CLASS VIII UNIT 8 A SHORT MONSOON DIARY

-

 Q1: Why is the author not able to see Bijju? 

Ans: The author was unable to see Bijju due to the mist that covered the hills of Mussoorie like a thick white blanket. It completely concealed the hills and the author was unable to hear and see Bijju in this condition. 

Q2: 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 and conceals the hills completely like a thick white blanket. Besides, the trees that usually ring with bird songs tend to appear deathly and silent as the birds do not make any chirping sound and react as though it were midnight.

Q3: When does the monsoon season begin and when does it end? How do you prepare to face the monsoon? 

Ans: In India, the monsoon starts setting in from May-end every year. According to the author’s monsoon diaries, the monsoon mist first appears in Mussoorie on June 24 or 25 and continues until August 31 or mid-September. We usually carry umbrellas and raincoats to face the monsoon and protect ourselves from getting wet and falling sick unnecessarily. 

Q4: Which hill-station does the author describe in this diary entry? 

Answer: According to the diary entry, the author describes the beautiful and mesmerising hill station named Mussoorie. 

Q5: For how many days does it rain without stopping? What does the author do on these days? 

Answer: It rained continuously for eight to nine days. As the weather was damp and soggy outside and he could not go outside, he kept pacing his room and looked out of the window at a few bobbing umbrellas. 

Q6: Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter? Why? 

Ans: Snakes and rodents come out of their holes and burrows and they take shelter in roofs, attics and godowns to save themselves from getting wet in the rain water. 

Q7: What did the author receive in the mail? 

Ans: The author received a cheque in the mail.

Q7: 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: According to Ruskin Bond’s diary entries, June 24 is the first day of monsoon mist. The hills are concealed by a thick white blanket of mist and filled with utmost silence. From June 25, the real monsoon starts setting in and the entire Nature including human beings, birds, animals and trees welcome it. The first cobra lily rears its head from the ferns. 

People get habituated with the monsoon season by August 2. Rain starts drumming on the corrugated tin roofs of their houses. Although there is no storm or thunder, there is just the steady swish of a tropical downpour. Snakes and rodents start coming out of their holes and burrows and they take shelter in roofs, attics and godowns to save themselves from getting wet in the rain water. 

March 23 signals the end of winter. The blackest cloud slowly occupies the sky that is followed by a hailstorm. This clears the sky completely and soon a rainbow starts forming. This is one of the best and most splendid sights that anyone could visualise or experience about the beauty of Nature. 

Q8: Why did the grandmother ask the children not to kill the Chuchundar? 

Ans: The grandmother asked the children not to kill the Chuchundar because this animal is considered to be lucky and bring in good fortune and money.

Q9: What signs do we find in Nature which show that the monsoons are about to end? 

Ans: The hillsides in Mussoorie become lush green as late-monsoon flowers begin to appear — wild balsam, dahlias, begonias and ground orchids. The seeds of the cobra lily slowly start turning red that signify the rains are coming to an end and the monsoon season is almost over.

Q10: ‘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) Why has the writer used the word, ‘springing’? (ii) How is the writer untouched by the rain? (iii) How is the writer in touch with the rain at the same time? 

Ans: (i)The word ‘springing’ refers to moving suddenly at once. The author uses this word to indicate how the tin roofs are prone to development of sudden unexpected leaking. (ii) The author is left physically untouched by rain because he is safe inside his room and the tin roof stops the rain from leaking inside. (iii) The writer is in touch with the rain at the same time because he can see the rain from inside his room and feel it as it has been drumming on the corrugated tin roof of his house.

Q11: Mention a few things that can happen when there is endless rain for days together. 

Ans: When it rains continuously for days together, everything around becomes damp and soggy. It becomes difficult for anyone to go out in the rain. The hillsides become lush green as late-monsoon flowers begin to appear i.e. the wild balsam, dahlias, begonias and ground orchids. The holes and burrows of snakes and rodents become flooded and they take shelter in roofs, attics and godowns. 

Q12: What is the significance of cobra lily in relation to the monsoon season, its beginning and end? 

Ans: When the monsoon season starts setting in, the first cobra lily appears from the ferns. However, when the seeds of the cobra lily slowly start turning red that signify monsoon is coming to an end. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CLASS X THE SNAKE - D H LAWRENCE

-
  Answer the following questions briefly: 1. Why does the poet decide to stand and wait till the snake has finished drinking? What does this tell you about the poet? (Notice that he uses ‘someone’ instead of ‘something’ for the snake.) Ans.  The poet decides that since he believes the snake arrived before him, he should stand and wait until the snake finishes drinking. He also feels greatly honoured that the snake had chosen his water trough to satisfy his thirst. The poet addresses the snake as ‘someone’ instead of ‘something’ as he seems to be a nature enthusiast. He also believes in giving respect to all living beings who share the space with him on earth.   2. In stanza 2 and 3, the poet gives a vivid description of the snake by using suggestive expressions. What picture of the snake do you form on the basis of this description? Ans.  The snake was yellow-brown and soft-bellied when it emerged from a crack in the earth wall and made its way to the water t...
Read more

CLASS X A SHADY PLOT

-
 Q1. Which genre of stories does Jenkins want the narrator to write? Why? Jenkins wanted the narrator to write a ghost story  for his magazine. He wanted the narrator to give the readers a story based on the supernatural. He wanted him to give his readers really 'horror' stories.  Q2. Do es the narrator like writing ghost stories? Support your answer with evidence from the story. The narrator likes writing ghost stories because this was the type of fiction he wrote the first time. The narrator was struggling for an idea and the idea for a ghost story came out of nowhere. Whenever Jenkins wanted the narrator to write a story, he could produce a perfect ghost story without much effort. Q3. What makes Helen, the ghost and her other co-ghosts organise The Writer's Inspiration Bureau? Helen and other co-ghosts organised The Writer's Insipiration Bureau because  they felt there were many writers who were struggling to come with a good plot for a story and they didnt w...
Read more

CLASS X DRAMA - THE DEAR DEPARTED

-
 Answer the following questions briefly. 1. How does Mrs. Slater plan to outshine the Jordans? What does it reveal about her character? Answer: Mrs. Slater was not very happy with the mourning dresses that she and her family were wearing. In fact, she had ordered new dresses for everybody. However, she thought that her sister wouldn't have thought of mourning dresses and so she would outshine them there. Mrs. Slater was a very superficial person. She was not concerned about the death in her family but was more bothered about her appearance and how to be better than her sister. 2. Why does Mrs. Slater decide to shift the bureau from grandfather’s room before the arrival of the Jordans? How does Henry react to the suggestion? Answer: Mrs. Slater always liked grandfather’s bureau. After his death, she decided to shift it to sitting room before her sister arrived so she can claim it. Henry was shocked at the suggestion because he felt that the sisters should cordially divide grandfathe...
Read more