Chasing a huge target of 308 runs, India romped home in the penultimate over of the match to defeat Pakistan and win the Blind Cricket World Cup. India started off their chase in a cracking manner but had lost two quick wickets. Sunil Ramesh rose to the occasion as he played a great knock to help India beat Pakistan and had scored 93 runs. Earlier India won the toss and had decided to bowl first. Pakistan amassed a huge score of 307 for eight in 40 overs. Their openers had given them a brisk start which the later batsmen capitalized on.

Read the following extract and fill in the spaces with the right form of verbs and complete the passage. The first one is done for you.

The poet stops to hear the maiden singing while she 1 ______(cut) and 2 ______(bind) the grain. The song of the lady 3 ______(fascinate) the poet, who 4 ______(stand) there to listen to the song. The girl ______(sing) a sad song.

Read the following extract and fill in the spaces with the right form of verbs and complete the passage. The first one is done for you.

During the monsoon, a tender slightly warm breeze 1 ______(blow) on a cloudless afternoon. A sort of fragrance 2 ______(rise) from the wet grass and trees in the sunlight. It 3 ______(seem) as if the warm breath of the exhausted earth 4 ______(fall) against one’s skin. A sweet voiced bird somewhere 5 ______(chirp) repeatedly.

Read the news item that appeared in a daily and fill in the blanks with suitable forms of the verbs given in brackets

Ever since social networking sites entered our lives, they 1 ______(serve) as platforms where users could use the virtual space offered by these social media. However, recent incidents 2 ______(cause) many to question the freedom to express views on various issues and in some cases, it 3 ______(become) a dangerous platform. Social Contact 4 ______ (transform) people. They 5 ______(develop) an addiction to it.

Read the following passage and correct the error you come across.

Rajan slowly settle down in his retired life. His pension plus what his wife bring from the household work she does helped them to meet their requirements. Life is easy until one Sunday. His granddaughter Madhu come crying. The clay doll in her hand had broken into two. Rajan pacify her and promise to mend it. This small repair work become the founding stone of a very prosperous venture into making clay dolls which earn him great respect.

Read the following passage and correct the error you come across.

Games and sports helps in recreation. Soccer, cricket, lawn tennis or wrestling is eagerly watched by millions of fans all over a world. It helps one got a temporary relief from the tensions of a day. The dedication displayed by all player in the field indicates the mental and spiritual development of the player.

Prepare a notice to be displayed on the notice-board of your school for the students of Class 11, informing them about the educational tour that has been arranged for them the next month.

Write a notice about the inauguration of a laughter club in your school.

A message is a verbal, written, or recorded communication sent to or left for a recipient who cannot be contacted directly.

You are the Sports Captain of your school. Write a message to the Physical Director, requesting him to be present during the football team selection scheduled for tomorrow.

Do you exercise regularly? If you do, which of the following activities do you prefer? Discuss and share with your partner a few ideas about your preference.

1. walking
2. working out in a gym
3. swimming
4. cycling

You are Mani/Megalai of Class XI, President of the English Club of your school. Draft a speech on the topic ‘Reading Maketh a Complete Man’, to be delivered in the school assembly