Ch 10.
The Banyan Tree
HONEY SUCKLE
Word meaning
1. Headstrong-determined
2. Squabbling-quarrel noisily over a trivial
matter
3. Crude- in a natural or raw state
4. Propping-leaning against
5. Drowsy-half asleep
6. Clump-group of bushes or trees
7. Fangs-long sharp teeth
8. Defiance-rebellion, resistance
9. Darting- move quickly
[Link]-miserably
Working With the Text (Page 131)
A .Complete the following sentences.
• The old banyan tree “did not belong” to the grandfather, but only
to the boy, because_____________________________________ .
[Link] small grey squirrel became friendly
when_____________________________________
[Link] the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit,
the squirrel
[Link] the spring, the banyan
tree_____________________________________________ and
__________________________________________ would come there.
[Link] banyan tree served the boy as
a____________________________________________ .
[Link] young boy spent his afternoons in the
tree____________________________________
ANSWERS
• 1. the 65year old man was not strong enough to climb it
•
[Link] found that the boy carried no catapult or air/gun in his hand
•
[Link] bold enough to take pieces of food from his hand
•
[Link] full of small red figs, birds of all kinds
•
5 reading room where he had made a rough platform to sit and
read
• books
[Link] against the tree, reading story books,
[Link] the following
questions.
• 1.“It was to be a battle of champions.” (8)
(i)What qualities did the two champions have?
Pick out words and phrases from the paragraph
above this line in the text and write them down.
Mongoose Cobra
C (a)________________ (a) ______________
• (b)_______________ (b) ______________
• (c)_______________ (r) ______________
What qualities did the two champions have?
Ans. (a) a great fighter (a) skilled and experienced champion
fighter
(b) very clever and swift (b) had a broad hood and poisonous teeth
(c) made calculated move (c) swift in speed and attack
ii)What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to
show their readiness for the fight?
[Link] cobra produced a hissing
sound to challenge the mongoose to a
fight. It raised three feet of its body
off the ground. It spread its broad
hood. The mongoose bushed its tail.
The long hair on its back also stood
up.
Q2. Who were the other two spectators? What did they
do? (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight?)
Ans] In addition to the narrator, the two other onlookers of
the fight were a myna and a wild crow. First of all they sat
on the cactus plant to watch the outcome of the fight. In
the end, they took part in the game. Both tried to pick up
the cobra for their meal. The crow got bitten and died. The
mongoose dragged the snake away into the bushes. The
myna also flew away.
3. Read the descriptions below of what the snake did and what the mongoose did. Arrange their actions in the proper
order. (11, 16)
(i) ceased to struggle ‘• grabbed the snake by
the snout
(ii tried to mesmerise • dragged the snake
) into
the mongoose the bushes
(iii coiled itself around • darted away and bit
) the
the mongoose cobra on the back
(iv stnick the crow • pretended to attack
) the cobra on one side
struck again and • refused to look into
the
missed snake’s eyes
(v struck on ihe side • sprang aside, jumped
) in
that the mongoose and bit
pretended to attack
Q/ANS
• 4.(i) What happened to the crow in the end? (16)
(ii) What did the myna do finally? (17)
• Ans. (i) In the end, the crow got bitten by the cobra and it
fell dead.
(ii) The myna flew to the ground, looked into the bushes,
gave a shrill cry and flew away.
• Working With Language (Page 133)
Q/ANS
• The word ‘round’ usually means a kind of shape. What is its
meaning in the story?
• 2. Find five words in the following paragraph, which are generally
associated with trees. But here, they have been used differently.
Underline the words. Hari leaves for work at nine every morning.
He works in the local branch of the firm of which his uncle is the
owner. Hari’s success is really the fruit of his own labour. He is
happy, but he has a small problem. The root cause of his problem
is a stray dog near his office. The dog welcomes Hari with a loud
bark every day.
• Ans.
• 1. The word ‘round’ in the story means ‘the second course of a
fight’.
[Link], branch, fruit, root, bark.
• [Link] words in the box are all words that describe movement. Use them to fill in
the blanks in the sentences below.
• dived gliding sprang darting
• whipped…back delving
• [Link] he began to trust me, the squirrel began_______________________ into my pockets
for morsels of cake.
2. saw a cobra______________ out of a clump of cactus.
[Link] snake hissed, his forked tongue______________________ in and out.
[Link] the cobra tried to bite it, the mongoose________________________ aside.
[Link] snake _________________ his head ________________ to strike at the crow.
[Link] birds __________________ at the snake.
• Ans. [Link] / to delve
[Link]
[Link] / darted /
[Link]
[Link], back
[Link]
C. Find words in the story, which show
things striking violently against each other
• 1. The cobra struck the crow, his snout th___________ ing
against its body. (15)
[Link] crow and the myna c _ ll_________ in mid-air. (13) ‘
[Link] birds dived at the snake, but b____________ d into
each other instead (14)
• Ans.
1. thudding
[Link]
[Link]
• .elephants were able to fly in the sky, like clouds.
They were also able to change their shapes. They
used to fly behind clouds and frighten them.
People used to look up at the sky in wonder.
• [Link] there was no electricity, he used to get
up with the sun, and he used to go to bed with
the sun, like the birds.