Classes VI - X

 Q1. What did Hafeez Contractor have nightmares about? Ans. Hafeez Contractor would often get continuous nightmares about appearing for a Mathematics examination where he did not know anything. Q2. What did the Principal say to him, which influenced him deeply? Ans. The Principal told Hafeez that his mother used to work extremely hard to bring him up and paid all his fees on time despite his father’s absence. Further, he also mentioned that Hafeez was a good student and with a little effort towards his studies he would be able to score good grades. He motivated the young boy to rise to the occasion and study hard and also sideline his sport activities for the time being. Q3. “... that year I did not step out onto the field.” What was he busy doing that year?  Ans. Being an active sportsman, Hafeez was the senior champion in school for many years and he always loved engaging himself in playing games especially cricket. But when his Principal influenced him t...

 Q1. Why did the man stare at Bepin Babu in disbelief?  Ans. According to Parimal Ghose, he met Bepin Babu at Ranchi in 1958. He got confused and stared at Bepin Babu in disbelief as the latter failed to recognize him and understood that Bepin had a memory lapse of his stay in Ranchi. Q2. Where did Bepin Babu say he went in October '58?  Ans. Bepin Babu said that he went to Kanpur in October '58 and spent the Puja with a friend. Q3. Mention any three (or more) things that Parimal Ghose knew about Bepin Babu. Ans. Given below are a few things that Parimal Ghose knew about Bepin Babu:  (i) Bepin Babu had a fall in Hudroo and injured his right knee.  (ii) Bepin Babu stayed in a bungalow at Ranchi and as he wasn’t so fond of hotel food and he preferred to have his meals cooked by a bawarchi.  (iii) He did not have any children, Bepin Babu lost his wife ten years ago and his only brother had died of insanity. Q4. Why did Bepin Babu worry...

 Q1. What are the three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb?  Ans. The three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb are endurance, persistence and will power. Q2. Why is adventure, which is risky, also pleasurable?  Ans. Although adventure is risky, it is pleasurable too. This implies that climbing a mountain is a great challenge filled with difficulties, but overcoming those hurdles boosts the confidence, endurance and will power of the climber. The author gives the example of the mighty Mount Everest and reaching its summit is an achievement in itself. There is a great sense of exhilaration, joy and fulfillment for being able to scale such greater heights. There is a feeling of victory and happiness. Hence, the experience is not merely physical. It is indeed both emotional and spiritual. (iii) What was it about Mount Everest that the author found irresistible?  Ans. Being one of the mightiest and highest mountains in the world...

 Q1. Why did Tilly’s family come to Thailand?  Ans. Tilly Smith came with her family from South-East England to celebrate Christmas at a beach resort in southern Thailand.  Q2. What were the warning signs that both Tilly and her mother saw?  Ans. Tilly and her family had already experienced a massive earthquake off northern Sumatra earlier the morning of 26 December 2004. Her mother saw that the water was swelling and coming closer and the beach was getting smaller and smaller. Meanwhile, Tilly also noticed that the sea slowly started to rise, foam and bubble and form whirlpools in it.  Q3. Do you think Tilly’s mother was alarmed by them? Ans. Tilly’s mother initially didn’t understand what was happening but when she saw her frightened daughter hysterically screaming that it was a tsunami, she understood the seriousness of the condition.  Q4. Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion?  Ans. Tilly saw the sea behaving i...

 Q1. What is precipitation?  Ans. The sun’s heat vapourises water into vapour. This vapour cools down and condenses to become clouds. This may then fall on the surface of Earth in the form of rain, snow or sleet. This phenomenon of water falling back onto the surface of the earth in the form of rain, snow or sleet is called precipitation.  Q2. What is the water cycle?  Ans. The process by which water continually changes its form and circulates between oceans, atmosphere and land is known as the water cycle.  Q3. What are the factors affecting the height of the waves?  Ans. The factors affecting the height of the waves are as follows: 1. Speed of the wind 2. earthquake, a volcanic eruption or underwater landslides  Q4. Which factors affect the movement of ocean water?  Ans. The factors affecting the movement of ocean water are as follows: 1. Temperature 2. The gravitational pull of sun and moon 3. Warm and cold currents 4. Temperature  Q5. Wha...

 Q1.  How is the “trabeate” principle of architecture different from the “arcuate”?  Ans. The “trabeate” principle of architecture is different from the “arcuate” because in the trabeate principle of architecture roofs, doors and windows were made by placing a horizontal beam across two vertical columns. But, in the arcuate principle of architecture, the weight of the superstructure above the doors and windows was carried by arches.  Q2. What is a shikhara?  Ans. The highest roof of a Hindu temple is called a shikhara. The Rajarajeshvara temple at Thanjavur had the tallest shikhara amongst temples of its time. Constructing it was not easy because there were no cranes in those days and the 90 tonne stone for the top of the shikhara was too heavy to lift manually.  Q3. What is pietra-dura?  Ans. Pietra dura is the coloured, hard stones placed in depressions carved into marble or sandstone creating beautiful, ornate patterns. Behind the emperor, Shah Jaha...

 Q1. What were the central provinces under the control of the Mughals? Ans. The central provinces under the control of the Mughals were Delhi, Kabul, Mewar, Sindh, Marwar, Gujarat, Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Chittor and Deccan. Q2.  What was the relationship between the mansabdar and the jagir?  Ans. Mansabdars received their salaries as revenue assignments called jagirs which were somewhat like iqtas. The Mansabdars did not actually reside in or administer their jagirs rather they only had the rights to the revenue of their assignments which was collected for them by their servants while the mansabdars themselves served in some other part of the country. Q3.       What was the role of the zamindar in Mughal administration?  Ans. Zamindar was a term used by the Mughals to describe all intermediaries, whether the local headmen of a village or any powerful chieftain. The role of the zamindar in Mughal administration was to collect the revenues...

 Q1. What are the four major domains of the earth?  Ans.  The four major domains of the Earth are - Lithosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere. Q2. Name the major continents of the earth.  Ans.  There are 7 major continents of the earth. They are: 1. Asia 2. Europe 3. Africa 4. North America 5. South America 6. Australia 7. Antarctica  Q3. Name the two continents that lie entirely in the Southern Hemisphere.  Ans. Two continents that lie entirely in the southern hemisphere are - Australia and Antarctica.  Q4. Name the different layers of atmosphere.  Ans. The different layers of the atmosphere are : 1. Troposphere 2. Stratosphere 3. Mesosphere 4. Thermosphere 5. Exosphere  Q5. Why is the earth called the ‘blue planet’?  Ans. The earth is called the blue planet because 71 per cent of the earth is covered with water and 29 per cent is with the land. Q6. Why is the Northern Hemisphere called the Land Hemisphere?  Ans. The nor...

 Q1. The monkey was happy living in the fruit tree, but his happiness was not complete. What did he miss?  Ans. The monkey was happy living in the fruit tree, but his happiness was not complete. He had no companion to talk to or share fruits with. He felt lonely.  Q2. What did the two friends generally talk about?  Ans. The two friends, the monkey and the crocodile, generally talked about birds and animals, and the nearby villages. They also used to talk about the difficulties villagers faced in raising good crops because of the lack of rain.  Q3. Why was the crocodile’s wife annoyed with her husband one day?  Ans. Crocodile’s wife was annoyed with her husband one day because that day the crocodile came home very late and she had to manage the little crocodiles all by herself.  Q4. Why was the crocodile unwilling to invite his friend home?  Ans. The crocodile was unwilling to invite his friend home because his wife wanted to eat the monkey’s ...

Q1. What did Nishad give Mr. Nath? Why?  Ans. Nishad gave a bar of chocolate to Mr. Nath. He did so because of the lean appearance of Mr. Nath which suggested that he was starving.  Q2. What is “strange” about Mr. Nath’s Sundays?  Ans. The strange about Mr. Nath’s Sundays is that there was a particular visitor who used to visit every Sunday and both of them used to have lunch together.  Q3. Why did Nishad and Maya get a holiday?  Ans. Nishad and Maya got a holiday because of the bad weather. It was raining heavily and the streets of the city were flooded with the downpour. Q4. What does Nishad find out about Mr. Nath from Ramesh? Arrange the information as suggested below.  • What he eats  • When he eats  • What he drinks, and when  • How he pays  Ans. Nishad finds out the following about Mr. Nath from Ramesh:  • He is not very particular about what he eats. He eats two chapattis, dal and a vegetable.  • He eats in the mor...

 Q1.  Whom does Golu ask, “Why don’t you ever fly like other birds?” Ans.  Golu asks the ostrich why it doesn’t fly like other birds. Q2.  Which uncle of Golu had red eyes? Ans.  Golu’s huge uncle hippopotamus had red eyes. Q3.  Golu’s relatives did not answer his questions because  Ans.  The questions were too difficult. Q4.  Who advised Golu to go to the Limpopo river? Ans.  The mynah bird advised Golu to go to the Limpopo river. Q5.  Why did Golu go to the river? Ans.  Golu went to the Limpopo river to find out what the crocodile had for dinner. Q6.  The crocodile lay on the bank of the Limpopo river. Golu thought it was Ans. a log of wood. Q7.  What did the crocodile do to show that it was a real crocodile? Ans.  The crocodile shed its false tears’ to show that it was a real one. Q8.  “Come here, little one, and I’ll whisper the answer to you”. The crocodile said this because Ans. he wanted to eat Golu. ...

THE COP AND THE ANTHEM - MEANING OF THE TITLE The anthem is the music being played by the organist inside the little church. There is supposed to be an ironic contrast between the two. The cop is Soapy's nemesis and represents the law, while the anthem represents Soapy's better nature and his desire to reform himself and lead a better life in a dignified manner. Q1.  What are some of the signs of approaching winter referred to in the text? Ans.  The signs of the approaching winter are the movement of birds to warm south, the woollens needed by people and the dead leaves covering the ground. Q2.  What was Soapy’s first plan? Why did it not work? Ans.  He would go to eat at restaurant and would then tell them he had no money. They would immediately call a cop who would arrest him. But as soon as he put his foot inside the restaurant, the waiters blocked his entry. Thus his first plan did not work. Q3.  “But the cop’s mind would not consider Soapy”. What did the co...

 A pronoun is a word used to replace a noun. e.g., "Ram is an intelligent boy. Ram is a good athlete too. " In the above sentence instead of using 'Ram' twice we can replace it with a pronoun in the second sentence. Like - Ram is an intelligent boy. HE is a good athlete too.  a) If the noun is singular male we may replace it with - he, him, his or himself. In case of female singular - she, her, hers, herself. For non living things - it, its or itself. b) In case of plural noun of either male, female or non living we can replace with - they, them, their, theirs or themselves. c) An animal in general is referred with 'it', however, if the animal or even a non living thing like a doll has been given name or considered like a part of family then the word 'he' or 'she' can be used to replace. e.g., My dolls name is barbie. I keep her in my bed when I go to sleep. Types of Pronouns 1. Personal pronoun - used as a substitute for a person's name....

There are four types of English sentence, classified by their purpose: declarative sentence (statement) interrogative sentence (question) imperative sentence (command) exclamatory sentence (exclamation) 1. Declarative or statement sentence makes a statement i.e., they tell us something or gives us information. The sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop/period. ( .) For e.g., I like coffee and ice cream. 2. Interrogative sentence ask question i.e., they want information. The sentence ends with a question mark (?) e.g., 1. Do you like coffee?  3. Imperative sentence give command or requests. The sentence ends with a full stop. The imperative sentence has an invisible "YOU". e.g., (You) Stand up.  4. Exclamatory sentence expresses strong emotions/surprise. The sentence ends with an exclamatory mark (!). It is different from Interjections. Interjections are words which express sudden feelings or emotions like WOW! Hurray! etc. e.g., Wha...

Q1.  Why did Swami Haridas say Tansen was ‘talented’? Ans. Tansen, as a child, learnt to imitate the calls of birds and animals. One day he roared like a tiger in the forest. He intended to frighten the travellers. Swami Haridas was impressed by the skill of the boy. So he called Tansen ‘talented’. Q2.    Why did Akbar ask Tansen to join his court? Ans:  Tansen learnt music from Swami Haridas for eleven years. He himself became a famous singer. Sometimes he sang before Emperor Akbar. Akbar was so impressed that he asked Tansen to join his court in 1556. Q3,  How do we know that Akbar was fond of Tansen? Give two reasons. Ans:  Tansen became the favourite of the Emperor. Akbar used to visit Tansen’s house to hear him practise music. He asked Tansen to sing whenever he had the mood. He also gave Tansen many presents.                       ...

 Q1. What problem did the villagers in Hardas village face? What did they do to solve this problem?  Ans. Water problem had become very acute. The hand pump water has gone well below the point up to which the ground has been drilled. They hardly got any water in the taps. Women have to walk 3 Km to get the water from the Suru river. They were planning to go ahead with watershed development.  Q2. What, in your opinion, is the importance of the Gram Sabha? Do you think all members should attend Gram Sabha meetings? Why?  Ans. Gram Sabha is of great importance because they elect the gram panchayat members, they keep a check on the activities of gram panchayat so that funds are utilised in the right way, and to make sure that all problems and solutions are discussed and solved in the right manner at the right time. All members should attend the meetings, if not few people will not be able to find solutions for problems and everyone and any wrongdoings of gram pancha...

Q1. How would Maya’s life be different in South Africa today?  Ans. There is no longer any discrimination in any sphere of life between whites and Non-whites. All citizens have equal rights. Q2. What are the various ways in which people participate in the process of Government?  Ans. There are multiple ways. a. By voting in the elections. b. By taking out rallies and protests if they are unhappy c. By participating in signature campaigns d. By participating in discussions on Television and other modes of public platforms.  Q3. Why do you think we need the Government to find solutions to many disputes or conflicts?  Ans. If not these conflicts and disputes can turn into violence and death because, one group may believe it has all the right to use force to prevent other groups from protesting. Q4. What actions does the Government take to ensure that all people are treated equally?   Ans. People are given reservation in the education field and in govern...

Q1. Describe the ways in which the Buddha tried to spread his message to the people?  Ans. The Buddha to spread his message to the people in the following ways:  a) He conveyed his teaching in the Prakrit language which was the language of the common masses  b) He encouraged his followers to think over his messages instead of blindly following them. This only further spread his ideals as the encouragement of free-thinking meant that people could come to conclusions based on his ideas on their own.  Q.2 Write whether true or false:  a. The Buddha encouraged animal sacrifices - False  Explanation - Buddha professed kindness for animals. He discouraged the practice of sacrificing animals.  b. Sarnath is important because it was the place where the Buddha taught for the first time - True  Explanation - Sarnath is where Buddha taught for the first time after enlightenment. He attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. c. The Buddha taught that karma has no e...