Chapter 2: A Gift of Chappals

English
(www.olympiadsuccess.com)

Chapter 2: A Gift of Chappals

Class: VII

Exercise number-1

Question 1 

What is the secret that Meena shares with Mridu in the backyard?

Answer 1

The secret that Meena shared with Mridu is that there was a kitten inside a torn football which was filled with sand and was hidden behind a thick bitter berry bush in the backyard.

Question 2

How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?

Answer 2

Ravi got milk from the kitchen for the kitten. When he went to the kitchen for the milk, his grandmother saw him holding a glass of milk and he told her that he was hungry. He had to drink most of the milk to avoid suspicion. When his grandmother asked for the tumbler, he said that he would wash it himself and ran away. He poured the milk into a coconut shell and he again ran back to the kitchen, washed the tumbler and put it back before his grandmother could get really suspicious.

Question 3

Who does he say the kitten’s ancestors are? Do you believe him?

Answer 3

Ravi said that, in a Pallava ship there is one of the descendants of the Egyptian cat-goddess which was a stowaway. Mahabalipuram Rishi-Cat was the descendant of this cat and their kitten was descended from the Mahabalipuram Rishi-Cat. His narrative concerning the genealogy is unbelievable.

Question 4

Ravi has a lot to say about M.P. Poonai. This shows that
(i) he is merely trying to impress Mridu.
(ii) his knowledge of history is sound.
(iii) he has a rich imagination.
(iv) he is an intelligent child.
Which of these statements do you agree/disagree to?

Answer 4

Ravi has a lot to say about M.P. Poonai. This shows that he has a rich imagination.

Question 5

What was the noise that startled Mridu and frightened Mahendran?

Answer 5 

An unusual sound, a ‘kreech’ was the noise and this ‘kreeching’ was Lalli’s attempts at learning to play violin startled Mridu and frightened Mahendran.

Question 1

The music master is making lovely music. Read aloud the sentence in the text that expresses this idea.

Answer 1

The sentence that shows that the music master was making lovely music is: ‘The music-master’s notes seemed to float up and settle perfectly into the invisible tracks of the melody’.

Question 2

Had the beggar come to Rukku Manni’s house for the first time? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer 2

No, the beggar had not come to Rukku Manni’s house for the first time. When the beggar came, she asked Ravi to send him away and she said that the beggar had been coming to her house daily the week before. It was time now that he found another house to beg from, she said.

Question 3

"A sharp V-shaped line had formed between her eyebrows." What does it suggest to you about Rukku Manni’s mood?

Answer 3

A sharp V-shaped line between the eyebrows refers to a frown and this suggests that Rukku Manni was in an angry mood.

Question 1 

Complete the following sentences.
(i) Ravi compares Lalli’s playing the violin to ____________________
_____________________
(ii) Trying to hide beneath the tray of chillies, Mahendran _____________________
_________________
(iii) The teacher played a few notes on his violin, and Lalli _____________________
___________________
(iv) The beggar said that the kind ladies of the household ___________
_______________
(v) After the lesson was over, the music teacher asked Lalli if
___________________
_________________

Answer 1

(i) Ravi compares Lalli’s playing the violin to derailing of a train of melody.
(ii) Trying to hide beneath the tray of chillies, Mahendran tipped a few chillies over himself.
(iii) The teacher played a few notes on his violin, and Lalli stumbled behind him on her violin, which looked helpless and unhappy in her hands.
(iv) The beggar said that the kind ladies of the household were very generous and because of this, he had been able to keep his body and soul together for a whole week.
(v) After the lesson was over, the music teacher asked Lalli if she had seen his chappals.

Question 2

Describe the music teacher, as seen from the window.

Answer 2

Most of his back could be seen sitting in front of Lalli and the bony figure of the music master is clearly seen from the window. He was wearing a gold chain that gleamed around his leathery neck and was wearing a diamond ring that glittered on his hand as it glided up and down the stem of the violin. He usually kept a bald head with a fringe of oiled black hair that falls around his ears and an old-fashioned tuft. Beneath his gold-bordered veshti edge, a large foot stuck out and with his scrawny big toe, he was beating time on the floor.

Question 3

(i) What makes Mridu conclude that the beggar has no money to buy chappals?
(ii) What does she suggest to show her concern?

Answer 3

(i) Mridu concluded that the beggar has no money to buy chappals because she saw beggar’s blistered feet and this made her feel so.
(ii)  Mridu asked Ravi if he has any pair of old slippers that can be given to the beggar. On seeing the unfairness of the situation in which the beggar was, Mridu’s eyes were filled with tears and she suggested the beggar that he should wear something on his feet.

Question 4

"Have you children…" she began, and then, seeing they were curiously quite, went on more slowly, "seen anyone lurking around the verandah?"
(i) What do you think Rukku Manni really wanted to ask?
(ii) Why did she change her Question?
(iii) What did she think had happened?

Answer 4

(i) Rukku Manni actually wanted to ask the children that, have they seen the music master’s slippers which were missing.
(ii) When she saw the children were curiously quiet, she changed her question and they knew something about the slippers, she suspected.
(iii) She thought that purposely, the children had hidden the slippers or done something with the music master’s slippers.

Question 5 

On getting Gopu Mama’s chappals, the music teacher tried not to look too happy. Why?

Answer 5

The slippers of Gopu Mama were new while the slippers which were given to the beggar by the children were quite old and shabby looking. Still, the music master lied that his slippers were brand new and became quite happy when he got new slippers in return for his old ones. However, to show his disappointment for what the children has done, he tried not to look too happy. He pretended that he will somehow manage with the new pair of slippers, but the truth could not be hidden from his eyes.

Question 6

On getting a gift of chappals, the beggar vanished in a minute. Why was he in such a hurry to leave?

Answer 6

When the beggar was asked to leave, he raised his eyes and looked fearfully at the road which was gleaming in the afternoon heat because he knew that his feet would burn again. However, the beggar got amazed when the children got him a pair of slippers. He hurriedly flung his towel and pushed his feet into them, and left muttering a blessing to the children. He vanished around the corner of the street in a minute as he was tired and his feet were worn out. He left in hurry because he knew that he could not get anything better than this and Rukku Manni wanted him out of the house.

Question 7

Walking towards the kitchen with Mridu and Meena, Rukku Manni began to laugh. What made her laugh?

Answer 7

Gopu Mama was always in a hurry to take out his shoes and socks and get into his slippers as soon as he came home. Rukku Manni remembered this while walking towards the kitchen with Mridu and Meena. She wondered what will happen that evening when she would tell him that she had given his slippers to the music master. Thinking all his, she started laughing.

Question 1

Rewrite each of the following pairs of sentences as a single sentence. Use ‘if’ at the beginning of the sentence.
(i) Don’t tire yourself now. You won’t be able to work in the evening.
(ii) Study regularly. You’ll do well in the examination.
(iii) Work hard. You’ll pass the examination in the first division.
(iv) Be polite to people. They’ll also be polite to you.
(v) Don’t tease the dog. It’ll bite you.

Answer 1

(i) If you tire yourself now, you won’t be able to work in the evening.
(ii) If you study regularly, you’ll do well in the examination.
(iii) If you work hard, you’ll pass the examination in the first division.
(iv) If you are polite to people, they’ll also be polite to you.
(v) If you tease the dog, it’ll bite you.

Question 2

Fill in the blanks in the following paragraph. Today is Sunday. I’m wondering whether I should stay at home or go out. If I ___________ (go) out, I ___________ (miss) the lovely Sunday lunch at home. If I ___________ (stay) for lunch, I ___________ (miss) the Sunday film showing at Archana Theatre. I think I’ll go out and see the film, only to avoid getting too fat.

Answer 2

Today is Sunday. I’m wondering whether I should stay at home or go out. If I go out, I will miss the lovely Sunday lunch at home. If I stay for lunch, I will miss the Sunday film showing at Archana Theatre. I think I’ll go out and see the film, only to avoid getting too fat.

Question 3

Complete each sentence below by appropriately using any one of the following:
if you want to/ if you don’t want to/ if you want him to
(i) Don’t go to the theatre ______________________
(ii) He’ll post your letter ___________________
(iii) Please use my pen ___________________
(iv) He’ll lend you his umbrella ________________
(v) My neighbor, Ramesh, will take you to the doctor _____________
(vi) Don’t eat it ______________

Answer 3

(i) Don’t go to the theatre if you don’t want to.
(ii) He’ll post your letter if you want him to.
(iii) Please use my pen if you want to.
(iv) He’ll lend you his umbrella if you want him to.
(v) My neighbor, Ramesh, will take you to the doctor if you want him to.
(vi) Don’t eat it if you don’t want to.