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\, , 8, , A Short Monsoon Diary, ~~, , t1DHd, , SUMMARY OF THE LESSON, The writer Ruskin Bond, in this diary entry tells about the, silent miracles of nature and life's little joys and regrets., June 24 was the first day of monsoon mist. The mist was, saddening. It concealed the hills and spread silence. The birds, stopped singing suddenly., June 25 brought early monsoon rain. It became warm and, humid. The mist afforded some privacy also. A boy asked him to, describe the hill-station and the valley in one sentence. Ruskin, only said that it could have been a paradise., On June 27, the rains marked the arrival of animals like a, leopard and thousands of leeches. The leopard lifted a dog from, the servants quarter below the school. Since the rains were there,, the insect eating birds had no dearth of food., All night on August 2, the rain drummed on the tin roof. But, there was no shower, no thunder., On August 3, the rain stopped and the clouds began to break, up. The song of the whistling thrush emerged., On August 12, there was endless rain and permanent mist., The writer had nowhere to go. He only looked out of the window., On August 31, snakes and rodents rushed out of their flooded, holes. They took shelter in roofs and godowns. The grandmother, told the children not to kill the 'chuchundars' because they were, lucky and brought money., By October 3, the monsoon rain made way for the winter, rain and snow at higher altitudes. A hailstorm in the evening hit, the place. The writer was quite alone in the house. He heard only, the rhythm of rain. It enveloped the house.
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ENGLISH-VIII, , 82, , By March end, the winter also ended. Mussorie had black, clouds over it. It hailed for half an hour. When it cleared the sky,, a rainbow was formed across it., , TEXTBOOK, COMPREHENSION, , QUESTIONS, , SOLVED, , CHECK, , 1. Why is the author, , (Page 115), , not able to see Bijju?, , Ans. The author could not see Bijju because of the mist that, concealed the hills. He could only hear his voice but could, not see him., 2. What are the two ways in which the hills appear to, change when the mist comes up?, Ans. When the mist comes up, it covers the hills and spreads, silence., COMPREHENSION, , CHECK, , (Page 117), , 1. When does the monsoon season begin and when does, it end? How do you prepare to face the monsoon?, Ans. The monsoon season in Mussorie begins from June 24/25., By August 2, the people are fed up with rain. It ends by, August 31. Then begins winter rains which end by late, March. We take out our rain coats and umbrellas to face, the monsoon., 2. Which hill-station, diary, , does the author, , describe, , A SHORT, , COMPREHENSION, , CHECK, , (Page 118), , 1. Look carefully at the diary entries for June 24-25,, August 2 and March 23. Now write down the changes, that happen as the rains progress from June to March., Ans. Rains in Mussoorie begin in June and end by March. June, 24 is the first day of monsoon mist which covered the hills, and spreads silence. On August 2 it rained all night and, made sleeping difficult. By late March ends winter as well, as the rains., 2. Why did the grandmother, kill the Chuchundar?, , ask the children, , not to, , Ans. The grandmother, told the children not to kill the, Chuchundars because they brought good luck and money., 3. What signs do we find in Nature, the monsoons are about to end?, , which show that, , Ans. By the end of the monsoon the greenery is at its peak. The, seeds of the cobra lily turn red. A rainbow is formed in the, sky., 4. Complete, (i), , (ii), , the following sentences., , Bijju is not seen but his voice is heard because, , _, , The writer describes the hill station and valley as __, , (iii) The leopard was successful in, , in the, , but had to flee when, , entry?, , Ans, Mussoorie, 3. For how many days does it rain without, What does the author do on these days?, , (iv), , ', , The minivets are easily noticed because, , _, , It looks like a fashion display on the slopes when, , _, , stopping?, (u), , Ans. It rains non-stop for eight or nine days. The author keeps, pacing the room and looking out of the window., , (vi), , 4. Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter? Why?, Ans. The rodents and snakes take shelter in roofs, attics and, godowns. They do so because their holes are flooded with, rain water., 5. What did the author, , 83, , MONSOON DIARY, , Ans., , (i), (ii), , During the monsoon season, snakes and rodents are, found in roofs and attics because, _, dense mist covers and hides the hills., 'A paradise that might have been.', , (iii) killing a dog but had to flee when Bijju's mother arrived, , crying curses., , receive in the mail?, , Ans. The author received a cheque in the mail., , (iv), , of their bright colours.
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A SHORT, , 84, , MONSOON DIARY, , 85, , ENGLISH-VIII, , (u), (vi), , 2. Look at the sentences, , they are covered by a variety of flowers., , (i), , their holes are flooded with water and these places, provide them convenient shelter., , (ii), , (ii), , The verb wandered tells us what Bijju did that evening., But the verb was ringing tells us what was happening, continually at same time in the past (the birds were, chirping in the trees)., , Why has the writer used the word, 'springing'?, How is the writer untouched by the rain?, , Now look at the sentences below. They tell us about, something that happened in the past. They also tell us, about other things that happened continually, at the, same time in the past., , (iii) How is the writer in touch with the rain at the same, , time?, Ans., , (i), , (ii), , The word 'springing' is used to show suddenness with, which water starts leaking., , Put the verbs in the brackets into their proper forms., The first one is done for you., , Because he is inside the room., , (iii) He hears the drumming of rain on the tin roof. He also, , (i), , looks out of the window to see the rains., 6. Mention a few things that can happen, endless rain for days together?, , (ii), , Ans. A long spell of rain makes life miserable. One is closed up, in his room. Everything becomes damp and soggy. Rodents,, snakes and insects enter the house for shelter., to, , (Pag~118), , 1. Here are some words that are associated with the, monsoon. Add as many words as you can to this list., Can you find words for these in your languages?, , (iv), , She (see) a film. She (narrate) it to her friends who, (listen) carefully., , (u), , We (go) to the exhibition. Some people (buy) clothes, while others (play) games., , (vi), , Ans., , dampness, lakes etc., , In my language I find the alternative words like the following:, -,, , ~~,, , um,, , 'i~,m, ~, ~,, , .mm, ~I, , The class (is) quiet. Some children (read) books and the, rest (draw)., , (ii) The traffic stopped. Some people were sitting on the, , road and they were shouting slogans., (iii) I wore my raincoat. It was raining and people were, getting wet., (iv), , She saw a film. She was narrating it to her friends who, were listening carefully., , (v), , We went to the exhibition. Some people were buying, clothes while others were playing games., , (vi), , The class was quiet. Some children were reading books, and the rest were drawing., , downpour floods mist cloudy powercuts cold umbrella, Ans. rain, water, fog, raincoats, thunder,, , The traffic (stop). Some people (sit) on the road and, they (shout) slogans., , (iii) I (wear) my raincoat. It (rain) and people (get) wet., , Ans. At first cobra lily appears with the arrival of the monsoon., When the cobra seeds begin to turn red, it indicates the, rains are coming to an end., WORKING WITH LANGUAGE, , We (get out) of the school bus. The bell (ring) and, everyone (rush) to class., We got out of the school bus. The bell was ringing and, everyone was rushing to class., , when there is, , 7. What is the significance of cobra lily in relation, the monsoon season, its beginning and end?, , Bijju wandered into the garden in the evening., The trees were ringing with birdsong., Notice the highlighted verbs., , 5. 'Although, tin roofs, are given, to springing, unaccountable, leaks, there is a feeling of being, untouched by, and yet in touch with, the rain.', (i), , below.
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ENGLISH-VIII, , 86, , A SHORT, , 3. Here are some words from the lesson which describe, different kinds of sounds., drum, , tinkle, , swish, , drip, , caw, , Match these words with their correct meanings., , (i), , (a), (b), (c), , (d), (e), , Now fill in the blanks using the correct form of, the words given above., , (ii), , (a), , Ramesh, , on his desk in impatience., , (b), , Rain water, the carpet., , (c), , The pony, , from the umbrella all over, , (e), , of breaking glass woke me up., , The, , of the raven disturbed the child's, , sleep., , Ans., , (i) (a), (ii) (a), , drip, , (b), , drummed, , (d) tinkle, , drum, , (c), , swish, , (d), , caw, , (b), , dripped, , (c), , was swishing, , (e), , caw, , (e), , tinkle, , Complete each sentence below by using appropriate, phrase from the ones given below., sure enough, , colourful enough, , serious enough, , kind enough, , big enough, , fair enough, , brave enough, , foolish enough, , anxious enough, , (ii), , I saw thick black clouds in the sky. And, it soon started raining heavily., The blue umbrella was, and sister., , The lady was, , to chase the leopard., , (v), , The boy was, , to call out to his sister., , (vi), , The man was, , to offer help., , (i), (iii), (v), (vii), (ix), , The victim's injury was, admitted in hospital., That person was, mistake again., , for him to get, ___, , to repeat the same, , He told me he was sorry and he would compensate for, the loss. I said, ', ', sure enough, , (ii), , big, , colourful enough, , (iv), , brave enough, , anxious enough, , (vi), , kind enough, , serious enough, Fair enough, , (viii), , enough, , foolish enough, , (Page 120), 1. Do you believe in superstitions? Why, or why not?, Working with your partner, write down three, superstitious beliefs that you are familiar with., , Ans. Truly speaking, I don't believe in superstitions. These are, blind beliefs. The ignorant and conservative people observe, them. Superstitions have no scientific base or proof. The, common superstitions are:, (i), , 4. And sure enough. I received a cheque in the mail., , (i), , (iv), , (ix), , to get noticed., , SPEAKING, , its tail., , (d) The, , The butterflies are, , (viii), , Ans., , 87, , (iii), , (vii), , to fall in small drops., to make a sound by hitting a surface repeatedly., to move quickly through the air, making a soft, sound., harsh sound made by birds., ringing sound (of a bell or breaking glass, etc.)., , MONSOON DIARY, , _, , for the brother, , (ii), (iii), , 13 is an ominous number., Don't start a new project on Saturday., Stop if a black cat crosses your path., , 2. How many different kinds of birds do you come across, in the lesson? How many varieties do you see in your, neighbourhood? Are there any birds that you used to, see earlier in your neighbourhood but not now? In, groups discuss why you think this is happening., Ans. We come across different kinds of birds in this lesson. These, are minivets, drongos, tree creepers and crows. We see, sparrows, pigeons, and nightingales in our neighbourhood.
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ENGLISH-VIII, , 88, , Earlier we used to see big birds like kites and parrots in, our neighbourhood. But these have become extinct now., (Page 121), , WRITING, , 1. The monsoons are a time of great fun and even a few, adventures: playing in the rain and getting wet, wading, through knee-deep water_on your way to school, water, flooding the house or the classroom, power cuts and so on., Write a paragraph describing an incident that, occurred during the rains which you can never forget., , I, , I, , (See NCERT Text Book Page 121), Or, , Write a poem of your own about the season of spring, when trees are in full bloom., Ans. Do yourself, , ODD, , * On, , the Grasshopper and Cricket, fl~, , ~eaU, , SUMMARY OF THE POEM, This nature poem draws attention to the musical notes of, birds and insect s going on forever. This music is provided by the, grasshopper on hot summer noon and by the cricket in cold, winter. Thus, every season has its own kind of joy and music., On a hot summer day, the birds seek shelter in the cool, shade of trees. But it is time for merry making for the grasshopper., He flies from one fence to another singing all the time. When he, is weary of singing, he rests under some wild plant., The birds remain silent and hide in winter. Also on a frosty, day there is utter silence on all sides. Then suddenly the silence, is broken by the song of a cricket. Its voice comes from a pile of, stores. Thus, the music of the earth is endless., To a person feeling sleepy, the cricket's sound appears to be, coming from distant grassy hills., , TEXTBOOK, , QUESTIONS, , WORKING WITH THE POEM, , SOLVED, (Page 123), , 1. Discuss with your partner the following definition of, a poem., A poem is made of words arranged in a beautiful order., These words, when read aloud with feeling, have a, music and meaning of their own., Ans. Very true. Poetry is different from prose because it arranges, best words in a musical order. However, a poem being, short, musical and interesting is easy to learn by heart and, to remember for a long period.
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ENG~ISH-VIII, , 90, 2. 'The poetry of earth' is not made of words. What is it made, of, as suggested in the poem?, Ans. The poetry of earth is made of the chirping of birds in trees,, and a grasshopper's sound. They sing joyfully without a long, break., 3. Find in the poem lines that match the following:, (i) The grasshopper's happiness never comes to an end., (ii) The cricket's song has a warmth that never decreases., , Ans., , W, , He has never done with his delights., , (ii) The cricket's song in warmth increasing ever., , 4. Which word in stanza 2 is opposite in meaning to 'the, frost'?, Ans. 'warmth', 5. The poetry of earth continues round the year through a cycle, of two seasons. Mention each with its representative, voice., Ans. The two major seasons in a year are summer and winter., Both are rich in music. In summer, the representative voice, is that of the birds and the grasshoppers. In winter, the, cricket is the prime singer., , ODD
