﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><Search><pages Count="152"><page Index="1"><![CDATA[TARUN
                   Middle Stage                                                     Aligned with NEP 2020






















                     INSIGHT














                                    A Multi-skill English Course






                                                              Main Course Book 8






                                                              Sr. Shalini
                                                         St. Sebastian’s School
                                                            Kannur, Kerala
                                                             Series Editor
                                                            Nidhi M.Vohra
                                                            ELT Consultant





                                               TARUN PUBLICATIONS


                                                 (An ISO 9001: 2015 Company)]]></page><page Index="2"><![CDATA[Preface


                                                                 The  series  aims at  inculcating  English  as  a primary
                                                                 language for students so that it is accessible to them from
                                                                 their  formative  years based  on  National Education
                                                                 Policy (NEP) 2020. The series uses Bloom’s  taxonomy
                                                                 and focuses on thinking, analyzing, evaluating concepts,
                                                                 and  principles  rather than  just  memory  and  recalling
                                                                 facts. The chapters contain diversified exercises that focus
                                                                 on all the four learning skills required for a language  -            NCF 2022 Features
                TARUN PUBLICATIONS                               Listening, Speaking, Reading  and Writing .

                        (An ISO 9001:2015 Company)               Reflect: starts the process of getting knowledge in the
                                                                 cognitive domain by making them relate to what they are
                         Corporate & Sales Office                going to read about. It focuses on speaking skills as well
                                                                 by encouraging class discussions.
                     H-83, Sector-63, Noida-201301 (U.P.)
                                                                 Let’s  Read: contains short stories, adapted  tales,
               Ph: 0120-4121656, 4129019, 4129020, 4129052
                                                                 folktales, plays, picture  stories, historical tales,
                             Registered Office                   biographies, poems and plays to familiarize students with
                     4675/21, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj,           all genres of literature.
                             New Delhi-110002                    About Section: adds to what the  students  have read
                          Ph: 23258909, 23281911                 in order to enhance their knowledge  and makes them
                         info@tarunpublications.com              curious while inculcating the habit of reading beyond the
                          www.tarunpublications.com              required text.
                                                                 Word Power: helps build vocabulary and explore new
                                                                 words.
                   © All rights reserved with the publishers.    A Little  Extra: encourages  reading beyond  the

                                                                 prescribed text.
                                New Edition                      Story  Comprehension: comprises chapter  based
                                                                 questions  made  according to the  Bloom’s taxonomy in
                                                                 order to test the students’ cognitive abilities.
                                                                 Brain Work: these are HOTS (Higher Order Thinking
                                                                 Skills) questions which make the students think beyond
                                                                 what they have read and shaped real life principles.
                                                                 Words that Matter: these are more vocabulary building
                                                                 exercises aimed at better understanding of the language.
                                                                 Grammar  Ladder: establishes a  sound base for
                                                                 language enhancement, so that the students can learn the
                                                                 rules for grammar easily.
                                                                 Writer’s Corner: gives the students the opportunity to write
                                                                 all sorts of essays, letters, stories, poems and descriptions.
                                                                 Listening Time: makes the students attentive and alert,
                                                                 catering to their concentration ability.
                                                                 Activity Corner: contains fun activities that make the
                                                                 students think out of the box!
                                                                 Model Test  Papers: evaluate  the  comprehensive
                                                                 learning of students and ensure the revision of everything
                                                                 they have learnt.
                                                                 We believe that this easily accessible knowledge model will
                                                                 be  able  to  establish  a  good  learning  atmosphere  for  the
                                                                 children and help them better their English Language skills.]]></page><page Index="3"><![CDATA[NCF 2022 Features
                The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 lays emphasis on the inculcation of 21st Century skills
                in the students. In a global world of fast communication and abundant information, these soft skills are
                of paramount importance. They enable students to learn holistically, create meaningfully, and become a
                valuable contributor to society. All texts and exercises in this book have been designed in accordance with
                the expected learning outcomes at each level.

                 Learning Skills: These skills focus on varied learning processes that lead to holistic development.

                        Critical Thinking : Students learn to identify, relate and analyse the piece of information with fair-
                        ness, activeness, willingness and being independent.

                        Creativity:  Students  explore  and  create  new  and  unique  ideas  using  their  fluency,  flexibility,
                        originality and elaborating others’ ideas innovatively.

                        Collaboration: Students work together towards a common goal and are accountable to one another
                        with appropriate direction, respecting others’ needs and perspectives and boosting their confidence
                        and self-esteem as well.

                        Communication: Students learn the ability to express their opinions, desires and  apprehensions
                        appropriately, verbally and non-verbally which would, in turn, lead to much higher grades and
                        success in academics.

                 Literacy Skills: These skills focus on how to access trustworthy sources of information across tradi-
                 tional and digital media.

                        Information Literacy: Students empower themselves by understanding the content, gathering data,
                        extending their research and organising into useful knowledge.

                        Media Literacy: Students learn to analyse, evaluate, and communicate in a world with countless
                        media sources keeping themselves safe in today’s digital world.

                        Technology Literacy: Students access information in new ways and communicate what has been
                        learned with others, giving themselves a more prominent voice in the world around them.

                 Life  Skills: These skills focus on personal and professional qualities that help students integrate well
                 into society.

                        Flexibility and Adaptability:  Students learn to change actions, creating modifications to suit the
                        new environment and efficiently facing an unprecedented situation, without compromising on
                        ethics and values.
                        Leadership and Responsibility : Students outshine as leaders and are capable of effective team
                        management in relation to the real world challenges, incorporating their personal qualities such as
                        perseverance, patience and being passionate.

                        Initiative and Self-Direction: Students create their own path of development with integrity on self
                        – motivation and taking initiatives.
                        Productivity and Accountability:  Students feel responsible for any task to be fulfilled within a
                        given time frame and being accountable for his/her actions.


                           Social and Cross-Cultural Interaction: Students learn to communicate, work collaboratively and
                           effectively in diverse social and cultural environments.]]></page><page Index="4"><![CDATA[Detailed Contents





                S. No.       Chapter Name                    Comprehension                        Vocabulary building                     Grammar                     Listening Time                 Writing              Values/Skills

                   1.    Elder Brother            •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Compound adjectives                •  Tenses–verbs                •  Listen to the sentences and   •  Writing an essay  •  Dramatising a Story
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Phrasal verbs                                                        state whether it is fact or                        •  Analytical Skills
                                                                                                                                                                   opinion                                            •  Collaboration
                   2.    Where the Mind is        •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Alliteration                       •  Transitive and intransitive   •  Listening to a poem for   •  Writing an article  •  Further Reading
                         Without Fear             •  Analysing and answering               •  Using suffixes to make adjectives     verbs; question tags           rhyming words                                      •  Experiential Learning
                                                                                           •  Misspelt words
                   3.    The Last Lesson          •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Compound nouns                     •  Present participles         •  Listening to an announcement  •  Writing an email  •  Making a Collage
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  French words used in English       •  Adjectives: degrees of         and answering questions                            •  Global Cultural
                                                                                                                                    comparison                                                                           Awareness
                   4.    Adventures with Books    •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Metaphors                          •  Determiners                 •  Listening to a poem and    •  Writing a formal     •  Illustrating the Poem
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Terms for various types of books   •  Subject–verb agreement         answering questions           letter               •  Creativity
                   5.    The Open Window          •  Arranging sentences   •  Q & A        •  British and American English       •  Non-finite verbs;           •  Listening to a dialogue and   •  Writing a character   •  Making  a List
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Anagrams                           •  Affirmative and negative       answering questions           sketch               •  Experiential Learning
                                                                                                                                    sentences
                   6.    The Rime of the Ancient   •  Reference to context   •  Q & A      •  Similes                            •  Types of clauses;           •  Listening to sentences and   •  Writing a diary entry •  Making a Slideshow
                         Mariner                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Archaic words                         prepositional phrases          stating true or false                                 Presentation
                                                                                           •  Odd word out                                                                                                            •  Critical Thinking
                   7.    No Pets Allowed          •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Verbs of movement                  •  Simple, compound and        •  Listening to words and     •  Reviewing a story    •  Making a Scrapbook
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Prefixes and suffixes                 complex sentences              writing them down                                  •  Experiential Learning
                                                                                           •  Professions                        •  Formation of abstract nouns
                   8.    I Think I Could Turn and   •  Matching lines with meanings        •  Different forms of poetry          •  Punctuation marks           •  Listening to a poem and    •  Drafting a notice    •  Creating Combinations
                         Live with Animals        •  Q & A                                 •  Transformation of parts of speech                                    answering questions                                •  Creativity
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Synonyms
                   9.    The Luncheon             •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Antonyms                           •  Modals                      •  Listening for meanings and   •  Writing a summary  •  Making a Chart
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Fixed pairs                        •  Prepositions and objects of    matching them to words                             •  Critical Thinking
                                                                                           •  Word game                             prepositions                                                                      •  Experiential Learning
                  10.    Ode on the Death of a    •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Proverbs                           •  Kinds of conjunctions       •  Listening to a story and   •  Writing paragraphs   •  Making a List
                         Favourite Cat            •  Analysing and answering               •  Analogies                                                            numbering statements in the                        •  Conceptual
                                                                                           •  Irregular plurals                                                    correct order                                         Understanding
                  11.    The Lady or the Tiger?   •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Words describing character and     •  Types of adverbs            •  Listening to a poem and    •  Writing a newspaper  •  Making a Presentation
                                                  •  Analysing and answering                  personality      •  Word families  •  Articles                       identifying errors            report               •  Presentation &
                                                                                           •  Similes                                                                                                                    Communication Skills
                  12.    The Glove and the Lions  •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Compound verbs                     •  Kinds of adjectives         •  Listening to an advertisement  •  Writing a poem   •  Slogan March
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Homophones                         •  Formation of adjectives        and answering questions                            •  Analytical Skills
                                                                                           •  Word association
                  13.    After Twenty Years       •  Stating true or false     •  Q & A    •  Collocations                       •  Order of adjectives         •  Listening to a conversation   •  Writing a         •  Dramatising a Story
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Confusing words                    •  Conditionals                   and completing sentences      conversation         •  Communication Skills
                                                                                           •  Making new words by adding/
                                                                                              removing a letter
                  14.    The School for Sympathy  •  Fill in the Blanks   •  Q & A         •  Sense words                        •  Relative clauses            •  Listening to incomplete    •  Writing a first-person  •  Decoding Messages
                                                  •  Analysing and answering               •  Collocations                       •  Usage of adjectives and        sentences and supplying       account              •  Analytical Skills
                                                                                                                                    adverbs                        subjects
                  15.    The Tragedy of Julius    •  Reference to context   •  Q & A       •  Irony                              •  Direct and indirect speech  •  Listening to a speech and   •  Designing a poster  •  Further Reading
                         Caesar                   •  Analysing and answering               •  Antithesis                                                           taking down notes                                  •  Experiential Learning

                 16 .    The Adventures of Tom    •  Stating true or false     •  Q & A    •  Alliteration                       •  Active and passive voice    •  Listening to words and     •  Writing an informal   •  Finding Pen Names
                         Sawyer                   •  Analysing and answering               •  Confusing words                                                      matching with synonyms        letter                  and Real Names]]></page><page Index="5"><![CDATA[S. No.  Chapter Name  Comprehension  Vocabulary building  Grammar  Listening Time  Writing       Values/Skills

 1.  Elder Brother  •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Compound adjectives  •  Tenses–verbs  •  Listen to the sentences and   •  Writing an essay  •  Dramatising a Story
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Phrasal verbs  state whether it is fact or                   •  Analytical Skills
                                          opinion                                            •  Collaboration
 2.  Where the Mind is   •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Alliteration  •  Transitive and intransitive   •  Listening to a poem for   •  Writing an article  •  Further Reading
 Without Fear  •  Analysing and answering  •  Using suffixes to make adjectives  verbs; question tags  rhyming words  •  Experiential Learning
 •  Misspelt words
 3.  The Last Lesson  •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Compound nouns  •  Present participles  •  Listening to an announcement  •  Writing an email  •  Making a Collage
 •  Analysing and answering  •  French words used in English  •  Adjectives: degrees of   and answering questions  •  Global Cultural
           comparison                                                                           Awareness
 4.  Adventures with Books  •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Metaphors  •  Determiners  •  Listening to a poem and   •  Writing a formal   •  Illustrating the Poem
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Terms for various types of books  •  Subject–verb agreement  answering questions  letter  •  Creativity
 5.  The Open Window  •  Arranging sentences   •  Q & A  •  British and American English  •  Non-finite verbs;   •  Listening to a dialogue and   •  Writing a character   •  Making  a List
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Anagrams  •  Affirmative and negative   answering questions  sketch  •  Experiential Learning
           sentences
 6.  The Rime of the Ancient   •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Similes  •  Types of clauses;   •  Listening to sentences and   •  Writing a diary entry •  Making a Slideshow
 Mariner  •  Analysing and answering  •  Archaic words  prepositional phrases  stating true or false  Presentation
 •  Odd word out                                                                             •  Critical Thinking
 7.  No Pets Allowed  •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Verbs of movement  •  Simple, compound and   •  Listening to words and   •  Reviewing a story  •  Making a Scrapbook
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Prefixes and suffixes  complex sentences  writing them down  •  Experiential Learning
 •  Professions  •  Formation of abstract nouns
 8.  I Think I Could Turn and   •  Matching lines with meanings  •  Different forms of poetry  •  Punctuation marks  •  Listening to a poem and   •  Drafting a notice  •  Creating Combinations
 Live with Animals  •  Q & A  •  Transformation of parts of speech  answering questions      •  Creativity
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Synonyms
 9.  The Luncheon  •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Antonyms  •  Modals  •  Listening for meanings and   •  Writing a summary  •  Making a Chart
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Fixed pairs  •  Prepositions and objects of   matching them to words  •  Critical Thinking
 •  Word game  prepositions                                                                  •  Experiential Learning
 10.  Ode on the Death of a   •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Proverbs  •  Kinds of conjunctions  •  Listening to a story and   •  Writing paragraphs  •  Making a List
 Favourite Cat  •  Analysing and answering  •  Analogies  numbering statements in the        •  Conceptual
 •  Irregular plurals                     correct order                                         Understanding
 11.  The Lady or the Tiger?  •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Words describing character and   •  Types of adverbs  •  Listening to a poem and   •  Writing a newspaper  •  Making a Presentation
 •  Analysing and answering  personality      •  Word families  •  Articles  identifying errors  report  •  Presentation &
 •  Similes                                                                                     Communication Skills
 12.  The Glove and the Lions  •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Compound verbs  •  Kinds of adjectives  •  Listening to an advertisement  •  Writing a poem  •  Slogan March
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Homophones  •  Formation of adjectives  and answering questions  •  Analytical Skills
 •  Word association
 13.  After Twenty Years  •  Stating true or false     •  Q & A  •  Collocations  •  Order of adjectives  •  Listening to a conversation   •  Writing a   •  Dramatising a Story
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Confusing words  •  Conditionals  and completing sentences  conversation  •  Communication Skills
 •  Making new words by adding/
 removing a letter
 14.  The School for Sympathy  •  Fill in the Blanks   •  Q & A  •  Sense words  •  Relative clauses  •  Listening to incomplete   •  Writing a first-person  •  Decoding Messages
 •  Analysing and answering  •  Collocations  •  Usage of adjectives and   sentences and supplying   account  •  Analytical Skills
           adverbs                        subjects
 15.  The Tragedy of Julius   •  Reference to context   •  Q & A  •  Irony  •  Direct and indirect speech  •  Listening to a speech and   •  Designing a poster  •  Further Reading
 Caesar  •  Analysing and answering  •  Antithesis  taking down notes                        •  Experiential Learning

 16 .  The Adventures of Tom   •  Stating true or false     •  Q & A  •  Alliteration  •  Active and passive voice  •  Listening to words and   •  Writing an informal   •  Finding Pen Names
 Sawyer  •  Analysing and answering  •  Confusing words  matching with synonyms  letter         and Real Names]]></page><page Index="6"><![CDATA[Contents






                  1.  Elder Brother                                                                              7


                  2.  Where the Mind is Without Fear —Rabindranath Tagore                                       18


                  3.  The Last Lesson                                                                           23


                  4.  Adventures with Books —Velda Blumhagen                                                    33



                  5.  The Open Window                                                                           39


                  6.  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner —Samuel Taylor Coleridge                                  49


                  7.  No Pets Allowed                                                                           58


                  8.  I Think I Could Turn and Live with Animals —Walt Whitman                                  67


                  9.  The Luncheon                                                                              74


                 10.  Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat —Thomas Gray                                          85



                 11.  The Lady or the Tiger?                                                                    92


                 12.  The Glove and the Lions —Leigh Hunt                                                     103


                 13.  After Twenty Years                                                                      110


                 14.  The School for Sympathy                                                                 120


                 15.  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar                                                            129



                 16.  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer                                                            140


                       Listening Time                                                                         149]]></page><page Index="7"><![CDATA[1        Elder Brother






                                                                                      21st   Initiative and Self-Direction
                                                                                     Century  Flexibility and Adaptability
                                                                                      Skills  Critical Thinking and Collaboration
                  Reflect


                  What kind of a relationship do you share with your sibling(s)? Read this
                   story about two brothers whose relationship changes over time.




                        Let’s Read

                My big brother was five years older than me but only three grades ahead. He had begun
                his studies at the same age as I had, but he didn’t like the idea of moving hastily in an
                important matter like education. He took two years to do one year’s work; sometimes he

                even took three.
                I was nine, he was fourteen. He had full right by

                seniority to supervise me. And I was expected to
                accept every order of his. He was very studious
                by nature. He was always sitting with a book
                open. And perhaps to rest his brain, he would
                sometimes draw pictures of  birds, dogs
                and  cats  in the margins  of  his  notebook.
                Sometimes he would write a name, a word
                or a sentence ten or twenty times. He
                would copy a stanza several times in

                beautiful letters or create new words
                that made no sense.

                I didn’t really like studying. To pick
                up  a book  and  sit  with  it  for an
                hour was too much of an effort.
                As soon as I got a chance, I would
                leave the hostel and  go  to  the
                playground  and play  marbles or
                fly kites  or just meet a friend—






                Insight MCB 8                                     7]]></page><page Index="8"><![CDATA[what could be more fun? But as soon as I came back into the room and saw my brother’s
              scowling face, I would be terrified.

              His first question would be, ‘Where were you?’ Always the same question, which he asked
              in the same tone, and I could only answer with silence. I don’t know why I couldn’t say
              that I had just been playing outside.

              My silence was an acknowledgement of guilt and my brother would always say angrily, ‘If
              you study English this way, you’ll be studying your whole life and you won’t get one word
              right! Studying English is no laughing matter. You have to wear out your eyes morning
              and night and use every ounce of energy. And even then you’ll just have a smattering of it.

              Can’t you learn from looking at me? You have seen with your own eyes how hard I work.
              No matter how many shows and fairs there are, have you ever seen me attend them?
              Every day there are cricket and hockey matches, but I don’t go near them. Despite studying

              all the time, it takes me two years, or even three, to get through one grade. How do you
              expect to pass when you waste your time like this? Why waste our father’s hard-earned
              money?
              After such a dressing-down, I would start crying. My brother was an expert in the art

              of giving advice. He’d say such cruel words, overwhelm me with such good advice that
              my spirits would sink, my courage disappear. I would think, ‘Why don’t I run away from
              school and go back home? Why should I spoil my life fiddling with work that’s beyond my
              capacity?’

              But after an hour or two, I would get over my despair and resolve to study with all my
              might. I’d draw up a schedule on the spot. In my timetable, the time for play was entirely
              absent. Get up at the crack of dawn, wash my hands and face at six, eat a snack, sit down
              and study. From six to eight, English, eight to nine, arithmetic; nine to nine-thirty, history;
              then mealtime and afterwards, off to school. A half hour’s rest at 3:30 when I got back
              from school; geography from four to five; grammar from five to six, then a half hour’s walk
              in front of the hostel; six-thirty to seven, English composition; then dinner; translation

              from eight to nine, Hindi from nine to ten; from ten to eleven, miscellaneous; then to bed.
              But it’s one thing to draw up a schedule, another to follow it. It began to be neglected

              from the very first day. The inviting green expanse of the playground, the balmy winds,
              the commotion on the football field, the exciting stratagems of prisoner’s base, the speed
              and flurries of volleyball would all draw me mysteriously and irresistibly.
              As soon as I was there, I forgot everything: the life-destroying schedule, the books that

              strained our eyes—I couldn’t remember them at all. And then my brother would start on
              me again. I would stay well out of his way, try to keep out of his sight, come into the room
              on tiptoe so he wouldn’t know. But if he spotted me, it would be my death.



                                                                8                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="9"><![CDATA[The yearly exams came round: my brother failed. I passed and was first in my class. There
                was only two years’ difference left between him and me. Now I could be a little proud of
                myself and my ego was inflated. My brother’s sway over me was over. As I began to take
                part freely in the games, my spirits were running high. One day when I had spent the

                whole morning playing gilli danda and came back exactly at mealtime, he said, with all
                the air of pulling out a sword to rush at me: ‘I see you have passed this year and you’re
                first in your class, and you think you’ve conquered the world. But even great men live to
                regret their pride, and who are you compared to them? You must have read about Ravan.
                He was master of the earth. All the kings of the earth paid taxes to him. The gods were his
                servants. But what happened to him in the end? Pride completely finished him, destroying
                even his name. You’ve just been promoted one grade and your head’s turned by it.

                Just passing an exam is not enough, the real thing is to develop your mind. Wait till you
                reach my class. Algebra and geometry will drive you mad, and God help you with British
                history! Those poor fellows didn’t have names enough to go around. There are scores of
                Charles! After every name, they have to put second, third, fourth and fifth. If anybody had

                asked me, I could have reeled off thousands of names. And as for geometry, if you write
                ‘a c b’ instead of ‘a b c’, your whole answer is marked wrong.

                They will say, ‘Write an essay on punctuality no less than four pages long.’ Who doesn’t
                know that punctuality’s a very good thing! A man’s life is organised according to it, others
                love him for it and his business prospers from it. Do I need four pages for what I can
                describe in one sentence! It’s not economising time, it’s wasting it. We want a man to say
                what he has to say quickly and then to move on.

                When you get into my class, you’ll find out what’s what. Just because you got a first division
                this time, you’re all puffed up. I failed, but I’m still older than you,
                and I have more experience of the world. Take my advice or
                you’ll be sorry.’

                It was almost time for school or I don’t
                know when the  sermons  would  have
                ended. I didn’t have  much appetite  that
                day. If I got a scolding like this when I passed,
                maybe if I had failed, I would have had to pay
                with my life. My brother’s terrible description

                of studying in the ninth grade really scared me.
                I’m surprised I didn’t run away from school and
                go home.

                Still, I didn’t miss a chance to play. I did study, but
                much less. Well, just enough to complete the day’s


                Insight MCB 8                                     9]]></page><page Index="10"><![CDATA[work and not be disgraced in class. But the confidence I had gained in myself disappeared
              and I began to live like a thief.

              Then, it was time for the yearly exams again. Once more, I passed and my brother failed.
              I hadn’t done much work; but somehow or the other, I was in the first division. I was
              astonished too. My brother had just about killed himself with work, memorising every
              word in the course, studying till ten at night and starting again at four in the morning, and

              from six until nine-thirty before going to school.
              When he heard the results, he broke down and cried. So did I. My pleasure in passing was
              cut by half. There was only one grade left between my brother and me. The evil thought
              crossed my mind that if he failed just once more, I’d be at the same level as him. Then

              what grounds would he have for lecturing me? But I violently rejected the thought. After
              all, he’d scolded me only with the intention of helping me. Maybe it was because of his
              advice that I’d passed so easily and with such good marks.

              But now, a change came over my brother. He became much gentler. Perhaps he felt that he
              no longer had the right to tell me off—or at least not as much as before. My independence
              grew. I began to take unfair advantage of his tolerance. I half started to imagine that I’d
              pass the next time whether I studied or not. The little I used to study because of my
              brother ceased too. I found a new pleasure in flying kites and I spent all my time at the
              sport.

              In preparation for a kite tournament, I busied myself in solving problems like how to apply
              the paste mixed with ground glass on it, to cut the other fellows’ kites off their strings.

              One day, far from the hostel, I was running along madly to grab hold of a kite. A whole
                      army of boys came racing out to welcome it with long, thick bamboo rods. Nobody
                        cared who was in front or behind them. Suddenly, I collided with my brother,
                                                   who was probably coming back from the market.




























                                                               10                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="11"><![CDATA[He grabbed  my hand  and  said  angrily, ‘Aren’t you  ashamed  of  running  with  these
                ragamuffins after a one-paisa kite? Have you forgotten that you’re not in a junior class
                anymore! You’re in the eighth now, one class behind me. You’re smart, there’s no doubt
                about that, but what use is it if it destroys your self-respect? You must have thought, ‘‘I’m

                just a grade behind my brother, so now he doesn’t have the right to say anything to me.’’
                But you’re mistaken. I’m five years older than you and even if you come into my grade, you
                can never equal the experience I have of life and the world, even if you get an M.A. and a
                D.Litt. or even a Ph.D.’

                ‘Understanding doesn’t come from reading books. Mother never passed any grade and
                Father probably never went beyond the fifth, but even if we had the wisdom of the whole
                world, Mother and Father would always have the right to correct us. Maybe they don’t
                know what kind of government they have in America or how many constellations there are
                in the sky, but there are a thousand things they know better than you and me. God forbid,
                but if I should fall sick today, then you’d be at your wit’s end. You wouldn’t be able to think
                of anything except sending a telegram to Father. But in

                your place, he wouldn’t send anybody a telegram
                or get upset or be worried. He’d find out about
                the  disease  himself  and try  the  remedy;
                then if it didn’t work, he’d call some doctor.
                But you and I don’t even know how to make
                our  allowance last through  the month.
                Don’t be so proud  of  almost catching  up

                with  me  and  being independent now. I’ll
                see that you don’t go off track. If need be
                (he held up his fist), I can use this too.’
                I was thoroughly shamed by his new approach.

                I had truly come to know my own insignificance
                and a new respect for my brother was born in my
                heart. With tears in my eyes I said, ‘No, no, what you say
                is completely true and you have the right to say it.’ My brother embraced me and said, ‘I
                don’t forbid you to fly kites. I like it too. But what can I do? If I go off track, how will I watch
                for you?’

                Just then, a kite that had been cut loose passed over us with its string dangling. A crowd of
                boys were chasing after it. My brother was very tall. He leaped, caught hold of the string
                and ran at top speed towards the hostel.

                I followed, running close behind him.

                                                                                         —Munshi Premchand


                Insight MCB 8                                    11]]></page><page Index="12"><![CDATA[A  P   Word Power
                W

              scowling                -  frowning with anger

              acknowledgement  -  acceptance
              no laughing matter  -  something serious that should not be joked about
              wear out                -  to make yourself tired

              smattering              -  a small amount of something, especially knowledge of a
                                        language
              dressing-down      -  scolding

              overwhelm               -  have a strong emotional effect
              miscellaneous      -  consisting of many different kinds of things
              expanse                 -  a wide and open area

              balmy                   -  warm and pleasant
              commotion               -  excitement

              stratagems              -  plans used to gain advantage or to trick an opponent
              ego                     -  a person’s sense of self-importance
              sway                    -  control
              scores                  -  many

              reeled off              -  repeated without having to stop or think about it
              economising             -  saving

              puffed up               -  to proud of oneself
              sermons                 -  lectures
              astonished              -  very surprised

              ceased                  -  stopped
              collided                -  crashed into (someone)

              ragamuffins             -  street urchins
              constellations      -  groups of stars that form a shape in the sky and have a
                                        name
              allowance               -  a sum of money paid regularly to a person to meet
                                        expenses

              embraced                -  hugged
              dangling                -  swinging freely









                                                               12                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="13"><![CDATA[Story Comprehension

                  A.  Read these lines from the story and answer the questions.

                  1.  But it’s one thing to draw up a schedule, another to follow it.

                       a.  What kind of a schedule did the narrator draw up? Why?
                       b.  What distractions prevented him from following the schedule?

                       c.  What thoughts compelled him to draw up the schedule?
                  2.  Pride completely finished him, destroying even his name.

                       a.  Who said this and to whom?

                       b.  Who is referred to as ‘him’ here?
                       c.  What prompted the speaker to say so?

                  3.  Understanding doesn’t come from reading books.

                       a.  What prompted the speaker to say so?
                       b.  How did this comment apply to the boys’ parents?

                       c.  What was the listener’s reaction to these words?

                  B.  Answer these questions.

                  1.  How old were the narrator and his brother? Where did they live?
                  2.  Why was the elder brother five years older than the narrator but only three grades

                       ahead?
                  3.  Why did the elder brother remind the narrator about Ravan?

                  4.  What description of the ninth grade scared the narrator?

                  5.  Why was the narrator’s pleasure in passing cut by half?
                  6.  Why did the narrator stop studying?

                  7.  What happened when the narrator once collided with his elder brother?

                  8.  What led to the birth of a new respect for the elder brother in the narrator’s heart?

                  C.  Analyse and answer.

                  1.  Was  the  elder  brother  envious  of,  or  overprotective  about  the
                       narrator? Give reasons.

                  2.   Whom do you like more—the narrator or his brother? Why?







                Insight MCB 8                                    13]]></page><page Index="14"><![CDATA[Brain Work

                •  Comment on the ending of the story.




                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     Read these sentences.

                •  Why waste our father’s hard-earned money?

                •  I forgot everything: the life-destroying schedule…

                •  Aren’t you ashamed of running with these ragamuffins after a one-paisa kite?

                     These are compound adjectives.

                     Adjectives that are made up of more than one word are called compound adjectives.
                     The words are usually separated by a hyphen (-).

                D.  Match the compound adjectives with the correct nouns.


                          Compound adjectives                                          Nouns

                      1. quick-witted                                              a. typist

                      2. long-distance                                             b. jump

                      3. fat-fingered                                              c.  envelope

                      4. self-addressed                                            d. television

                      5. flat-screen                                               e. government

                      6. open-ended                                                f.  response

                      7. record-breaking                                           g.  discussion

                      8. short-lived                                               h. flights


                E.  Add one word to complete these compound adjectives.

                1.  kind-___________ girl                           5.    left-___________ bowler

                2.  old-___________ clothes                         6.    time-___________ devices

                3.  cold-___________ murder                         7.    heart-___________ story

                4.  second-___________ car                          8.    full-___________ skirt



                                                               14                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="15"><![CDATA[F.  Read these meanings and fill in the blanks with phrasal verbs used in the story.
                       The clues in the box will help you.

                       get up           come over              get through        draw up

                       come round  run away                    break down         start on

                  1.  to be successful in an exam, etc.                                                __________

                  2.  to escape from a place                                                           __________

                  3.  to make or write something that needs careful thought or planning                __________
                  4.  to attack somebody with words                                                    __________

                  5.  to get out of bed                                                                __________

                  6.  to happen again                                                                  __________

                  7.  to lose control of your feelings and start crying                                __________
                  8.  to change from one side, opinion etc. to another                                 __________



                   a
                  e
                  o  i   Grammar Ladder
                   u
                  G.  Study this table for a quick revision of simple, continuous and perfect tenses.

                                               Present                 Past                   Future

                        Simple                 Algebra and geometry  Algebra and geometry  Algebra and geometry
                                               drive me mad.           drove me mad.          will drive me mad.
                        Continuous             Algebra and geometry  Algebra and geometry  Algebra and geometry
                                               are driving me mad.     were driving me mad. will be driving me mad.
                        Perfect                Algebra and geometry  Algebra and geometry  Algebra and geometry
                                               have driven me mad.     had driven me mad.     will  have driven me
                                                                                              mad.

                  H.  Underline the verbs in these sentences and identify their tenses.
                  1.  We are going to have dinner at an Italian restaurant tonight.  _________________

                  2.  Mahira has lost the keys to the house.                                 _________________

                  3.  The tutor will have arrived by 11 a.m.                                 _________________
                  4.  The jury will be announcing the verdict.                               _________________

                  5.  My father misplaced his wallet.                                        _________________
                  6.  When I met him, she was rehearsing for the show.                       _________________

                  7.  Rajul had expected to win the tournament.                              _________________
                  8.  You will receive an award for your good deed.                          _________________


                Insight MCB 8                                    15]]></page><page Index="16"><![CDATA[Let us now learn about the perfect continuous tenses.

                1.  The present perfect continuous is used to denote an action that began at some time
                     in the past and is still continuing.

                     For example:  •       I have been studying for two hours.
                2.  The past perfect continuous is used to talk about an unbroken action continuing
                     upto a certain time in the past.

                     For example:  •       She had been trying to solve these sums all day.

                3.  The  future  perfect  continuous  is  used  to  talk  about  an  action  that  has  been  in
                     progress over a period of time and will end in the future.

                     For example:  •       By the end of the year, I shall have been studying in this school
                                           for nine years.

                I.  Fill in the blanks with suitable verbs from the box. The clues in the brackets will
                     help you.

                                            suffer       save               sleep             live
                                           write         knit           get           organise

                1.  I ______________ for an hour when I heard a sound in the corridor. (past perfect
                     continuous)

                2.  By next month, I ______________this book for a year. (future perfect continuous)

                3.  Father ______________ since January to buy a car. (past perfect continuous)
                4.  She ______________  this  magazine every fortnight for a year. (present perfect
                     continuous)

                5.  When mother returns home at six o’clock, Grandma ______________ cardigan for
                     three fours. (future perfect continuous)
                6.  Raghav  ______________  from  typhoid  when  he  was  interviewed.  (past  perfect
                     continuous)

                7.  The school  ______________ this  fete every  year  since 1999. (present perfect
                     continuous)

                8.  On Sunday, we ____________ in this house for two years. (future perfect continuous)



                     Writer’s Corner

                J.  The narrator was told  by  his  brother  that  understanding  doesn’t  come from
                     reading books. Do you agree with this? Write an essay, arguing either in favour of

                     or against the remark.


                                                               16                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="17"><![CDATA[Listening Time

                       A fact is a valid statement, while an opinion is a belief.

                       For example:  •       Reading books helps increase our knowledge. (fact)
                                        •    All young children enjoy reading storybooks. (opinion)


                  K.  Listen to each sentence and state whether it is a fact or an opinion.

                  1.  ___________                   5.  ___________
                  2.   ___________                  6.  ___________

                  3.  ___________                   7.  ___________

                  4.  ___________                   8.  ___________



                       Activity Corner

                  L.  Work in small groups and read a short story of your choice based on the theme
                       ‘human bonds’. Each group will present its story in a dramatised form. The key
                       moments of the story should be highlighted.













































                Insight MCB 8                                    17]]></page><page Index="18"><![CDATA[2          Where the Mind is Without




                          Fear


                                                                               21st   Initiative and Self-Direction
                                                                              Century  Leadership and Responsibility
                Reflect                                                        Skills  Critical Thinking and Information Literacy



                What do you envision for your country? Read this poem that describes
                 the poet’s vision of a free India.




                      Let’s Recite

              Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

              Where knowledge is free;

              Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
              By narrow domestic walls;

              Where words come out from the depth of truth;

              Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
              Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

              Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

              Where the mind is led forward by thee
              Into ever-widening thought and action;

              Into that heaven of freedom, my Father,

              let my country awake.











                                                                                      —Rabindranath Tagore









                                                               18                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="19"><![CDATA[A  P    Word Power
                  W

                       fragments            -  pieces
                       striving             -  trying hard

                       reason               -  the ability to think and act logically
                       dreary               -  dull



                        Poetry Comprehension


                  A.  Explain these lines with reference to the context.

                  1.   Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

                       By narrow domestic walls;
                  2.   Where the mind is led forward by thee

                       Into ever-widening thought and action;

                  B.  Answer these questions.

                  1.  What are the freedoms the poet desires for his people?

                  2.  How has the world been broken up into fragments?

                  3.  How would one speak if words came out from the depth of truth?
                  4.  How can people strive towards perfection?

                  5.  What is the similarity between reasoning and a clear stream?

                  6.  What does the poet mean by ‘dead habit’?

                  7.  Who does the speaker refer to as ‘thee’? How would ‘thee’ lead us forward?
                  8.  Who is the poem addressed to?

                  C.  Analyse and answer.


                  1.  What effect does the repetition of the word ‘where’ have?
                  2.  Do the ideas expressed in the poem hold true in today’s world? Give reasons.




                       Brain Work

                  •  Do you think the poem is a prayer? Give reasons.







                Insight MCB 8                                    19]]></page><page Index="20"><![CDATA[An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     Alliteration is a poetic device where the same sound is repeated at the beginning

                     of words that follow each other immediately or at short intervals.
                     For example:  •       Piper, pipe that song again.

                     Find examples of alliteration from the poem.

                     Some words can be changed into adjectives, by adding suitable suffixes.

                     For example:  •       tire (verb) + -less (suffix) = tireless (adjective)

                D.  Use the suffixes in the box to change these words into adjectives.


                                           -ian          -able               -en      -ive
                                           -y            -ic            -ly           -ful

                1.  wood             ____________                   5.  Brazil             ____________

                2.  youth            ____________                   6.  favour             ____________

                3.  excess           ____________                   7.  heaven             ____________

                4.  angel            ____________                   8.  water              ____________

                E.  Identify the words that have been misspelt and rewrite these sentences.

                1.  The desicion was made in my abcense.

                2.  Rimi tends to exagerrate the difficulties.

                3.  Mr Mittal is an oil millionere.
                4.  The hotel can acommodate up to 200 guests.

                5.  Something unexpected occured.

                6.  Education should be a universal right and not a priviledge.
                7.  Mother bought a basket of fresh rasspberries.

                8.  The old man was buried in a private cemetary.



                  a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                     Read this sentence.

                      •  Tagore wrote many poems.

                     In this sentence, ‘poems’ receives the action of the verb.


                                                               20                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="21"><![CDATA[When a verb has an object that receives the action of the verb, it is called a transitive
                       verb.

                       Now read this sentence.
                       •  The poet wrote endlessly that night.

                       In this sentence, there is no object. The action stops at the doer. No one receives
                       the action of the verb.

                       When a verb has no object, it is called an intransitive verb.

                  F.  Underline the verbs in these sentences and state whether they have been used
                       transitively (T) or intransitively (I).

                  1.  Maya rattled on cheerfully.                          ______________________________
                  2.  The teacher gave us new notebooks.                   ______________________________

                  3.  The soldiers fought bravely.                         ______________________________
                  4.  The glass cracked.                                   ______________________________

                  5.  The naughty boy broke my spectacles.                 ______________________________

                  6.  The train halted suddenly.                           ______________________________
                  7.  She drinks orange juice every day.                   ______________________________
                  8.  The lions fought the elephants.                      ______________________________


                  G.  Add suitable question tags to these sentences. One is done for you.
                  1.  Rihaan and Ria do not like studying geography, do they?

                  2.  Sam sings in the shower, ____________?

                  3.  Piya hasn’t finished her homework,____________?
                  4.  They have sold their apartment, ____________?

                  5.  You can’t speak German, ____________?
                  6.  Jai will not be coming with us, ____________?

                  7.  She has apple and cold coffee for breakfast, ____________?
                  8.  You like watching sci-fi films, ____________?



                       Writer’s Corner

                       Many parents take decisions on behalf of their children, while some others allow
                       their children to decide for themselves. What do you think? Should children be

                       allowed to take their own decisions or should they depend on their parents to
                       decide for them?



                Insight MCB 8                                    21]]></page><page Index="22"><![CDATA[Write an article for your school magazine in about 150 words. Highlight both sides
                     of the issue, and then express your own opinion about it. Remember these points
                     while writing your article:

                      •  Give your article an interesting title.

                      •  Write your name below the title.

                      •  Use correct grammar and spellings.
                      •  Divide the content into paragraphs. Each paragraph should highlight one main

                         idea.


                      Listening Time

                H.  Listen to the poem ‘A Nation’s Strength’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Then write

                     each pair of rhyming words in the given space.
                     ___________________________________________________________________

                     ___________________________________________________________________

                     ___________________________________________________________________
                     ___________________________________________________________________



                      Activity Corner


                I.  This poem is a part of the Nobel Prize-winning collection, Gitanjali. It was written
                     before India won independence and was translated from Bengali to English by
                     Tagore himself.

                     Read 3-4 more poems from Gitanjali. You can get hold of it online or in your school
                     library.


























                                                               22                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="23"><![CDATA[3         The Last Lesson







                                                                                      21st   Initiative and Self-Direction
                                                                                     Century  Flexibility and Adaptability
                                                                                      Skills  Collaboration and Critical Thinking
                  Reflect


                  How do you feel on the last day of the school year? Are you excited
                   about successfully moving to a new class or are you upset about leaving
                   your teacher/classroom behind? Read this story about a young boy on

                   his way to school. He has no idea that his life is about to be changed
                   forever.




                                             Let’s Read

                                 I started for school very late that morning and was in great dread of a scolding.
                                 Monsieur Hamel had said that he would question us on participles, and I

                                 did not know the first word about them. For a moment I thought of running
                                                                            away and spending the day out of
                                                                              doors. It was so warm, so bright! In
                                                                              the open field back of the sawmill
                                                                              the Prussian soldiers were drilling.
                                                                             It was much  more tempting  than
                                                                             the rule for participles,  but  I had

                                                                              the strength to resist, and hurried
                                                                              off to school.

                                                                                When I passed  the town  hall
                                                                                 there  was a crowd in  front of
                                                                                 the bulletin board. For the last
                                                                                  two years all our bad news had
                                                                                  come from there—the lost
                                                                                 battles, the draft, the orders
                                                                                 of  the commanding  officer—

                                                                               and I thought to myself, without
                                                                              stopping:




                Insight MCB 8                                    23]]></page><page Index="24"><![CDATA[‘What can be the matter now?’

              As I hurried by, the blacksmith called after me: ‘No need to go so fast, boy; you’ll get to
              your school in plenty of time!’

              I thought he was making fun of me, and reached the schoolhouse all out of breath. Usually
              when school began, there was a great bustle—the opening and closing of desks, lessons
              repeated in unison, very loud, the teacher’s ruler rapping on the table. But now it was

              still! Through the window I saw my classmates, already in their places, and M. Hamel
              walking up and down. I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being
              seen. Now I had to open the door and go in before everybody. You can imagine how
              frightened I was.

                           But nothing happened. M. Hamel saw me and said very kindly:

                                                ‘Go to your place quickly, little Franz. We were beginning
                                                          without you.’

                                                                    I  sat  down at  my  desk. Not  till  then
                                                                      did  I see  that our teacher  had  on  his
                                                                        beautiful  green  coat,  his  frilled  shirt
                                                                           and the little black silk cap. He never

                                                                             wore then except on  inspection
                                                                                and prize  days. The whole
                                                                                  school  seemed  so  strange
                                                                                   and solemn. The thing that
                                                                                  surprised  me  most was to
                                                                                  see,  on  the back benches
                                                                                  that were always empty, the

                                                                                  village people sitting quietly
                                                                                  like ourselves—old  Hauser,
                                                                                  the former mayor, the former
                                                                                   postmaster      and     several
                                                                                   other besides.  Everybody
                                                                                    looked sad, and Hauser had
                                                                                     brought an old  spelling
                                                                                     book which he held open
                                                                                      on  his  knees  with  his

                                                                                      spectacles lying  across
                                                                                       the pages.





                                                               24                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="25"><![CDATA[While I was wondering about it all, M. Hamel mounted his chair, and, in the same grave
                and gentle tone which he had used to me, said:

                ‘My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you. The order has come from Berlin to teach
                only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new master comes tomorrow. This

                is your last French lesson. I want you to be very attentive.’
                What a thunderclap these words were to me!


                My last French lesson! Why, I hardly knew how to write! I should never learn anymore! I
                must stop there, then! Oh, how sorry I was for not learning my lessons, for seeking birds’
                eggs, or going sliding on the Saar! My books, that had seemed such a nuisance a while
                ago, so heavy to carry, were old friends now that I couldn’t give up. And M. Hamel, too;
                the idea that he was going away, that I should never see him again, made me forget how
                cranky he could be.

                Poor man! It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday-clothes,
                and now I understood why the old men of the village were sitting there in the back of the
                room. It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not gone to school more. It was

                their way of thanking our master for his forty years of faithful service and of showing their
                respect for the country that was theirs no more.

                While I was thinking of all this, I heard my name called. It was my turn to recite. What
                would I not have given to be able to say that dreadful rule for the participle all through,
                very loud and clear, and without one mistake? But I got mixed up on the first words and
                stood there, holding on to my desk, my heart beating, and not daring to look up. I heard
                M. Hamel say to me:

                ‘I won’t scold you, little Franz; you must feel bad enough. See how it is! Every day we have
                said to ourselves: ‘‘I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow.’’ And now you see where we’ve
                come out. Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace; she puts off learning till tomorrow.
                Now those fellows out there will have the right to say to you: ‘‘How is it; you pretend to

                be Frenchmen, and yet you can neither speak nor write your own language?’’ But you are
                not the worst, poor little Franz. We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with.

                ‘Your parents were not anxious enough to have you learn. They preferred to put you to
                work on a farm or at the mills. And I? I’ve been to blame also. Have I not often sent you to
                water my flowers instead of learning your lessons? And when I wanted to go fishing, did I
                not just give you a holiday?’

                Then M. Hamel went on to talk of the French language, saying that it was the most beautiful
                language in the world—the clearest, the most logical; that we must guard it among us and
                never forget it, because when a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their



                Insight MCB 8                                    25]]></page><page Index="26"><![CDATA[language it is as if they had the key to their prison. Then he opened a grammar book and
              read us our lesson. I was amazed to see how well I understood it. All he said seemed so
              easy! I think, too, that I had never listened so carefully, and that he had never explained
              everything with so much patience. It seemed almost as if the poor man wanted to give us

              all he knew before going away, and to put it all into our heads at one stroke.

              After the grammar, we had a lesson in writing. That day M. Hamel had new copies for us,
              written in a beautiful round hand: France, Alsace, France, Alsace. They looked like little
              flags floating everywhere in the schoolroom, hung from the rod at the top of our desks.
              You ought to have seen how everyone set to work, and how quiet it was! The only sound
              was the scratching of the pens over the paper. On the roof the pigeons cooed very low,
              and I thought to myself:

              ‘Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?’

              Whenever I looked up from my writing I saw M. Hamel waiting motionless in his chair and
              gazing at one thing, then at another, as if he wanted to fix in his mind just how everything
              looked in that little schoolroom. Fancy! For forty years he had been there in the same

              place, with his garden outside the window and his class in front of him, just like that. How
              it must be breaking his heart to leave it all, poor man; to hear his sister moving about in
              the room above, packing their trunks. For they must leave the country next day.

              But he had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last. After the writing, we had a
              lesson in history, and then the babies chanted their ba, be, bi, bo, bu. At the back of the
              room old Hauser had put on his spectacles and, holding his spelling book in both hands,
              spelt the letters with them. You could see that he was crying; his voice trembled with
              emotion, and it was so funny to hear him that we all wanted to laugh and cry. Ah, how well
              I remember it, that last lesson!


              All at once the church-clock struck twelve. At the same moment the trumpets of the
              Prussians, returning from drill, sounded under our windows. M. Hamel stood up, very
              pale, in his chair. I never saw him look so tall.

              ‘My friends,’ said he, ‘I—I—’ Something choked him. He could not go on.

              Then he turned to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk, and, bearing on with all his might,
              he wrote as large as he could:

              ‘Vive La France!’

                                                                                             —Alphonse Daudet








                                                               26                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="27"><![CDATA[A  P    Word Power
                  W

                Monsieur              -  French word for ‘Mr’

                in unison             -  together—as one voice
                commotion             -  disorder; confusion

                solemn                -  serious
                thunderclap           -  (here) shock

                Saar                  -  a river just beyond the north-east border of the province
                                          of Lorraine
                reproach              -  criticise

                Vive La France  -  Long Live France



                        Story Comprehension

                  A.  Read these lines from the story and answer the questions.

                  1.  As I hurried by, the blacksmith called after me: ‘No need to go so fast, boy; you’ll get
                       to your school in plenty of time!’


                       I thought he was making fun of me, and reached the schoolhouse all out of breath.
                       a.  Where was the narrator when the blacksmith spoke to him?

                       b.  What did the blacksmith mean by his words?

                       c.  Why did the narrator feel that the blacksmith was making fun of him?
                  2.  Every day we have said to ourselves: ‘‘I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow.’’ And
                       now you see where we’ve come out. Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace; she
                       puts off learning till tomorrow.

                       a.  Who said these words? When?
                       b.  What examples did  the speaker  give to  support  the people  of  Alsace had
                           neglected learning?

                       c.  Explain the importance of the words: ‘Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace;
                           she puts off learning till tomorrow.’
                  3.  It seemed almost as if the poor man wanted to give us all he knew before going
                       away, and to put it all into our heads at one stroke.

                       a.  Who is referred to as the ‘poor man’?
                       b.  Why was he going away?

                       c.  What does the narrator mean by: ‘to put it all into our heads at one stroke’?


                Insight MCB 8                                    27]]></page><page Index="28"><![CDATA[B.  Answer these questions.

                1.  Why was the narrator scared about going to school?

                2.  What was strange about the school that day?
                3.  Why did M. Hamel say ‘this is the last lesson I shall give you’?

                4.  What were little Franz’s feelings when he learnt it was his last French lesson?

                5.  Why didn’t M. Hamel scold Franz for not knowing the grammar rules?

                6.  What did M. Hamel say about the French language?

                7.  Why did M. Hamel’s teachings seem easy to Franz that day?
                8.  What made  Franz think M. Hamel was trying to absorb everything  about  the
                     schoolroom?

                C.  Analyse and answer.

                1.  What brought about a change in Franz’s feelings for books?

                2.  Do M. Hamel’s words about the French language hold true for other languages as

                     well? Give reasons.


                      Brain Work


                •  Is the story about the importance of learning and safeguarding one’s language or
                     patriotism? Give reasons.



                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     Read this sentence.
                      •  When I passed the town hall there was a crowd in front of the bulletin board.

                      •  They looked like little flags floating everywhere in the schoolroom…

                      •  He turned to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk…

                      These are compound nouns.

                D.   Combine the words in Box A with those in Box B to form compound nouns.

                     Box A


                      sack                    sight                  noble                  window
                      walking                 top                    flash                  court




                                                               28                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="29"><![CDATA[Box B


                        knot                   room                    seeing                 stick

                        light                  panes                   cloth                  man

                  E.  Now use suitable compound nouns from the previous exercise to complete these
                       sentences.

                  1.  Rain was beating against the _______________.

                  2.  The girl arranged her hair in a _______________.
                  3.  The old woman does not stir out of her house without a _______________.

                  4.  Did you have a chance to do any _______________?

                  5.  The villagers rushed to the _______________ to hear the sentence being passed on
                       the murderer.
                  6.  The guard shone a _______________ in the boy’s face.

                  7.  A _______________ is a type of rough cloth made from jute.

                  8.  He contemplated marrying his daughter to an English _______________.

                  F.  Match the French words in  Column  A with  their
                       meanings in Column B.

                            Column A                                        Column B

                        1. tête-à-tête                                  a. in comparison with

                        2. soirée                                       b. the social  environment that you  live or
                                                                            work in
                        3. force majeure                                c.  the design and production of expensive
                                                                            and fashionable clothes
                        4. laissez-faire                                d. the receptionist at a hotel or residence

                        5. milieu                                       e. an unexpected event, especially when
                                                                            talking about weather (often appears in
                                                                            insurance contracts)
                        6. couture                                      f.  a formal party in the evening, especially
                                                                            at somebody’s home
                        7. concierge                                    g.  not trying to control somebody and
                                                                            allowing them to do what they want
                        8. vis-à-vis                                    h. a private conversation between two
                                                                            people






                Insight MCB 8                                    29]]></page><page Index="30"><![CDATA[a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                     Read these sentences.
                      •  I passed the town hall.

                      •  I saw a crowd in front of the bulletin board.

                      These two sentences can be joined and rewritten as:
                      •  Passing the town hall, I saw a crowd in front of the bulletin board.

                     The word passing is a present participle. It can be used to join two simple sentences
                     whose subject is the same and in which the actions (passed and saw) are happening
                     at the same time.

                      Now read these sentences.

                      •  M. Hamel turned to the blackboard.

                      •  He wrote as large as he could: ‘Vive La France!’
                      These two sentences can be joined and rewritten as:

                      •  Having turned to the blackboard, M. Hamel wrote as large as he could: ‘Vive La
                         France!’

                     Here, the action of the first sentence is complete before the action in the second.
                     We join such sentences with the present participles, ‘having’ or ‘being’.

                G.  Join these sentences using present participles.

                1.  Miss Pamela was a straightforward lady. She always spoke her mind. (Begin: Being…)

                2.  Joe walked to school. She was worried about the test results. (Use present participle
                     of ‘worried’)

                3.  The thief jumped over the fence. The thief escaped. (Begin: Jumping…)
                4.  Father finished his work. Father watched television. (Begin: Having…)

                5.  We spent the day. We played computer games. (Join using the present participle of
                     ‘played’)

                6.  Rimsy went to bed. She prayed for her ailing mother. (Use present participle of
                     ‘prayed’)

                7.  We heard a loud noise. We ran out of the house. (Begin: Hearing…)

                8.  He is a brave hunter. He decided to fight the man-eating tiger alone. (Begin: Being…)






                                                               30                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="31"><![CDATA[Adjectives  have  three  degrees  of  comparison:  positive,  comparative  and
                       superlative.


                       Read these sentences.
                       •  No other language is as beautiful as French. (positive)

                       •  French is more beautiful than all other languages. (comparative)

                       •  French is the most beautiful language. (superlative)

                       Each sentence uses a different degree of comparison for the adjective ‘beautiful’,
                       without changing the meaning.

                  H.  Rewrite these sentences according to the instructions.

                  1.  No other animal runs as fast as the cheetah. (change to comparative degree)

                  2.  India is one of the largest democracies in the world. (change to comparative degree)
                  3.  Cricket is more popular than all other sports in India. (change to superlative degree)

                  4.  Mayank is the most intelligent boy in his class. (change to comparative degree)

                  5.  Shakespeare  is one of the  most famous playwrights of the  world.  (change  to
                       comparative degree)

                  6.  Paris is more beautiful than any other city in Europe. (change to superlative degree)
                  7.  Kolkata is more densely populated than most other cities in  India.  (Begin: Very

                       few…)
                  8.  No other school has a larger library than ours. (change to positive degree)




                       Writer’s Corner


                  I.  Imagine you are Franz. You have grown-up and you wish to tell Monsieur Hamel
                       how his guidance and coaching during school days have helped you in life. Write
                       an email to him to express your feelings.

                  J.  Here is the format of an email you could use.


                        To:

                        Cc:

                        Bcc:

                        Subject:




                Insight MCB 8                                    31]]></page><page Index="32"><![CDATA[Body:



















                      Listening Time


                K.  Listen to the announcement made by the principal of Franz’s school and answer
                     these questions.

                1.  Who is organising the farewell party?                 _____________________________

                2.  Where should the students assemble?                   _____________________________

                3.  What should they wear?                                _____________________________

                4.  What can they bring for Monsieur Hamel?               _____________________________
                5.  What will the school provide?                         _____________________________


                6.  How much does each student need to pay?   _____________________________
                7.  To whom should the students pay?                      _____________________________


                8.  When will the students return?                        _____________________________


                      Activity Corner


                L.  Read these quotes.

                •  The  mediocre  teacher  tells.  The  good  teacher  explains.  The  superior  teacher
                     demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
                                                                                        ― William Arthur Ward

                •  Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than they who produce
                     them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.
                                                                                                      ― Aristotle

                     Work in groups of three and collect famous quotes on teachers. Make a colourful
                     collage with them and put it on display.



                                                               32                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="33"><![CDATA[4        Adventures with Books







                                                                                         21st   Creativity and Innovation
                                                                                        Century  Initiative and Self-Direction
                                                                                         Skills  Leadership and Responsibility
                  Reflect


                  Do you like reading books? Would you term your reading experience
                   as joyful or boring? Read this poem that describes books as uniquely

                   portable magic.




                        Let’s Read

                Books are ships

                That sail the seas
                To lands of snow

                Or jungle trees.
                And I’m the captain bold and free,

                Who will decide which place we’ll see.
                Come, let us sail the magic ship.



                Books are trains

                In many lands,
                Crossing hills

                Or desert sands.
                And I’m the engineer who guides

                The train on its exciting rides.
                Come, let us ride the magic train.



                Books are zoos

                That make a home
                For birds and beasts

                Not free to roam.


                Insight MCB 8                                    33]]></page><page Index="34"><![CDATA[And I’m the keeper of the zoo,

              I choose the things to show to you.
              Come, let us visit in a zoo.



              Books are gardens

              Fairies, elves,
              Cowboys, and people

              Like ourselves.
              And I can find with one good look

              Just what I want, inside a book.
              Come, let us read!

              For reading’s fun!


                                                                                             —Velda Blumhagen




               A  P   Word Power
                W

                     beasts        -  large and dangerous animals
                     elves         -  creature like small people with pointed ears, who have
                                     magic powers

                     cowboys  -  men who ride horses and whose job is to take care of cattle
                                     in the western parts of the US



                      Poetry Comprehension


                A.  Explain these lines with reference to the context.

                1.  And I’m the engineer who guides
                     The train on its exciting rides.

                2.  And I can find with one good look

                     Just what I want, inside a book.

                B.  Answer these questions.
                1.  The poet has used different metaphors for books. What are they?

                2.  In what ways are books like ships and trains?



                                                               34                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="35"><![CDATA[3.  Who is the captain of the ship and the engineer of the train?

                  4.  Why has the poet referred to the ship and the train as ‘magic’?

                  5.  Why has the poet compared books to zoos? Are the creatures in these ‘zoos’ free
                       to roam?
                  6.  Books  not  only  show  exotic  things  but  also  represent  real  things.  Which  line
                       tells this?

                  C.  Analyse and answer.

                  1.  If you were to use a metaphor for books, what would it be? Why?

                  2.  What is the main idea of the poem? Express it in two or three sentences.


                       Brain Work


                  •  No matter what the poet writes, it is the reader who decides what to find in a book.
                       Do you agree? Give reasons.




                  An
                    in   Words that Matter
                 The
                       Read this line.

                       •  Books are ships

                         That sail the seas

                       This is an example of a metaphor.

                       A metaphor is a word or phrase that describes a thing and is used to refer to another
                       thing in order to emphasise qualities similar to the two. We do not use the words
                       ‘as’ or ‘like’ in a metaphor.

                  D.  Complete these sentences with suitable metaphors from the box.

                       breeze           music                  compass            melting pot
                       sunshine         apple                  thief              medicine


                  1.  Little Jessy is the ___________ of her mother’s eye.

                  2.  India is a ___________ of various cultures.

                  3.  Rashi said that the assignment was a ___________.

                  4.  A man’s conscience is his ___________.
                  5.  The little pupils were the ___________ of Miss Mishi’s life.



                Insight MCB 8                                    35]]></page><page Index="36"><![CDATA[6.  The noise was ___________ to her ears.

                7.  Laughter is ___________ for the soul.

                8.  Time is a ___________ and before you realise it you will be in college!

                E.  Read these definitions and fill in the blanks with the different types of books. The
                     clues in the box will help you.

                     cookery book         anthology          thesaurus          encyclopedia
                     handbook             yearbook           atlas              trilogy

                1.  A  book,  often  in  several  volumes,  giving  information  on  various  subjects  in
                     alphabetical order ______________

                2.  A book of maps ______________
                3.  A book that lists words in groups that have similar meanings ______________

                4.  A book giving instructions on how to use something or information about a particular
                     subject ______________

                5.  A  book  that  gives  instructions  on  cooking  and  how  to  cook  individual  dishes
                     ______________

                6.  A  book  of  information  about  the  important  events  of  the  previous  year
                     ______________

                7.  A group of three books, films/movies, etc. that have the same subject or characters
                     ______________

                8.  A collection of poems, stories etc. that have been written by different people and
                     published together in a book ______________

                  a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                     Determiners help identify things in particular. They point out or mark specific nouns
                     and hence, are always followed by nouns.

                     For example:  •       a book

                                      •    this notebook

                                      •    his storybook

                                      •    ten books
                                      •    some textbooks








                                                               36                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="37"><![CDATA[Study this table.


                          Determiners

                        Articles           Demonstratives    Possessive         Numbers            Quantifiers
                                                             adjectives
                        a, an, the         this, that, these,  my, your, his, her,  all numbers    few, much, many,
                                           those             its, our, their                       a little, several,
                                                                                                   both, each,
                                                                                                   neither, either,
                                                                                                   all, some, any,
                                                                                                   every, another

                  F.  Choose suitable determiners from the box to complete these sentences.

                       this           the           some            an           few
                       a              her           two             my

                  1.  I gave _______ sandwich to _______ sister.

                  2.  Can you lend me _______ sugar?

                  3.  It was _______ interesting idea.
                  4.  _______ mountain goats grazed among the apple trees.

                  5.  There’s_______ dress I was looking for.

                  6.  _______ people turned up for the meeting.

                  7.  _______ carton is the heaviest.
                  8.  _______ boy came to see you.

                  G.  The subjects in some of these sentences do not agree with their verbs. Identify

                       the incorrect sentences and correct them.
                  1.  Slow and steady win the race.

                  2.  The committee have accepted your resignation.

                  3.  Neither she nor I were prepared.

                  4.  Rishabh, along with his friends, has won the prize.
                  5.  Many of the mangoes was ripe.

                  6.  Two hundred miles are not a short distance.

                  7.  One of the girls in the team was praised by the chief guest.

                  8.  The girl or her sisters has made the mistake.




                Insight MCB 8                                    37]]></page><page Index="38"><![CDATA[Writer’s Corner


                H.  Write  a  formal  letter  to  the  principal  of  your  school,  complaining  about  the
                     unavailability of most reference books in your school library and drawing his/her
                     attention to the fallout of such scarcity.



                      Listening Time


                I.  Listen to the poem The Land of Story-books by R L Stevenson. Then answer these
                     questions.

                1.  Where do the poet’s parents sit in the evening?

                2.  What do they do?
                3.  With what does the poet crawl in the dark?

                4.  Where does the poet lie at night?

                5.  Who come to drink by the river’s brink?

                6.  When does the poet go to bed?


                      Activity Corner


                J.  Think of  a creative  and imaginative  illustration for the poem.  Draw  it in your
                     notebook.


































                                                               38                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="39"><![CDATA[5        The Open W indow







                                                                                      21st   Initiative and Self-Direction
                                                                                     Century  Flexibility and Adaptability
                                                                                     Skills  Collaboration and Critical Thinking
                  Reflect


                  Has anyone ever played a practical joke on you? Read this story about
                   a meeting between a mischievous young girl and a nervous man who
                   has moved to the peaceful countryside following his doctor’s advice.




                        Let’s Read


                ‘My aunt will be down presently, Mr Nuttel,’ said a very self-possessed young lady of
                fifteen; ‘in the meantime, you must try and put up with me.’

                                                                    Framton  Nuttel tried to say the correct
                                                                    something  which  should duly  flatter  the
                                                                    niece of the moment without insulting the
                                                                    aunt that was to come. Privately, he doubted
                                                                    more than ever whether these formal visits
                                                                    on a succession  of total strangers would

                                                                    do  much towards  helping  the nerve cure
                                                                    which he was supposed to be undergoing.

                                                                    ‘I know how it will be,’ his sister had said
                                                                    when he was preparing to migrate to this
                                                                    rural retreat; ‘you will bury yourself down
                                                                    there and not speak to a living soul, and
                                                                    your nerves will be worse than ever from
                                                                    moping. I shall  just give you  letters of
                                                                    introduction to all the people I know there.

                                                                    Some of them, as far as I can remember,
                                                                    were quite nice.’

                                                                    Framton wondered whether Mrs Sappleton,
                                                                    the lady to whom he was presenting one of
                                                                    the letters of introduction, came into the
                                                                    nice division.

                Insight MCB 8                                    39]]></page><page Index="40"><![CDATA[‘Do you know many of the people round here?’ asked the niece, when she judged that
              they had had sufficient silent communion.

              ‘Hardly a soul,’ said Framton. ‘My sister was staying here, at the rectory, you know, some
              four years ago, and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here.’

              He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret.

              ‘Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?’ pursued the self-possessed young

              lady.
                                                             ‘Only her name and address,’ admitted the caller.

                                                                  He was wondering whether Mrs Sappleton
                                                                     was in  the married  or widowed state.
                                                                       An undefinable  something  about  the
                                                                         room seemed to suggest masculine
                                                                           habitation.

                                                                            ‘Her great tragedy happened just
                                                                             three  years ago,’  said  the  child;
                                                                             ‘that would be since your sister’s
                                                                             time.’


                                                                              ‘Her  tragedy?’  asked Framton;
                                                                              somehow in this restful country
                                                                              spot  tragedies seemed  out  of
                                                                             place.

                                                                             ‘You  may  wonder  why  we  keep
                                                                             that window wide open  on  an
                                                                            October afternoon,’ said the niece,
                                                                           indicating  a large French  window
                                                                          that opened on to a lawn.

                                                                        ‘It is quite warm for the time of the
                                                                       year,’  said  Framton; ‘but has that

                                                                    window got anything  to do  with  the
                                                                 tragedy?’

              ‘Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young
              brothers went off for their day’s shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor to
              their favourite snipe-shooting ground, they were all three engulfed in a treacherous piece
              of bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer, you know, and places that were safe in




                                                               40                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="41"><![CDATA[other years gave way suddenly without warning.
                                                              Their bodies were never recovered. That was the
                                                               dreadful  part of it.’ Here the child’s voice lost
                                                               its self-possessed note and became falteringly

                                                               human. ‘Poor aunt always thinks that they will
                                                                come back someday, they and the little brown
                                                                spaniel that was lost with them, and walk in at
                                                                that window just as they used to do. That is
                                                                why the window is kept open every evening till
                                                                it is quite dusk. Poor dear aunt, she has often
                                                               told me how they went out, her husband with

                                                               his  white  waterproof coat over  his  arm,  and
                                                               Ronnie,  her  youngest  brother,  singing  “Bertie,
                                                              why do you bound?” as he always did to tease
                                                             her, because she said it got on her nerves. Do you
                                                            know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings like this, I
                                                         almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk in
                                                    through that window...’

                She broke off with a little shudder. It was a relief to Framton when the aunt bustled into
                the room with a whirl of apologies for being late in making her appearance.

                ‘I hope Vera has been amusing you?’ she said.

                ‘She has been very interesting,’ said Framton.

                ‘I hope you don’t mind the open window,’ said Mrs Sappleton briskly; ‘my husband and
                brothers will be home directly from shooting, and they always come in this way. They’ve

                been out for snipe in the marshes today, so they’ll make a fine mess over my poor carpets.
                So, like you menfolk, isn’t it?’

                She rattled on cheerfully about the shooting and the scarcity of birds and the prospects
                for duck in the winter. To Framton, it was all purely horrible. He made a desperate but only
                partially successful effort to turn the talk on to a less ghastly topic, he was conscious that
                his hostess was giving him only a fragment of her attention, and her eyes were constantly
                straying past him to the open window and the lawn beyond. It was certainly an unfortunate
                coincidence that he should have paid his visit on this tragic anniversary.

                ‘The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and

                avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise,’ announced Framton,
                who laboured under the tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance




                Insight MCB 8                                    41]]></page><page Index="42"><![CDATA[acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one’s ailments and infirmities, their cause
              and cure. ‘On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement,’ he continued.

              ‘No?’ said Mrs Sappleton, in a voice which only replaced a yawn at the last moment. Then,
              she suddenly brightened into alert attention—but not to what Framton was saying.

              ‘Here they are, at last!’ she cried. ‘Just in time for tea, and don’t they look as if they were
              muddy up to the eyes!’


              Framton shivered slightly and turned towards the niece with a look intended to convey
              sympathetic comprehension. The child was staring out through the open window with a
              dazed horror in her eyes. In a chill shock of nameless fear Framton swung round in his seat
              and looked in the same direction.

                                                                  In  the deepening  twilight three  figures
                                                                     were walking  across  the lawn towards
                                                                        the  window,  they  all carried  guns
                                                                          under their arms, and one of them
                                                                          was  additionally  burdened  with  a

                                                                          white coat hung over his shoulders.
                                                                           A tired brown spaniel kept close at
                                                                           their heels. Noiselessly, they neared
                                                                           the house, and then a hoarse young
                                                                           voice  chanted out  of  the dusk, ‘I
                                                                           said, Bertie, why do you bound?’

                                                                          Framton grabbed wildly at his stick
                                                                          and  hat; the hall  door, the  gravel
                                                                          drive, and the front gate were dimly

                                                                          noted stages in his headlong retreat.
                                                                         A  cyclist coming along  the road
                                                                         had  to run into the hedge  to avoid
                                                                        imminent collision.

                                                                       ‘Here we are, my dear,’ said the bearer
                                                                      of  the white mackintosh, coming  in
                                                                    through  the window,  ‘fairly muddy,  but
                                                                  most of it’s dry. Who was that who bolted
                                                               out as we came up?’

              ‘A most extraordinary man, a Mr Nuttel,’ said Mrs Sappleton; ‘could only talk about his
              illnesses, and dashed off without a word of goodbye or apology when you arrived. One

              would think he had seen a ghost.’

                                                               42                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="43"><![CDATA[‘I expect it was the spaniel,’ said the niece calmly; ‘he told me he had a horror of dogs.
                He was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of
                pariah dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling
                and grinning and foaming just above him. Enough to make anyone lose their nerve.’


                Romance at short notice was her speciality.
                                                                                                              —Saki




                A  P    Word Power
                  W

                       self-possessed          -  confident
                       retreat                 -  quiet place where you can rest and relax

                       bury                    -  (here) hide
                       moping                  -  isolation

                       silent communion  -  sharing of thoughts
                       rectory                 -  a place where the person in charge of a church (a
                                                    rector) lives

                       moor                    -  a tract of open, rolling infertile land
                       snipe                   -  a bird with a slender bill that is common in
                                                    marshy areas

                       treacherous             -  dangerous
                       bog                     -  an area of very wet, muddy ground

                       falteringly             -  hesitatingly
                       delusion                -  false idea

                       twilight                -  the time when the sun has set but it isn’t
                                                    completely dark yet
                       gravel drive            -  path made from gravel (very small stones)

                       headlong                -  hasty
                       imminent                -  likely to occur any moment

                       bolted out              -  escaped suddenly
                       pariah                  -  stray

                       romance                 -  a type of literature involving stories about strange
                                                    and exciting adventures







                Insight MCB 8                                    43]]></page><page Index="44"><![CDATA[Story Comprehension

                A.  Arrange these sentences in the order of the events in the story.

                     ___  Mr Nuttel almost runs into someone riding a bike.

                     ___  Vera questions Mr Nuttel about how well he knows the people in the area
                            and her aunt.

                     ___  Mrs Sappleton says she is expecting her husband and brothers to come home
                            soon.

                     ___  Vera tells the story about Mr Nuttel being afraid of dogs.
                     ___  Mrs Sappleton’s husband and brothers return home from hunting.

                     ___  Mr Nuttel tells Mrs Sappleton it is important for him to avoid excitement and
                            get rest.

                     ___  Vera  tells  the  story  about  the  death  of  Mrs  Sappleton’s  husband  and  her
                            brothers.

                 B.  Answer these questions.

                1.  Why did Mr Nuttel go to the ‘rural retreat’?

                2.  What help did his sister extend to him? Why?

                3.  According to Vera, what was the ‘great tragedy’ that had taken place three years
                     ago?

                4.  Mention some of the specific details about the victims that Vera gives Nuttel.

                5.  What explanation did Mrs Sappleton offer for the open window when she met
                     Mr Nuttel?

                6.  What topic did Mr Nuttel’s conversation centre on?

                7.  What do you think Mr Nuttel thought when he saw Mrs Sappleton’s husband and
                     brothers through the open window?

                8.  What was Vera’s explanation for Mr Nuttel’s unusual behaviour?

                C.  Analyse and answer.

                1.  What is ironic about what happens to Mr Nuttel in the story?

                2.  Romance at short notice was Vera’s speciality. Justify this observation.







                                                               44                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="45"><![CDATA[Brain Work

                  •  Is the story about the window that was kept open or Vera’s ability to weave stories?

                       Give reasons.


                  An
                    in   Words that Matter
                 The
                       There  are  also  a  few  major  spelling  differences  between
                       British and American English.

                       Look at these words used in the story. They are spelt in British English.

                       •  endeavoured
                       •  favourite

                       •  laboured

                       The American spelling for these words is:

                       •  endeavored

                       •  favorite

                       •  labored

                  D.  Find out how these words are spelt in American English. You may take the help of
                       a dictionary.

                  1.  licence            _______________               5.  dialogue            _______________
                  2.  programme          _______________               6.  metre               _______________

                  3.  enrol              _______________               7.  catalogue           _______________

                  4.  odour              _______________               8.  travelled           _______________

                       Many common words for items we see or use every day are different in the UK
                       and the US.

                       For example:  •       ‘windscreen’ in British English is ‘windshield’ in American English.

                                        •    ‘flat’ in British English is ‘apartment’ in American English.

                  E.  With the help of a dictionary, find out the American equivalents of these British
                       English words.

                  1.  petrol             ______________                3.  pavement            ______________

                  2.  lorry              ______________                4.  lift                ______________



                Insight MCB 8                                    45]]></page><page Index="46"><![CDATA[5.  holiday            ______________                7.  dustbin              ______________

                6.  chemist            ______________                8.  cinema               ______________

                     An anagram is a kind of word play in which letters of a word or a phrase are
                     rearranged to make a new word or phrase.

                     For example:  •       The word ‘open’ can be rearranged as ‘peon’.

                F.  Make anagrams of these words from the story. The hint in the brackets will help
                     you.


                1.  nerve        _______________          (not on any occasion)
                2.  worse        _______________          (past tense of ‘swear’)

                3.  nice         _______________          (connected with films and the film industry)

                4.  silent       _______________          (to pay attention to something that you can hear)
                5.  last         _______________          (found in sea water)

                6.  tone         _______________          (a short informal letter)

                7.  room         _______________          (a high open area of land that isn’t used for farming)

                8.  lose         _______________          (only; single)


                  a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                     There are three kinds of non-finite verbs— infinitives, participles and gerunds.

                1.  When the to + verb form is used in a sentence and functions as a noun, it is called
                     the infinitive.

                     For example: •        This is not the time to read.

                2.   a.  Present participle forms of verbs always end in -ing. They can be either used as
                         verb or as adjectives. They represent actions that are going on, or are incomplete.
                     For example: •        Hearing a strange sound, we ran outdoors.

                                      •    The piercing scream broke the silence.

                     b.  Past participle forms of verbs usually end in -ed/-t/-n. They can be either used as
                         verb or as adjectives. They represent actions that have been completed.
                     For example:  •       Scared by the sight of the three figures, Nuttel bolted out.

                                      •    The frightened man shouted loudly.







                                                               46                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="47"><![CDATA[3.  When the  -ing form of the verb  is used as a noun  in  a sentence,  it is called
                       the gerund.

                    •  I enjoy reading.

                  G.  Pick out the infinitives (I), participles (P) and gerunds (G) in these sentences.

                    1.  The barking dogs ran around.

                    2.  Swimming is a good way to exercise.
                    3.  To respect our elders is our duty.

                    4.  No one likes waiting.

                    5.  The torn sheet flew away.

                    6.  This is not the time to laze.
                    7.  They were punished for lying.

                    8.  The broken glass lay scattered on the ground.

                  H.  Fill in the blanks with suitable infinitives, participles and gerunds.

                  1.  I saw some women ___________ by the weight of heavy sacks. (bend)

                  2.  Niti wants ___________ her English. (improve)

                  3.  A ___________ child dreads the fire. (burn)
                  4.  What I quite abhor is ___________. (lie)

                  5.  It is harmful ___________ too much. (eat)

                  6.  We saw a man ___________ his shoes. (polish)

                  7.  I expect ___________ the task. (complete)
                  8.  ___________ on the grass is forbidden. (walk)

                  I.  Change these sentences into the affirmative or the negative with the help of the
                       hints in the brackets. Make sure the meaning of the sentences remains unchanged.

                       One is done for you.

                  1.  No one agreed with me. (Use: everyone)
                       Everyone disagreed with me.

                  2.  Sidharth said, ‘I shall always remember Saheba.’ (Use: never)

                  3.  You are the winner. (Use:loser)
                  4.  Miss Joshua is sometimes strict. (Use: not always)

                  5.  Few books are as interesting as this. (Use: not all)



                Insight MCB 8                                    47]]></page><page Index="48"><![CDATA[6.  No one but he could come up with such an idea. (Use: only)

                7.  She never woke up early. (Use: always)

                8.  Everyone  present in  the auditorium  was  impressed by her performance. (Use:
                     unimpressed)


                     Writer’s Corner


                     A character sketch is defined as a brief written description of a character.


                J.  Keep these things in mind while writing a character sketch.

                      •  introduce the person
                      •  highlight his/her character as revealed in the story

                      •  talk about what others say about the character

                      •  mention why the character appealed to you

                      •  quote examples from the story to support your views

                K.  Write a brief character sketch of Vera.



                      Listening Time


                L.  Listen  to  a  dialogue  between  Mr  Nuttel  and  his  doctor.  Then  answer  these
                     questions.

                1.  Who is the patient?

                2.  Why has he gone to the doctor?

                3.  When did the symptoms begin?

                4.  What is the doctor’s advice?


                      Activity Corner


                M.  When we are sick and confined to bed, it is nice to have someone take care of us.
                     When Mr Nuttel was preparing for the rural retreat, his sister helped him with
                     the letters of introduction. Have you ever had to take care of someone who was
                     unwell? Work in pairs. Make a list of five things you can do to make a bedridden
                     person feel better.






                                                               48                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="49"><![CDATA[6        The Rime of the Ancient




                          Mariner

                                                                                   21st
                                                                                  Century  Creativity and Innovation
                                                                                         Flexibility and Adaptability
                                                                                   Skills  Media Literacy and Critical Thinking
                  Reflect

                  Do you know what a ballad is? Read the first part of a seven-part ballad
                   about a sailor who narrates a strange story to a guest at a wedding.




                        Let’s Recite


                It is an ancient mariner,

                And he stoppeth one of three.
                ‘By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,

                Now wherefore stopp’st thou me?



                The bridegroom’s doors are opened wide,
                And I am next of kin;

                The guests are met, the feast is set:
                May’st hear the merry din.’




                He holds him with his skinny hand,
                ‘There was a ship,’quoth he.

                ‘Hold off! Unhand me, grey-beard loon!’
                Eftsoons his hand droppedhe.



                He holds him with his glittering eye—

                The wedding guest stood still,

                And listens like a three years’ child:
                The mariner hath his will.






                Insight MCB 8                                    49]]></page><page Index="50"><![CDATA[The wedding guest sat on a stone:

              He cannot choose but hear;
              And thus spake on that ancient man,

              The bright-eyed mariner.



              ‘The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,

              Merrily did we drop
              Below the kirk, below the hill,

              Below the lighthouse top.



              The sun came up upon the left,
              Out of the sea came he!

              And he shone bright, and on the right

              Went down into the sea.



              Higher and higher every day,
              Till over the mast at noon—’

              The wedding guest here beat his breast,
              For he heard the loud bassoon.



              The bride hath paced into the hall,

              Red as a rose is she;
              Nodding their heads before her goes

              The merry minstrelsy.



              The wedding guest he beat his breast,

              Yet he cannot choose but hear;
              And thus spake on that ancient man,

              The bright-eyed mariner.



              ‘And now the storm blast came, and he

              Was tyrannous and strong:


                                                               50                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="51"><![CDATA[He struck with his o’ertaking wings,

                And chased us south along.



                With sloping masts and dipping prow,
                As who pursued with yell and blow

                Still treads the shadow of his foe,

                And forward bends his head,
                The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,

                And southward aye we fled.



                And now there came both mist and snow,
                And it grew wondrous cold:

                And ice, mast-high, came floating by,

                As green as emerald.



                And through the drifts the snowy clifts
                Did send a dismal sheen:

                Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken—
                The ice was all between.



                The ice was here, the ice was there,

                The ice was all around:
                It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,

                Like noises in a swound!



                At length did cross an albatross,

                Thorough the fog it came;
                As if it had been a Christian soul,

                We hailed it in God’s name.



                It ate the food it ne’er had eat,

                And round and round it flew.


                Insight MCB 8                                    51]]></page><page Index="52"><![CDATA[The ice did split with a thunder-fit;

              The helmsman steered us through!



              And a good south wind sprung up behind;
              The albatross did follow,

              And every day, for food or play,

              Came to the mariner’s hollo!



              In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
              It perched for vespers nine;

              Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
              Glimmered the white moon shine.’




              ‘God save thee, ancient mariner!
              From the fiends, that plague thee thus!—

              Why look’st thou so?’—With my cross-bow
              I shot the albatross.



                                                                                     —Samuel Taylor Coleridge



               A  P   Word Power
                W

                     wherefore  -          why

                     din              -    a loud, unpleasant noise that lasts for a long time
                     loon             -    a silly or foolish person
                     eftsoons         -    immediately

                     kirk             -    church

                     bassoon          -    a musical instrument
                     minstrelsy       -    minstrels (musicians) who would sing, dance and entertain
                     tyrannous        -    using power cruelly and unfairly

                     prow             -    the pointed front part of a ship
                     dismal sheen -        dull colour

                     ken              -    know


                                                               52                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="53"><![CDATA[swound           -    (old use) the act of fainting

                       albatross        -    a very large white bird with long wings that lives in the
                                             Pacific and Southern Oceans

                       thorough         -    (old use) through
                       helmsman         -    a person who steers a ship
                       shroud           -    a rope or chain that controls the angle at which a sail is
                                             attached in a ship

                       vespers          -    evenings

                       fiends           -    devils


                        Poetry Comprehension



                  A.  Read these lines from the poem and answer these questions.
                  1.  He holds him with his glittering eye—

                        The wedding guest stood still,

                       a.  How did the mariner detain the wedding guest?
                       b.  How had the guest reacted at first?

                       c.  Why did the mariner detain the guest?
                  2.  And now the storm blast came, and he

                       Was tyrannous and strong:

                       He struck with his o’ertaking wings,
                       And chased us south along.

                       a.  Who is the speaker here? Who is he speaking to?

                       b.  Which figure of speech is used for the storm? Explain.
                       c.  Where was the ship driven to by the storm?

                  3.  It ate the food it ne’er had eat,

                       And round and round it flew.
                       a.  What is being referred to as ‘it’ here?

                       b.  What kind of bond did it develop with the crew of the ship?

                       c.  What effect did its arrival seem to have?








                Insight MCB 8                                    53]]></page><page Index="54"><![CDATA[B.  Answer these questions.


                1.  Why is the mariner referred to as ‘ancient’? Describe some of his physical features.
                2.  Where was the wedding guest hurrying before he sat down to listen to the mariner?
                     Where did he sit?

                3.  What happened in the hall after the wedding guest heard the loud bassoon?

                4.  List the different parts of the ship mentioned in the poem.
                5.  What is meant by the phrase ‘beat his breast’? Why did the wedding guest ‘beat his

                     breast’?
                6.  How was the voyage progressing before the storm?

                7.  Find examples of repetition in the poem. Also, explain their effects.

                8.  For how many vespers did the albatross perch on the ship? How was it killed?


                C.  Analyse and answer.

                1.  How is nature depicted in the poem? Substantiate your answer with examples.

                2.  Why, according to you, was the ancient mariner so eager to share his story?




                      Brain Work

                  •  Why, according to you, did the mariner shoot the albatross?



                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     Read this sentence.

                      •  And ice, mast-high, came floating by,
                        As green as emerald.

                      This is an example of simile. The colour of the icebergs is being compared with the
                      colour of emeralds.

                      Pick out four more examples of similes from the poem.

                      Archaism is a very old word or phrase that is no longer used. It is used in literature
                      to create the atmosphere of a distant past.

                     For example:  •       thy
                                      •    thou




                                                               54                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="55"><![CDATA[D.  Rewrite these lines from the poem in contemporary English.

                   1.  And he stoppeth one of three

                   2.  Now wherefore stopp’st thou me?

                   3.  ‘There was a ship,’ quoth he.
                   4.  ‘Hold off! Unhand me, grey-beard loon!’

                   5.  Eftsoons his hand dropped he.

                   6.  Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken

                   7.  At length did cross an albatross,
                   8.  Thorough the fog it came;


                  E.  Circle the odd word in each set. You may take the help of a dictionary.
                  1.  cruise                 mast               anchor                  deck

                  2.  hillock                coast              dock                    shore

                  3.  raft                   speed boat         paddle boat             canoe

                  4.  ferry                  cruise liner       yacht                   cargo ship
                  5.  crash                  sink               keel over               capsize

                  6.  launch                 hoist              navigate                draft

                  7.  mariner                propeller          crew                    captain

                  8.  launch                 draft              navigate                hoist


                   a
                  e
                  o  i   Grammar Ladder
                   u
                       A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a finite verb.


                       Read this sentence.

                       •  The wedding guest beat his breast after he heard the loud bassoon.
                       In this sentence, the highlighted group of words is the independent clause (or the
                       main clause) because it does not depend on another clause for meaning. The rest

                       of the sentence is the dependent clause (or the subordinate clause) because it
                       depends on the main clause to complete its meaning.










                Insight MCB 8                                    55]]></page><page Index="56"><![CDATA[Study this table to learn about the different types of dependent clauses.


                      Clause                         Function                        Example sentence
                      Adjective clause               acts like an adjective in a     There is the ancient mariner
                                                     sentence                        who held me spellbound.




                      Noun clause                    acts like a noun in a           The mariner said that he
                                                     sentence, as the subject or     killed the albatross.
                                                     the object of the verb

                F.  Identify the main and the subordinate clauses in these sentences. State whether
                     the dependent clauses are adjective, adverb or noun clauses.


                1.  I wish to know how this works.
                2.  Keep the necklace where it will be safe.

                3.  This is the storybook that I am reading.

                4.  I was reading while my sister was watching television.
                5.  What the child said was true.

                6.  This is the road which leads to the museum.

                7.  If you like it, I shall get it for you.

                8.  She has a penfriend who lives in Australia.

                G.  Complete  these  sentences  according  to  the  instructions  in  the  brackets.  The
                     highlighted words will help you.

                1.  My belief is that ______________________________. (noun clause)

                2.  The sailors refused to sail  since  ______________________________.  (adverb
                     clause)
                3.  When ______________________________, is not known. (noun clause)

                4.  The artist whom ______________________________. (adjective clause)

                5.  I played while ______________________________. (adverb clause)

                6.  Tell me why ______________________________. (noun clause)
                7.  This is the wristwatch that ______________________________. (adjective clause)

                8.  Although ______________________________, I trust him. (adverb clause)








                                                               56                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="57"><![CDATA[A prepositional phrase is made up of a preposition and a noun phrase.

                       For example:  •       The truck crashed into a parked car.

                                        •    The sun disappeared behind the clouds.
                  H.  Underline the prepositional phrases in these sentences.

                  1.  The mariner holds the wedding guest with his skinny hand.

                  2.  The wedding guest sat on a stone.

                  3.  The sun came out of the sea.

                  4.  The bride has paced into the hall.
                  5.  The merry minstrelsy goes before the bride.

                  6.  The albatross came through the fog.

                  7.  God save the mariner from the fiends.
                  8.  The mariner shot the albatross with his crossbow.




                       Writer’s Corner

                  I.  Imagine you are the wedding guest. You missed out on the wedding ceremony

                       because of the ancient mariner. You were unable to voice your thoughts to him
                       about the same, but kept thinking about it. Pen your thoughts down in a diary
                       entry.



                        Listening Time


                  J.  Listen to some sentences and state whether they are True (T) or False (F). Rewrite
                       the incorrect sentences by correcting the error.

                  1.  _____________                  5.   _____________

                  2.  _____________                  6.  _____________

                  3.   _____________                 7.  _____________
                  4.   _____________                 8.  _____________




                       Activity Corner


                  K.  Make a slideshow presentation on some of the historical voyages that different
                       individuals have made. Take the help of the internet or books in the library.


                Insight MCB 8                                    57]]></page><page Index="58"><![CDATA[7         No Pets Allowed







                                                                                   21st
                                                                                  Century  Initiative and Self-Direction
                                                                                   Skills  Critical Thinking and Media Literacy
                Reflect


                 Would you like to live in a world where everybody is forbidden to keep
                 pets? Read this story about a guard and his unusual pet.




                      Let’s Read


              I can’t tell anyone about it. In the first place, they’d never believe me. And, if they did, I’d
              probably be punished for having her. Because we aren’t allowed to have pets of any kind.

              It wouldn’t have happened, if they hadn’t sent me way out there to work. But, you see,
              there are so many things I can’t do.

              I remember the day the Chief of Vocation took me before the council.

              ‘I’ve tried him on a dozen things,’ he reported. People always talk about me as if I can’t
              understand what they mean. But I’m really not that dumb.

              ‘There doesn’t seem to be a thing he can do,’ the Chief went on.

              ‘Actually, his intelligence seems to be no greater than that which we believe our ancestors
              had, back in the twentieth century.’

              ‘As bad as that?’ observed one of the council members. ‘You do have a problem.’

              ‘But we must find something for him to do,’ said another. ‘We can’t have an idle person in
              the State. It’s unthinkable.’

              ‘But what?’ asked the Chief. ‘He’s utterly incapable of running any of the machines. I’ve
              tried to teach him. The only things he can do, are already being done much better by
              robots.’


              There was a long silence, broken at last by one little, old council member.
              ‘I have it,’ he cried. ‘The very thing. We’ll make him guard of the Treasure.’


              ‘But there’s no need of a guard. No one will touch the Treasure without permission. We
              haven’t had a dishonest person in the State for more than three thousand years.’


                                                               58                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="59"><![CDATA[‘That’s it, exactly. There aren’t any dishonest people, so there won’t be anything for him
                to do. But we will have solved the problem of his idleness.’

                ‘It might be a solution,’ said the Chief. ‘At least, a temporary one. I suppose we will have
                to find something else later on. But this will give us time to look for

                something.’
                So I became guard of the Treasure. With a badge. And nothing to do—

                unless you count watching the Key. The gates were kept locked, just as
                they were in the old days, but the large Key hung beside them. Of course,
                no one wanted to bother carrying it
                around.  It was too  heavy. The only
                ones who ever used it, anyway, were
                members of the council. As the man
                said,  we haven’t  had  a dishonest

                person in the State for thousands of
                years. Even I know that much.

                Of course,  this left me  with lots
                of time  on my  hands. That’s how
                I happened to get her in  the first
                place. I’d always wanted one,  but
                pets were  forbidden. Busy people
                didn’t have time for them. So I knew
                I was breaking the Law. But I figured

                that no one would ever find out.
                First I fixed a place for her, and made

                a brush screen, so that she couldn’t
                be seen by anyone coming to the
                gates. Then,  one night, I sneaked
                into the forest and got her.

                It wasn’t so lonely after that. Now I had something to talk to. She was small when I got
                her—it would be too dangerous to go near a full grown one—but she grew rapidly. That
                was because I caught small animals and brought them to her. Not having to depend on
                what she could catch, she grew almost twice as fast as usual, and was so sleek and pretty.
                Really, she was a pet to be proud of.


                I don’t know how I could have stood the four months there alone, if I hadn’t her to talk to.
                I don’t think she really understood me, but I pretended she did, and that helped.




                Insight MCB 8                                    59]]></page><page Index="60"><![CDATA[Every three  or four weeks, three  of the council  members came  to take  a part of the
              Treasure, or to add to it. Always three of them.

              That’s why I was so surprised one day, to see one man coming by himself. It was Gremm,
              the little old member, who had recommended that I be given this job. I was happy to see

              him, and we talked for a while, mostly about my work, and how I liked it. I almost told him
              about my pet, but I didn’t, because he might be angry at me for breaking the Law.

              Finally, he asked me to give him the Key.

              ‘I’ve been sent to get something from the Treasure,’ he explained.

              I was unhappy to displease him, but I said, ‘I can’t let you have it. There must be three
              members. You know that.’

              ‘Of course, I know it. But something came up suddenly, so they sent me alone. Now, let
              me have it.’

                                         I shook my head. That was the one order they had given me—
                                         never to give the Key to any one person who came alone.

                                         Gremm became quite angry.

                                         ‘You idiot,’ he shouted. ‘Why do you think I had you put out here?
                                         It was so I could get in there and help myself to the Treasure.’

                                    ‘But that would be dishonest. And there are no dishonest people in
                                    the State.’

                                    ‘For three thousand years. I know.’ His usually kind face had an ugly
                                   look I had never seen before. ‘But I’m going to get part of that Treasure.

                                    And it won’t do you any good to report it, because no one is going to
                                     take the word of a fool like you, against a respected council member.
                                     They’ll think you are the dishonest one. Now, give me that Key!’

                                     It’s a terrible thing to disobey a council member. But if I obeyed him, I
                                     would be disobeying all the others. And that would be worse.

              ‘No!’ I shouted.

              He threw himself upon me. For his size and age, he was very strong—stronger, even, than
              I. I fought as hard as I could, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep him away from the Key
              for very long. And if he took the Treasure, I would be blamed. The council would have to
              think a new punishment for dishonesty. Whatever it was, it would be terrible, indeed.

              He drew back and rushed at me. Just as he hit me, my foot caught upon a root, and I fell.




                                                               60                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="61"><![CDATA[His rush carried him past me, and he crashed through the brush screen beside the path. I
                heard him scream twice, then there was silence.

                I was bruised all over, but I managed to pull myself up and take away what was left of the
                screen. There was no sign of Gremm, but my beautiful pet was waving her pearl-green

                feelers as she always did in thanks for a good meal.
                That’s why I can’t tell anyone what happened. No one would believe that Gremm would

                be dishonest. And I can’t prove it, because she ate the proof.

                Even if I did tell them, no one is going to believe that a fly-catcher plant—even a big one
                like mine—would actually be able to eat a man.

                So they think that Gremm disappeared. And I’m still out here—with her. She’s grown so
                much larger now, and more beautiful than ever.

                But I hope she hasn’t developed a taste for human flesh. Lately, when she stretches out
                her feelers, it seems that she’s trying to reach me.

                                                                                                 —M A Cummings



                A  P    Word Power
                  W
                       ancestors            -  people in your family who lived a long time ago

                       forbidden            -  not allowed
                       sleek                -  smooth and shiny

                       feelers              -  two long thin parts on the heads of some plants that
                                              they use to feel and touch things with





                        Story Comprehension


                  A.  Read these lines from the story and answer the questions.

                  1.  It wasn’t so lonely after that. Now I had something to talk to. She was small when
                       I got her—it would be too dangerous to go near a full grown one—but she grew
                       rapidly.

                       a.  Why had the narrator been lonely?

                       b.  Who is referred to as ‘she’? Why did the narrator get her?
                       c.  Why would it have been dangerous to grow near a full grown one?




                Insight MCB 8                                    61]]></page><page Index="62"><![CDATA[2.  That’s why I can’t tell anyone what happened. No one would believe that Gremm
                     would be dishonest. And I can’t prove it, because she ate the proof.

                     a.  Who was Gremm? What dishonest act had he wanted to do?

                     b.  Why would no one believe that Gremm was dishonest?
                     c.  What was the proof? Who ate it?

                B.  Answer these questions.

                1.  Why did the Chief of Vocation take the narrator before the council?

                2.  What did the old council member suggest regarding the narrator’s future?

                3.  Why wasn’t there a need of a guard?

                4.  What prompted the narrator to get a pet even though it was forbidden?

                5.  What arrangements did the narrator make to take care of his pet?

                6.  Why did the pet grow rapidly?

                7.  Why was the narrator surprised to see Gremm?

                8.  Why did the narrator refuse to obey Gremm? What happened to him afterwards?

                9.  What fear did the narrator develop about his pet?

                C.  Analyse and answer.

                1.  Do you think the writer describes an ideal society in this story? Give reasons.

                2.  Do you see the traits of a loving and proud pet-owner in the narrator?



                      Brain Work


                •  How does the narrator add interest and suspense to the story?




                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     Read these sentence.
                      •  The narrator sneaked into the forest and got her pet.

                     Here,  the highlighted word  is  a  verb of  movement.  It means to  go  somewhere
                     secretly, trying to avoid being seen.







                                                               62                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="63"><![CDATA[D.  Match the highlighted verbs of movement with their meaning.


                              Verbs of movement                                      Meanings

                              Jatin smashed the ball into                            to put your body close to the
                         1.                                                      a.
                              the goal.                                              ground by bending legs
                                                                                     to move suddenly forwards
                              The lead singer pranced
                         2.                                                      b.  in order to attack or catch
                              around with the microphone.
                                                                                     somebody
                              The principal sauntered by,                            to walk slowly with heavy
                         3.   looking as if she had all the                      c.  steps, especially because of
                              time in the world.                                     tiredness

                              A dog darted across the road                           to hit something with great
                         4.                                                      d.
                              in front of me.                                        force
                                                                                     to move quickly, especially
                              He scrambled up the cliff and
                         5.                                                      e.  with difficulty, using hands for
                              raced towards the car.
                                                                                     help
                                                                                     to move quickly with
                              The lion crouched ready to
                         6.                                                      f.  exaggerated steps so that
                              pounce.
                                                                                     people look at you
                              We plodded on through the
                         7.                                                      g.  to walk in a slow relaxed way
                              rain.
                              Johnny crouched behind a                               to move suddenly and quickly
                         8.                                                      h.
                              hedge.                                                 in a particular direction

                  E.  Provide two words for each prefix and suffix given in this table.

                        Prefix/Suffix                Words

                        1. mis-

                        2. anti-

                        3. fore-

                        4. inter-

                        5. -ive

                        6. -ify

                        7. -ian

                        8. -ment


                       In the story, the narrator was made a guard. His job was to protect the Treasure.



                Insight MCB 8                                    63]]></page><page Index="64"><![CDATA[F.  Choose the correct term from those given in the brackets to match these
                     definitions.

                1.  A ___________ is a teacher of the highest rank at a college or university.

                                                                                           (professor/preacher)

                2.  A ___________ is a person whose job is to fit glass into the frames of windows, etc.
                                                                                              (carpenter/glazier)

                3.  A ___________ is a doctor who studies and treats mental illnesses.

                                                                                         (physician/psychiatrist)

                4.  A ___________ is a person who damages or destroys property on purpose.
                                                                                                 (mason/vandal)

                5.  A ___________ is a skilled worker who builds or works with stone, brick or cement.

                                                                                              (mason/carpenter)
                6.  A ___________ is a person who takes X-ray photographs in a hospital.

                                                                                  (photographer/radiographer)

                7.  A ___________ is a person whose job is to make and repair things made of iron.

                                                                                        (silversmith/blacksmith)
                8.  A ___________ is a person who has had long experience (in politics or arts).

                                                                                          (veterinarian/veteran)



                  a
                e
                o  u i   Grammar Ladder
                G.  There are three different types of sentences—simple, compound and complex.

                1.  A simple sentence has a single subject and a single predicate. It has only one finite
                     verb.

                     For example:  •       We must find something for him to do.

                2.  A compound sentence has two or more than two independent clauses. Each clause
                     has an independent subject and predicate.

                     For example:  •       I was bruised all over, but I managed to pull myself up.
                3.  A complex sentence consists of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

                     For example:  •       I didn’t tell Gremm about my pet because he might be angry at
                                           me for breaking the Law.




                                                               64                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="65"><![CDATA[H.  State whether these sentences are simple (S), compound (Cmp) or complex (Cmx)
                       sentences.

                  1.  Isha did not go to the party because she was not invited.                    _____________

                  2.  I glared resentfully at her.                                                 _____________

                  3.  She believed that her friend was true to her.                                _____________
                  4.  The singer stepped on the stage and the crowd started cheering.  _____________

                  5.  Buy two vases and get one free.                                              _____________

                  6.  The man who ran down the road was the thief.                                 _____________

                  7.  Latika tried her best but did not succeed.                                   _____________
                  8.  Jaya admitted her guilt.                                                     _____________

                  I.  Abstract nouns can be formed from nouns, verbs and adjectives.

                       For example:  •       member (noun) — membership (abstract noun)

                                        •    believe (verb) — belief (abstract noun)

                                        •    idle (adjective) — idleness (abstract noun)

                       In each of these tables, form abstract nouns from the words given in the first column.
                       Table A


                        Noun                         Abstract noun
                        1. bribe

                        2. partner

                        3. brother

                        4. Buddhist

                        5. neighbour

                       Table B


                        Verb                         Abstract noun
                        1. die

                        2. add

                        3. know
                        4. think

                        5. marry



                Insight MCB 8                                    65]]></page><page Index="66"><![CDATA[Table C


                      Adjective                    Abstract noun
                      1. wise

                      2. long

                      3. mature
                      4. hungry

                      5. thirsty



                     Writer’s Corner


                J.  Write a review of the story ‘No Pets Allowed’. Give your opinion on its strengths
                     and weaknesses and state your reasons for liking or disliking it.

                     Make sure you comment on these points in your review:
                      •  the plot                            •  the setting

                      •  the characters                      •  the style of the writer




                      Listening Time

                K.  Listen to these words and write them down. Then check the spelling of each word.

                1.  ____________                  2.  ____________             3.     ____________

                4.  ____________                  5.  ____________             6.     ____________
                7.  ____________                  8.  ____________



                      Activity Corner


                     The narrator had a strange pet—a fly-catcher plant.
                L.  Research and make a scrapbook on strange flora and fauna. These could include
                     animals, birds and plants that have become extinct.
                     Your scrapbook should include:


                      •  common and scientific names with pictures
                      •  information about the habitat
                      •  physical appearance

                      •  special features



                                                               66                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="67"><![CDATA[8        I Think I Could Turn and


                          Live with Animals


                                                                                            21st   Technology Literacy
                                                                                           Century  Creativity and Innovation
                                                                                            Skills  Flexibility and Adaptability
                  Reflect


                  Why would anyone want to reject human society for the company
                   of animals? Read this extract on how we humans are different from

                   animals.




                        Let’s Recite

                                           I think I could turn and live with animals,

                                             they are so placid and self-contain’d,

                                            I stand and look at them long and long.



                                     They do not sweat and whine about their condition,

                                  They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,

                                   They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,

                      Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
                       Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,

                                  Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.




                                         So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
                        They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession.




                                             I wonder where they get those tokens,

                               Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?



                                                           —an extract from Song of Myself by Walt Whitman



                Insight MCB 8                                    67]]></page><page Index="68"><![CDATA[A  P   Word Power
                W

                     placid              -  not easily excited or irritated

                     self-contained  -  self-sufficient
                     whine               -  complain

                     demented            -  crazy
                     mania               -  craze

                     evince              -  to show clearly that you have a feeling or quality
                     negligently         -  carelessly



                      Poetry Comprehension


                A.  Match these lines from the poem with their meanings.


                            Lines                                                  Meanings
                       1.   I stand and look at them long                      a.  They do not worry about the
                            and long.                                              mistakes they commit.

                       2.   They do not sweat and whine                        b.  They are happy and satisfied
                            about their condition,                                 with their life.
                       3.   They do not lie awake in the                       c.  Animals don’t fret about their
                            dark and weep for their sins,                          condition.

                       4.   They  do not make me sick                          d.  They are not obsessed about
                            discussing their duty to God,                          worldly goods.

                       5.   …not one is demented with                          e.  The poet is fascinated by
                            the mania of owning things,                            animals.


                B.  Answer these questions.

                1.  What is the poet’s desire?

                2.  What qualities in animals attract him to them?
                3.  What human failings does the poet notice?

                4.  What does the poet mean by ‘nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago’?

                5.  How do the animals react to the poet?
                6.  What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped negligently, and

                     which animals have kept for themselves?



                                                               68                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="69"><![CDATA[C.  Analyse and answer.


                  1.  What is the theme of the poem?
                  2.  What is the tone of the poet?


                       Brain Work


                  •  What impact does the poem have on you?



                  An
                    in   Words that Matter
                 The
                       I Think I Could Turn and Live with Animals is an example of free verse. Free verse is
                       poetry without a regular rhythm or rhyme.


                  D.  Match the columns to learn about the different forms of poetry. You may take the
                       help of a dictionary.


                              Column A                                      Column B
                         1.   limerick                                  a.  a long poem that has a lofty theme
                         2.   ballad                                   b.   a poem to mourn somebody’s death
                         3.   epic                                      c.  poetry that has a regular rhythm but
                                                                            doesn’t rhyme
                         4.   haiku                                    d.   a humorous five-line poem with a rhyme
                                                                            scheme aabba
                         5.   elegy                                    e.   a poem of 14 lines
                         6.   sonnet                                    f.  a three-lined Japanese poem
                         7.   blank verse                              g.   a poem in which particular letters in each
                                                                            line can be  read  downwards to form  a
                                                                            word or words
                         8.   acrostic                                 h.   a poem that tells a story

                       We can transform a word from one part of speech to another.

                       For example:  •       sick (noun)

                       Answer:               sickness

                                        •    respectable (adverb)
                       Answer:               respectably

                                        •    accept (adjective)

                       Answer:               acceptable




                Insight MCB 8                                    69]]></page><page Index="70"><![CDATA[E.  Change the parts of speech of these words, according to the instructions in the
                     brackets.

                1.  fear (adjective)        ___________              5.  proposal (verb)        ___________

                2.  young (noun)            ___________              6.  recognise (noun)  ___________

                3.  public (adverb)         ___________              7.  beauty (adjective)  ___________
                4.  pretend (noun)          ___________              8.  omission (verb)        ___________

                F.  Fill in the blanks with synonyms of these words. The clues in the box will help you.


                     immense           honourable               self-sustaining            wail
                     fetish            ailing                   dejected                   enormous
                     serene            indisposed               self-reliant               fixation

                     whimper           reputable                despondent                 tranquil

                1.  placid                 ___________                         ___________
                2.  self-contain’d         ___________                         ___________

                3.  whine                  ___________                         ___________

                4.  sick                   ___________                         ___________
                5.  mania                  ___________                         ___________

                6.  respectable            ___________                         ___________

                7.  unhappy                ___________                         ___________

                8.  huge                   ___________                         ___________


                  a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                     Punctuation marks are used in writing to divide sentences and phrases.
                1.  A full stop is used at the end of an assertive or an imperative sentence.

                     For example:  •       Walt Whitman is often referred to as ‘the father of free verse’.

                2.  A comma is used:
                     a.  to list words.

                     For example:  •       I need a notebook, a pencil, an eraser and a pair of scissors.

                     b.  to separate a word/thought from the rest of the sentence.
                     For example:  •       Tell him, please, that I shall return his storybook tomorrow.

                     c.  to separate a main clauses linked by a conjunction.



                                                               70                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="71"><![CDATA[For example:  •       It isn’t that Nikita lied exactly, but she does tend to exaggerate.

                       d.  to introduce direct speech.
                       For example:  •       Janica said, ‘The conference was very well organised.’

                  3.  A question mark is used at the end of an interrogative sentence.

                       For example:  •       Can I have some mustard sauce for my sandwich?

                  4.  An exclamation mark is used after an emphatic utterance or a sentence.
                       For example:  •       No!

                                        •    What a lovely painting!

                  5.  An apostrophe is used:
                       a.  in contractions.

                       For example:  •       I don’t have any money to spare at the moment.

                       b.  in possessives—singular and plural nouns.
                       For example:   •      This is Shimi’s handbag.

                                        •    My parents’ office is nearby.

                  6.  Quotation marks are used to separate direct speech from the rest of the sentence.
                       For example:  •       Raghav said, ‘I shall repair my bicycle tomorrow.’

                  7.  A semicolon is used to separate two clauses that could have been one complete
                       sentence.

                       For example:  •       Start a report directly with the topic; no elaborate introduction
                                             is required.

                  8.  A colon is used:

                       a.  before a list.
                       For example:  •       The eight parts of speech are: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective,
                                             adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection.

                       b.  to introduce the quotation after identification of the speakers in dialogues.

                       For example:  •       Mother: Why don’t you share your feelings with Amvi?
                                             Sheena: She’ll misunderstand me.

                       c.  to introduce material that explains, amplifies or interprets what comes before it.

                       For example:  •       Another Monday morning: it was a usual race against time.








                Insight MCB 8                                    71]]></page><page Index="72"><![CDATA[9.  A hyphen is used:

                     a.  to write numbers and fractions in words.
                     For example:  •       forty-five                                 •  one-fourth

                     b.  to connect words or syllables in compound words.

                     For example:  •       mother-in-law
                10.  A dash is used to add extra information after a clause.

                     For example:  •       There are two parts of a sentence—the subject and the predicate.

                G.  Punctuate these sentences.

                1.  Dont litter the park

                2.  Police asked passers by if they had seen the accident.

                3.  What kind of music do you like he asked.
                4.  The bus was late but I reached school on time.

                5.  What a pleasant surprise

                6.  I spent what little time I had with my family

                7.  They collected a lot of things from the beach shells pebblesbirds eggs and bottles.
                8.  Jashit lost his notebook he was scared he would be punished.

                H.  Correct the punctuation errors and rewrite these sentences.

                1.  Mr Bose sat in bad—tempered silence.

                2.  Can you wait for me;

                3.  The old woman said? ‘I shall go home’.

                4.  Such a pretty dress:
                5.  Ankit, Jayesh:Naman, Dhruv; and Sahil are playing in the garden.

                6.  There are thirty;eight chairs in the classroom.

                7.  He doesn’t want more money ‘he’s content with what he has.’
                8.  Things have changed a lot in the last year-mainly for the better.




                     Writer’s Corner

                H.  You, along with four of your friends, have planned to start an Eco Club, where
                     students can participate in various activities. The following activities are already
                     in the pipeline:



                                                               72                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="73"><![CDATA[•  eco-friendly activities that can be easily carried out by students in school and at
                           home

                       •  competitions (debates, slogan writing, painting etc.) to sensitise students about
                           conservation of environment

                       •  seminars and camps to educate students about disaster management
                       Draft a notice to be put on the school’s notice board, inviting membership. Mention

                       the date, time and venue to collect the membership application forms. You can also
                       add related activities of your choice to the above list.



                        Listening Time


                  I.  Listen to the poem The Peace of Wild Things. Then answer these questions.

                  1.  Why does the poet sometimes wake up during the night?
                  2.  What is the poet’s fear for his children?

                  3.  Where does the poet go to ease his fears?

                  4.  How do the ‘wild things’ remain peaceful?

                  5.  There is a change in the poet’s mood towards the end of the poem. Which words/
                       phrases tell us this?


                       Activity Corner


                  J.  Imagine  you  are  a  visionary  scientist  who  wishes  to  create  new  animals  by
                       combining different parts from different animals. What kind of crazy combinations
                       would you create? Make a list and illustrate at least 5 combinations.

                       •  common and scientific names with pictures

                       •  information about the habitat
                       •  physical appearance

                       •  special features

















                Insight MCB 8                                    73]]></page><page Index="74"><![CDATA[9         The Luncheon







                                                                                         21st   Collaboration
                                                                                        Century  Information Literacy
                                                                                        Skills  Flexibility and Adaptability
                Reflect


                Has anyone ever praised you for his/her  own  benefit?  Read  this

                 delightfully humourous narrative about a luncheon date proposed to
                 the narrator by a woman whom he hopes is a supporter of his art.




                      Let’s Read


              I saw her in the theatre. I sat down beside her during the interval. It was long since I
              had last seen her and if someone had mentioned her name I hardly think I would have
              recognised her. She addressed me brightly.

                                                          ‘Well, it is many years since we first met. How time
                                                             does fly! Do you remember the first time I saw
                                                                you? You asked me to luncheon.’

                                                                  Did I remember?

                                                                    It was twenty years ago and I was living
                                                                      in  Paris. I had  a small  apartment in  a

                                                                       Latin Quarter and I was earning only
                                                                        just enough money to keep body and
                                                                        soul together. She had read a book of
                                                                        mine and had written to me about it. I
                                                                        answered, thanked her, and presently
                                                                        I received from  her another  letter
                                                                        saying  that she was  passing  through

                                                                        Paris and would like to have a chat with
                                                                        me. Would I give her a little luncheon
                                                                        at Foyot’s?  Foyot’s is  a restaurant at
                                                                        which the French senators eat and it
                                                                        was so far  beyond  my  means that I




                                                               74                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="75"><![CDATA[had never even thought of going there. But I was flattered and was too
                young to have learnt to say no to a woman.

                I had eighty francs (gold francs) to last me the rest of
                the month and a decent luncheon should not cost

                more  than fifteen.  If I  stopped  drinking  coffee
                for the next two  weeks I could  manage well
                enough.

                I answered that I would  meet my friend  at
                Foyot’s on Thursday at half past twelve. She
                was not so young as I expected. She was in
                fact a woman of forty and she gave me the
                impression  of  having more teeth than  were
                necessary for any practical  purpose.  She

                talked a lot, but since she seemed inclined to
                talk about me I was prepared to be an attentive
                listener.

                I was startled when the menu was brought, for the prices
                were a good deal higher than I had expected. But she assured me. ‘I
                never eat anything for luncheon,’ she said.

                ‘Oh, don’t say that!’ I answered generously.

                ‘I never eat more than one thing. I think people eat far too much nowadays. A little fish,
                perhaps. I wonder if they have any salmon.’

                Well, it was early in the year for salmon and it was not on the menu, but I asked the waiter
                if there was any. Yes, a beautiful salmon had just come in, it was the first they had had. I
                ordered it for my guest. The waiter asked her if she would have something while it was
                being cooked.


                ‘No,’ she answered. ‘I never eat more than one thing. Unless you have a little caviar. I
                never mind caviar.’

                My heart sank a little. I knew I could not afford caviar, but I could not very well tell her
                that. I told the waiter to bring caviar. For myself I chose the cheapest dish on the menu
                and that was a mutton chop.

                ‘I think you are unwise to eat meat,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how you can expect to work
                after eating heavy things like chops. I don’t believe in overloading my stomach.’

                Then came the question of drink.



                Insight MCB 8                                    75]]></page><page Index="76"><![CDATA[‘I never drink anything for luncheon,’ she said.

              ‘Neither do I,’ I answered immediately.

              ‘Except white wine,’ she continued as though I had not spoken. ‘These French white wines
              are so light. They are wonderful for the digestion.’

              ‘What would you like?’ I asked, hospitable, but not exactly emotional.

              She gave me a bright and friendly flash of her white teeth. ‘My doctor will not let me drink
              anything but champagne.’

              I imagine I turned a little pale. I ordered half a bottle. I mentioned casually that my doctor

              had absolutely forbidden me to drink champagne.
              ‘What are you going to drink then?’


              ‘Water.’
              So she ate the caviar and then salmon. She talked happily of art and literature and music.

                                              But I wondered what the bill would come to. When my mutton
                                                chop arrived she took me quite seriously to task.

                                                  ‘I see you are in the habit of eating a heavy luncheon. I
                                                  am sure it is a mistake. Why don’t you follow my example
                                                  and just eat one thing? I am sure you would feel so much
                                                  better for it.’

                                                       ‘I am only going to eat one thing,’ I said as the waiter
                                                         came again with the menu.

                                                           She  waved him  aside  with  an  airy gesture. ‘No,
                                                           no, I never eat anything for luncheon. Just a bite,
                                                         I never want more than that, and I eat that more as

                                                     an excuse for conversation than anything else. I couldn’t
                                                possibly eat anything more—unless they had some of those
                                                great asparagus. I should be sorry to leave Paris without
                                                having some of them.’

                                               My heart sank. I had seen them in the shops and I knew that
                                             they were horribly expensive. ‘Madam wants to know if you
              had any of those great asparagus,’ I asked the waiter.

              I tried with all my might to will him to say no. A happy smile spread over his face, and he
              assured me that they had some so large, so tender, and so very rich, that it was a miracle.





                                                               76                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="77"><![CDATA[‘I am not in the least hungry,’ my guest sighed, ‘but if you insist I don’t mind having some
                asparagus.’

                I ordered them.

                ‘Aren’t you going to have any?’

                 ‘No, I never eat asparagus.’

                ‘I know there are people who don’t like them. The fact is, you ruin your taste by all the
                meat you eat.’

                We waited for the asparagus to be cooked. Panic seized me. It was not a question now

                how much money I should have left over for the rest of the month, but whether I had
                enough to pay the bill. It would be mortifying to find myself ten francs short and be
                obliged to borrow from my guest. I could not bring myself to do that. I knew exactly how
                much I had, and if the bill came to more, I made a decision that I would put my hand in my
                pocket and with a dramatic cry start up and say it had been picked. Of course, it would be
                unfortunate if she had not money enough either to pay the bill. Then the only thing would
                be to leave my watch and say I would come back and pay later.

                The asparagus appeared. They were big, delicious and appetising. I watched the shameless
                woman thrust asparagus down her throat and the smell of the melted butter hit my nose.

                At last she finished.
                ‘Coffee?’ I said.


                ‘Yes, just an ice cream and coffee,’ she answered.
                I was past caring now, so I ordered coffee for myself and an ice cream and coffee for her.


                ‘You know there is one thing I thoroughly believe in,’ she said, as she ate the ice cream.
                ‘One should always get up from a meal feeling one could eat a little more.’

                ‘Are you still hungry?’ I asked weakly.

                ‘Oh no,  I’m not hungry;  you see,  I  don’t eat
                luncheon. I have a cup of coffee in the morning
                and then dinner, but I never eat more than
                one thing for luncheon. I was speaking for
                you.’

                ‘Oh, I see!’

                Then a terrible thing happened. While we






                Insight MCB 8                                    77]]></page><page Index="78"><![CDATA[were waiting for the coffee, the headwaiter with a pleasant smile on his false face, came
              up to us bearing a large basket full of big peaches. They were beautiful; they had the rich
              tone of an Italian landscape. But surely peaches were not in season then? God knew what
              they cost.


              ‘You see, you have filled your stomach with a lot of meat’—my one miserable little chop—
              ‘and you can’t eat any more. But I have just had a snack and I shall enjoy a peach.’

              The bill came, and when I paid it, I found that I had only enough for a quite inadequate tip.
              Her eyes rested for an instant on the three francs I left for the waiter. But when I walked
              out of the restaurant I had the whole month before me and not a penny in my pocket.

              ‘Follow my example,’ she said as we shook hands, ‘and never eat more than one thing for
              luncheon.’

              ‘I will do better than that,’ I answered. ‘I will eat nothing for dinner tonight.’

              ‘Humorist!’ she cried happily, jumping into a cab. ‘You are quite a humorist.’

              But I have had my revenge at last. I do not believe that I am a vindictive man, but when
              the immortal gods take a hand in the matter, it is pardonable to observe the result with
              complacency. Today she weighs one hundred and thirty-three kilograms.

                                                                                —William Somerset Maugham



               A  P   Word Power
                W

                     brightly              -  in a cheerful and lively way
                     luncheon              -  a formal lunch
                     senators              -  elected politicians who make laws

                     francs                -  unit of money

                     startled              -  slightly shocked
                     salmon                -  a large fish with silver skin and pink flesh that is
                                             used for food
                     caviar                -  the eggs of some types of fish that are preserved

                                             using salt and eaten as a very special and expensive
                                             type of food
                     hospitable            -  generous and friendly

                     forbidden             -  ordered somebody to not do something
                     asparagus             -  a plant whose young green or white stems are cooked
                                             and eaten as a vegetable


                                                               78                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="79"><![CDATA[seized                -  affected suddenly and deeply

                       mortifying            -  humiliating
                       appetising            -  food that smells or looks attractive

                       vindictive            -  trying to harm or upset somebody, because they have
                                               harmed you
                       complacency           -  a feeling of satisfaction




                        Story Comprehension

                  A.  Read these lines from the story and answer these questions.

                   1.   ‘You asked me to luncheon.’

                       a.  Who said these words and to whom?

                       b.  How had the two of them come to know each other?
                       c.  Where did they go for the luncheon?

                  2.  I told the waiter to bring caviar. For myself I chose the cheapest dish on the menu
                       and that was a mutton chop.

                       a.  Did the narrator happily order caviar for his friend? Why not?
                       b.  Why did the narrator choose the cheapest dish for himself?

                       c.  What did the narrator’s friend say when he ordered a mutton chop?
                  3.  I tried with all my might to will him to say no.

                       a.  Who is referred to as ‘him’ here?

                       b.  For what did the narrator want ‘him’ to say no?

                       c.  Was the narrator happy to hear the reply from ‘him’?
                  B.  Answer these questions.


                  1.  Where was the narrator living when the luncheon took place?
                  2.  Why did the narrator take his friend to Foyot’s when he knew it was beyond his
                       means?

                  3.  Why was the narrator startled when the menu was brought?
                  4.  Why did the narrator’s heart sink when his friend ordered asparagus?

                  5.  Why did panic seize the narrator during the course of the luncheon?
                  6.  What did the narrator decide to do if the bill came more than he had?

                  7.  What was the one thing the narrator’s friend thoroughly believed in?



                Insight MCB 8                                    79]]></page><page Index="80"><![CDATA[8.  How did the narrator have his revenge?


                C.  Analyse and answer.
                1.  Do you think the waiter played a part in increasing the misery of the narrator?

                2.  Why do you think the narrator was past caring eventually?



                      Brain Work


                 •  Do you think the narrator’s friend was a hypocrite? Justify with examples from the
                     story.




                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                D.  Replace the highlighted words in these sentences with their opposites from the
                     box.

                     permitted        forgiving              unfriendly         sensible
                     cheap            pleasing               sufficient         unpalatable



                1.  I think you are unwise to eat meat.                                            ___________

                2.  It would be mortifying to find myself ten francs short.                        ___________

                3.  ‘What would you like?’ I asked, hospitable, but not exactly
                     emotional.                                                                    ___________
                4.  My doctor has forbidden me to drink champagne.                                 ___________

                5.  I knew that asparagus were horribly expensive.                                 ___________

                6.  The asparagus were big, delicious and appetising.                              ___________
                7.  I do not believe that I am a vindictive man.                                   ___________

                 8.  I had only enough for a quite inadequate tip.                                 ___________

                     Read this sentence.

                      •  I was earning only just enough money to keep body and soul together.

                     The highlighted phrase is an example of a fixed pair.
                      A fixed pair is a phrase formed by combining two words with the conjunction ‘and’.

                      The word order in such phrases is fixed and never changes.





                                                               80                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="81"><![CDATA[Combine a word in Column A with a word in Column B to form a fixed pair.


                             A                                          B
                        1. skin                                    a. kin

                        2. back                                    b. error

                        3. kith                                    c. needles
                        4. pins                         and        d. fro

                        5. trial                                   e. bones

                        6. odds                                    f. bustle
                        7. to                                      g. ends

                        8. hustle                                  h. forth

                  E.  Solve the clues to get new words from the highlighted word.

                  1.  luncheon

                       a.  to bend the top part of your body forward and raise your shoulders
                           and back (5 letters; beginning with ‘h’)                                  ___________

                       b.  a very long period of time (3 letters; beginning with ‘e’)                ___________
                       c.  to develop and improve a skill (4 letters; beginning with ‘h’)            ___________

                  2.  asparagus
                       a.  a traditional pattern of notes used in Indian music (4 letters’

                           beginning with ‘r’)                                                       ___________
                       b.  a small carpet (3 letters; beginning with ‘r’)                            ___________

                       c.   a small dog with short hair and a wide flat face with deep folds
                           of skin (3 letters; beginning with ‘p’)                                   ___________
                  3.  vindictive

                       a.   a climbing plant that produces grapes (4 letters; beginning
                           with ‘v’)                                                                  ___________

                       b.  jump into water (4 letters; beginning with ‘d’)                           ___________
                       c.   to write the exact words from a book (4 letters; beginning
                           with ‘c’)                                                                  ___________












                Insight MCB 8                                    81]]></page><page Index="82"><![CDATA[a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                      Read these sentences.

                      •  I will eat nothing for dinner tonight.

                      •  I would meet my friend at Foyot’s on Thursday.
                      •  I shall enjoy a peach.

                  The highlighted words are a type of helping verbs called modals.

                  Study this table to learn about the different functions of modals.

                      Function                   Modals

                      ability                    can, could

                      suggestion                 shall, should, could

                      obligation                 must, have to, need to,
                                                 ought to
                      offer                      may, can, could, would

                      permission                 may, can

                      request                    would, could

                      certainty                  will, must, shall

                      probability                may, might

                      possibility                can, may, might, could


                F.  State the functions of the highlighted modals. One is done for you.
                1.  Could you deliver this packet for me, please?                                 ____________
                                                                                                       request
                2.  She ought to apologise for her rude behaviour.                                ____________

                3.  You may use my laptop for a few days.                                         ____________

                4.  The results may be declared this afternoon.                                   ____________
                5.  I could sing like a professional by the time I was ten years old.             ____________

                6.  What shall we do this weekend?                                                ____________

                7.  Would you have dinner with me on Saturday?                                    ____________

                8.  All visitors must report to reception.                                        ____________






                                                               82                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="83"><![CDATA[Read these sentences.

                       •  I saw her in the theatre.

                       •  She talked happily of art and literature and music.
                       The highlighted words  are  prepositions  and  the underlined  phrases are the

                       respective objects of prepositions.
                  G.  Rewrite  these  sentences  placing  the  highlighted  prepositions  in  their  correct

                       positions. Then underline the object of each preposition.
                  1.  The since work has been going on August.

                  2.  I off fell the ladder.

                  3.  She was in shivering the cold breeze.

                  4.  The sun behind disappeared the clouds.

                  5.  Schools will be closed next till Wednesday.

                  6.  Why is the dog running the cat after?

                  7.  Finish before this assignment noon.

                  8.  They at arrived late the clinic.



                       Writer’s Corner

                       A summary is a piece of writing that gives a brief account of the main points of a
                       longer piece of writing.

                   H.  When writing a summary, remember these points:

                       •  The summary must have a title.

                       •  It must contain all the important facts.
                       •  The language should be simple.

                       •  The events must be recorded in the same order as in the text.

                       •  Ensure that the past tense is used; all direct speech is written as indirect speech
                           and in the third person.

                       Write a summary of the story The Luncheon in not more than 100 words.











                Insight MCB 8                                    83]]></page><page Index="84"><![CDATA[Listening Time

                I.  In your notebook, draw a grid like the one shown below. In the grid, write any
                     nine words you select from the Word Wealthy sections of Lessons 6-8.

                     The teacher will randomly call out the meanings of any twenty words. If your
                     word matches the meaning called out, cross out the word. When you cross out
                     all the words in a row, call out ‘Bingo’ and say which row it is—top, middle, or
                     bottom. Whoever crosses out all the words correctly as per the meanings called
                     out would be declared the winner.

                     Sample grid:

                      word               word              word

                      word               word              word

                      word               word              word



                      Activity Corner

                      The narrator’s friend ate caviar, salmon, asparagus etc.

                 J.  India is a land of many different styles of cooking. Find out about the different
                      cuisines in our country and make an informative chart about them.







































                                                               84                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="85"><![CDATA[10         Ode on the Death of a




                          Favourite Cat

                                                                                 21st
                                                                                Century  Creativity and Innovation
                                                                                 Skills  Critical Thinking and Information Literacy
                  Reflect


                   Do you know what an ode is? Read this poem that uses the style and
                   serious language of an ode to mock the excessive importance given to a
                   pet. It also gently pokes fun tat Gray’s fellow men and women.




                        Let’s Recite


                ‘Twas on a lofty vase’s side,

                Where China’s gayest art had dyed
                The azure flowers that blow;

                Demurest of the tabby kind,
                The pensive Selima reclined,

                Gazed on the lake below.



                Her conscious tail her joy declared;

                The fair round face, the snowy beard,

                The velvet of her paws,
                Her coat, that with the tortoise vies,

                Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes,

                She saw, and purred applause.



                Still had she gazed; but midst the tide
                Two beauteous forms were seen to glide,

                The Genii of the stream;

                Their scaly armour’s Tyrian hue,





                Insight MCB 8                                    85]]></page><page Index="86"><![CDATA[Through richest purple, to the view,

              Betrayed a golden gleam.



              The hapless Nymph with wonder saw:

              A whisker first, and then a claw,
              With many an ardent wish,

              She stretched, in vain, to reach the prize.
              What female heart can gold despise?

              Whatcat’s averse to fish?



              Presumptuous Maid! with looks intent

              Again she stretched, again she bent,

              Nor knew the gulf between;
              (Malignant Fate sat by, and smiled.)

              The slippery verge her feet beguiled;

              She tumbled headlong in.



              Eight times emerging from the flood,
              She mewed to every watery god,

              Some speedy aid to send.

              No dolphin came, no Nereid stirred:
              Nor cruel Tom, nor Susan heard.

              A favourite has no friend.



              From hence, ye beauties, undeceived,

              Know, one false step is never retrieved,
              And be with caution bold.

              Not all that tempts your wandering eyes

              And heedless hearts, is lawful prize;
              Nor all, that glisters, gold.

                                                                                                 —Thomas Gray



                                                               86                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="87"><![CDATA[A  P    Word Power
                  W

                       lofty                -  (here) tall

                       gayest               -  most brightly coloured
                       azure                -  bright blue
                       demurest             -  most shy

                       tabby                -  a cat with brown or grey fur marked with dark lines or
                                              spots
                       pensive:             -  thoughtful
                       conscious            -  alert

                       jet                  -  black
                       emerald              -  bright green
                       genii                -  (here) spirits which controlled all the waters

                       hapless              -  unfortunate
                       ardent               -  strong
                       despise              -  dislike

                       presumptuous  -  too confident, in a way that shows a lack of respect
                                              for others
                       gulf                 -  gap
                       malignant            -  wanting to cause harm

                       verge                -  edge
                       beguiled             -  tricked
                       Nereid               -  sea nymphs who would help sailors in trouble

                       retrieved            -  taken back
                       heedless             -  careless



                        Poetry Comprehension


                  A.  Read these lines from the poem and answer these questions.

                  1.  Presumptuous Maid! with looks intent
                       Again she stretched, again she bent,

                       Nor knew the gulf between;

                       a.  Why did the ‘presumptuous maid’ bend and stretch?
                       b.  What did she not know?




                Insight MCB 8                                    87]]></page><page Index="88"><![CDATA[c.  Did anyone smile at her actions? Why?

                     d.  What happened next?
                2.  No dolphin came, no Nereid stirred:

                     Nor cruel Tom, nor Susan heard.

                     A favourite has no friend.
                     a.  Who is the ‘favourite’ referred to in these lines? Why?

                     b.  Who are Tom and Susan? Why is Tom referred to as ‘cruel’?
                     c.  Why should the dolphin and the Nereid have helped the ‘favourite’?

                     d.  Explain the meaning of the last line.

                B.  Answer these questions.

                1.  Describe the vase mentioned in the poem.

                2.  In the beginning of the poem, what was Selima doing?

                3.  Describe Selima’s appearance. What expressions are used by the poet to refer to
                     her?

                4.  Why is Selima’s tail thought to be ‘conscious’? What joy did it declare?
                5.  Write down the different words used to refer to the water in the bowl of goldfish.

                6.  Why did Tom and Susan not hear Selima’s cries?

                7.  Why did Selima drown?
                8.  Find out three examples of alliteration in the poem.


                C.  Analyse and answer.

                1.  Who was responsible for Selima’s end—Fate or Selima herself?

                2.  What aspects of the poem make it humourous?



                      Brain Work

                •  What is the moral of the poem?



                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     The poem refers to the proverb ‘all that glitters is not gold.’

                     A proverb is a fixed expression or a sentence that gives advice or says something
                     that is generally true.


                                                               88                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="89"><![CDATA[D.  Look at the illustrations and fill in the blanks to complete these proverbs.




                  1.                  an idle brain is a _________________




                  2.                  a rolling stone _________________




                  3.                  a bird in hand is _________________




                  4.                  every cloud has _________________




                  5.                  too many cooks _________________




                  6.                  the pen is mightier _________________




                  E.  Complete these analogies or comparisons. One is done for you.

                  1.  Leonine is to lion as feline is to cat.
                  2.  Oil is to bottle as __________ is to tube.

                  3.  __________ is to famine as water is to drought.

                  4.  Herd is to elephants as __________ is to sharks.

                  5.  __________ is to egg as peel is to orange.
                  6.  Paternal is to __________ as maternal is to mother.

                  7.  Inside is to outside as __________ is to exterior.

                  8.  Life jacket is to boat as __________ is to plane.

                       There are many words with irregular plural forms.

                       For example:  •       genie—genies or genii

                  F.  Fill in the blanks with the plural forms of these words.

                  1.  phenomenon             _____________                    3.  criterion       _____________

                  2.  larva                  _____________                    4.  nucleus         _____________



                Insight MCB 8                                    89]]></page><page Index="90"><![CDATA[5.  bacterium              _____________                    7.  alumnus         _____________

                6.  curriculum             _____________                    8.  basis           _____________


                  a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                     A conjunction is a word which can be used to join sentences or clauses.

                     There are three kinds of conjunctions.

                1.  A coordinating conjunction joins two independent statements or two statements of
                     equal importance.

                     For example:  •       Selima loses balance and tumbles headlong into the water.

                2.  A subordinating conjunction joins a subordinate clause to a main clause.
                     For example:  •       Selima’s self-admiration is interrupted when two goldfish glide
                                           through her reflection.

                3.  Correlative conjunctions are always used in pairs.

                     For example:   •      Neither Tom nor Susan heard Selima’s drowning cries.

                G.  Identify the conjunctions in these sentences and mention their kinds.

                1.  I’m going to buy either a camera or a laptop with the money.

                2.  It was half past ten when she reached home.

                3.  She spoke so softly that I could not hear her.
                4.  We listened eagerly, for he brought news of our families.

                5.  Do something constructive in the holidays because an idle mind is a devil’s workshop.

                6.  She not only wrote the text but also selected the illustrations.
                7.   They don’t have a car, so they rented one.

                8.  The doorbell rang while he was still in the kitchen.

                H.  Combine each pair of sentences with a suitable conjunction. Mention the kind of
                     conjunction you have used.

                1.  You will succeed. You work hard.

                2.  She did not seem surprised. She did not seem worried.

                3.  It was painful. I went to see a doctor.

                4.  Mamta is an accomplished dancer. She is prone to stage fright.
                5.  Do it slowly. Do it carefully.


                                                               90                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="91"><![CDATA[6.  Mr Mohan is rich. He is unhappy.

                  7.  I entered the station. I heard the announcement.

                  8.  We all respect her. She is a helpful person.


                       Writer’s Corner


                       The poet believes that not everything that glitters is gold.


                  I.  Do you agree that everything that appears to be appealing or good is not actually
                       so? Write a couple of paragraphs giving your view on this topic.



                        Listening Time


                  J.  Listen to the story ‘The Three Fish’ and number the statements from 1-8.

                       _____  The wise fish swam to his friends to tell the news.

                       _____  The two friends were caught in the net.
                       _____  The intelligent fish pretended to be dead whereas the fish who believed in

                                fate was struck dead.
                       _____  The intelligent fish said he knew what to do if the fishermen caught him.

                       _____  The wise fish went to another lake.

                       _____  Three big fish lived in a lake.
                       _____  The wise fish overheard a fisherman talking to another.

                       _____  The fish who believed in fate refused to leave the lake.




                       Activity Corner

                  K.  There are many idioms and proverbs in the English language around the cat.

                       For example:  •       To put a cat among pigeons means to do something that is likely
                                             to cause trouble.

                                        •    When the cat’s away, the mice will play means that people will
                                             be up to mischief when there is no one to control them.
                       Find out as many such expressions as you can and make a list.








                Insight MCB 8                                    91]]></page><page Index="92"><![CDATA[11          The Lady or the Tiger?







                                                                                   21st   Initiative and Self-Direction
                                                                                  Century  Productivity and Accountability
                                                                                  Skills  Critical Thinking and Media Literacy
                Reflect


                Have you ever had to choose between two options that looked equally
                 scary? Read this story about a young princess who makes a hard choice

                 after days and nights of anguished deliberation.




                      Let’s Read

              In the olden times there lived a semi-barbaric king with an authority so irresistible that,
              at his will, he turned his fancies into facts. When he decided upon anything, the thing was

              done.

              One of his fancies was to use the public arena as an agent of poetic justice. For this purpose,
              the king built a vast amphitheatre with encircling galleries, mysterious vaults and unseen
              passages. Here crime was punished or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and
              incorruptible chance.

              When a subject was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king,
              public notice was given that on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would
              be decided in the king’s arena. When the people had assembled in the galleries, the king,
              surrounded by his court, took his seat high up on one side of the arena. At his signal a door

              beneath him opened and the accused subject stepped out into the amphitheatre. Directly
              opposite him, on the other side of the enclosed space, were two doors, exactly alike and
              side by side. It was the duty and the privilege of the person on trial to open one of the
              doors. He could open either door he pleases, subject to no guidance or influence.

              If he opened the one, there came out of it a hungry tiger, the fiercest and most cruel
              that could be procured, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces as a
              punishment for his guilt. But, if the accused person opened the other door, there came
              forth from it a lady, the most suitable to his years and station that His Majesty could select
              among his fair subjects, and to this lady he was immediately married, as a reward of his

              innocence, whether he liked it or not.




                                                               92                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="93"><![CDATA[This was the king’s semi-barbaric method of administering justice. Its perfect fairness is
                obvious. The criminal opened either door he pleased, without having the slightest idea
                whether, in the next instant, he was to be devoured or married. On some occasions the
                tiger came out of one door, and on some out of the other. The decisions of this tribunal

                were not  only  fair but  also  immediately effected: the accused  person  was  instantly
                punished if he found himself guilty, and, if innocent, he was rewarded on the spot. There
                was no escape from the judgements of the king’s arena.

                The institution was a very popular one. When the people gathered together on one of the
                great trial days, they never knew whether they were to witness a bloody slaughter or a
                hilarious wedding. Thus, the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part
                of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan, for did not the
                accused person have the whole matter in his own hands?

                This semi-barbaric king had a daughter with a soul as imperious as his own. As is usual

                in such cases, she was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all. Among his
                courtiers was a young man of fine blood but low rank who was in love with the princess.
                The royal maiden was well satisfied with her  lover,  for he was handsome  and  brave.
                This love affair moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to
                discover his existence. He did not hesitate to do his duty. The youth was immediately cast
                into prison, and a day was appointed for his trial in the king’s arena. This, of course, was










































                Insight MCB 8                                    93]]></page><page Index="94"><![CDATA[an especially important occasion, and His Majesty, as well as all the people, was greatly
              interested in the workings and development of this trial.

              The young man and the princess loved each other, but the king would not allow any fact of
              this kind to interfere with the workings of the tribunal, in which he took such great delight

              and satisfaction. No matter how the affair turned out, the youth would be disposed of, and
              the course of events would determine whether or not the young man had done wrong in
                                               allowing himself to love the princess.

                                                       The appointed day  arrived. From far  and near  the
                                                           people gathered and thronged the great galleries
                                                               of the arena. The king and his court took their
                                                                places opposite the twin doors.

                                                                  All was ready. The signal was given. A door
                                                                    opened  and  the lover of  the princess
                                                                     walked into  the arena.  Tall,  beautiful,
                                                                      fair, his appearance was greeted with a

                                                                      low hum of admiration and anxiety. Half
                                                                      the audience had not seen so handsome
                                                                      a youth. No wonder the princess loved
                                                                      him! What a terrible thing for him to be
                                                                      there!

                                                                      The youth advanced into the arena
                                                                      and turned, as the custom was, to
                                                                      bow to the king. His eyes fixed upon
                                                                      the princess, who sat to the right of

                                                                     her father. But for the barbarism in her
                                                                   nature, the princess could not bear to
                                                                 have been there. For days she had thought
                                                               of nothing but this great event. With more
                                                            power, influence and force of character than
                                                        anyone who had ever before been interested in
                                                     such a case, she had possessed herself of the secret

              of the doors. She knew behind which of those stood the cage of the tiger with its open
              front, and in which waited the lady.

              And not only did she know in which room stood the lady ready to emerge, blushing and
              radiant, should her door be opened, but she knew who the lady was. It was one of the
              fairest and the loveliest maidens of the court who had been selected as the reward of the



                                                               94                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="95"><![CDATA[accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above
                him; and the princess hated her. Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this
                fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes
                she thought these glances were returned. The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her

                eyes to the loved one of the princess. With all the intensity of the savage blood inherited
                from her barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who trembled behind that silent door.

                When her lover turned and looked at her, and his eye met hers as she sat there, pale and
                white, he saw, by that power of perception which is given to those whose souls are one,
                that she knew behind which door crouched the tiger and behind which stood the lady. He
                had expected her to know it. He understood her nature; that she would never rest until
                she had made plain to herself this thing, hidden to all on-lookers, even to the king.

                Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: ‘Which?’ It was as plain
                to her as if he shouted it from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost. The

                question was asked in a flash, it must be answered in another.
                Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a

                slight, quick movement towards the right. No one but her lover saw her. Every eye but his
                was fixed on the man in the arena.

                He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart
                stopped  beating, every breath  was  held,
                every eye was fixed immovably  upon  that
                man.  Without  the slightest hesitation,  he
                went to the door on the right, and opened it.

                Now, the point of the story is this: Did the
                tiger  come  out of that door,  or  did  the

                lady?
                The  more we reflect upon  this

                question,  the harder it is  to answer.
                The decision of the question depended
                upon  that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric
                princess, her soul at a white heat beneath
                the combined fires of despair and jealousy.
                She had lost him, but who  should  have
                him?

                How often, in her waking hours and in her dreams, had she
                started in wild horror, and covered her face with her hands as she




                Insight MCB 8                                    95]]></page><page Index="96"><![CDATA[thought of her lover opening the door on the other side of which waited the cruel fangs
              of the tiger!

              But how much oftener had she seen him at the other door! How she had gnashed her
              teeth and torn her hair when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door

              of the lady! How her soul had burnt in agony when she had seen him lead her forth, his
              whole frame kindled with the joy of recovered life!

              And yet, that awful tiger, those shrieks, that blood!

              Her decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and nights
              of anguished deliberation. She had known she would be asked, she had decided what she
              would answer, and, without the slightest hesitation, she had moved her hand to the right.

              The question of her decision is one not to be slightly considered; and so I leave it with all
              of you. Which came out of the opened door—the lady, or the tiger?

                                                                                                —Frank Stockton



               A  P   Word Power
                W
                     arena                 -  a place with a flat open area in the middle and
                                             seats around it where people can watch sports and

                                             entertainment
                     amphitheatre          -  a round building without a roof and with rows of
                                             seats that rise in steps around an open space

                     vaults                -  underground rooms built to keep things safe
                     decrees               -  orders

                     devoured              -  gobbled
                     tribunal              -  court
                     imperious             -  arrogant; domineering

                     thronged              -  be present in large numbers
                     savage                -  aggressive; violent

                     parapet               -  a low protective wall along the edge of a balcony
                     fangs                 -  long sharp teeth

                     rapturous             -  delighted









                                                               96                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="97"><![CDATA[Story Comprehension

                  A.  Read these lines from the story and answer these questions.

                  1.  … the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part of the community
                       could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan, for did not the accused person
                       have the whole matter in his own hands?

                       a.  How were the masses entertained?

                       b.  What is meant by ‘the thinking part of the community’?
                       c.  Why couldn’t people find fault with the king’s method of administering justice?

                  2.  With more power, influence and force of character than anyone who had ever before
                       been interested in such a case, she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors.

                       a.  What secret did the princess possess?
                       b.  How did she obtain this secret?

                       c.  What additional information did she possess about what hid behind the doors?

                  B.  Answer these questions.

                  1.  How did the king use the public arena as agent of poetic justice?
                  2.  What reasons did the king have to consider his method impartial and incorruptible?

                  3.  Why was the institution of administering justice popular with the masses?

                  4.  Why did the king object to the courtier who loved his daughter?

                  5.  How was the lover greeted into the arena?
                  6.  What suspicions did the princess have about the maiden chosen to be her lover’s
                       bride?

                  7.  Why was the lover confident the princess would have found out the secret of the
                       doors?

                  8.  What dilemma had the princess faced in the days leading up to her lover’s trail?

                  C.  Analyse and answer.

                  1.  Do you think the king’s way of punishing crime and rewarding virtue
                       was justified?

                  2.  Why, according to you, did the writer leave the end of the story open-ended?









                Insight MCB 8                                    97]]></page><page Index="98"><![CDATA[Brain Work

                •  Who do you think came out of the door—the lady, or the tiger?




                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     People  react  to  a  situation  in  various  ways  depending  on  their  character  and

                     personality.

                     For example:  •       The king was semi-barbaric. He was almost completely
                                           uncivilised.
                                      •    The princess was hot-blooded. She became angry easily.


                D.  Match the qualities/attitudes with suitable actions.


                            Qualities/Attitudes                           Actions
                       1.   Mohini is the most                        a.  He did not join the discussion on the
                            considerate member in my                      inter-school tournament.
                            team.
                       2.   Loveleen is boisterous.                   b.  She learnt to cope with the big change
                                                                          when her parents separated.

                       3.   Rishabh was indifferent to                c.  He is always looking for opportunities to
                            cricket.                                      better his life.

                       4.   The cat was wary of humans.               d.  She often allows me to have the last slice
                                                                          of pizza.
                       5.   Mimi is very adaptable.                   e.  She is fair and remains neutral before
                                                                          forming any opinion.
                       6.   Vibhu is adventurous.                     f.  It ran away when I approached with a
                                                                          milk bowl.
                       7.   Varun is ambitious.                       g.  He loves to try out new things.
                       8.   Her manager is an impartial               h.  She is usually the life and energy of the
                            lady.                                         party.

                E.  Words formed from the same base word belong to the same word family. The
                     words may be formed by adding or removing letters, or by adding prefixes and
                     suffixes to the base word.


                     For example:  decide                 undecided            decision
                                      decisive            indecisive           indecisively






                                                               98                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="99"><![CDATA[Create word families for these words.

                  1.  child         __________________________________________________________

                  2.  entertain  __________________________________________________________
                  3.  friend        __________________________________________________________

                  4.  passion       __________________________________________________________

                  5.  commit        __________________________________________________________
                  6.  trouble       __________________________________________________________

                  7.  reason        __________________________________________________________

                  8.  silent        __________________________________________________________

                       Read this sentence.

                       •  This semi-barbaric king had a daughter with a soul as imperious as his own.

                       This is an example of simile.

                  F.  Choose suitable options to make similes.

                       full moon             balloon               dolphins                 runaway horse

                       regal lion            teardrop              sack of rocks            scorching desert

                  1.  Jatin bolted out of the classroom like a _____________.

                  2.  The children came down the road leaping like _____________.

                  3.  The pond was as dry as a _____________.

                  4.  These glasses suit people with faces as round as a _____________.

                  5.  The soldier walked like a _____________ on parade.

                  6.  Your handbag is as heavy as a _____________.

                  7.  Grandma’s broken wrist swelled like a _____________.

                  8.  The bottle rolled off the table like a _____________.


                   a
                  e
                  o  i   Grammar Ladder
                   u
                       An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

                       Adverbs are of five types.

                   1.  An adverb of manner describes how an action took place.



                Insight MCB 8                                    99]]></page><page Index="100"><![CDATA[For example:  •       The love affair moved on happily for many months.

                2.  An adverb of place describes where an action took place.

                     For example:  •       The tiger came out of one door.

                3.  An adverb of time describes when an action took place.

                     For example:  •       I met the king today.

                4.  An adverb of frequency describes how often an action takes place.

                     For example:  •       The princess and her lover met often.


                5.  An adverb of degree describes the intensity or degree of an action.
                     For example:  •       I am so nervous!


                G.  Fill in the blanks with the types of adverbs mentioned within the brackets.
                1.  Mark knew he had behaved ____________ badly. (degree)


                2.  Esha ____________ visits her grandparents. (frequency)
                3.  Agam is leaving ____________. (time)

                4.  The angry woman screamed ____________. (manner)

                5.  We ____________ meet for a dinner after work. (frequency)

                6.  Put the carton ____________. (place)

                7.  Father is ____________ sick. (degree)

                8.  We have done this ____________. (time)

                H.  You have learnt about the use of articles. Now, state whether these statements
                     are True (T) or False (F).

                1.  The is an indefinite article.                                                        _______

                2.  An is used before words that begin with a vowel sound.                               _______

                3.  A is used to refer to a noun that has already been mentioned.                        _______

                4.  An is used with the names of trains and ships.                                       _______
                5.  A is used before words that begin with a consonant sound.                            _______

                6.  The is used with adjectives in the superlative degree.                               _______

                7.  A is used before words beginning with the letter h which is not pronounced. _______
                8.  The is used when we refer to unique things.                                             _______




                                                              100                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="101"><![CDATA[Writer’s Corner


                  I.  Imagine that you are a reporter present in the amphitheatre on the day of the
                       young  man’s trial.  Write a  report  for your  newspaper  including  the  following
                       details:

                       •  the king’s method of administering justice
                       •  a description of the young man’s appearance and manner as he advances into

                           the arena
                       •  a description of the reactions of the crowd

                       •  a comment on the outcome of the young’s man choice of door



                        Listening Time


                  J.  Listen to a poem about a traveller who stands at a crossroads in a forest. As you
                       listen, underline the errors and correct them.


                                                       The Road Not Taken

                                             Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

                                                And sorry I could not travel both

                                                And be one traveller, long I stood
                                               And looked up one as far as I could

                                           To where it stretched in the undergrowth;




                                               Then took the other, as just as fair,
                                              And having perhaps the best claim,

                                            Because it was leafy and wanted wear:

                                              Though as for that the passing there
                                             Had worn them really about the same,




                                               And both that evening equally lay

                                              In leaves no step had trodden blue.
                                             Oh, I marked the first for another day!



                Insight MCB 8                                   101]]></page><page Index="102"><![CDATA[Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

                                            I doubted if I should ever come back.



                                               I shall be telling this with a sigh

                                             Somewhere years and ages hence:

                                           Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
                                               I took the one less travelled by,

                                             And that has made all the decision.

                                                                                                   —Robert Frost




                      Activity Corner

                K.  In the gladiatorial games of ancient Rome, trained warriors were pitched either
                     against each other or against animals in deadly fights, merely for the entertainment
                     of the public.


                     With the help of the Internet, research and make a presentation on similar sport
                     found in modern times.









































                                                              102                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="103"><![CDATA[12         The Glove and the Lions







                                                                                       21st
                                                                                      Century  Critical Thinking
                                                                                       Skills  Self-Direction and Accountability
                  Reflect


                  Have you ever been taken for granted by a loved one? How did you feel?
                   Read this poem about a lady who puts her lover through a deadly test,

                   in order to prove to the court that he greatly loved her.




                        Let’s Recite


                King Francis was a hearty king,
                and loved a royal sport,
                And one day as his lions fought,

                sat looking on the court;
                The nobles filled the benches,
                and the ladies in their pride,

                And ’mongst them sat the Count de Lorge,
                with one for whom he sighed:

                And truly ’twas a gallant thing
                to see that crowning show,
                Valour and love, and a king above,

                and the royal beasts below.


                Ramped and roared the lions,
                with horrid laughing jaws;
                They bit, they glared,

                gave blows like beams,
                a wind went with their paws;
                With wallowing might and stifled roar

                they rolled on one another;




                Insight MCB 8                                   103]]></page><page Index="104"><![CDATA[Till all the pit with sand and
              mane was in a thunderous smother;

              The bloody foam above the bars
              came whisking through the air;

              Said Francis then, ‘Faith, gentlemen,
              we’re better here than there.’


              De Lorge’s love o’erheard the King,
              a beauteous lively dame

              With smiling lips and sharp bright eyes,
              which always seemed the same;
              She thought, the Count my lover

              is brave as brave can be;
              He surely would do wondrous
              things to show his love of me;

              King, ladies, lovers, all look on;
              the occasion is divine;
              I’ll drop my glove, to prove his love;

              great glory will be mine.


              She dropped her glove, to prove his love,
              then looked at him and smiled;
              He bowed, and in a moment leaped

              among the lions wild:
              The leap was quick, return was quick,

              he has regained his place,
              Then threw the glove, but not with love,
              right in the lady’s face.

              ‘By Heaven,’ said Francis, ‘rightly done!’
              and he rose from where he sat
              ‘No love,’ quoth he, ‘but vanity,

              sets love a task like that.’
                                                                                                    —Leigh Hunt






                                                              104                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="105"><![CDATA[A  P    Word Power
                  W

                       hearty          -  friendly

                       gallant         -  brave
                       valour          -  great courage

                       ramped          -  behaved in a violent manner
                       horrid          -  horrible

                       glared          -  stared angrily
                       wallowing  -  rolling about in mud

                       stifled         -  suppressed
                       smother         -  (here) cover of clouds of smoke, dust, etc.

                       whisking        -  (here) rapidly moving
                       beauteous  -  beautiful
                       wondrous  -  impressive

                       divine          -  wonderful

                       vanity          -  excessive pride in oneself


                        Poetry Comprehension


                  A.  Read these lines from the poem and answer these questions.

                  1.  ‘Faith, gentlemen, we’re better here than there.’

                       a.  Who said this and to whom?

                       b.  Why did the speaker say so?
                       c.  What was the speaker referring to?

                  2.  He surely would do wondrous things to show his love of me;
                       a.  Who thought so?

                       b.  What did she do to make him show his love for her?

                       c.  Was she right in doing so?
                  B.  Answer these questions.


                  1.  What royal sport did King Francis love?
                  2.  Who all were watching the crowning show at the court?

                  3.  Describe the scene while the lions were fighting.



                Insight MCB 8                                   105]]></page><page Index="106"><![CDATA[4.  Describe the appearance of De Lorge’s lover.

                5.  Why did she drop her glove among the lions?

                6.  What did De Lorge do with the glove?
                7.  What did King Francis say to the Count?

                8.  In the end, what did De Lorge say to the lady?

                C.  Analyse and answer.

                1.  Why did the dame’s eyes ‘always seemed the same’?

                2.  Why did King Francis say ‘rightly done’ to the Count?




                      Brain Work


                •  The poem is a ballad. In what way does it qualify as a ballad?



                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     Read this line from the poem.

                      •  De Lorge’s love o’erheard the King, a beauteous lively dame

                     The highlighted word is an example of a compound verb (over + heard).

                D.  Match the words in Column A with those in Column B to make compound verbs.

                            Column A                                                 Column B
                       1.   brain                                                a.  clean

                       2.   day                                                  b.  look
                       3.   spring-                                              c.  drive

                       4.   out                                                  d.  check
                       5.   over                                                 e.  wash

                       6.   proof                                                f.  read
                       7.   double-                                              g.  do

                       8.   test-                                                h.  dream

                     Homophones are words that sound the same, but have different meanings, and
                     usually, different spellings.






                                                              106                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="107"><![CDATA[E.  Write down the homophones of these words from the poem. Then frame sentences
                       with each word in the pair to bring out the differences in meaning.

                  1.  one                    ____________           5.  here            ____________

                  2.  their                  ____________           6.  right           ____________

                  3.  went                   ____________           7.  face            ____________
                  4.  mane                   ____________           8.  where           ____________

                  F.  What kind of images do these words evoke? Write down as many related words

                       as you can for each of these. They do not have to be synonyms.

                  1.  king                   ____________           5.  dame            ____________
                  2.  court                  ____________           6.  lover           ____________

                  3.  gallant                ____________           7.  glove           ____________

                  4.  beasts                 ____________           8.  vanity          ____________

                   a
                  e
                  o  u i   Grammar Ladder

                       An adjective is a word used to qualify or describe a noun or a pronoun.
                       There are six different kinds of adjectives.

                  1.  An adjective of quality describes the kind or quality of a person or thing.

                       For example:  •       Lions are ferocious animals.

                  2.  An adjective of quantity indicates how much of a thing is meant.
                       For example:  •       There is enough water in the bottle.

                  3.  An adjective of number indicates how many of a thing is meant.

                       For example:  •       We saw twenty lions in the wildlife sanctuary.

                  4.  A demonstrative adjective indicates which person or thing is meant.
                       For example:  •       That lion looks aged.

                  5.  A possessive adjective shows belonging or possession.

                       For example:  •       This is my toy lion.
                  6.  An interrogative adjective is used to ask questions.

                       For example:  •       Which forest in Gujarat is home of the Asiatic lion?









                Insight MCB 8                                   107]]></page><page Index="108"><![CDATA[G.  Underline and state the kinds of adjectives in these sentences.

                1.  Whose wallet is that?                                                         ____________

                2.  Yatin broke his leg while skiing.                                             ____________
                3.  There was a curious mixture of people in the audience.                        ____________

                4.  Why should I say sorry when it’s not my fault?                                ____________

                5.  Which dress should I buy?                                                     ____________
                6.  They live in a little house near a lake.                                      ____________

                7.  These friends of hers are very polite.                                        ____________
                8.  There are eight boxes in the cupboard.                                        ____________

                     Adjectives can be formed from nouns, verbs, and other adjectives by adding suffixes.

                     For example:  •       thunder + -ous = thunderous

                                      •    play + -ful = playful
                                      •    sick + -ly = sickly

                     Sometimes, we have to make changes to the original word before adding a suffix to
                     form an adjective.

                     For example:  •       red + -ish = red + d + -ish = reddish
                                      •    China + -ese = Chinese

                     Some suffixes used to form adjectives are:

                     For example:  •       from nouns: -ar, -al, -ful, -ese, -ic, -ing, -ian, -ous/-ious, -ish, -ly, -y
                                      •    from verbs: -al, -able, -ing, -ant, -ous/-ious, -ive, -worthy, -y

                                      •    from adjectives: -al, -ly, -ish, -some

                H.  Form adjectives from these nouns, verbs and adjectives.

                1.  agree                  ___________                5.  whole         ___________

                2.  star                   ___________                6.  accident      ___________
                3.  hero                   ___________                7.  obey          ___________

                4.  talk                   ___________                8.  historic      ___________


                     Writer’s Corner

                I.  Animals  being  trained  ruthlessly  for the  entertainment  of masses is  a  harsh

                     reality. Write a poem about it, focusing on the pain and suffering of these helpless
                     creatures.



                                                              108                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="109"><![CDATA[Listening Time

                  K.  Listen to a job advertisement and answer these questions.

                  1.  How old and tall should an ideal candidate be?

                  2.  Which skill is absolutely necessary for the job?

                  3.  What other experience would be considered an added advantage?
                  4.  How would the successful candidates be groomed?

                  5.  What do interested candidates send the airlines?




                       Activity Corner

                  L.  Read these powerful slogans on the theme of animal cruelty.

                       •  Don’t turn around in vain as you see their pain.

                       •  Be the voice they wish they had and make the choice they wish they could.

                       •  Don’t act blindly instead treat them kindly.

                       Write an impactful slogan on a placard. Now invite members of other classes and
                       organise a slogan march.








































                Insight MCB 8                                   109]]></page><page Index="110"><![CDATA[13          After Twenty Years







                                                                                     21st   Critical Thinking
                                                                                    Century  Initiative and Self-Direction
                                                                                     Skills  Collaboration and Communication
                Reflect


                Do you plan to stay in touch with your friends after you pass out of
                 school? How? Read this story about a meeting between two friends
                 after a gap of twenty years.




                      Let’s Read


              The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The impressiveness was
              habitual and not for show, for spectators were few. The time was barely 10 o’clock at
              night, but the chilly gusts of wind, with a hint of rain in them, had forced people indoors.

              Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements,
              turning now and then to cast his watchful eye adown the thoroughfare, the officer, with

              his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace. The
              vicinity was one that kept early hours. Now and then you might see the lights of a cigar
              store or of an all-night lunch counter; but the majority of the doors belonged to business
              places that had long since been closed.

              When about midway of a certain block, the policeman suddenly slowed his walk. In the
              doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth.



























                                                              110                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="111"><![CDATA[As the policeman walked up to him, the man spoke up quickly.

                ‘It’s all right, officer,’ he said, reassuringly. ‘I’m just waiting for a friend. It’s an appointment
                made twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn’tit? Well, I’ll explain if you’d
                like to make certain it’s all straight. About that long ago, there used to be a restaurant

                where this store stands—“Big Joe” Brady’s restaurant.’
                ‘Until five years ago,’ said the policeman. ‘It was torn down then.’


                The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar. The light showed a pale, square-
                jawed face with  keen eyes, and  a little white scar near his  right eyebrow. He wore a
                large,  oddly-set diamond pin in his scarf.

                ‘Twenty years ago to-night,’ said the man, ‘I
                dined  here  at  “Big  Joe”  Brady’s  with  Jimmy
                Wells, my best chum and the finest chap in the
                world. He and I were raised here in New York,
                just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen
                and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was

                to start for the West to make my fortune. You
                couldn’t have dragged Jimmy out of New
                York;  he  thought  it  was  the  only  place  on
                Earth. Well, we agreed that night that we
                would meet here again exactly twenty years
                from that date and time, no matter what our
                conditions might be or from what distance
                we might have to come. We figured that in
                twenty years each of us ought to have our

                destiny worked out and our fortunes made,
                whatever they were going to be.’

                ‘It  sounds  pretty  interesting,’  said  the
                policeman.  ‘Rather  a  long  time  between
                meets, though, it seems to me. Haven’t you heard from your friend since you left?’

                ‘Well, yes, for a time we corresponded,’ said the other. ‘But after a year or two we lost
                track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition and I kept hustling around
                over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he always was
                the truest, staunchest old chap in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles

                to stand in this door tonight, and it’s worth it if my old partner turns up.’
                The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch, the lids of it set with small diamonds.




                Insight MCB 8                                   111]]></page><page Index="112"><![CDATA[‘Three minutes to ten,’ he announced. ‘It was exactly ten o’clock when we parted here at
              the restaurant door.’

              ‘Did pretty well out West, didn’t you?’ asked the policeman.

              ‘You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of plodder, though, good
              fellow as he was. I’ve had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my pile.
              A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him.’


              The policeman twirled his club and took a step or two.
              ‘I’ll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Going to call time on him

              sharp?’

              ‘I should say not!’ said the other. ‘I’ll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy is alive on
              earth he’ll be here by that time. So long, officer.’

              ‘Good-night, sir,’ said the policeman, passing on along his beat, trying doors as he went.

              There was now a fine, cold drizzle falling and the wind had risen from its uncertain puffs
              into a steady blow. The few foot passengers astir in that quarter hurried dismally and
              silently along with coat collars turned high and pocketed hands. And in the door of the
              hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment with the
              friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited.

              About twenty minutes he waited and
              then a tall man in a long overcoat,

              with  collar  turned  up  to  his  ears,
              hurried across from the  opposite
              side of the street. He went directly
              to the waiting man.

              ‘Is that you, Bob?’ he asked,
              doubtfully.

              ‘Is that you, Jimmy Wells?’ cried the
              man in the door.

              ‘Bless my heart!’ exclaimed the new
              arrival, grasping  both  the other’s
              hands with his own. ‘It’s Bob, sure as

              fate. I was certain I’d find you here
              if you were still  in  existence. Well,
              well, well!—twenty years is  a long




                                                              112                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="113"><![CDATA[time. The old restaurant’s gone, Bob; I wish it had lasted, so we could have had another
                dinner there. How has the West treated you, old man?’

                ‘Bully; it has given me everything I asked it for. You’ve changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought
                you were so tall by two or three inches.’

                ‘Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty.’

                ‘Doing well in New York, Jimmy?’

                ‘Moderately. I have a position in one of the city departments. Come on, Bob; we’ll go
                around to a place I know of and have a good long talk about old times.’


                The two men started up the street, arm in arm. The man from the West, his egotism enlarged
                by success, was beginning to outline the history of his career. The other, submerged in his
                overcoat, listened with interest.

                At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this
                glare each of them turned simultaneously to gaze upon the other’s face.

                The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm.

                ‘You’re not Jimmy Wells!’ he snapped. ‘Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough
                to change a man’s nose from a Roman to a pug.’

                ‘It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,’ said the tall man. ‘You’ve been under
                arrest for ten minutes, “Silky” Bob. Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way
                and wires us she wants to have a chat with you. Going quietly, are you? That’s sensible.
                Now, before we go on to the station here’s a note I was asked to hand you. You may read
                it here at the window. It’s from Patrolman Wells.’


                The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed him. His hand was
                steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished. The
                note was rather short.

                Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar
                I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago. Somehow, I couldn’t do it myself, so I
                went around and got a plain-clothes man to do the job.

                                                                                                         —O Henry














                Insight MCB 8                                   113]]></page><page Index="114"><![CDATA[A  P   Word Power
                W

                     avenue            -  a street in a town or city

                     twirling          -  (here) making the club turn quickly and lightly round
                                           and round
                     thoroughfare -  main road

                     stalwart          -  strong and faithful
                     swagger           -  a way of walking or behaving that seems very confident

                     reassuringly  -  in a way that makes you feel less worried about something
                     chum              -  friend

                     proposition       -  (here) something that has to be dealt with
                     staunchest        -  most loyal

                     plodder           -  a person who works slowly and steadily but without
                                           imagination
                     call time         -  wait for a certain time only

                     astir             -  (here) moving about
                     egotism           -  self-importance

                     submerged         -  hidden
                     snapped           -  spoke in a sharp tone

                     Roman (nose) -  a nose that curves out at the top
                     pug (nose)        -  a nose that is short, flat and turned up at the end



                      Story Comprehension


                A.  State whether these statements are True (T) or False (F).

                 1.  The policeman’s name was Jimmy Wells.                                                ______

                 2.  Jimmy was forty-five years old.                                                      ______
                 3.  Bob thought that Jimmy would be very successful if he left New York and
                      settled in the West.                                                                ______

                 4.  ‘‘Silky’’ Bob lived in New York.                                                     ______

                 5.  Bob and Jimmy met after twenty years near “Big Joe” Brady’s restaurant.  ______

                 6.  Bob had made his fortune in the West as a successful diamond merchant.  ______





                                                              114                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="115"><![CDATA[7.  Bob realised that the man in the overcoat wasn’t Jimmy as the man was
                       two or three inches taller than Jimmy.                                               ______

                   8.  Jimmy was afraid of ‘‘Silky’’ Bob so he did not arrest him.                          ______

                  B.  Answer these questions.

                  1.  The story is about an appointment between two friends. What is special about this
                       appointment?

                  2.  Describe the policeman on the beat.
                  3.  Why was the man waiting in the doorway of the darkened store?

                  4.  What did the man in the doorway tell the policeman?

                  5.  What is the man’s attitude towards Jimmy?

                  6.  How did the patrolman know that Bob has been doing well?

                  7.  When did Bob realise that the man he was talking to was not Jimmy? How did he
                       react?
                  8.  What could Jimmy not do himself? Whose help did he take?

                  C.  Analyse and answer.

                  1.  ‘‘Silky’’ Bob was a wanted criminal, yet he came to the appointed place at the
                       appointed hour to meet Jimmy. What does this tell you about him?

                  2.  If you were Jimmy Wells, would you have taken the same decision that policeman
                       Wells took?




                       Brain Work

                  •  O Henry’s stories are known for their surprise endings. Did the ending of this story

                       surprise you? Did the writer provide any hints during the story to foreshadow the
                       surprise ending?



                  An
                    in   Words that Matter
                 The
                       A collocation is an expression consisting of two or more words that occur together
                       naturally very frequently.
                       For example:  •       heavy rains (and not strong rains)

                                        •    shake hands (and not stir hands)





                Insight MCB 8                                   115]]></page><page Index="116"><![CDATA[D.  Match the words in the two columns to make collocations.


                            Column A                                                 Column B
                       1.   illegal                                              a.  speech

                       2.   crucial                                              b.  ovation
                       3.   antiquated                                           c.  staff

                       4.   eloquent                                             d.  trade
                       5.   best                                                 e.  moment

                       6.   selfless                                             f.  advice
                       7.   dedicated                                            g.  law

                       8.   standing                                             h.  devotion

                     Read these sentences.

                      •  The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch.

                      •  Elle heard the loud ticking of the clock in the hall.
                     The highlighted words are often confused. While both are instruments for measuring

                     and showing time, a clock cannot be worn or carried like a watch.

                E.  Choose the correct options to complete these sentences.

                1.  Maya almost choked at the overpowering __________ of rotting fish. (stench/smell)

                2.  He went to the party in a giant cockroach__________. (dress/costume)
                3.  This sleeping bag is very __________. (hot/warm)

                4.  The Internet has become part of __________ life. (everyday/ every day)

                5.  Who __________ the steam engine? (discovered/invented)
                6.  They took a __________ down the river. (trip/vacation)

                7.  He was struck by __________ and killed. (lightning/lightening)

                8.  She agreed to __________ the room to me. (hire/rent)

                     We can form new words from another one by adding or removing just one letter.
                     For example:  •       for + e = fore

                                      •    s – store = tore








                                                              116                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="117"><![CDATA[F.  Add or remove a letter from each word to make new words. Don’t forget to spell
                       them right.

                  1.  flame            ________            2.  pain              ________

                  3.  wind             ________            4.  stead             ________

                  5.  write            ________            6.  part              ________
                  7.  idea             ________            8.  slate             ________



                   a
                  e
                  o  u i   Grammar Ladder
                       When we use more than one adjective to describe a noun, we place them in the
                       following order—opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose.

                       For example:  •       an old Italian restaurant

                                        •    a brown leather overcoat

                  G.  Rearrange these adjectives in the correct order before the nouns they qualify or
                       describe.

                  1.  white adorable little kitten

                  2.  China big white plate square
                  3.  old Egyptian black vase

                  4.  vintage small blue multipurpose vehicle
                  5.  wooden brown big desk

                  6.  old beautiful wooden rocking chair
                  7.  young fair Russian beautiful girl

                  8.  chocolate-chip delicious small biscuits

                  H.  Study this table on conditionals.


                                           Zero              First              Second            Third

                        Sentence           If I eat junk food,  If I eat junk food,  If I ate junk   If I had eaten junk
                                           I get sick.       I will be sick.    food, I would be  food, I would have
                                                                                sick.             been sick.
                        Time referred to   past, present and  future            present and       past
                                           future                               future
                        Meaning            condition always  condition          condition         condition
                                           true              possible           possible but      imaginary so
                                                                                unlikely to       impossible to be
                                                                                happen            fulfilled


                Insight MCB 8                                   117]]></page><page Index="118"><![CDATA[Usage              to show a result,  to predict        to predict        to look at the past
                                         habit or fact


                I.  Complete these sentences with the correct forms of the verbs. Also, state the
                     type of conditional sentence each one is.

                1.  If  the  kitten  _____________  the  milk,  it  will  not  survive.  (doesn’t  drink/hadn’t
                     drunk/didn’t drink)

                2.  If I had gone to the shopping mall, I _____________ got you a new pair of shoes.
                     (would/will have/would have)

                3.  If he _____________ selected in her place, he would have performed better. (be/
                     was/had been)

                4.  If  you  worked  a  little  harder,  you  _____________  do  better.  (would/will/would
                     have)
                5.  If you liked dancing, you _____________ it up as a hobby. (took/will take/would
                     take)

                6.  I don’t like cable cars. If I get into a cable car, I _____________ sick. (felt/feel/feels)

                7.  If anyone _____________ to participate in the Physics Olympiad, please fill this
                     application. (wishes/wished/would wish)

                8.  If she _____________ that you needed help, she would have come at once. (know/
                     knew/had known)



                     Writer’s Corner


                J.  Imagine you are Jimmy Wells. After the arrest of ‘‘Silky’’ Bob, you go home with
                     a heavy heart. You tell your wife about your encounter with your old friend, Bob.
                     Write out the conversation that takes place between you and your wife and also
                     perform in the class.




                      Listening Time


                K.  Imagine Bob wants to speak to Jimmy. He calls Jimmy, who is now a reputable
                     policeman. Listen to their conversation and complete these sentences

                1.  Bob’s call was initially attended by the ____________.

                2.  Bob wanted to be put on a call to ____________.




                                                              118                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="119"><![CDATA[3.  The ____________ asked Bob if he would like to wait because Jimmy’s line was
                       ____________ at that moment.

                  4.  The Operator asked Bob if he would like to speak to Jimmy’s ____________.

                  5.  ____________ was Mr Wells’ Personal Assistant.
                  6.  Bob told Natasha that he is Jimmy’s ____________.

                  7.  Bob requested Natasha to ask Jimmy to ____________.

                  8.  Natasha checked Jimmy’s ____________ for Bob’s number.


                       Activity Corner


                  L.  Work in groups of three. Read a short story on the theme of ‘friendship’. Now
                       each group will present its story in a dramatised form. Ensure the key moments
                       of the story are highlighted.






















































                Insight MCB 8                                   119]]></page><page Index="120"><![CDATA[14          The School for Sympathy







                                                                                     21st   Critical Thinking
                                                                                    Century  Flexibility and Adaptability
                                                                                     Skills  Collaboration and Communication
                Reflect


                What are some of the things that you cannot do without help? Read
                 this story about a school that made children understand the struggles

                 of disabled people and helped develop sympathy and care for them.




                      Let’s Read

              I had heard a great deal about Miss Beam’s school, but not till last week did the chance
              come to visit it. When I arrived at the school, there was no one in sight except a girl of
              about twelve, with her eyes covered with a bandage. She was being led carefully between
              the flower-beds by a little boy, not more than eight years old. She stopped, and asked who

              it was that had come in, and he seemed to be describing me to her. Then they passed on.
              Miss  Beam was all  that I had  expected—middle-aged, kindly  and  understanding.  We
              chatted for a little while, and then I asked her some questions as to her teaching methods,
                                                                    which I had heard were simple.

                                                                      ‘…No more than is needed to help them
                                                                        to learn how to do things, and those
                                                                          only  of  the simplest—spelling,
                                                                            adding, subtracting, multiplying
                                                                              and  writing.  The rest is  done

                                                                                 by reading  to  them and  by
                                                                                 interesting talks, during which
                                                                                 they have to sit still and keep
                                                                                 their hands  quiet. There are
                                                                                 practically no other lessons.’

                                                                                 ‘…I have heard so much,’ I said,
                                                                                 ‘about  the originality  of your
                                                                                 system.’






                                                              120                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="121"><![CDATA[Miss Beam smiled. ‘Ah, yes,’ she said. ‘I am coming to that. The real aim of this school is
                not to teach thought but thoughtfulness—humanity, kindness and citizenship. That is the
                ideal I have always had, and happily there are parents good enough to trust me to try and
                put it into practice. Look out of the window a minute, will you?’

                I went to the window, which overlooked a large garden and playground at the back.

                ‘What do you see?’ Miss Beam asked. ‘I see some very beautiful grounds,’ I said, ‘and
                a lot of jolly children; but what perplexes me, and pains me too, is to notice that they
                are not all as healthy and active as I should wish. As I came in, I saw one poor little thing
                being led about owing to some trouble with her eyes, and now I can see two more in
                the same plight; while there is a girl with a crutch just under the window watching the
                others at play.

                Miss Beam laughed. ‘Oh, no,’ she said, ‘she’s not lame, really, this is only her lame day. Nor
                are those others blind, it is only their blind day.’ I must have looked very much astonished,
                for she laughed again. ‘There you have an essential part of our system in a nutshell. In
                order to get these young minds to appreciate and understand misfortune,

                we make them participants in misfortune too.
                In the course of the term every child has one blind day, one lame day, one deaf day, one
                maimed day, and one dumb day. During the blind day, their eyes are bandaged absolutely,

                and it is a point of honour not to peep. The bandage is put on overnight and they wake
                up blind. This means that they need assistance in everything, and other children are told
                to help them and lead them about. It is educative to both of them—the blind and the
                helpers.’

                ‘Everyone is very kind,’ Miss Beam continued, ‘and it is really something of a joke,
                although, of course, before the day is over the reality of the disability becomes clear even
                to the least thoughtful. The blind day is, of course, really the worst,’ she went on, ‘but
                                                                             some of  the children tell  me  that


























                Insight MCB 8                                   121]]></page><page Index="122"><![CDATA[the dumb day is the most dreaded. There, of course, the child must exercise willpower
              only, for the mouth is not bandaged. But come down into the garden and see for yourself
              how the children like it.’

              Miss Beam led me to one of the bandaged girls, a happy little thing. ‘Here’s a gentleman
              come to talk to you,’ said Miss Beam, and left us.

              ‘Don’t you ever peep?’ I asked, by way of an opening.
              ‘Oh, no,’ she exclaimed, ‘that would be cheating! But I’d no idea it was so awful to be
              blind. You can’t see a thing. One feels one is going to be hit by something every moment.
              Sitting down is such a relief.’

              ‘Are your helpers kind to you?’ I asked.

              ‘Pretty good. Not so careful as I shall be when it’s my turn. Those that have been blind
              already are the best. It’s perfectly ghastly not to see. I wish you’d try!’
              ‘Shall I lead you anywhere?’ I asked.

              ‘Oh, yes,’ she said. ‘Let’s go for a little walk. Only you must tell me about things. Being
              blind is so frightening. My head aches all the time just from worrying that I’ll get hurt.
              Where are we now?’

              ‘In the playground,’ I said. ‘We’re walking towards the house. Miss Beam is walking up and
              down the terrace with a tall girl.’
              ‘What is the girl wearing?’ my little friend asked.

              ‘A blue cotton skirt and a pink blouse.’

              ‘I think it’s Millie,’ she said. ‘What colour is her hair?’
              ‘Very light,’ I said.

              ‘Yes, that’s Millie. She’s the Head Girl. She’s very decent.’
              ‘There’s an old man tying up roses,’ I said.

              ‘Yes, that’s Peter. He’s the gardener. He’s hundreds of years
              old!’

              And so we walked on. Gradually I discovered that I was ten
              times more thoughtful than I ever thought I could be. I also
              realised that if I had to describe things to someone else, it
              made them more interesting to me. I told Miss Beam that I
              was very sorry to go.

              ‘Ah!’ she replied, ‘then there is something to my system after
              all.’
                                 —Edward Verrall Lucas (Abridged)




                                                              122                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="123"><![CDATA[A  P    Word Power
                  W

                       a great deal          -  a lot

                       about                 -  (here) a little more or less than
                       dreaded               -  frightening

                       still                 -  without moving
                       thoughtfulness  -  the quality of thinking about and caring for other
                                               people

                       jolly                 -  happy and cheerful
                       perplexes             -  surprises

                       plight                -  condition
                       crutch                -  one of two long sticks that is put under arms to help
                                               walk after an injury on leg or foot

                       in a nutshell         -  in a very clear way
                       dreaded               -  frightening

                       exercise              -  (here) use
                       ghastly               -  terrible



                        Story Comprehension


                  A.  Fill in the blanks with information from the story.

                  1.  When the narrator arrived at the school, he saw a girl whose eyes were covered
                       with a ______________.

                  2.  The narrator had heard that Miss Beam’s ______________ were simple.

                  3.  The real aim of Miss Beam’s school was to teach ______________.
                  4.  The narrator was pained to notice that the children were not as ______________

                       and ______________ as he should wish.
                  5.  The school instilled an understanding of misfortune into young minds by making
                       them ______________ in misfortune.

                  6.  Some children told Miss Beam that they dread the ______________ the most.

                  B.  Answer these questions.


                  1.  What did the narrator see when he arrived at Miss Beam’s school?
                  2.  What kind of lessons were given at Miss Beam’s school?


                Insight MCB 8                                   123]]></page><page Index="124"><![CDATA[3.  What was the real aim of Miss Beam’s school?

                4.  Was the narrator right in thinking that some children were not healthy and active?

                5.  Why were the students made participants in misfortune?
                6.  Why did some children dread the dumb day the most?

                7.  What questions did the narrator ask one of the bandaged girls?

                8.  What did the narrator realise at the end?

                C.  Analyse and answer.

                     Do you think children should be given an idea of the suffering in the world?



                      Brain Work


                •  Differently-abled people are normal people like us who have some special needs.
                     Do you agree with this? Why or why not?




                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     All  our  sense  organs—eyes,  nose,  tongue,  ears  and  skin—have  a  function  to
                     perform. They help us in seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, and feeling the touch of
                     something respectively.

                     We use different words to describe things and situations that relate to the five
                     senses.

                     For example:  •       pale (sight)

                                      •    fragrant (smell)
                                      •    salty (taste)
                                      •    explode (hearing)

                                      •    prickly (touch)

                D.  Categorise these words according to the five senses that they relate to.

                     splash             pungent          croak          gigantic           moist
                     scented            wet              bright         pointed            bland

                     perfumed           buttery          tidy           colourful          stinking
                     sour               hiss             soft           bitter             rustle






                                                              124                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="125"><![CDATA[Sight              Smell             Taste            Hearing             Touch















                  E.   Mention the sense organ which is used while doing these activities.

                  1.  drinking a glass of orange juice                       __________

                  2.  listening to music                                     __________

                  3.  washing hands                                          __________

                  4.  smelling a bottle of perfume                           __________
                  5.  reading a storybook                                    __________

                       Read these sentences.

                       •  There are parents good enough to trust me to try and put it into practice.

                       •  They need assistance in everything, and other children are told to help them.

                       The highlighted groups of words are collocations.
                       A collocation refers to a combination of two or more words that group together

                       very often in a sentence and occur more frequently than would happen by chance.

                  F.  Choose  the  correct word  from those given in  the  brackets  to  form suitable
                       collocations.

                  1.  __________ a custom (observe/watch)

                  2.  __________ a telephone call (keep/make)
                  3.  __________ an end to it (bring/put)

                  4.  __________ advantage of something (bring/take)

                  5.  __________ a suggestion (make/give)
                  6.  __________ your health (ruin/injure)

                  7.  __________ the requirements (fit/meet)

                  8.   __________ an action (put/take)






                Insight MCB 8                                   125]]></page><page Index="126"><![CDATA[a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                     A relative clause modifies a noun or a pronoun by providing extra information about
                     it. Relative clauses begin with who, whom, which, that, whose, when, where etc.

                     For example:   •      My sister who lives in Mumbai is a company secretary.

                                      •    Mohini, who just came in, is our class monitor.
                     There is a difference in the meaning of the two sentences.

                     In  the  first  sentence,  the  highlighted  relative  clause  is  necessary  to  convey  the
                     meaning of the sentence. It is a restrictive relative clause.

                     In  the  second  sentence,  the  highlighted  relative  clause  gives  extra  information
                     and is not necessary to express the complete meaning of the sentence. It is a non-
                     restrictive relative clause.

                G.  Rewrite  these  sentences  using  relative  clauses  to  combine  them  with  the
                     information given in the brackets.

                1.  The boy can’t stop crying. (the boy’s pet has been stolen)

                2.  She gave the file to her uncle. (she met him at the post office)

                3.  The gentleman never came by again. (he had left a letter for the gentleman)

                4.  All the girls went to the garden. (they were served snacks in the garden)

                5.  She went to the library. (she had read about the library in the magazine)

                6.  I am looking for the shop. (the shop sells antique jewellery)

                7.  I don’t like the singer. (the singer won an award)

                8.  We left the handbag with the police. (we had found the handbag with at the airport)


                     Some adjectives and adverbs have the same form and are likely to be confused.
                     For example:  •       He’s had a hard life. (adjective; here hard describes the noun
                                           life)

                                      •    You must work hard. (adverb; here hard modifies the verb work)

                H.  State whether the highlighted words are adjectives (Adj) or adverbs (Adv).

                1.  The candles were burning low.                                ________________________

                2.  Don’t drive so fast!                                         ________________________

                3.  Training is given a very low priority here.                  ________________________



                                                              126                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="127"><![CDATA[4.  We didn’t go far.                                           ________________________

                  5.  The project is still in the early stages.                   ________________________

                  6.  Come straight home after school.                            ________________________
                  7.  Those were her very words.                                  ________________________

                  8.  We arrived early the next day.                              ________________________




                       Writer’s Corner

                       Imagine you are the narrator and walking in the school’s playground. While you
                       are there, a little boy on his blind day falls and sprains his ankle. Miss Beam quickly
                       comes to his rescue and promptly gives him first aid.

                  I.  Write a short composition describing the event.

                       You could include the following:

                       •  the scene of the mishap

                       •  the reactions of the other students
                       •  whether anyone informed Miss Beam

                       •  what happened after he was given first-aid




                        Listening Time

                  J.  Listen to some incomplete sentences. Then complete them by adding a subject
                       which is suitable for the predicate that is read out.

                  1.  _______________               2.  _______________

                  3.  _______________               4.  _______________

                  5.  _______________               6.  _______________





















                Insight MCB 8                                   127]]></page><page Index="128"><![CDATA[Activity Corner

                k.  Find out the messages contained in these grids by filling in the blank squares with

                     suitable vowels.
                1.   Mark Twain


                       K       n    d   n       s   s            s
                                        t   h
                            l       n   g           g
                           w   h        c   h        t  h
                               d            f       c        n
                       h            r           n   d

                                t   h           b    l       n   d
                                    c       n       s

                2.  Helen Keller

                           T   h                n    l   y
                       t   h        n   g       w        r   s
                                        t   h       n
                       b            n   g       b    l       n   d

                                s       h       v       n    g
                       s       g    h   t           b        t
                           n            v       s            n
                                    c       n       s
































                                                              128                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="129"><![CDATA[15         The Tragedy of Julius Caesar







                                                                                       21st   Creativity and Innovation
                                                                                      Century  Self-Direction Accountability
                                                                                       Skills  Communication and Collaboration
                  Reflect


                  Can words be powerful in swaying public opinion? Read this scene
                   known for the speeches of Antony and Brutus.




                        Let’s Read


                This  scene  is  about  the assassination  of  Julius  Caesar.  A group  of  Senators, including
                Caesar’s trusted friends—Brutus and Cassius, think he may become the king. Afraid of
                Caesar’s growing influence, they hatch a conspiracy and Caesar is assassinated in the
                Roman  Senate. Afterwards  Antony, his  supporter, cleverly turns  the citizens of  Rome
                against the conspirators.


                Characters (in this scene)
                    •  Brutus, a member of Roman Senate and Caesar’s closest friend

                    •  Antony, Roman General and Caesar’s supporter

                    •  citizens of Rome
                                                   Act III, Scene 2:The Forum

                Enter Brutus and Cassius, and a throng of Citizens.

                Citizens:          We will be satisfied; let us be satisfied.

                Brutus:            Then follow me, and give me audience, friends. Cassius, go you into the
                                   other street, And part the numbers. Those that will hear me speak, let
                                   ’em stay here; Those that will follow Cassius, go with him; And public
                                   reasons shall be rendered of Caesar’s death.
                First Citizen:     I will hear Brutus speak.

                Second Citizen:  I will hear Cassius; and compare their reasons,  When  severally  we  hear
                                   them rendered.
                Exit Cassius, with some of the Citizens. Brutus goes into the pulpit.

                Third Citizen:  The noble Brutus is ascended: silence!



                Insight MCB 8                                   129]]></page><page Index="130"><![CDATA[Brutus:            Be patient till the last. Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my
                                 cause; and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour, and
                                 have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: censure me in your
                                 wisdom; and awake your senses, that you may the better judge. If there

                                 be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar’s, to him I say that
                                 Brutus’ love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand
                                 why Brutus  rose against Caesar, this  is  my answer,—Not that I loved
                                 Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were
                                 living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?
                                 As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as
                                 he was valiant, I honour him; but as he was ambitious, I slew him. There

                                 is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honour for his valour; and death
                                 for his ambition. Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any,
                                 speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a
                                 Roman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile that
                                 will not love his country? If any, speak, for him have I offended. I pause
                                 for a reply.
              Citizens:          None, Brutus, none.

              Brutus:            Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Caesar than you shall
                                 do to Brutus. The question of his death is enroll’d in the Capitol, his glory
                                 not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforced, for
                                 which he suffered death.

              Enter Antony and others, with Caesar’s body.
                                 Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony, who, though he had no
                                 hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the
                                 commonwealth; as which of you shall not? With this I depart—that, as
                                 I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for

                                 myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.
              Citizens:          Live, Brutus, live, live!
              First Citizen:     Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

              Second Citizen:  Give him a statue with his ancestors.
              Third Citizen:   Let him be Caesar.
              Fourth Citizen:  Caesar’s better parts Shall be crown’d in Brutus.

              First Citizen:     We’ll bring him to his house with shouts and clamours.
              Brutus:            My countrymen—

              Second Citizen:  Peace! Silence! Brutus speaks.




                                                              130                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="131"><![CDATA[First Citizen:     Peace! ho!
                Brutus:            Good countrymen, let me depart alone, And, for my sake, stay here with

                                   Antony: Do grace to Caesar’s corpse, and grace his speech Tending to
                                   Caesar’s glory, which Mark Antony, By our permission, is allow’d to make.
                                   I do entreat you, not a man depart, Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.
                Exit.

                First Citizen:     Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony.
                Third Citizen:   Let him go up into the public chair; We’ll hear him.—Noble Antony, go
                                   up.

                Antony:            For Brutus’ sake, I am beholding to you. Goes into the pulpit.
                Fourth Citizen:  What does he say of Brutus?
                Third Citizen:   He says, for Brutus’ sake, He finds himself beholding to us all.

                Fourth Citizen:  ’Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here.
                First Citizen:     This Caesar was a tyrant.

                Third Citizen:   Nay, that’s certain: We are blest that Rome is rid of him.
                Second Citizen:  Peace! let us hear what Antony can say.
                Antony:            You gentle Romans—

                Citizens:          Peace, ho! Let us hear him.










































                Insight MCB 8                                   131]]></page><page Index="132"><![CDATA[Antony:            Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar,
                                 not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft
                                 interred with their bones: So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus Hath
                                 told you Caesar was ambitious: If it were so, it was a grievous fault; And

                                 grievously hath Caesar answer’d it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the
                                 rest—For Brutus is an honourable man;  So  are  they  all,  all  honourable
                                 men—Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and
                                 just to me: But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable
                                 man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransoms did
                                 the general coffers fill: Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the
                                 poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner

                                 stuff: Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man.
                                 You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
                                 Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was
                                 ambitious; And, sure, he is an honourable man. I speak not to disprove
                                 what Brutus spoke, But here I am to speak what I do know. You all did love
                                 him once—not without cause; What cause withholds you then to mourn
                                 for him? O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost
                                 their reason. Bear with me; My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
                                 And I must pause till it come back to me.

              First Citizen:     Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.
              Second Citizen:  If thou consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong.

              Third Citizen:  Has he not, masters?  I fear there will a worse come in his place.
              Fourth Citizen:  Mark’d ye his words? He would not take the crown; Therefore ’tis certain
                                 he was not ambitious.

              First Citizen:     If it be found so, some will dear abide it.
              Second Citizen:  Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.
              Third Citizen:   There’s not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.

              Fourth Citizen:  Now mark him; he begins again to speak.
              Antony:            But yesterday the word of Caesar might Have stood against the world;
                                 now lies he there, And none so poor to do him reverence. O masters, if I
                                 were disposed to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should
                                 do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong, Who, you all know, are honourable

                                 men: I will not do them wrong; I rather choose To wrong the dead, to
                                 wrong myself, and you, Than I will wrong such honourable men. But here’s
                                 a parchment with the seal of Caesar; I found it in his closet—’tis his will:
                                 Let but the commons hear this testament—Which, pardon me, I do not



                                                              132                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="133"><![CDATA[mean to read—And they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds, And
                                   dip their napkins in his sacred blood; Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
                                   And, dying, mention it within their wills, Bequeathing it as a rich legacy
                                   Unto their issue. Fourth Citizen: We’ll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.

                Citizens:          The will, the will! We will hear Caesar’s will.
                Antony:            Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it; It is not meet you know
                                   how Caesar  loved you.

                                   You  are  not  wood,
                                   you     are      not
                                   stones, but  men;
                                   And, being men,
                                   hearing the will
                                   of Caesar, It will
                                   inflame you, it
                                   will  make  you
                                   mad. ’Tis good

                                   you know not
                                   that you  are
                                   his  heirs;  For
                                   if you should,
                                   O, what would
                                   come of it!

                Fourth Citizen:  Read the will;
                                   we’ll hear it,
                                   Antony. You
                                   shall read us
                                   the will—Caesar’s
                                   will!

                Antony:            Will you be patient?
                                   Will you stay awhile? I
                                   have o’ershot myself to tell you of it: I fear I wrong the honourable men
                                   Whose daggers have stabb’d Caesar; I do fear it.

                Fourth Citizen:  They were traitors: honourable men!
                Second Citizen:  They were villains, murderers. The will! read the will!
                Antony:            You will compel me, then, to read the will? Then make a ring about the
                                   corpse of Caesar, And let me show you him that made the will.

                                                                                           —William Shakespeare



                Insight MCB 8                                   133]]></page><page Index="134"><![CDATA[A  P   Word Power
                W


                     The Forum                 -  the political and religious centre of ancient Rome
                     satisfied                 -  want a satisfactory explanation
                     give me audience  -  listen to me

                     numbers                   -  crowd

                     severally                 -  one by one
                     pulpit                    -  raised platform
                     lovers                    -  dear friends

                     censure                   -  judge

                     fortunate                 -  successful
                     bondman                   -  slave
                     rude                      -  uncivilised

                     enrolled                  -  recorded in documents

                     Capitol                   -  the place where the Senate met
                     glory                     -  noble deeds
                     extenuated                -  lessened

                     enforced                  -  made larger

                     commonwealth              -  republic
                     grace                     -  honour
                     tending                   -  referring

                     beholding                 -  obliged

                     interred                  -  buried
                     grievous                  -  unforgivable
                     under leave               -  with permission

                     general coffers           -  public treasury
                     Lupercal                  -  an ancient festival, observed to avert evil spirits

                                                  and purify the city
                     parchment                 -  document
                     testament                 -  will

                     bequeathing               -  saying in a will that you want somebody to possess
                                                  your wealth after you pass away





                                                              134                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="135"><![CDATA[issue                     -  children

                       meet                      -  suitable

                       inflame                   -  anger
                       o’ershot                  -  acted without proper judgement



                        Play Comprehension

                  A.  Explain the meaning of these lines with reference to the context.

                  1.  Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.

                  2.  The evil that men do lives after them;
                        The good is oft interred with their bones:

                  3.  Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

                  4.  Let but the commons hear this testament—
                       Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read—

                  B.  Answer these questions.

                  1.  Where did the scene take place? What did the citizens demand of Brutus?

                  2.  Who was asked to lead out one part of the mob to another street?

                  3.  What did Brutus say would be given to the mob?

                  4.  Whom did the Second Citizen wish to hear? What would he do afterward?

                  5.  To whom did Brutus address his speech? What would be his answer if asked why he
                       killed Caesar?

                  6.  Who spoke after Brutus? How did he begin his speech?

                  7.  What had people seen Caesar do ‘on the Lupercal’?

                  8.  What mention of Caesar by Antony made the crowd curious?

                  C.  Analyse and answer.

                  1.  Who was a better orator—Brutus or Antony? Why?

                  2.  What was the main quality of the citizens of Rome? Support your answer with
                       examples.

                  3.  What  effect  does  Antony’s  repeated  use  of  the  word  ‘honourable’  have  on  his

                       audience?




                Insight MCB 8                                   135]]></page><page Index="136"><![CDATA[Brain Work

                •  Was Antony’s reluctance to read the will feigned? Give reasons.




                An
                  in   Words that Matter
                The
                     Irony is the use of words in a written piece to convey the opposite of the literal
                     meaning.

                     For example:  •       Brutus is an honourable man.

                     Antony does not intend to describe Brutus as ‘honourable’; he means the opposite
                     of what he is saying.

                D.  Explain the irony in these situations.

                1.  Romeo and Juliet fell in love. Their parents were great enemies.

                2.  Dying of thirst at sea, the ship’s crew cried, ‘Water, water, everywhere,/Nor any
                     drop to drink.’

                3.  The office of the pest control service was infested with rats and roaches.
                4.  Rishi is a school bully. But he goes to sleep only when his mother tucks him in with
                     his favourite toy.

                5.  A boy belonging to scheduled caste leads a protest march against reservation in the
                     education sector.

                6.  A weatherman plans a family picnic. As his family sets out, a thunderstorm breaks
                     out.

                7.  A man has been saving a portion of his each month’s salary for retirement. On the
                     morning of his retirement party, he dies of a heart attack.

                8.  An ambulance driver speeds to the scene of a road accident. As he whips around a
                     corner, he runs over the victim’s legs.
                     An antithesis is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are brought together
                     in close contrast.

                     For example:  •       Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.

                E.  Complete these antithetical sentences with the word pairs in the box.

                     bitter…sweet          vices…virtues            human…divine              small…giant

                     hell…heaven           ideal…real               every…few                 brothers…fools




                                                              136                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="137"><![CDATA[1.  To err is ___________; to forgive ___________.

                  2.  Give ___________ man thy ear, but ___________ thy voice.

                  3.  Better to reign in ___________, than serve in ___________.
                  4.  Patience is ___________, but it has a ___________ fruit.

                  5.  Love is an ___________ thing; marriage a ___________ thing.

                  6.  Folks who have no ___________ have very few ___________.
                  7.  That’s one ___________ step for man, one ___________ leap for mankind.

                  8.  We must learn to live together as ___________ or perish together as ___________.



                   a
                  e
                  o  i   Grammar Ladder
                   u
                       Direct speech reports the exact words of the speaker.

                       Indirect speech reports what the speaker said without quoting his/her exact words.

                  F.  Read these rules of converting direct speech into indirect speech, and vice-versa.

                  1.  Change in tenses

                       •  While reporting habits or universal truths, the tenses do not change.
                       •  Present tense (simple, continuous and perfect) changes to past tense (simple,
                           continuous and perfect)

                       •  Simple past changes to past perfect tense.

                       •  In the future tense, ‘will’ changes to ‘would’.

                  2.  Change in pronouns
                       •  First person pronoun  changes if the subject of the reporting verb is in  third

                           person.
                       •  First person pronoun does not change if the subject of the reporting verb is also
                           in first person.

                       •  Second person pronoun changes according to the object of the reporting verb.

                       •  Third person pronoun does not change.
                  3.  Change in modals

                       •  ‘shall’, ‘must’, ‘can’, ‘may’ change to ‘should’, ‘had to’, ‘could’, ‘might’.

                       •  ‘could’, ‘should’, ‘would’, ‘ought to’, ‘have to’, ‘might’, ‘must not’ do not change.






                Insight MCB 8                                   137]]></page><page Index="138"><![CDATA[4.  Change in time expressions

                      •  ‘now’, ‘today’, ‘tomorrow’, ‘yesterday’, ‘next week’, ‘last week’ change to ‘then’,
                         ‘that day’, ‘the following  day’, ‘the previous day’, ‘the following  week’, ‘the
                         previous week’.

                G.  Change these sentences into indirect speech.

                1.  The tutor said to the parent, ‘Your child has a high IQ.’

                2.  He said, ‘You must submit your assignment tomorrow.’

                3.  ‘Berlin is the capital city of Germany,’ the tour guide said.
                4.  I asked her, ‘Will you come for dinner.’

                5.  ‘I’m sorry about the damage to your car,’ said the tall man.

                6.  She said, ‘I have been practising yoga since I was ten years old.’

                7.  ‘Hurray! Our girls have won the hockey match,’ the principal said.
                8.  ‘May you win many more trophies like this one,’ the mother said to her daughter.

                H.  Rewrite  these  sentences  in  direct  speech  with  correct  punctuation  and

                     capitalisation.
                  1.  he said that he had bought a necklace for his mother

                  2.  she told me that my parcel had reached the previous week

                  3.  ritul said that anshika had done this before

                  4.  she exclaimed sadly that they had missed the bus
                  5.  janica asked junaid what the name of her pet cat was

                  6.  the teacher told the class that the moon is earth’s satellite

                  7.  mahima said that she had slept for a while

                  8.  sushi said that her mother was baking a chocolate cake


                     Writer’s Corner


                     You are the in-charge of the English Literary Society of your school. You are producing
                     the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Design a poster for publicity.


                I.  When you design the poster, keep these points in mind:

                      •  Think of an eye-catching title/slogan/opening line.
                      •  Mention the date, time, venue, director and lead actors of the play.



                                                              138                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="139"><![CDATA[•  Include a few lines about the play.

                       •  Mention the name of the person to be contacted for details.
                       •  Avoid using complete sentences; use short phrases instead.

                       •  Make the poster attractive by including visuals and a variety of writing styles.



                        Listening Time


                  J.  Listen to an extract from Antony’s speech. As you listen, take down notes and
                       report the message he wanted to convey to the citizens of Rome. Then share your
                       notes and the message with your class.

                       ___________________________________________________________________

                       ___________________________________________________________________

                       ___________________________________________________________________
                       ___________________________________________________________________

                       ___________________________________________________________________

                       ___________________________________________________________________
                       ___________________________________________________________________

                       ___________________________________________________________________

                       ___________________________________________________________________

                       ___________________________________________________________________



                       Activity Corner


                  K.  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is based on true historical events. It is about the
                       assassination  of  Gaius  Julius  Caesar  (100BCE–44BCE),  a  Roman  general  and
                       statesman, who played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman
                       Republic into the Roman Empire.


                  L.  You have only read a part of the play and met a limited number of characters.
                       Read the rest of the play and find out how it ends.












                Insight MCB 8                                   139]]></page><page Index="140"><![CDATA[16          The Adventures of




                         Tom Sawyer

                                                                                      21st   Critical Thinking
                                                                                     Century  Initiative and Accountability
                                                                                     Skills  Collaboration and Communication
                Reflect


                What excuse would you make if you ever wish to skip school? Read this
                 extract about an imaginative and mischievous boy, Tom, who lives in

                 the fictional town of St Petersburg, with his half-brother, Sid, and his
                 aunt, Aunt Polly.




                      Let’s Read

                                                    Monday morning found Tom Sawyer miserable. Monday

                                                    morning always found him so—because it began another
                                                    week’s slow suffering in school. He generally began that
                                                    day with wishing he had had no intervening holiday, it
                                                    made the going into captivity and fetters again so much
                                                    more odious.

                                                    Tom lay thinking. Presently it occurred to him that he
                                                     wished he was sick;  then he could  stay  home  from
                                                           school. Here was a vague possibility. He canvassed
                                                                  his system. No ailment was found, and he

                                                                  investigated  again.  This  time  he  thought
                                                                  he  could  detect  colicky symptoms,
                                                                  and  he began to  encourage them with
                                                                  considerable  hope.  But  they soon  grew
                                                                   feeble, and presently died wholly away. He
                                                                    reflected further. Suddenly he discovered
                                                                     something. One of his upper front teeth

                                                                       was loose. This  was lucky; he was
                                                                        about to begin to groan, as a ‘starter,’
                                                                        as he called it, when it occurred to him
                                                                        that if he came  into court with that




                                                              140                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="141"><![CDATA[argument, his aunt would pull it out, and that would hurt. So he thought he would hold
                the tooth in reserve for the present, and seek further. Nothing offered for some little
                time, and then he remembered hearing the doctor tell about a certain thing that laid up
                a patient for two or three weeks and threatened to make him lose a finger. So the boy

                eagerly drew his sore toe from under the sheet and held it up for inspection. But now he
                did not know the necessary symptoms. However, it seemed well worthwhile to chance it,
                so he fell to groaning with considerable spirit.

                But Sid slept on unconscious.

                Tom groaned louder, and fancied that he began to feel pain in the toe.

                No result from Sid.

                Tom was panting with his exertions by this time. He took a rest and then swelled himself
                up and fetched a succession of admirable groans.

                Sid snored on.

                Tom was aggravated. He said, ‘Sid,
                Sid!’ and shook him. This course
                worked well, and  Tom began
                to groan  again.  Sid  yawned,

                stretched,      then     brought
                himself up on his elbow with
                a snort, and began to stare at
                Tom. Tom went on groaning.

                Sid  said:‘Tom!  Say,  Tom!’
                [No  response.] ‘Here, Tom!
                TOM! What is  the matter,
                Tom?’  And he shook  him
                and  looked in  his  face

                anxiously.
                Tom      moaned       out:‘Oh,

                don’t, Sid. Don’t joggle me.’

                ‘Why, what’s the matter, Tom? I
                must call auntie.’

                ‘No—never mind. It’ll be over by and by, maybe. Don’t call anybody.’

                ‘But I must! Don’t groan so, Tom, it’s awful. How long you been this way?’




                Insight MCB 8                                   141]]></page><page Index="142"><![CDATA[‘Hours. Ouch! Oh, don’t stir so, Sid, you’ll kill me.’

              ‘Tom, why didn’t you wake me sooner? Oh, Tom, don’t! It makes my flesh crawl to hear
              you. Tom, what is the matter?’

              ‘I forgive you everything, Sid. [Groan.] Everything you’ve ever done to me. When I’m
              gone—’

              ‘Oh, Tom, you ain’t dying, are you? Don’t, Tom—oh, don’t. Maybe—’

              ‘I forgive everybody, Sid. [Groan.] Tell’em so, Sid. And Sid, you give my window-sash and
              my cat with one eye to that new girl that’s come to town, and tell her—‘


              But Sid had snatched his clothes and gone. Tom was suffering in reality, now, so handsomely
              was his imagination working, and so his groans had gathered quite a genuine tone.

              Sid flew downstairs and said:

              ‘Oh, Aunt Polly, come! Tom’s dying!’

              ‘Dying!’

              ‘Yes, ma’am. Don’t wait—come quick!’

              ‘Rubbish! I don’t believe it!’

              But she fled upstairs, nevertheless, with Sid and Mary at her heels. And her face grew
              white, too, and her lip trembled. When she reached the bedside she gasped out:‘You,
              Tom! Tom, what’s the matter with you?’

              ‘Oh, auntie, I’m—’

              ‘What’s the matter with you—what is the matter with you, child?’

              ‘Oh, auntie, my sore toe’s mortified!’

              The old lady sank down into a chair and laughed a little, then cried a little, then did both
              together. This restored her and she said:‘Tom, what a turn you did give me. Now you shut
              up that nonsense and climb out of this.’

              The groans ceased and the pain vanished from the toe. The boy felt a little foolish, and he
              said:‘Aunt Polly, it seemed mortified, and it hurt so I never minded my tooth at all.’

              ‘Your tooth, indeed! What’s the matter with your tooth?’

              ‘One of them’s loose, and it aches perfectly awful.’

              ‘There, there, now, don’t begin that groaning again. Open your mouth. Well—your tooth
              is loose, but you’re not going to die about that. Mary, get me a silk thread, and a chunk of




                                                              142                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="143"><![CDATA[fire out of the kitchen.’

                Tom      said:‘Oh,    please,
                auntie, don’t  pull  it  out.
                It doesn’t hurt any  more.

                I wish I may never  stir if
                it does. Please  don’t, auntie. I
                don’t want to stay home from school.’

                ‘Oh, you don’t, don’t you? So all this row was
                because you thought you’d get to stay  home from
                school and go a-fishing? Tom, Tom, I love you so, and you
                seem to try every way you can to break my old heart with your
                outrageousness.’ By this time the dental instruments were ready. The
                old lady made one end of the silk thread fast to Tom’s tooth with a loop and

                tied the other to the bedpost. Then she seized the chunk of fire and suddenly thrust
                it almost into the boy’s face. The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now.
                                                        —from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain




                A  P    Word Power
                  W

                       intervening                  -  coming in between
                       captivity                    -  imprisonment

                       fetters                      -  chains that are put around a prisoner’s feet;
                                                        (here) used to draw comparison between fetters
                                                        and the confinement Tom experienced at
                                                        school

                       odious                       -  something that causes strong dislike
                       canvassed                    -  carefully examined

                       ailment                      -  an illness that is not very serious
                       colicky                      -  symptoms of sharp pain in the stomach

                       fancied                      -  believed or imagined something
                       exertions                    -  the act of making an effort
                       aggravated                   -  annoyed and irritated

                       snort                        -   breathing out with a loud noise

                       joggle                       -  to move somebody up and down or from one
                                                        side to another


                Insight MCB 8                                   143]]></page><page Index="144"><![CDATA[face grew white              -  pale because of emotion

                     mortified                    -  (here) seriously infected
                     chunk of fire                -  a piece of hot coal from a fire

                     row                          -   (here) a loud unpleasant noise
                     outrageousness               -  exceeding the limits of what is usual



                      Story Comprehension


                A.  State whether these statements are True (T) or False (F).

                1.  Tom detected colicky symptoms the first time he canvassed his system. _________

                2.  One of Tom’s upper front teeth was loose.                                         _________
                3.  Tom did not know the symptoms of a certain thing that laid up a                   _________
                     patient for two or three weeks.

                4.  Sid got up at Tom’s first groan.                                                  _________
                5.  Tom asked Sid to give his dog to the new girl that’s come to town.                _________

                6.  Aunt Polly’s face grew white when Sid told her that Tom was dying.                _________

                B.  Answer these questions.

                1.  Why did Tom always find Monday mornings miserable?

                2.  Why did he wish he was sick?

                3.  Why did he decide to ‘hold the tooth in reserve for the present’?

                4.  Was Tom able to convince Sid that he was dying? How?

                5.  What was Aunt Polly’s initial reaction on hearing of Tom’s illness?

                6.  Why did Tom begin to feel foolish?

                7.  How did Aunt Polly extract Tom’s tooth?

                C.  Analyse and answer.

                     Aunt Polly did not believe Sid when he told her that Tom was dying, still she fled
                     upstairs. What does this tell you about her?




                      Brain Work

                •  Do you think Tom was smart with his excuse? Why or why not?




                                                              144                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="145"><![CDATA[An
                    in   Words that Matter
                 The
                       Read these sentences.

                       •  The boy buzzed around as busy as a bee.

                       •  Monday morning found Tom Sawyer miserable.

                       These sentences are examples of alliteration.

                       Alliteration  is  the  repetition  of  the  same  consonant  sound  at  the  beginning  of
                       adjacent words or closely connected words. It is used to increase the effect of what
                       is being said.

                  D.  Circle the words that are alliterative in these sentences.
                  1.  The parrot pecked at the packet of powdered chilli.

                  2.  Please change the cover of the cookery book.

                  3.  The horses have heavy hooves.

                  4.  Fanny fished for fish in a fissure.
                  5.  The lamb licked its limb.

                  6.  Brinda baked a birthday cake for Bandana.

                  7.  The red roses were wrapped in ribbons.

                  8.  I woke up dreaming of deadly dragons in the dorm.

                       Read these sentences.
                       •  One of Tom’s upper front teeth was loose.

                       •  Sit down or you’ll lose your seat.

                       The highlighted words sound the same, but are different in meanings.
                       Loose means not firmly fixed, and lose means to have to give up something.

                       Read the meanings and fill in the blanks with suitable words. The clues in the box

                       will help you.
                       dissent—decent                    principal—principle             notable—noticeable

                       ambivalent—ambiguous              altar—alter

                  1.  a.  most important; main                                                    __________
                       b.  a law, a rule or a theory that something is based on                   __________

                  2.  a.  a holy table in a church or temple                                      __________
                       b.  to make changes to a piece of clothing so that it fits better          __________


                Insight MCB 8                                   145]]></page><page Index="146"><![CDATA[3.  a.  important                                                              __________

                     b.  easy to notice                                                         __________
                 4.  a.  disagree                                                               __________

                     b.  fairly good                                                            __________
                5.  a.  having a mixed feeling                                                  __________

                      b.  not very clear                                                        __________


                  a
                e
                o  i   Grammar Ladder
                  u
                     When the subject of a sentence is the doer of the action, the verb is in the active
                     voice.
                     When the subject of a sentence is the receiver of the action, the verb is in the
                     passive voice.


                F.  Study this table to revise how verbs and pronouns change from active voice to
                     passive voice.

                      Tense                     Active voice                 Passive voice

                                 simple         He plays his part.           His part is played by him.
                      present    continuous     He is playing his part.      His part is being played by him.
                                 perfect        He has played his part.      His part has been played by him.
                                 simple         He played his part.          His part was played by him.
                      past       continuous     He was playing his part.     His part was being played by him.
                                 perfect        He had played his part.      His part had been played by him.
                                 simple         He will play his part.       His part will be played by him.
                      future
                                 perfect        He will have played his part. His part will have been played by him.


                G.  Rewrite these sentences according to the instructions.
                1.  I clean the scooter every weekend. (Begin with ‘the scooter’)

                2.  A fireplace will be built by the workmen next week. (End with ‘next week’)

                3.  The critic wrote an encouraging review of the book. (Begin with ‘an’)

                4.  By whom were you taught to speak German? (Begin ‘who’)

                5.  Who ate the last slice of pizza? (End with ‘eaten’)
                6.  The acid corroded the copper pipework. (Begin with ‘the copper pipework’)

                7.  My application for admission was not responded to. (Use ‘no one’)

                8.  The forest fire engulfed the entire village. (End with ‘forest fire’)


                                                              146                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="147"><![CDATA[H.  Identify and change the voice of these sentences.

                  1.  Why is so much food being wasted by them?

                  2.  The laptop would always be repaired by Shantanu.

                  3.  We will play a lot of computer games.

                  4.  Lata is reading her favourite storybook.

                  5.  The police could not find the stolen cash.

                  6.  He was praised by everyone for his quick wit.

                  7.  They had painted the wall.

                  8.  Where have you kept my notebooks?

                  I.  Change these sentences into direct speech.

                  1.  I asked them whether they would leave early the following day.

                  2.  She told me that I appeared tired.

                  3.  Saurabh asked if Shilpi was coming to the party that day.
                  4.  Manya told me that I had not done my work.

                  5.  He told Priya that he was going to sleep.

                  6.  The librarian told me that I could take the books home.

                  7.  Isha said that she wanted to give Loveleen a present.
                  8.  The teacher told the class that the sun is a star.




                       Writer’s Corner


                  J.  Imagine that you live in a hostel and haven’t gone home for the last six months.
                       You are beginning to get a bit homesick and wish to spend the winter vacations
                       at home. Write a letter to your mother expressing how you are feeling and asking
                       her to come and pick you for the vacations.




                        Listening Time

                  K.  Listen to some words from the story. Match them with their synonyms.

                  1.   stopped                           ____________





                Insight MCB 8                                   147]]></page><page Index="148"><![CDATA[2.  true                   ____________

                3.  examination            ____________

                4.  remarkable             ____________
                5.  dejected               ____________

                6.  unclear                ____________

                7.  horrible               ____________
                8.  praiseworthy           ____________




                      Activity Corner


                L.  A pen name or pseudonym is a name used by a writer instead of his/her real
                     name.

                     For example:  Mark  Twain  is  the pen name of  Samuel  Langhorne  Clemens, an
                                      American author and humorist.

                     Find out the pen names/real names of these famous writers and fill in the table.


                      Real Name                    Pen Name
                      1. J K Rowling
                      2. Agatha Christie
                      3.                           George Orwell
                      4. Isaac Asimov
                      5. C S Lewis
                      6.                           George Eliot






























                                                              148                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="149"><![CDATA[Listening Time

                Chapter 1 :
                   1.  Yogurt is a dairy product.
                   2.  Christianity is the best religion.
                   3.  The violin is a stringed instrument.
                   4.  All children love stories written by Premchand.
                   5.  Apples make a delicious snack.
                   6.  Humans are warm-blooded mammals.
                   7.   The sun is a star.
                   8.  Jazz is the most beautiful type of music.
                Chapter 2 :
                A Nation’s Strength
                What makes a nation’s pillars high                  And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown
                And its foundations strong?                         Has seemed to nations sweet;
                What makes it mighty to defy                        But God has struck its lustre down
                The foes that round it throng?                      In ashes at his feet.


                It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand                  Not gold but only men can make
                Go down in battle shock;                            A people great and strong;
                Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,                Men who for truth and honour’s sake
                Not on abiding rock.                                Stand fast and suffer long.

                Is it the sword? Ask the red dust                   Brave men who work while others sleep,
                Of empires passed away;                             Who dare while others fly...
                The blood has turned their stones to rust,          They build a nation’s pillars deep
                Their glory to decay.                               And lift them to the sky.
                                                                                               —Ralph Waldo Emerson
                Chapter 3 :
                The school has organised a farewell party for Monsieur Hamel, on Saturday, the 19th of July. Students who wish
                to bid adieu to their teacher should assemble in the school building, in the auditorium, by 10 a.m. They should
                wear their school uniform (blue skirt/trousers and white shirt), which they wear on weekdays. They can bring gifts,
                bouquet, greeting cards, etc. for Monsieur Hamel.
                The school will provide light refreshments. If you are interesting in attending the farewell party, please pay Rs 50 as
                transport and refreshment charge to your class monitor. Please inform your parents or guardians that the school
                buses will bring you back to the school building by 3 p.m.
                Chapter 4 :
                The Land of Story-books
                At evening when the lamp is lit,                    These are the hills, these are the woods,
                Around the fire my parents sit;                     These are my starry solitudes;
                They sit at home and talk and sing,                 And there the river by whose brink
                And do not play at anything.                        The roaring lions come to drink.
                Now, with my little gun, I crawl                    I see the others far away
                All in the dark along the wall,                     As if in firelit camp they lay,
                And follow round the forest track                   And I, like to an Indian scout,
                Away behind the sofa back.                          Around their party prowled about.

                There, in the night, where none can spy,            So, when my nurse comes in for me,
                All in my hunter’s camp I lie,                      Home I return across the sea,
                And play at books that I have read                  And go to bed with backward looks
                Till it is time to go to bed.                       At my dear land of Story-books.
                                                                                                       —R L Stevenson
                Insight MCB 8                                   149]]></page><page Index="150"><![CDATA[Chapter 5 :
              Doctor         :   Good morning! Hello, Mr Nuttel, how are you doing?
              Mr Nuttel      :    Not too well really.
              Doctor         :    What happened?
              Mr Nuttel      :    I feel terrible. I think I am on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
              Doctor         :   When did it begin?
              Mr Nuttel      :   Last week.
              Doctor         :   I shall give you some tablets for the same. They’ll soon make you feel better. But make sure
                                 you migrate to a peaceful countryside for at least a month.
              Mr Nuttel      :   I shall very soon. Thank you.
              Chapter 6 :
                 1.  One of the three wedding guests was detained by a young mariner.
                 2.  The wedding guest was transfixed by the mariner’s glittering clothes.
                 3.  The guest sat on a stone and listened to the mariner’s strange tale.
                 4.  The mariner recalled that a storm rose up and it chased the ship northward.
                 5.  The ship was hemmed inside a maze of ice.
                 6.  The sailors encountered an albatross.
                 7.  The albatross was a symbol of good luck to the sailors.
                 8.  The mariner confessed that he killed the albatross with his gun.
              Chapter 7 :
              1. pseudonym; 2. conscientious; 3. trepidation; 4. mercenary; 5. unparalleled; 6. vestige; 7. alkaline; 8. definition
              Chapter 8 :
              The Peace of Wild Things
              When despair for the world grows in me
              and I wake in the night at the least sound
              in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
               I go and lie down where the wood drake
              rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
               I come into the peace of wild things
              who do not tax their lives with forethought
              of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
               And I feel above me the day-blind stars
              waiting with their light. For a time
               I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
                                                                                                     —Wendell Berry
              Chapter 10 :
              The Three Fish
              Three big fish lived in a lake. They were very close friends. All three of them were very different from one another.
              The first one believed in fate. He thought what had to happen will happen no matter what. The second one was
              intelligent. He thought he could solve any problem with his intelligence. The third one was the wise one. He always
              thought hard before acting.
              One day, the wise fish overheard a fisherman talking to another. ‘This lake is full of big fishes. Let us come tomorrow
              and catch them.’




                                                              150                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page><page Index="151"><![CDATA[The wise fish hurriedly swam to his friends and said, ‘Let us get out of this lake before the fishermen come back. I
                know of a canal which can take us to another lake.’
                The intelligent fish said, ‘I know what to do if the fishermen come and catch me.’
                The fish who believed in fate said, ‘Whatever has to happen will happen. I was born in this lake and I am not going
                to leave it.’
                The wise fish didn’t want to risk his life, so he took the canal and went to another lake.
                Next morning, the fishermen came and cast their net. The two friends were caught in it along with many other
                fishes.
                The intelligent fish thought of a way to escape. It acted as if it were dead. The fishermen threw him back into the
                lake. But the fish who believed in fate was still jumping in the net and the fishermen struck him dead.
                Chapter 11 :
                The Road Not Taken
                Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
                And sorry I could not travel both
                And be one traveller, long I stood
                And looked down one as far as I could
                To where it bent in the undergrowth;                I doubted if I should ever come back.


                Then took the other, as just as fair,               I shall be telling this with a sigh
                And having perhaps the better claim,                Somewhere ages and ages hence:
                Because it was grassy and wanted wear:              Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
                Though as for that the passing there                I took the one less travelled by,
                Had worn them really about the same,                And that has made all the difference.
                                                                                                        —Robert Frost
                And both that morning equally lay                   Chapter 12 :
                In leaves no step had trodden black.                XYZ Airlines looking for Cabin Crew
                Oh, I marked the first for another day!             Looking  for  young,  enthusiastic  candidates  between
                Yet knowing how way leads on to way,                twenty and thirty years, a minimum height of 157 cm,
                fluent in English and with a charming personality. Previous experience with an airline, nursing or hotel industry
                would be an added advantage. Successful candidates will be given full training.
                In case of candidates with previous airline experience, the age limit can be relaxed.
                Interested candidates are requested to forward their updated CV along with a full length photograph within two
                weeks to:
                Cabin Crew Department
                Orchard Building
                Post Box No. 5678
                Fax: 0978-4569087
                Chapter 13 :
                Operator:  Good morning, Kotwaal Police Station. How can I help you?
                Bob:       Could you put me on a call to Jimmy Wells, please?





                Insight MCB 8                                   151]]></page><page Index="152"><![CDATA[Operator:   Certainly. One moment, please. I’m sorry his line is engaged at the moment. Would you like to wait?
              Bob:       All right.
              Operator:   I’m sorry. Sir is still busy. Would you like to speak to his Personal Assistant?
              Bob:       Yes, please.
              PA:        Good morning. Natasha Grover,Mr Wells’ Personal Assistant, speaking.
              Bob:       It is Bob, Jimmy’s childhood friend. I wanted to talk to him, but I can’t get through him at the moment.
                         Could you ask him to call me back? He has my number.
              PA:        Just a minute. I’ll check his directory. Yes, your number is there. It’s 123456.
              Bob:       Yes, that’s right.
              PA:        I’ll ask Mr Wells to ring up as soon as he’s finished with his present call.
              Bob:       Thanks very much. Goodbye.
              PA:        Thank you for calling.
              Chapter 14 :
                 1.  …was hundreds of years old.
                 2.  …were good enough to trust Miss Beam’s ideal.
                 3.   …was put on overnight.
                 4.  …had heard a lot about Miss Beam’s school.
                 5.  …was middle-aged, kindly and understanding.
                 6.  …was the Head Girl.
              Chapter 15 :
              Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
              To such a sudden flood of mutiny.
              They that have done this deed are honourable:
              What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,
              That made them do it: they are wise and honourable,
              And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
              I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:
              I am no orator, as Brutus is;
              But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,
              That love my friend; and that they know full well
              That gave me public leave to speak of him:
              For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
              Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
              To stir men’s blood: I only speak right on;
              I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
              Chapter 16 :
              miserable, ceased, considerable, inspection, vague, admirable, awful, genuine












                                                              152                                     Insight MCB 8]]></page></pages></Search>