CBSE -10

FIRST FLIGHT: PROSE & POEM

FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET

ALL CHAPTERS SUMMARY
FIRST FLIGHT: PROSE
ALL CHAPTER SUMMARY
A LETTER TO GOD
G.L. Fuentes
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● “A Letter to God” by G.L. Fuentes
depicts the unwavering faith of a
farmer in God.

● Lencho, the protagonist of the

story, was a hardworking farmer
who had immense faith in God.

● Lencho was expecting for a rain

shower to nourish his field of corn.
SUMMARY OF THE ● The rainfall did happen and he
LESSON refers to the drizzle as coins, large
droplets being equivalent to ten
cents and the smaller ones, five
cents.

● But it turned into a hailstorm

destroying his entire crop field.

● The damage posed a threat to the

family’s survival as their entire
livelihood was dependent on the
year’s produce.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● He wrote a letter to God seeking
help from the almighty after
discovering his entire crop yield
destroyed by a devastating
hailstorm.

● He requested God to send him one

hundred pesos in the letter.

● He posted his letter addressed “To

God”.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● The letter was removed from the
letterbox of the post office by the
postman, who laughed as he read
the address on it.

● However, to keep the man’s faith

intact, he asked the post office
employees to donate to charity.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● The postmaster also contributed a
portion of his salary.

● They were only able to collect 70

pesos.

● He wrapped the amount in an

envelope to make it seem like a reply
from the deity.
SUMMARY OF THE ● On having found the letter, Lencho is
not at all shocked, but instead, he gets
LESSON
angry on finding that the amount is
less than what he had expected.

● He again writes a letter to God

conveying his disappointment and
distrust in the employees of the post
office who he thought had stolen the
remaining amount.

● He requested to God that the money

not be sent through the mail and
called post office employees “a bunch
of crooks”.
NELSON MANDELA- LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
SUMMARY OF THE
● Nelson Mandela-Long Walk To
LESSON
Freedom is an extract from the
autobiography of Nelson Mandela
(born- 18 July, 1918), the first Black
President of South Africa.

● It begins with the description of their

inaugural ceremony which took place
on the 10th of May 1994 where the
entire nation along with many
international leaders embraced the
victory of a newly and fairly elected
government.
SUMMARY OF THE
● The inaugural ceremony involved
LESSON
speeches by the President and the two
Deputy Presidents followed by an
impressive air show of fighter jets and
helicopters.

● Long ago, in the first decade of the

twentieth century, white supremacy
introduced the system of apartheid
and made life a living hell for the
dark-skinned population.
SUMMARY OF THE
● Many people have struggled and
LESSON
sacrificed for basic human rights.

● The author expressed his desire to

thank all those freedom fighters who
couldn’t live to see this autumn day.

● He referred to the citizens as the

greatest asset of the country.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Mandela believes that courageous is
not the man who is fearless, but the
man who has overcome fear.

● He also mentioned the two

responsibilities every human has and
how in order to fulfil his obligation
towards the society, his obligation
towards his family was neglected.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Nelson Mandela became a man of
people when he realised that the idea
of freedom was an illusion for him and
people like him.

● It was then he joined the African

National Congress and fought for his
rights till he became the first black
President of the nation.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● According to Nelson Mandela, the
oppressor is as much a prisoner as he
oppressed.

● As soon as the former robs the

oppressed of their freedom he, himself
gets robbed of his humanity.

● Thus, the oppressor too, is not free.

TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING

HIS FIRST FLIGHT

SUMMARY OF THE ● The story “His First Flight” by “Liam
LESSON O'Flaherty” is about a young seagull
who is afraid to fly.

● The seagull’s younger siblings despite

their much shorter wings flew
fearlessly while he could not gather
the courage to trust his own wings.

● The young seagull became sad when

he saw his parents perfecting his
younger siblings in the art of flying.
His parents scold and taunt him for
not even trying. They even call him a
“coward”.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● The parents threaten him to leave him
alone and hungry if he does not fly.

● The young seagull is left in isolation

and upon feeling hungry; he tries to
seek the attention of his family
members.

● The young seagull cries out of

starvation hoping his mother would
help.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● The mother come to him with the fish,
he gets excited, but his mother
stopped mid-way.

● He gets maddened out of hunger and

takes a dive at the fish, forgetting for a
moment that he is afraid to fly. Finally,
he took his first flight.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● The mother come to him with the fish,
he gets excited, but his mother
stopped mid-way.

● He gets maddened out of hunger and

takes a dive at the fish, forgetting for a
moment that he is afraid to fly. Finally,
he took his first flight.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● All the family members celebrate his
victory by cheering and dancing
around him.

● He also attempts at floating in the sea

that he was once afraid of. Thus, he
overcomes his fear and realizes that it
is all in the mind.
TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING

BLACK AEROPLANE
-Frederick Forsyth
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● At the midnight the pilot of old Dakota
flies over Paris towards England.

● Pilot flies with dreams of having

Breakfast in the morning and
spending holidays with family.

● Unfortunately he passes through

huge black clouds.

● The compass, radio, fuel gauge and

all other equipment turned dead.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● He noticed another pilot in a black
aeroplane waved his hands to follow
his instruction.

● He saw a row of light on the ground

and that’s runway, he lands safely.

● He is left in shock when the lady in the

control room says that his was the
only plane in the sky.
FROM THE DIARY OF
ANNE FRANK
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Anne Frank is a Jewish girl who is
hiding during World War II, in order to
avoid the Nazis. She shares her
experience and the story during her
time of depression.

● She writes her her feelings in a diary

and the diary is named as Kitty. She
describes her family and early
childhood when they all migrated, her
early schooling in the diary.
SUMMARY OF THE ● She was very talkative which
LESSON constantly annoyed Mr.Keesing. He he
started giving her punishments in the
form of essays on weird topics such as
“Chatterbox” to which she replied with
full wit.

● She wrote essays that were funny.

According to her, she inherited the
talking habit from her mother. Mr.
Keesing kept on giving her essays until
she wrote a satire. After that third
and last assignment, Mr Keesing never
pointed her out for talking.
GLIMPSES OF INDIA
1. A BAKER FROM GOA

2. COORG

3. TEA FROM ASSAM

BAKER FROM GOA
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Goa is very much influenced by
Portuguese. Their traditional family
work is baking bread.

● Bakers are called as Pader in Goa.

● Children maintained good friendship

with bakers

● In the morning the jingling sound of

the bamboo wake the children from
sleep.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● From one hand the baker supported
the basket on his head and the other
hand banged the bamboo on the
ground.

● The villagers were much fond of the

sweet bread known as BOL.

● BOL was one of the most essential

marriage gifts.

● Children were fond of bread bangles.

SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Bread sellers wore a particular dress
known as ‘ Kabai.’

● ‘Kabai’ is a single piece long frock up

to the knees.

● They recorded their account on the

wall with a pencil.

● They always looked happy and

prosperous.
COORG
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Coorg- the smallest district situated
between Mysore & Mangalore.

● It is situated in hills & inhabited by

martial men and women.

● Coorg is also known as Kodagu.

● Evergreen forest, spices, coffee

plantations & Colonial Bungalows.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● People are descendants of Greeks &
Arabs.

● Alexander's Army stayed back and

married local women. Present race is a
mixture of both cultures.

● Men wear Kuppia which is similar to

the Arab garment Kuffia.

● Dress relates them to Arabs.

SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Brave people, hospitable and proud to
tell about the bravery of their
forefathers.

● Coorg regiment is one of the most

decorated in the Indian Army.

● The first Chief of the Indian Army

General Cariappa was a Coorgy.

● Kodavus are the only people in India

permitted to carry firearms without a
licence.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● The river Kaveri originates from
Coorg.

● The fish named Mahseer is found in

the river.

● River rafting, travelling in boat, rock

climbing make life adventure.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Wild elephants, butterflies and
squirrels, Langurs, Kingfisher draw the
attention of tourists.

● The entire Coorg can be seen by

climbing Brahmagiri hills.

● The island of Nisargadhama and

Buddhist settlement at Bylakuppe are
interesting places.
TEA FROM ASSAM
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Rajvir and Pranjol travelling to Assam
enjoying the green scenery of Tea
estate.

● Pranjol’s father is the manager of a

tea garden in Upper Assam.

● Pranjol has invited Rajvir to visit

Assam during the summer vacation.

● Rajvir enjoyed the beautiful scenery of

tea gardens on his way to Assam.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Assam is famously known as ‘Tea
Country’.

● While sipping the tea, Rajvir told that

over eighty crore cups of tea are
drunk daily in the world.

● They came to view a magnificent sight

of tea bushes.

● Tea plants- the stretch of the sea- in

orderly rows - Smoke was coming out
from chimney of an ugly building.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● The story of the Chinese emperor -
always boiled water to drink - a few
leaves of the twigs fell into the water-
gave a delicious flavour.

● The ancient Bodhidharma- asleep

while meditating- cut off his eyelids-
threw them on the ground - tea plants
grew out of the eyelids.

● ‘Chai’ and ‘chini’ are from China.

SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Pranjol’s parents took them in a car
towards Dhekiabari.

● Women were plucking the tea leaves in

bamboo baskets.

● May to July are the best months of tea

yielding.
MIJBIL THE OTTER
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● In this story Mijbil the Otter, the writer
tells us how his life altered after he
decided to keep an otter.

● Author’s friend suggested him to take

one otter from the Tigris marshes.

● In the beginning of 1956, the author

was in Iraq.

● A few days later the author got an

otter from his friend.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Two Arabs brought it for him in a sack.

● The author called the otter Mijbil.

● After some days, the author was to

come back to London.

● British Airlines didn’t permit animals

on it’s flight, but another airline
agreed to take the animal if packed in
a box.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● While in the plane, the otter escaped
from the box. There was a lot of hue
and cry.

● At last, the otter came back and

settled on the author’s knee.

● The otter spent most of its time

playing with toys. Sometimes the
author took the otter for a walk.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● The narrator took him to walk and the
people of London had wild guesses
about the animal.

● A few people think him to be an infant

seal, squirrel or maybe a hippo.

● Very few Londoners had ever seen an

otter. They were filled with surprise on
seeing such a strange animal.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● The utmost shocking response came
from a labourer digging the hole who
asked the author, “what’s that
purported to be?”

● The story explains the bond of the

author and his pet otter, and the
series of incidents happened during
their journey to London.
MADAM RIDES THE BUS
SUMMARY OF THE ● The story is about an eight year old
LESSON girl names Valliammai. She was very
curious to know about things.

● Her favourite pastime was to stand at

the front doorway of her house and
see what was happening in the street
outside.

● She would watch the bus that passed

every half an hour from her village to
the nearest town.

● She developed a desire to ride the

bus.
SUMMARY OF THE ● Valli found out the details of the bus
LESSON journey by listening carefully to the
conversations between her
neighbours.

● She got to know that the town was just

six miles from her village and the fare
was 30 paise one way. The trip took 45
minutes.

● Valli saved 60 paise for the fare. Finally

she took 1 o’clock bus to the town.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● The conductor was a jolly sort of
person. He amused Valli with her light
hearted remarks. He calls her ‘Madam’
by way of joke.

● Valli was very happy and saw outside

through the window.

● She got annoyed when an elderly man

called her a child. She disliked the
elderly woman for her shabby look
and didn’t prefer to talk to her.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Valli saw a frightened cow running
right in front of the bus. She clapped
gleefully as the cow ran faster.

● Valli did not get off the bus at the

town.

● She declined the offer of a cold drink

by the conductor.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● On the return journey she saw the
same cow lying dead by the roadside.
This unpleasant sight made her very
sad.

● The bus reached the village at three

forty. She got down the bus and
reached her home.

● Her mother did not come to know

about her journey.
THE SERMON AT BENARES
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Gautama Buddha was born to a North
Indian royal family as a prince and
was named Siddhartha Gautama.

● When he was twelve years old, he was

sent to a far away place to study
Hindu sacred scriptures.

● On his return from this place, he got

married to Yashodhara.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● One day, Lord Buddha was on the
hunt when he met four men.

● Initially, he met the sick man, then an

aged man followed by a funeral
procession and a monk who was
begging for alms.

● The sight of these people shocked him

to such an extent that Siddhartha
decided to seek enlightenment.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● After seven years of effort, he finally
got enlightened under a peepal tree
named Bodhi Tree.

● He gave his first sermon in the city of

Benares.

● Kisa Gotami: an unfortunate woman,

whose son had died.

● She came to Lord Buddha. She

needed the medicine that could cure
her son.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Buddha asked her to look for mustard
seeds and the seeds must be
procured from a house that had seen
no death.

● Kisa Gotami went on a search from

house to house but to her dismay, she
could not find mustard seeds from a
house that would fulfill Buddha’s
condition.

● She became conscious to the fact that

men were mortal and no one could
escape the cycle of life.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Buddha taught that death was
inevitable. Nobody can avoid dying.

● The world is afflicted with death and

decay.

● The wise don’t grieve. `He who has

overcome all soon will become free
from sorrow, and be blessed.’
THE PROPOSAL
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● `The Proposal’ is a one-act play. The
play is about the tendency of wealthy
families to seek matrimonial ties.

● Ivan Lomov was a wealthy neighbour

of another wealthy farmer Stepan
Chubukov.

● Lomov comes to seek the hand of

Chubukov’s twenty five year old
daughter, Natalya.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Chubukov in great curiosity to see him
well-dressed and asks him the
occasion. Lomov reveals that he had
come for a desire.

● Chubukov assumes that he must have

come to ask for money which he does
not want to return.

● After knowing that Lomov had come to

invite Chubukov’s daughter, Natalya’s
hand in marriage, Chubukov leaves to
call Natalya.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Lomov is a 35 years old gentleman
who suffers from palpitations and gets
upset very easily.

● He thinks it’s the right age for him to

marry and is happy that he is
choosing Natalya.

● He believes, Natalya is
average-looking and an honest
caretaker.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● On Natalya’s arrival, Lomov initiates
the conversation about the cordial
terms of both the families.

● While continuing to speak about his

land, he somehow mentions Oxen
Meadows which earlier was a disputed
property but is now his.

● Natalya is in the perception that Oxen

Meadows belong to her family.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Both enter into a heated discussion
and act childishly and Chubukov’s
entry made it more heated.

● They shout and scream while Lomov

suffers from extreme palpitation and a
numb foot.

● They throw Lomov out of the house

and continue abusing him.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● While defaming him, Chubukov
accidentally reveals that he had a
wedding proposal for Natalya which
surprises Natalya, and she suddenly
regrets sending him out.

● She tells her father to bring him back

and Chubukov banes himself for being
the father of a young daughter.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● When Lomov returns, Natalya tries to
deviate the topic by talking about
shooting. Little later they enter into a
debate on their dogs.

● Natalya strongly believes that her dog

Squeezer is better in comparison to
Lomov’s Guess.

● They continue arguing when

Chubukov enters the scene only to
form things worse again.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Everyone gets hyper and Lomov finally
falls because of palpitations. Even
then, the cursing continues when
suddenly Natalya notices that he’s
unconscious.

● As they find him unable to drink water,

declare him dead.

● After a while Lomov moves a bit, they

give him some water to drink and
Chubukov forcefully hands over
Natalya’s hands to him, gives his
blessings and asks them to kiss.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● After regaining his senses, he
expresses his excitement and kisses
Natalya’s hands.

● Natalya again keeps convincing him

that Squeezer is better than Guess
but Lomov, being adamant refuses to
accept this and the quarreling
continues.
FIRST FLIGHT: POEM
ALL POEM SUMMARY
DUST OF SNOW
- ROBERT FROST
DUST OF The way a crow

SNOW Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

● ‘Dust of Snow’ is a small poem
written by the famous American
poet, Robert Frost. The poem is set
on a day of winter season.

● The poet describes a simple

natural happening. The snow is
falling heavily.

● The snowy flakes have covered the

top of the trees.
● The poet is standing under a
hemlock tree.

● The movement and alighting of a

crow on that tree, make the dust of
snowfall on the poet.

● The crow, a symbol of ill omen and

the hemlock tree, associated with a
person, is not auspicious things.
● The falling of snowflakes and the
scene leave a tremendous effect on
the mental state and mood of the
poet.

● The day has been quite gloomy

and wastage for him.

● But this ordinary natural

happening suddenly brings the
desired change in his mood. It
gladdens his heart.
● The poet realises that the falling of
snowflakes on him has saved the
day.

● Now he has no regret as the whole

of the day has not gone waste.

● The moments of the snowfall and

their effect have saved the day.

● They have brought a change in his

mood and gladdened and uplifted
his spirits.
FIRE & ICE
-ROBERT FROST
 Some say the world will end in fire
FIRE AND Some say in ice.
ICE From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

● The poem expresses the profound
idea that the world would end in
either of two ways, either by ice or
fire.

● One group is of the opinion that

someday the Earth’s core will get so
heated up that it would lead to fire
destroying the earth’s surface.

● On the other hand, the second

group says that if the temperature
goes down to an extent that makes
life on Earth impossible, it would
have the same catastrophic effect.
● The poet then compares fire and ice
with the destructive features of
human emotions; desire and hatred.

● He says that from what he is aware

about “fiery desires”, he would
favour the ones who say that it
would be fire.

● He brings about the idea that

human beings let their emotions
rule them and the consequence of
unmonitored longing is chaos.
● Then by not waving off the first
option of fire, he considers if the
world has to expire twice, ice would
be equally competent in ending it.

● He brings about a contrast between

“ice” and “hatred”. The human
capability of insensitivity and
hatred has the potential for inner
destruction.

● So if given an option between fire

and ice, ice would be just as good
as fire to destroy the world.
THE TIGER IN THE ZOO
A TIGER IN He stalks in his vivid stripes

THE ZOO The few steps of his cage,

On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.

He should be lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
● The tiger that is confined in the zoo
moves around in the cage under his
bright coloured skin.

● The tiger can not move so easily as

the cage is too small.

● There is no sound of the tiger’s

footsteps because he has very soft
feet like velvet.

● He is angry, but controls his anger

and quietly walking in the cage.
● If this tiger was free, he would have
hid himself behind the long grass
near the water bodies.

● Then he could easily catch a deer in

order to have it as its food.

● The actual life of a tiger is to live in

jungle where he could catch his
prey.

● Here, the tiger is helpless as he is

confined.
A TIGER IN He should be snarling around houses

THE ZOO At the jungle’s edge,

Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!

But he’s locked in a concrete cell,

His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
● If the tiger would have been free, he
would have snarled around the
houses located at the outskirts of
the forest.

● He would terrorise people with his

sharp tooth and claws.

● He would create fear among the

people living in the villages.
● Here, the reality is that the tiger is
in the cage.

● The tiger is confined in a strong cell

which is made of strong building
material.

● Now his ferociousness is only

behind the bars as he is confined.

● He just stalks in the cage and never

tries to terrorise the visitors
because his power is restricted by
the cage.
A TIGER IN
THE ZOO
He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,

And stares with his brilliant eyes

At the brilliant stars.

● The tiger hears the sounds of the
patrolling cars at night.

● The tiger is sad and as he is

confined in the cage, so, he cannot
do anything.

● He stares at the stars in the night

and tries to divert his thoughts
towards them.
HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS
Carolyn Wells
HOW TO TELL If ever you should go by chance

WILD To jungles in the east;

ANIMALS And if there should to you advance

A large and tawny beast,

If he roars at you as you’re dyin’

You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…

● The poet to the readers : How to
recognize various animals in the
jungles of the east.

● If the reader come across an

animal whose skin is yellowish
brown in colour and if it roars at
him so strongly that he can die out
of fear, it’s Asian Lion.

● Asian Lion can kill a person with its

roar.
HOW TO TELL Or if some time when roaming round,

WILD A noble wild beast greets you,

ANIMALS With black stripes on a yellow ground,

Just notice if he eats you.

This simple rule may help you learn

The Bengal Tiger to discern.

● Bengal Tiger - The animal that
roams in the jungle and belongs to
a royal clan.

● The colour of its skin is yellowish

with black stripes.

● It can kill and eats up the human

beings.
HOW TO TELL If strolling forth, a beast you view,

WILD Whose hide with spots is peppered,

ANIMALS As soon as he has lept on you,

You’ll know it is the Leopard.

’Twill do no good to roar with pain,

He’ll only lep and lep again.

● Leopard - Spots on the skin, so fast,
leap and jump on its prey.

● The jumping is an indication that it

is none other than the Leopard.

● It is not going to be of any use of

crying after it jump on you (prey).
HOW TO TELL If when you’re walking round your yard

WILD You meet a creature there,

ANIMALS Who hugs you very, very hard,

Be sure it is a Bear.

If you have any doubts, I guess

He’ll give you just one more caress.

● If you are walking in the lawn area of
your house and you meet a creature
which hugs you tightly, it is a bear.

● Bears will keep hugging and

touching you very gently.

● This act of his will make you sure

about its identity.
HOW TO TELL Though to distinguish beasts of prey

WILD A novice might nonplus,

ANIMALS The Crocodile you always may

Tell from the Hyena thus:

Hyenas come with merry smiles;

But if they weep they’re Crocodiles.

● If you are not familiar with
recognizing animals, it will be a
puzzle.

● Some animals that hunt other

animals for their food.

● The difference between two animals:

Hyenas will be smiling and
crocodiles are always in tears.
HOW TO TELL The true Chameleon is small,

WILD A lizard sort of thing;

ANIMALS He hasn’t any ears at all,

And not a single wing.

If there is nothing on the tree,

’Tis the chameleon you see.

● Chameleon is a small creature,
looks like a lizard.

● The difference between the two is

that chameleon does not have ears
and wings.

● Chameleon changes its color

according to the surface on which it
is sitting.
THE BALL POEM
-John Berryman
THE BALL What is the boy now, who has lost his
POEM ball.

What, what is he to do? I saw it go

Merrily bouncing down the street, and

then

Merrily over—there it is in the water!

● The boy lost his ball.

● The poet wants to know about his

reaction and he asks to himself that
what the boy will do after losing the
ball.

● The ball was going away from the

boy. The ball was cheerfully jumping
up and down in the street.

● Finally it fell into the nearby water.

THE BALL No use to say 'O there are other balls':

POEM An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring

down

All his young days into the harbour where

His ball went. I would not intrude on him,

A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now

He senses first responsibility.

● There is no benefit of consoling
the boy by saying that he will get
another ball.

● The boy was feeling sad and

completely surrounded by sorrow.

● The memories of the childhood

went down the harbour with the
ball.

● The loss is unbearable for him

and he is grief stricken.
● The poet can not tell the boy to
take some money from him in
order to buy another ball.

● The new ball will not bring the

sense of belonging to the boy.

● The time has come for the boy to

learn the responsibility of taking
care of his things.
THE BALL In a world of possessions. People will take

POEM balls,Balls will be lost always, little boy,

And no one buys a ball back. Money is

external.

He is learning, well behind his desperate

eyes,

The epistemology of loss, how to stand up.

● The boy has to learn that in this
materialistic world, many of his
belongings will be lost.

● The boy has to learn to live

without them no matter what.

● Money can’t buy everything.

● The boy is learning how to stand

up against the sense of lost
things.
● The boy is trying to learn the real
truth of life. He accepts the
miseries of life and stand up
again.

● The harsh truth of standing up

against the odd miseries of life
that everyone has to bear.
Amanda……

AMANDA
AMANDA Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!

Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!

Stop that slouching and sit up straight,

Amanda!

(There is a languid, emerald sea,

where the sole inhabitant is me—

a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

● Amanda, a little girl who is always
pointed out by her mother for her
mistakes.

● The mother is pointing out

Amanda for biting nails which is a
bad habit.

● The mother asks her to sit straight

without bending her shoulders.

● Amanda who has habit of bending

her shoulders and sitting lazily is
being pointed out because her
mother wants her to sit in the right
posture.
● When she is being scolded by her
mother, she imagines herself to be
in a deep green sea.

● She wants to be the only resident

of this beautiful green sea.

● She imagines herself like a

mermaid who is alone there and
leads her life in a very relaxing way.
AMANDA Did you finish your homework, Amanda?

Did you tidy your room, Amanda?

I thought I told you to clean your shoes,

Amanda!

(I am an orphan, roaming the street.

I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare

feet.

The silence is golden, the freedom is

sweet.)
● Amanda’s mother is inquiring her
about whether she has done her
homework.

● She asks her whether she has

cleaned her room. Moreover she is
also reminded to clean her shoes.

● While Amanda is listening to her

mother’s instructions, she imagines
herself to be an orphan who is
roaming in the streets.
● She imagines if she would have
been without parents she would
have walked freely in the streets.

● Amanda wants to play in dust with

her bare feet.

● She says silence is golden which

means that silence is very crucial
and precious.

● She further says that freedom is

sweet. This means she never feels
free when she is with her mother.
AMANDA Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!

Will you please look at me when I’m

speaking to you,

Amanda!

(I am Rapunzel; I have not a care;

life in a tower is tranquil and rare;

I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)

● Amanda’s mother is disallowing her
to eat chocolates. She reminds her
of pimples that Amanda faces due
to eating chocolates.

● She scolds her for not paying

attention to what her mother says.

● At this moment Amanda imagines

herself to be Rapunzel.
● Amanda wants to be Rapunzel
because she feels that life in the
tower will be peaceful and unusual.

● She also confirms to herself that

she will never let her hair down to
anyone so that nobody could come
to her in the tower.
AMANDA
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!

You’re always so moody, Amanda!

Anyone would think that I nagged at you,

Amanda!
● Amanda’s mother warns her to
stop behaving in an odd manner.

● She says that she has become

moody and is always in a bad
mood.

● If anyone notices this, then they will

feel that her mother is harassing
her.

● The poet wants to convey that

Amanda can’t even react to what
she feels about her mother.
THE TREES
THE TREES The trees inside are moving out into the

forest,

the forest that was empty all these days

where no bird could sit

no insect hide

no sun bury its feet in shadow

the forest that was empty all these nights

will be full of trees by morning.

● The poet observes that the trees in
his house are moving outside into
the forest which has been empty for
a long time.

● Since the forest outside was empty,

no birds could sit on the branches of
trees, no insects could hide in the
trees and sunlight could never
disappear under the shadows of the
trees.

● The forest of humanity has remained

empty for many days but will soon be
full and bright.
 All night the roots work

THE TREES to disengage themselves from the cracks

in the veranda floor.

The leaves strain toward the glass

small twigs stiff with exertion

long-cramped boughs shuffling under the

roof

like newly discharged patients

half-dazed, moving

to the clinic doors.

● The poet explains the struggle by the
plants to reach the forest. She says
that the roots worked for the whole
night to separate themselves from
the veranda floor.

● The leaves tried hard to reach the

window of glass so that they could go
outside.

● The small stems of the trees put

much of their effort in order to set
themselves free. The big branches
were also trying a lot to go out from
the roof of the room.
● We can say that women are
desperate for a change and their
effort is compared to that made by a
patient who has been released from
the hospital and he tries to move out
in a hurry although he is confused.

● Maybe because they are half

conscious and are under the
influence of some medication, they
are unsteady but in a hurry to leave
the clinic.
THE TREES I sit inside, doors open to the veranda

writing long letters

in which I scarcely mention the departure

of the forest from the house.

The night is fresh, the whole moon shines

in a sky still open

the smell of leaves and lichen

still reaches like a voice into the rooms.

● The poet says that she is sitting on
her veranda, writing long letters. She
does not mention the trees leaving
her house in her letters.

● She says that the night is very clear.

She can see the complete moon
which is shining.

● The smell of leaves and lichens is like

a voice that is yelling and expressing
a desire for freedom from the
confines of the house.
THE TREES My head is full of whispers

which tomorrow will be silent

Listen. The glass is breaking.

The trees are stumbling forward

into the night. Winds rush to meet them.

The moon is broken like a mirror,

its pieces flash now in the crown

of the tallest oak.

● The poet’s Her head is full of the slow
sounds made by the trees which are
desperate to move out.

● These sounds will not be heard the

next day.

● The poet hears the glass window

breaking and the trees stumble out
into the night. The wind is blowing
outside. It meets the trees.

● The moon is like a mirror and it

appears to have been broken into
pieces as the shadow of the oak tree
divides the moon into many
fragments.
FOG
FOG The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbour and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

● The poet is describing fog.

● The advancement of fog towards the

city and the harbour is described.

● The fog comes like a cat comes on its

little feet.

● The fog advances towards the city very

slowly and calmly just like a cat.
● One never knows how and when the fog
will enter the city. Therefore, fog is
compared to the cat which enters our
home in an unpredictable manner.

● The fog sits over the whole of the city

as a cat sits silently by folding her legs
behind itself and looks around the
nearby places and things.
● At the end, the poet describes the
departure of the fog which very silently
and unpredictably.

● The poet says that just like a cat, the

fog leaves the place very silently
without being noticed by anyone.
THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE
DRAGON
 Belinda lived in a little white house,

THE TALE OF With a little black kitten and a little

grey mouse,
CUSTARD THE And a little yellow dog and a little red
wagon,
DRAGON And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

Now the name of the little black

kitten was Ink,
And the little grey mouse, she called
him Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as
Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she
called him Custard.
● The poet says that once there was a
little girl named Belinda. She lived in a
little white house.

● She lived with some creatures who were

her pets.

● They were a black kitten, a grey mouse,

a yellow dog, a little red wagon and a
creature that the poet says was really
and truly a dragon.
● The poet explains the name of all the
animals that are tamed by Belinda.

● He says that the name of black kitten is

ink.

● The name of grey mouse is blink.

● The little yellow dog had yellow colour

and so she calls him mustard and the
dragon that was a coward means was a
weakling was called custard.
 Custard the dragon had big sharp

THE TALE OF teeth,

And spikes on top of him and scales
CUSTARD THE underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a
DRAGON nose,
And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

Belinda was as brave as a barrel full

of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down
the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a
rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
● The poet describes the dragon that it
had big sharp teeth and spikes on top.

● On the lower part it had scales which

were bony plates to protect the skin.

● His mouth has been compared to a

fireplace because it is assumed that
dragons can release fire from the
mouth.

● Even his nose is compared to a

chimney which is used to pass out
smoke. His feet are like a sharp knife, a
dagger.
● The poet says says that Belinda was as
brave as a group of bears and ink and
blink were so brave that they could
hunt lions.

● He has shown the bravery of the kitten

and the little mouse that could hunt
even a lion.

● The dog was very brave just like an

angry tiger.

● Custard, the dragon was not brave he

was so afraid of everything that he
always demanded a safe cage.
 Belinda tickled him, she tickled him
THE TALE OF unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely
CUSTARD THE called him Percival,

DRAGON
They all sat laughing in the little red
wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.

Belinda giggled till she shook the

house,
And Blink said Weeck! which is giggling
for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe
cage.
● Belinda used to stroke the dragon in a
very cruel way.

● Ink, blink and mustard made fun of him

by comparing him to a knight named
Percival who was thought to be brave
but ran away due to lack of courage.

● They used to tease the dragon while

sitting in their little red wagon.
● The poet says that Belinda used to
laugh so loudly that her voice echoed
in the house.

● Blink, the mouse used to laugh and

make a sound of weeck.

● On the other hand, ink and mustard

would tease him by asking the dragon
his age whenever he used to demand
for a nice safe cage.
 Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty
THE TALE OF sound,

CUSTARD THE
And Mustard growled, and they all
looked around.

DRAGON Meowch! cried Ink, and ooh! cried Belinda,

For there was a pirate, climbing in the
winda.

Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,

And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no
good.
● While all of them were making fun of the
dragon, they heard a sound of
someone entering the house.

● When they looked towards the window

they saw a pirate climbing up the wall.

● The dog barked at him and the kitten

meowed to him.

● Belinda cried ‘ooh’ because all of them

were scared of the pirate.
● The pirate was holding handguns in
both his hands and had a little sword
too.

● He was holding his sword with his teeth.

● He had a black beard and his one leg

was made of wood.

● The Pirate intended to harm them.

 Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!
THE TALE OF But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,

CUSTARD THE Ink trickled down to the bottom of the

DRAGON household,
And little mouse Blink strategically
mouseholed

But up jumped Custard, snorting like an

engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling
squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robin at a
worm.
● Belinda was so frightened that she
turned yellow due to fear and started
crying for help.

● Mustard the dog started crying for

help too.

● The kitten ink ran down towards the

bottom of the house as if he had
already planned for it.

● The mouse ink ran into his little mouse

hole in order to save himself.
● The dragon did the most unexpected
thing.

● He jumped onto the pirate and made

such a strong sound with his nose as if
the engine was producing a sound.

● He hit his tail on the ground with great

force that it produced a heavy sound of
metal being rubbed against each other
in the underground prisons.

● He attacked the pirate just like robin

bird that attacks the worms.
THE TALE OF The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,

CUSTARD THE
And gulped some grog from his pocket
flagon,

DRAGON He fired two bullets, but they didn’t hit,

And Custard gobbled him, every bit.

Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked

him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.
● The pirate got so shocked by the
dragon’s reaction that he opened his
mouth wide with shock.

● To gather some strength, he drank

some alcohol from a container in his
pocket.

● After gathering some courage, he fired

two bullets on the dragon but missed it.

● Custard the dragon ate every bit of this

fierce looking pirate.
● When the pirate was dead, Belinda
hugged the dragon and mustard licked
him.

● No one was sad for the death of the

pirate, they all were happy.

● Both ink and blink were running

around the dragon in happiness.
THE TALE OF But presently up spoke little dog

CUSTARD THE Mustard,

I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t
DRAGON been flustered.
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,
We’d have been three times as brave, we
think,
And Custard said, I quite agree
That everybody is braver than me.
● The dog said that it was just because of
some confusion that he wasn’t able to
do anything otherwise he would have
been twice as brave as custard.

● Both ink and blink also said that they

would have been three times braver
than custard.

● To this, the dragon said that he fully

agreed to this that all of them were
more powerful and braver than him.
THE TALE OF Belinda still lives in her little white

CUSTARD THE
house,
With her little black kitten and her little

DRAGON grey mouse,

And her little yellow dog and her little
red wagon,
And her realio, trulio little pet dragon.
Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of
bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the
stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe
cage.
● Belinda still lives in that little white
house with ink, blink, mustard and
custard.

● All of them are very brave whereas the

dragon is still a coward who always
wants to stay safe in his cage.
FOR ANNE GREGORY
FOR ANNE “Never shall a young man,

GREGORY Thrown into despair

By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
● A conversation between the poet and a
girl named Anne Gregory.

● The poet says to the girl that a young

man can become hopeless, if you will
reject him. But this doesn’t mean that
he had true love for you in his heart.

● It is because you have beautiful hair

with which he had fallen in love.

● The girl has very beautiful hair. They

fall on her ears and seemingly protect
them just like a boundary wall protects
the fort.
FOR ANNE “But I can get a hair-dye

GREGORY And set such colour there,

Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.
● Anne replies that she has a nice
solution to this situation.

● She can dye her hair and change the

colour into black, brown or carrot as
this will no longer make her look less
attractive.

● Then maybe she will find the young

man who will love her inner beauty and
not her appearance.
FOR ANNE “I heard an old religious man

GREGORY But yesternight declare

That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
● After hearing Anne Gregory, the poet
says that he had heard an old religious
man say that he could prove a fact with
a text that he had found in some
religious book.

● The fact was that it is only God who

loves us for what we are and not how we
look.

● He loves us for our inner qualities. Only

God can do this.
FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET
ALL CHAPTERS SUMMARY
A TRIUMPH OF SURGERY
SUMMARY OF THE ● The story starts when Mrs. Pumphrey,
LESSON a rich lady takes her dog out for a
walk.

● A nearby veterinary doctor who

knows the lady sees the dog and is
shocked as he sees that the dog
looks like a bloated sausage with a
leg at each end.

● Mr. Herriot advises her to stop giving

him unhealthy things to eat but Mrs.
Pumphrey is not able to refuse him.
 ● Soon Tricky falls sick and the doctor
SUMMARY OF THE is called.
LESSON
● The narrator, Mr. Herriot then
somehow takes Tricki, the dog to the
hospital even though he knows that
Mrs. Pumphrey is not ready to leave
her dog and nearly fainted just by
hearing these words.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Tricky’s condition started improving
very fast.

● He started fighting for his meals with

other dogs.

● Mrs. Pumphrey, she started sending

him eggs as she thought that Tricki
was recovering from an illness and
needed energy foods.

● Mr. Herriot and his partners started

eating those eggs for morning
breakfast.
SUMMARY OF THE ● For improving Tricki’s blood, Mrs.
LESSON Pumphrey started sending in bottles
of wine which was again consumed
by Mr. Herriot.

● He used to take two glasses before

lunch and some more glasses while
having his lunch.

● She started sending in bottles of

brandy for Tricki and Mr. Herriot was
enjoying it.
SUMMARY OF THE ● After a fortnight, Mr. Herriot took a
LESSON wise decision and called up Mrs.
Pumphrey as she was really worried and
on this side Tricki was ready to be taken
back home.

● Tricki was really happy to see his

mistress and jumped into the car.

● Mrs. Pumphrey said that she won’t be

able to ever thank him for what he had
done and also, that his surgery had
been successful as Tricki was now
cured.
THE THIEF STORY
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
THE THIEF
STORY ● The story is about two different
people. One is a thief of 15 years of
age and Anil, man of approximately
25 years, watching a wrestling match.

● The thief approaches Anil and starts

talking to him because he feels that
he had not robbed anyone in the
past few days and thought that it
would be easy to rob a simple person
like Anil.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
THE THIEF
STORY ● They both start talking and Anil asks
the thief his name. The thief
introduces himself as Hari Singh.

● This is not his real name as he

changes his name every month to
escape his ex employers or police.

● Anil was leaving when Hari called him

again and asked him if he could work
for Anil.
 SUMMARY OF THE
THE THIEF LESSON

STORY ● Anil said that he won’t be able to pay

him but could feed him if he knew how
to cook.

● Hari lied that he knew how to cook.

● Anil took Hari to his room which was

above a sweet shop.

● Hari cooked a meal which was really

bad and Anil did not eat it.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
THE THIEF
● Anil asked Hari to leave but he tried
STORY to please Anil.

● Hari smiled in his most attractive way

and Anil could not stop laughing
looking at him.

● Anil agreed to teach Hari how to

cook, write full sentences and add
numbers.

● Hari was grateful as he knew that

there would be no limit to robbing
people once he learnt how to read
and write.
 SUMMARY OF THE
THE THIEF LESSON
STORY ● Hari used to like working for Anil as
he used to make him tea in the
morning and then go out to buy the
groceries for the day.

● He also used to steal 1 rupee from the

money that was given to him to buy
the groceries every day.

● Anil knew that he used to steal but

did not mind.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON

● Anil used to make money by irregular

works.

● Sometimes he used to borrow money

and the other day, when he had
money, he would be lending it to
other people.

● Whenever he used to get money, he

would go out with his friends to
celebrate.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON

● One day, Anil came in with a bundle

of notes and told Hari that he had
sold a book to a publisher.

● At night he kept the money safely

under the mattress of his bed.

● Hari realized that he had been

working for Anil for more than a
month and had not stolen anything
apart from the 1 rupee that he kept
every day from the grocery money.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Hari had many chances to steal as
he had the key to the room as well.

● But he was surprised with the

amount of trust Anil had on him as
he had never seen such a trusting
person in his life.

● This trust thing was preventing him

from robbing Anil as Hari thought
that robbing a careless person like
Anil didn’t make much difference
because he might not even notice
that he had been robbed and that
took out all the fun from the work.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON

● Hari woke up at night and quietly

crawled to Anil’s bed.

● He steals the money and decides to

leave the city by Lucknow Express that
departed at 10:30.

● When he reached the station, the train

had slowly started moving from the
platform.

● He could have easily caught the train,

but he hesitated and he himself did
not know the reason for it.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON

● Before he had reached the station he

counted the money and it was 600
rupees in 50 rupee notes.

● After the train had left, Hari was all

alone at the train station.

● He was left with no place to sleep at

night.

● The only person he knew was Anil and

he had looted him as well.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON

● He sat on a bench in a park and as it

started to rain, he sat down under the
clock tower.

● He realized that learning how to read

and write would help him to get a
much more respectable and honest
job which would pay him much more
than these few hundred rupees.

● He decided to go back to Anil’s house.

 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON

● He reached the room and placed the

money back.

● Next morning, he woke up a bit late

and Anil had already made his tea.

● Anil gave a 50 rupee note to Hari as he

had got paid for some work and he
would be paid regularly.

● Hari took the note in his hand and

realized that the note was still wet from
the rain last night.
 SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON

● Hari realized that Anil had come to

know about his misdeed but there
was no sadness, anger or guilt in his
mind.

● Hari smiled in a beautiful way and it

was genuine happiness as he knew
that he had saved himself from the
wrong road.
THE MIDNIGHT
VISITOR
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Ausable- a witty secret agent.

● Fowler- Writer and spends time with

Ausable- realizes that he is exactly
the opposite of what he had
imagined.

● Ausable- looking at a report that

would change the country’s future.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● Ausable takes Fowler to his room

● When they entered the room a guy

with a gun named Max was standing
in the room.

● Max asked them to be comfortable

until the reports about the missiles
arrived in 30 minutes as he was there
to steal the reports.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● The first adventure of Ausable out of
many.

● Ausable started with a story about

how a guy had entered from the
balcony last month below his room.

● A sudden knock was heard at the

door.

● Ausable said that it must be the

police.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Max said that he would be waiting in
the balcony.

● Max jumps out of the window and a

loud scream is heard.

● The door opens and a waiter comes

in and brought the wine that Mr.
Ausable had ordered.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Fowler asked what about the person
who was waiting in the balcony
outside the window.

● Ausable replied that the person

would not return and that there was
no balcony there.

● Ausable outwitted Max and saved

himself from a very dangerous
situation.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON ● Fowler asked what about the person
who was waiting in the balcony
outside the window.

● Ausable replied that the person

would not return and that there was
no balcony there.

● Ausable outwitted Max and saved

himself from a very dangerous
situation.
A QUESTION OF TRUST
SUMMARY OF THE ● Horace Danby was a lock maker by
LESSON profession and had a good
reputation in the society.

● He was not completely honest. He

had been to prison, fifteen years ago
for stealing jewels.

● He had keen fondness for expensive

books, so he would get involved in
robberies once a year.
SUMMARY OF THE ● Horace wanted to rob a house at
LESSON Shotover Grange and he got an
opportunity when the family was out
in London and servants to the movie.

● He studied the design of the house

carefully for a fortnight.

● He broke into the house one

afternoon. He hoped to get fifteen
thousand pounds worth of jewels
from the safe.
SUMMARY OF THE ● He put on his gloves. He took the key
LESSON from its usual place. He pacified the
pet dog by addressing it with love.

● He reached the safe, placed in the

drawing room behind a painting.

● He was suffering from hay fever. The

smell of the flowers at the table made
him sneeze.
SUMMARY OF THE ● Horace heard a voice of a woman in
LESSON the house and she threatened to call
police.

● He pledged that he would never

repeat such kind of thing if he was let
off.

● The lady asked him to open the safe

as she needed the jewels since she
had forgotten the combination
number.
SUMMARY OF THE ● Horace opened the safe and gave
LESSON her the jewels.

● Horace was arrested for jewel

robbery. He had been cheated.

● Horace often thought of the lady

thief who tricked him at Shotover
Grange.
 FOOTPRINTS
WITHOUT FEET
SUMMARY OF THE ● Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He
LESSON conducted many experiments.

● He discovered a wonderful drug. It

could make him invisible. He took
that drug and became invisible.

● He was first noticed by two boys in

the staircase of a house where they
could just see his footsteps and
started following it until the footsteps
are fainter and cannot be seen.
SUMMARY OF THE ● Griffin enters a mall for some warmth.
LESSON After the stores shut down, he
decides to wear some warm clothes
and eat something.

● He first unboxes a few clothes and

wears them. Then from the kitchen of
a restaurant, he eats cold meat and
some coffee. Later he goes to a
grocery store and eats sweets and
drinks wine.
SUMMARY OF THE ● He wakes up in the morning when
LESSON some of the store assistants had
seen him and started chasing him.
He quickly threw away all the clothes
he was wearing and became invisible
again.

● He started roaming around again

without any clothes in the cold
winters of London.
SUMMARY OF THE ● He decides to steal clothes from a
LESSON theatre company as he knew he
would get something there to cover
his face as well.

● He steals bandages for his face, dark

glasses, false nose and a hat for
covering himself.

● He hits the shopkeeper and steals all

his money.
SUMMARY OF THE ● Griffin realizes that London is too
LESSON crowded to live like this and decides
that he would go to a remote village.

● He books two rooms at an inn at the

Iping village.

● It is strange for the people of Iping

that a stranger with such a weird
appearance has come to stay at an
inn during the winter season.
SUMMARY OF THE ● He steals from people and also hits
LESSON the landlord and his wife when they
try to check his room in his absence.

● The village constable is asked for

help but before that Mrs. Hall, the
wife of the landlord asks him
questions regarding who he is and
what he did to her furniture.
SUMMARY OF THE ● This makes him really furious and he
LESSON decides to show her who he really is.

● The people see a headless man and

Mr. Jaffers, the constable also finds
out that he would have to arrest a
man who does not have a head.

● They are unable to catch Griffin as he

removes all his clothes and becomes
invisible. He even knocks out Jaffers
as he tries to catch him.
THE MAKING OF A
SCIENTIST
SUMMARY OF THE ● The lesson is about a renowned
LESSON scientist, Richard Ebright who was a
bright yet curious child from the
early years of his life. He was very
fond of collecting butterflies

● His mother always encouraged him in

his efforts and gifted him a book
named ‘The Travels of Monarch X’.

● He started with tagging butterflies

which a task given at the end of the
book that his mother bought for him.
 ● He participated in the county
SUMMARY OF THE
science fair with a slide of the frog
LESSON tissue, but he lost.

● In the next year’s fair, he chose the

project of looking at the viral disease
that killed nearly all the monarch
caterpillars every few years.

● He started his research on the 12

golden spots on the back of a
monarch pupa.
 ● Richard Ebright used to get more
SUMMARY OF THE
information from Dr Urquhart for his
LESSON Research work.

● He got a chance to work and found

the chemical structure of the
hormone in the gold spots.

● He came to know how a cell

blueprints its DNA.

● It was a big breakthrough and was

published in a magazine.
SUMMARY OF THE ● He also had many other interests
LESSON and also admired his social studies
teacher as he was the one who used
to give him new ideas.

● He was good at debating, public

speaking and a great canoeist.

● He never used to win for the sake of

winning or for prizes but because he
wanted to be the best at whatever he
used to do.
SUMMARY OF THE ● His mother also played a big role in
LESSON making him what he was as it was she
who supported him throughout his
journey and bought him the book
‘The Travels of Monarch X’ which
aroused his curiosity in the field of
science.
THE NECKLACE
 ● Matilda Loisel is a very charming
SUMMARY OF THE young lady. She is married to a clerk.
LESSON She is not satisfied with her ordinary
life.

● She wants to enjoy the comforts and

luxuries of life. She is jealous of her
own schoolmates, who are rich.

● One day, Mr Loisel, her husband,

gave her a printed card. It was an
invitation to dinner organised by the
Minister of Public Instruction where
her husband worked.
 ● She threw the invitation upon the
SUMMARY OF THE table with contempt. She was
LESSON impatient and complained that she
had nothing to wear on such a great
occasion.

● She told him calmly that she couldn’t

go there without a proper dress.

● Mr Loisel had saved 400 francs to

buy a gun for his hunting parties and
he spends all his savings and buys a
beautiful gown for her.
 ● She was pained to have such a
SUMMARY OF THE
‘poverty-stricken look’ without jewels
LESSON
at the party.

● Mr Loisel suggested that she could

wear some natural flowers.

● It was humiliating for her to give a

shabby image of her in the midst of
rich ladies.

● Mr Loisel asked her to borrow jewels

from her friend Madame Forestier.
 ● Madame Forestier heard her story of
SUMMARY OF THE
distress. She opened her jewel-case
LESSON
and asked her to choose any one
item she liked.

● Matilda’s eyes fell on a superb

necklace of diamonds.

● Her friend willingly agreed to lend

that to her. She was overjoyed and
went away with the diamond
necklace.
 ● Madame Loisel was a great success
SUMMARY OF THE
at the ball.
LESSON
● She looked very pretty, elegant and
graceful. All the men noticed her and
wanted to be introduced to her.

● She is filled with joy. She dances with

pleasure.

● She leaves the hall at four o’clock in

the morning.
 ● When she reaches home, she stands
SUMMARY OF THE
before the mirror to praise her own
LESSON
beauty.

● But suddenly she utters a cry. She

has lost the diamond necklace
somewhere.

● Mr Loisel dressed and went out to

search the necklace over the track.

● But he does not find it. Matilda and

her husband are greatly depressed.
 ● In a shop, they found that a similar
SUMMARY OF THE diamond necklace was valued at forty
LESSON thousand francs.

● Their bargain for the necklace is

settled at 36,000 francs.

● Matilda’s husband borrows the

money at high interest.

● They buy the necklace and return it

to Madame Forestier. She doesn't
even open the box to look at the
necklace.
 ● Matilda and her husband are with
SUMMARY OF THE their heavy debt. They work hard to
LESSON pay off this debt.

● Their life becomes miserable. They

dismiss their servant.

● They move to a cheap house. Matilda

does all the household work herself.

● Loisel works in the evening and late

at night to pay off the debt. They
work hard for ten years.
 ● At last, they are able to pay off their
SUMMARY OF THE debt. Now Matilda looks old. She is no
LESSON longer charming.

● Mrs Loisel happened to meet

Madame Forestier taking a walk.
Madame Forestier didn’t recognise
her friend. She had changed very
badly.

● Matilda confessed that she had hard

days because of her necklace.
 ● Madame Forestier remembered the
SUMMARY OF THE necklace she had given to her.
LESSON
● Mrs Loisel told the whole story. She
also told how they suffered to replace
her lost necklace.

● Madame Forestier showed sympathy

and replied, “Oh! My poor Matilda, my
necklace was false” They were false
and not worth over five hundred
francs.
BHOLI
 ● A little girl named Sulekha, she was
SUMMARY OF THE called ‘Bholi’ for being a simpleton.
LESSON
● Some part of her brain had got
damaged due to an injury during her
childhood.

● She stammered and had pockmarks

on her face which she got when she
had contracted smallpox at the age
of two.
 ● She was a laughing stock for
SUMMARY OF THE everyone.
LESSON
● Her father Ramlal was a Numberdar.
He had three sons and four
daughters, Bholi being the youngest
of all.

● Ramlal was always worried about her

as it seemed impossible to marry her
with her having an ugly face and a
dumb mind.
 ● One day, the Tehsildar visited their
SUMMARY OF THE village to inaugurate a girl’s primary
LESSON school.

● He persuaded Ramlal to send his

daughters to school.

● Ramlal’s wife suggested to send Bholi

to school, although she was against
sending girls to school because no
boy would marry such a girl.
 ● Bholi was frightened to leave her
SUMMARY OF THE house but when for the first time in
LESSON her life. She was dressed up and her
hair was washed and oiled, she felt
that she was to visit a better place.

● In the school, she met a teacher who

was very kind and polite to her. She
encouraged her to study and speak
with confidence.
 ● Years passed and her village
SUMMARY OF THE upgraded into a small town with
LESSON some facilities like a cotton mill, a
cinema and the primary school being
converted into a secondary school.

● Bholi’s parents decided to marry her

to a lame old man who was a widower
but was rich and had not demanded
any dowry.
 ● They thought it to be the best
SUMMARY OF THE marriage proposal for their dumb
LESSON daughter and fixed up her marriage.

● On the wedding day, the bridegroom

arrived with great pomp and show
which filled Ramlal with joy.

● The groom discovered that Bholi had

pock marks and demanded dowry in
return for marrying her.
 ● He demanded a sum of five thousand
SUMMARY OF THE rupees.
LESSON
● Ramlal begged for mercy and even
placed his turban in Bishamber’s feet
but Bishamber Nath did not agree.

● Ramlal had to give the money in

order to save both his family’s
honour and his daughter’s marriage.
 ● Bholi could not bear all this and
SUMMARY OF THE refused to marry a greedy old man.
LESSON
● People accused her of being
shameless. The wedding party
returned.

● The marriage ceremony ended

without Bholi getting married.
 ● Her father was surrounded by grief
SUMMARY OF THE and said that now no one would
LESSON marry her and what would she do in
future.

● Bholi decided that she would take

care of her parents when they grew
old and would teach in her school.

● Her teacher who was quietly

watching all this felt proud of her
decision.
THE BOOK THAT
SAVED THE EARTH
 ● ‘The Book that Saved the Earth’
SUMMARY OF THE begins with a stage show of twenty
LESSON fifth century in which a historian is
sitting in the museum and she
explains the truth about the Martian
invasion that happened in twentieth
century.

● To prove her statement she asks the

audience to look into the
historiscope, a device that can show
things happened in the history.
 ● In the next scene two characters are
shown one of them which has a
SUMMARY OF THE
balloon brain is shown as the master.
LESSON
● His name is Think Tank and another
one is his assistant Noodle.

● Both of them are discussing about

their plan to invade earth.

● They think that earth is a ridiculous

plan and they should invade earth so
as to establish their kind rule over
the planet.
 ● The master think tank sends one of
his crew to inspect earth.
SUMMARY OF THE
LESSON
● The crew lands into a library and look
confuse as they know nothing about
the items (books) of the library.

● They consult it with their master

Think Tank that they think is very
intelligent.

● He asks them to show the item and

tells them that they are sandwiches
which is a staple diet of the
earthlings.
 ● He commands his crew to eat it,
SUMMARY OF THE
which they then consider as a
LESSON tasteless eatable.

● His assistant Noodle corrects him

and tells him that they are the
communication devices.

● He on hearing this, asks his crew to

listen to the information from the
devices.
 ● They try to hear it but they get
SUMMARY OF THE
nothing to hear from them.
LESSON
● Once again Noodle corrects his
master Think Tank that they are to be
read and not hear.

● So with the help of the vitamins

provided by the chemical department
of Mars, the crew tries to read the
book.

● It was a book of rhymes.

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