Dr Acho Lesley

Lesson 3

A. Reading Comprehension

Richard Parker was so named because of a clerical error. A panther was terrorising the
Khulna district of Bangladesh, just outside the Sundarbans. It has recently carried off a little
girl. She was the seventh person killed in two months by the animal. And it was growing
bolder. The previous victim was a man who had been attacked in broad daylight in his field.
The beast dragged him off into the forest and his corpse was later found hanging from a tree.
The villagers kept a watch nearby that night, hoping to surprise the panther and kill it, but it
never appeared.

The Forest Department hired a professional hunter. He set up a small, hidden platform in a
tree near a river where two of the attacks had taken place. A goat was tied to a stake on the
river’s bank. He hunter waited several nights. He assumed the panther would be an old,
wasted male with worn teeth, incapable of catching anything more difficult than a human.
But it was a sleek tiger that stepped into the open one night: a female with a single cub. The
goat bleated. Oddly, the club, who looked to be about three months old, paid little attention to
the goat. It raced to the water’s edge, where it drank eagerly. Its mother followed it. Of
hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater urge. Only once the tiger had quenched her thirst did
she turn to the goat to satisfy her hunger.

The hunter had two rifles with him: one with real bullets , the other with immobilising darts.
This animal was not a man-eater, but was so close to human habitation that she might pose a
threat to the villagers, especially as she was with cub. He picked up the gun with the darts. He
fired as the tiger was about to attack the goat. The tiger reared up and snarled and raced away.
But immobilising darts don’t bring on sleep gently, they knock the creature out without
warning. A burst of activity on the animals’s part makes it act all the faster.

The hunter, whose name was Richard Parker, picked it up and with his bare hands and
remembering how it has rushed to drink in river, named it Thirsty. But the shipping clerk at
the Howrah train station was evidently a man both confused and diligent. All the papers
received with the cub clearly stated that its name was None Given. Richard Parker’s name
stuck. I don’t know if the hunter was ever called Thirsty None Given!

Question 1: Give the meaning of each of the following words as used in the passage. One
word answers or short phrases will be accepted.

i) corpse (line 6)
ii) quenched (line 18)
iii) reared (line 23)

Question 2) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.

i) Why does the author say that the panther ‘was getting bolder’?

ii) Why did the Forest Department hire a professional hunter?

iii) What did the hunter expect to encounter? What did he actually encounter?

iv) What did the tiger do before turning to attack the goat? Why did it do that?

Question 3 :

i) In not more than 60 words narrate how the hunter and his assistants captured the tiger and
her cub?

ii) Give a suitable title to your summary in question 3 (i) . Give a reason to justify your
choice.

B . Grammar: Modal Verbs :

What is a Modal Verb? A modal verb is an auxiliary verb that expresses necessity or
possibility. An auxiliary verb, also called a helping verb, “helps” other verbs show moods
and tenses. Auxiliary verbs include forms of do, be, and have. The most common modal
verbs include:

can could may might will

would must shall should ought to

Probability:

First, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is
happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or
'certainty' or 'probability'.

For example:

• It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.

• I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train.
• This bill can't be right. £200 for two cups of coffee!

Ability : We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability.

For example:

• She can speak six languages.

• My grandfather could play golf very well.
• I can't drive.

Obligation and Advice

We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should' to say when something is necessary or
unnecessary, or to give advice.

For example:

• Children must do their homework.

• We have to wear a uniform at work.
• You should stop smoking.
 Permission

We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and 'may' to ask for and give permission. We also use
modal verbs to say something is not allowed.

For example:

• Could I leave early today, please?

• You may not use the car tonight.
• Can we swim in the lake?

Habits

We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about habits or things we usually do, or did in the past.

For example:

• When I lived in Italy, we would often eat in the restaurant next to my flat.
• John will always be late!

C .Vocabulary

List of Synonyms – 1

Synonyms for words starting with A

Word Synonym-1 Synonym-2 Synonym-3 Synonym-4

Amazing Incredible Unbelievable Improbable Astonishing
Anger Enrage Infuriate Arouse Nettle
Angry Wrathful Furious Enraged Indignant
Answer Reply Respond Retort Acknowledge
Ask Question Inquire Query Interrogate
Awful Dreadful Terrible Abominable Unpleasant
Bad Depraved Rotten Contaminated Sinful
Beautiful Gorgeous Dazzling Splendid Magnificent
Begin Start Open Launch Initiate
Big Enormous Huge Immense Gigantic
Brave Courageous Fearless Dauntless Intrepid
Break Fracture Wreck Crash Demolish
Bright Sparkling Shimmering Radiant Vivid
Calm Quiet Peaceful Unruffled Tranquil
Come Approach Advance Near Arrive
Cool Chilly Cold Frosty Frigid
Crooked Bent Twisted Zigzag Hooked
Cry Weep Wail Sob Bawl
Cut Slice Carve Cleave Slit

D. Writing: Argumentative Essay

• Step One: Choose a High Interest Topic. ...

• Step Two: Explain the Difference between Claims and Opinion. ...
• Step Three: Brainstorm Claims, Evidence, and Warrants. ...
• Step 4: Explain Counterclaim. ...
• Step 5: conclusion