Thinking About the Text (Page 38)

I. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in Column A with the items in Column B.

A B
1. Fear or terror i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss
2. Glad sense of relief ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter
3. A ‘funny’ feeling, perhaps of understanding iii) father comes home
iv) speaking to father
v) going to bed when alone at home
vi) father comforts her and falls asleep
vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring

Answer :

A B
1. Fear or terror iii) father comes home
iv) speaking to father
v) going to bed when alone at home
vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring
2. Glad sense of relief i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss
ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter
3. A ‘funny’ feeling, perhaps of understanding vi) father comforts her and falls asleep

II. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

Question 1 : Why was Kezia afraid of her father?

Answer : Kezia was afraid of her father because he was very strict, always commanding everybody else in the house. He never played with her. He had big hands and a heavy face; particularly his mouth looked big to Kezia when he yawned. She was especially terrified with the manner in which he looked at over his spectacles.

Question 2 : Who were the people in Kezia’s family?

Answer : Kezia’s family consisted of her mother, father, grandmother and herself, besides Alice, the cook.

Question 3 : What was Kezia’s father’s routine

i) before going to his office?
ii) after coming back from his office?
iii) on Sundays?

Answer : i) Before going to his office, Kezia’s father usually went into her room to give her a casual kiss.

ii) After coming back from his office, he ordered for tea to be brought into the drawing-room. He also asked his mother to bring him the newspaper and his slippers and asked Kezia to pull off his boots and leave them outside.

iii) On Sundays, Kezia’s father would stretch out on the sofa. He would cover his face with his handkerchief, put his feet on one of the cushions and snore while sleeping soundly.

Question 4 : In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?

Answer : Kezia’s grandmother encouraged her to get to know her father better by sendin gher to the drawing-room to talk to her parents on Sunday afternoons. She also suggested Kezia to make a pin-cushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk as a gift for her father’s birthday.

III. Describe these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.

Question 1 : Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?

Answer : Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him. On every Sunday, her grandmother sent her down to the drawing-room to talk to her father and mother. But, her presence always irritated her father. He used to call her a ‘little brown owl’. The next effort was when her grandmother suggested that she should make a pin-cushion as a birthday gift for her father, whose birthday was falling next week. She worked diligently on making the pin-cushion , stitching three sides of the cushion with double cotton with great care and effort.

She could not find anything to sutff it with and as her grandmother was busy in the garden, she searched her mother’s bedroom for scraps. Finally, she discovered some sheets of fine paper on the bed-table. She gathered them up, tore them into pieces and filled the cushion with them. She did not know that the sheets of fine paper she had torn up were written with her father’s speech to be given in the Port Authority the next day. Her father scolder her touching things that did not belong to her and punished her by hitting her palm with a ruler.

Question 2 : Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers.” What kind of father was Mr Macdonald and how was he different from Kezia’s father?

Answer : Kezia compared her father with Mr Macdonald, their next door neighbour, who had five children. He was a loving, gentle and forgiving father. Whenever she looked at their house, she saw that he was always smiling and playing with his children. He treated his children in a friendly manner.

He was just opposite to Kezia’s father. Unlike Kezia’s father , he never punished his children. He played with them whenever he was free. However, Kezia’s father was very harsh and a strict disciplinarian besides never playing with her. Kezia’s father was a busyman and never expressed his concern or affection to the little girl who was really scared of him. She was so afraid of her father that whenever she communicated with him, she would stutter.

Question 3 : How does Kezia being to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?

Answer : When Kezia’s mother fell ill, Kezia’s grandmother accompanied her to the hospital. Kezia was left at home in the care of Alice, the cook. At night, after she was put to bed by the cook, she had a nightmare. In the nghtmare, she saw a butcher with a knife and rope. She woke up shivering with fright. She called for her grandmother but, to her surprise, she found her father standing near her bed. He took her in his arms and made her sleep next to him in his bed. Half asleep, she crept close to him, sunggled her head under his arm and held tightly to his shirt. Her father asked her to rub her feet against his legs for warmth. Her father went off to sleep before her. This made her understand that he was to work  hard every day and this leaves him too tired to be like Mr Macdonald. She expressed her altered feelings for her father by telling him that he had a ‘big heart’.

Thinking about Language (Page 38)

I. Look at the following sentence.

There was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter……..

Here, glad means happy about something. Glad, happy, pleased, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms (words or expression that have the same or nearly the same meaning). However, they express happiness in certain ways.

Read the sentences below.

  • She was glad when the meeting was over.
  • The chief guest was pleased to announce the name of the winner.

1. Use an appropriate word from the synonyms give above in the following sentences. Clues are given in brackets.

i) She was ………….. by the news of her brother’s wedding. (very pleased)

ii) I was ………….. to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)

iii) She was …………. at the birth of her granddaughter.(extremely happy)

iv) The coach was ……… with her performance (satisfied about)

v) She was very …………… with her result. (happy about something that has happened)

Answer :

i) thrilled
ii) delighted
iii) overjoyed
iv) pleased
v) happy

Question 2 : Study the use of the word big in the following sentence.

He was so big – his hands and his neck, especially his mouth………….
Here, big means large in size.

Now, consult a dictionary and find out the meaning of big in the following sentences. the first one has been done for you.

i) You are a big girl now. (older)
ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career.
iii) Their project is full of big ideas.
iv) Cricket is a big game in our country.
v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeskar.
vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater.
vii) What a big heart you’ve got, father dear.

Answer :

ii) most important
iii) innovative
iv) popular
v) great
vi) gourmet
vii) generous

II. Verbs of Reporting

Study the following sentences.

  • “What!” screamed mother.
  • “N-n-no”, she whispered.
  • “Sit up,” he ordered.

The italicised words are verbs of reporting. We quote or report what someone has said or thought by using a reporting verb. Every reporting clause contains a reporting verb e.g. 

  • He promised to help in my project.
  • “How are you doing?” Seema asked.

We use verbs of reporting to advise, order, report statements, thoughts, intentions, questions, requests, apologies, manner of speaking and so on.

Question 1 : Underline the verbs of reporting in the following sentences.

i) He says he will enjoy the ride.
ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
iii) NO one told us that the shop was closed.
iv) He answered that the price would go up.
v) I wondered why he was screaming.
vi) Ben told her to wake him up.
vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.

Answer : 

i) says
ii) mentioned
iii) told
iv) answered
v) wondered
vi) told
vii) apologised

Question 2 : Some verbs of reporting are given in the box. Choose the appropriate verbs and fill in the blanks in the following sentences.

were complaining
shouted
replied
ordered
suggested
remarked

i) “I am not afraid,”………..the woman.
ii) “Leave me alone,” my mother …………..
iii) The children …………that the roads were crowded and noisy.
iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,” …………. the master.
v) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,” ………….the sports teacher.
vi) The traffic police …………. all the passers-by to keep off the road.

Answer : 

i) replied
ii) shouted
iii) were complaining
iv) remarked
v) suggested
vi) ordered

Speaking (Page 40)

Form pairs or groups and discuss the following questions.

Question 1 : This story is not an Indian story. But do you think there are fathers, mothers and grandmothers like the ones portrayed in the story in our own country?

Answer : Yes, Indian families also have fathers, mothers and grandmothers like the ones portrayed in the story. All parents wan to succeed so that their children have a secure future. But, due to their busy schedule, they neglect their children, making them feel isolated. Children need time and love of their parents regularly.

Children want their parents to interact with them without hurting their feelings. Emotional support of parents is very important for child’s balanced development.

Question 2 : Was Kezia’s father right to punish her? What king of person was he? You might find some of these words useful in describing him:

undemonstrative
loving
strict
hard-working
responsible
unkind
disciplinarian
short-tempered
affectionate
indifferent
caring

Answer : Kezia’s father was not right in punishing her. Corporal chastisement is not the solution to children’s problems. Some parents might feel that they can correct their children’s behaviour by giving them physical punishment, but they are grossly mistaken.

Parents should be king and affectionate while dealing with children. If a child makes a mistake, they should explain to him/her what mistakes he has made and how harmful it could be for family or for himself/herself. Kezia’s father was somewhat arrogant and lost his temper.

Writing (Page 40)

Question 1 : Has your life been different from or similar to that of Kezia when you were a child? Has your perceptions about your parents changed now? Do you find any change in your parents’ behaviour vis-a-vis yours? Who has become more understanding? What steps would you like to take to build a relationship based on understanding? Write three or four paragraphs (150-200 words) discussing these issues from your own experience.

Answer : Do it yourself.