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Question
WRITING A MYSTERY STORY
Mysteries can be divided into several categories. There are puzzling stories, detective I crime stories, and suspense stories. They all give the reader a chance to become involved in the solution of the story through clues and character descriptions.
Characters
Before you start to write, think about the characters you might put in your story.
• What will each character do?
• Why is he or she important to the story?
• In what ways are your characters alike?
• How are they different?
• What can your characters learn from each other?
• One last thing to remember: your characters don't always have to be human. If an animal plays a part in the story, that animal is a character, too
Setting
A story has to happen in a place.
• The setting might be a place you are familiar with.
• It might even be another planet!
• A setting doesn't even have to be a real place.
Details
• Use your Imagination.
• Details help readers understand how something looks, how it feels, how it sounds - even how something smells or tastes!
Plot
• Your characters have to DO something!
• What they do is the Plot of your story.
• To make the plot exciting add Situations.
Ending
• The Ending of a story is the solution to the conflict.
• Solve the problem, dilemma or conflict faced by the main character.
• Show that your main character has changed or grown in some way.
• Tie up all the loose ends. Readers shouldn't have to choose between several hinted endings.
Solution
It was summer vacation and I was holidaying with my family at my village. My grandfather is a well built man in his sixties. He is a great example of bravery and courage because of his army background. It became our routine to sit on the rooftop and go to sleep listening to fantastic stories from the grandpa. One night we were in the midst of an interesting story. Suddenly my little sister poked me with her elbows as if she wanted to say something. When I turned to see her, to my great shock, she was sweating profusely. She was unable to speak a word but was trying to wave towards the vast darkness across the garden.
What we saw on the dark horizon was enough to send shivers down my spine. There were seven white silhouettes of men moving at good speed. It looked as if all of them were swimming in mid air. Their hands were still but their feet were making some pedalling motion. I gulped a lump down my throat and stammered to say to my grandpa what I just saw. Grandpa also saw in that direction and gave us a comforting assurance that he would go out and find what it was. By the time the grandpa could find his torch and lathi suddenly all the silhouettes crashed from mid air to the ground with splashing sound.
A cry for help rent the air from that direction. Many people ran in that direction to find out what was going on. To everyone’s relief we discovered there were seven men going somewhere on their cycles. Because of darkness their cycles were not visible. Since they were not carrying flashlights, they could not notice a canal ahead and fell down into that with a splash
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Answer the following question briefly:
What does the dark, sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggest about him?
Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem.
The verb ‘to have’
Be careful with the verb ‘to have’, which has many different uses and meanings. Study the box below and consider the sentences that follow.
| Health (H) | Possession (P) | Relationship (R) | |
| Mr Sinha | headache | Maruti car | two daughters |
Put a tick (✓) or cross (✗) against each sentence according to whether it is correct or incorrect.
- Mr Sinha has a severe headache. ___________
- He is having a blue-coloured Maruti car. ___________
- Mr Sinha has two daughters and no sons. ___________
First, you will hear a local radio programme, read out by teacher / student which is given below which will give you ideas for your own programme. First, listen without writing anything.
Presenter 1: A very good day to all our listeners. This is your local radio station, Class IX Local Radio - bringing you up-to-the - minute news, current affairs, music, interviews, round-ups - and much much more.
Presenter2: Yes, and in today's programme we have a special report from Ketaki Lahiri on "Safety at School".
Presenter 1: Nikhil Gomes brings you his regular weekly review of "Beyond the Timetable",
Presenter 2: And Leena invites you to "Meet the Teacher".
Presenter 1: And lots more - jokes, news -you name it and we have it. We start with the round-up of School News by our roving correspondent - Anant Singh. Anant, over to you.
Anant: Good morning, everybody! The highlight of this weeks' School News is that our school football team lost every single match it played in the YMCA football tournament at league level. The physical education teacher is so livid that he has threatened to make the school team practice on a doubletime schedule from tomorrow. So, friends, it's "wake-up" at 4 a.m for all footballers henceforth.
In another school news, the tiny tots were taken on a visit to the zoo. Some, it is said, did not wish to return. One accompanying teacher, we are told, had a tough time convincing them that life outside is better!
Class XII put on a one-act play "Examination Fever" which was written, directed and produced by them. The proceeds from this show are being sent to "Prathyasha" - an organisation that helps handicapped children.
Look out next week for new faces around the school. A group of 20 students from Japan are arriving on a cultural exchange programme, We might even get one of them on our next edition ofThe Class IX Radio Show!
Presenter 1: So ... Lots happening at school, it seems,-and lots more on your Local Radio. It's time for jokes now. Over to you, Hafeez and Aarohi.
Aarohi: Waiter , Waiter , what's wrong with these eggs ?
Hafeez: I don't know. I only laid the table;
Aarohi: Waiter, waiter, what's this fly doing in my soup?
Hafeez: Breaststroke, I think, Sir,
Teacher: I wish-you would pay a little more attention.
Pupil: I'm paying as little as I can.
Teacher: You should have been here at 9 o'clock.
Pupil: Why, what happened?
Presenter 2: Thank you, Hafeez and Aarohi. And don't forget, listeners, to send in your jokes. Every original joke will win you a reward of RslO/- for each one played on your favourite radio programme - Class IX Local Radio - the station just for you.
Presenter 1 : And now to your regular spot "Meet the Teacher", in which Leena interviews one of your favourite teachers to discover the real person "behind the chalk dust".
So it's all yours, Leena.
Leena: Thank you ! I'm delighted today to be able to interview the Head of the Science Department, Mr Chirag Sharma. Mr Sharma, what all our listeners are dying to know is - are you as strict at home as you are at school?
Mr Sharma: (Laughs heartily). I don't have a bunch of forty naughty children at home.
Leena: Did you ever get into trouble when you were at school?
Mr Sharma : Have you ever thought about how I am able to catch you in your tricks? I was usually up to the same tricks at school! No, I'm afraid my teachers were not very happy with me.
Leena: How good were you in your studies, Sir?
Mr Sharma: Ah, that was my strong point. My work was always up-to-date and fairly good. I was naughty, but I was also keen to learn more.
Leena: How do you spend your evenings and holidays, Sir?
Mr Sharma: I like to spend time at home with my teenage children. We have common tastes in music.
Leena: Any message for our listeners Sir?
Mr Sharma: Yes. Fun and-play have their place in our lives. We must enjoy our play. At the same time, we must work with enthusiasm and sincerity.
Leena: Thank you, sir !
Presenter 2 : Thank you Leena for that fascinating interview. I'm sure we all know, now what makes Mr Sharma 1tick1• And now it's time for a break. It's "advert time".
"Buy two but pay for one!"
Ruchita of VIIC has a fabulous offer. Two pencil boxes for the price of one. Pay Rs 5 / for the bargain.
Lost - A Keltron calculator. Krishna of Class XIIA has offered a treat in the school canteen to the finder.
Presenter 1: And now, a very serious subject. Ketaki has been researching the topic 'Safety at School'. She has come up with some very disturbing findings. This is the report. Ketaki?
Ketaki: As I went around the senior school I was alarmed to find a number of broken electric sockets with exposed wires. Beware of this hidden danger, senior students. That brings me to another danger - this time in the primary block. The lid of the ground level water tank is broken. Till it is repaired, students are warned not to go anywhere near it.
Presenter 2 : Well, time1s up boys and girls of Class IX Local Radio - bringing you news and entertainment of interest to you, in your school and locality. Until next week ...
On a cold winter night you hear a loud shrieking noise at repeated intervals. What might have caused this?
Write down your ideas using the pattern below.
| it |
might could must |
have been |
the owl hooting a ghost____________ |
Use the information in the headlines to complete the sentences. Choose the correct option from those given.
(a) Women Rescue Child
Two brave women of Rampur village ____________ kidnapped by his father’s distant relative.
- have rescued a child who has been
- have rescued a child who was being
- rescued a child who had been
- rescued a child who was
(b) Two killed in Collision
Two passengers travelling in a car died ____________. The driver of the truck is absconding.
- after their collision of a truck
- in a collision with a truck
- after their car collided in a truck
- when their car collided with a truck
(c) Ban on Smoking
Smoking ____________ in all public places.
- has been banned
- is being banned
- banned
- was banned
(d) Old Building Demolished
Keeping in mind the dilapidated condition of ____________ yesterday.
- the building, it was demolish
- the building, it was demolished
- the building, it has been demolished
- the building, it will be
Convert these sentences into headlines
(i) The sealink between Bandra and Worli has been inaugurated.
(i) _______________________________________
(ii) Twelve non-stop superfast trains have been introduced in the recent railway budget.
(ii) _______________________________________
(iii) One more case of swine flu has been confirmed in Hyderabad.
(iii) _______________________________________
Allen of MES Indian school has been asked to interview the Minister for Environment and Forests about the world's first zero - carbon city. Here is an extract of the taped interview. Write a short report in the given space.
Allen : It’s remarkable! A city of fifty thousand people and no cars!
Minister : I agree with you. Masdar city in Abu Dhabi will be the world’s first zero- carbon city.
Allen : How will you achieve this?
Minister : Our city will soon run entirely on renewable energy, including solar panels to trap the abundant resources offered by the desert sun.
Allen : So, you will be a shining model for other Governments. Congratulations, Sir.
Minister : Thank you. We are investing in our future. You may wonder how people would go about the city, don’t you?
Allen : I have wondered about it, Sir.
Minister : Our futuristic city will have people moving about in automated pods.
Allen : It’s unbelievable. Forgive me if I find it so fantastic.
Minister : Our Government assures you that this unique city will be ready for people to settle in by 2015. It will have a light railway line, transport pods and no carbon footprints.
Allen : We need air conditioners, don’t we? It’s impossible to live without them here.
Minister : Masdar city will take full advantage of the sea breezes. The city will have a perimeter wall that will protect it from the hot air.
Allen : I wish other countries could plan their expansion in this way.
Minister : In addition to what I have mentioned earlier, the city will be protected from the noise of the nearby Abu Dhabi Airport.
Uae plans futuristic city
by Allen Kuwana
The Zero-Carbon City Project, initiated by the government of the United Arab Emirates, is a milestone in mankind’s efforts to save its planet from the ravages of climate change. The Minister for Environment and Forests, Abu Dhabi, assures our readers that __________________
Copy the worksheet in your notebooks and work in pairs to complete the worksheet to know all about yourself. This will enable you to discover your hidden strengths, work on your weaknesses, and develop your personality.
Johari Window Work Sheet
| A | B | C |
| How I describe myself? | How I describe my friend ? | How my friend describes me? (Fill this part from what the friend says about you) |
|
|
____________ ____________ _____________ ___________ _____________ ______________ ______________ ______________ |
20 years from now, one of your class-mates becomes a famous sport-star. You have been asked to write his/her biography. Collect the necessary biographical details. Use your imagination to create his / her achievements in the sport concerned, and write the biography. Remember to write it in chronological order of events, and use the simple past tense as far as possible.
