06.07.2014 Views

class 7 - Pearson

class 7 - Pearson

class 7 - Pearson

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

www.pearsoned.co.in


RAIN IN SUMMER<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 1<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

How beautiful is the rain!<br />

After the dust and heat,<br />

In the broad and fiery street,<br />

In the narrow lane,<br />

How beautiful is the rain!<br />

How it clatters along the roofs,<br />

Like the tramp of hoofs;<br />

How it gushes and struggles out<br />

From the throat of the overflowing spout!<br />

Across the window-pane<br />

It pours and pours;<br />

And swift and wide,<br />

With a muddy tide,<br />

Like a river down the gutter roars<br />

The rain, the welcome rain!<br />

The sick man from his chamber looks<br />

At the twisted brooks;<br />

He can feel the cool<br />

Breath of each little pool;<br />

His fevered brain<br />

Grows calm again,<br />

And he breathes a blessing on the rain.<br />

From the neighbouring school<br />

Come the boys,<br />

With more than their wonted noise<br />

And commotion;<br />

And down the wet streets<br />

Sail their mimic fleets,<br />

Till the treacherous pool<br />

Engulfs them in its whirling<br />

And turbulent ocean.<br />

A. You have read an extract from the original poem. Find a book on Longfellow’s poems in your<br />

school library and read the complete poem.<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

2


RAIN IN SUMMER<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 1<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

B. Answer the following questions.<br />

1. Why, according to the poet, is the rain so welcome in summer?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

2. Which animal does the rain sound like when it clatters along the roofs?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

3. Pick out the lines from the poem that tell you that a heavy shower is being described.<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

4. What effect does the rain have on the sick man?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

5. What is the school boys’ ‘mimic fleet’?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

C. Find the antonyms of these words, from the poem.<br />

1. Narrow ______________________<br />

2. Wide ______________________<br />

3. Clean ______________________<br />

4. Calm ______________________<br />

5. Safe ______________________<br />

6. Sow ______________________<br />

7. Curse ______________________<br />

8. Well ______________________<br />

9. Straight ______________________<br />

10. Ugly ______________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

3


RAIN IN SUMMER<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 1<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

D. Rain is beautiful, but sometimes, it can also cause problems. Imagine you are going back<br />

home in your car with your family one evening, and get caught in a thunderstorm. Describe<br />

what happens.<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

4


MY FAILED OMELETTES AND<br />

OTHER DISASTERS<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 2<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

In nearly fifty years of writing for a living, I have<br />

never succeeded in writing a best-seller. And now I<br />

know why. I can’t cook.<br />

Had I been able to do so, I could have turned out a<br />

few of those sumptuous looking cookery books that<br />

brighten up the bookstore windows before being<br />

snapped up by folks who can’t cook either. As it is, I<br />

were forced to write a cookbook, it would probably be<br />

called Fifty Ways of Boiling an Egg, and Other Disasters.<br />

I used to think that boiling an egg would be a simple undertaking. But when I came to live<br />

at 7,000 feet in the Himalayan foothills, I found that just getting the water to boil was<br />

something of an achievement. I don’t know if it’s the altitude or the density of the water,<br />

but it just won’t come to the boil in time for breakfast. As a result, my eggs are only halfboiled.<br />

“Never mind,” I tell everyone, “half-boiled egs are more nutritious than full-boiled<br />

eggs.”<br />

“Why boil them at all?” asks my five-year-old grandson, Gautam, who is my Mr. Dick,<br />

always offering good advice. “Raw eggs are probably healthier.”<br />

“Just you wait and see,” I told him, “I’ll make you a cheese omelette you’ll never forget.”<br />

and I did. It was a bit messy, as I was over-generous with the tomatoes, but I thought it<br />

tasted rather good. Gautam, however, pushed his plate away, saying, “You forgot to put<br />

in the egg.”<br />

101 Failed Omelettes might well be the title of my bestseller.<br />

I love watching other people cook—a habit that I acquired at a young age, when I would<br />

watch my Granny at work in the kitchen turning out delicious curries, koftas and custards.<br />

I would try helping her, but she soon put a stop to my feeble contributions. On one<br />

occasion, she asked me to add a cup of spices to a large curry dish she was preparing, and<br />

absent-mindedly, I added a cup of sugar. The result—a very sweet curry! Another invention<br />

of mine.<br />

I was better at remembering Granny’s kitchen proverbs. Here are some of them:<br />

‘There is skill in all things, even in making porridge.’<br />

‘Dry bread at home is better than curried prawns abroad.’<br />

‘Eating and drinking should not keep men from thinking.’<br />

‘Better a small fish than an empty dish.’<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

5


MY FAILED OMELETTES AND<br />

OTHER DISASTERS<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 2<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

And her favourite maxim, with which she reprimanded me<br />

whenever I showed signs of gluttony: ‘Don’t let your tongue<br />

cut your throat,’<br />

And as for making porridge, it’s certainly no simple matter. I<br />

made one or two attempts, but it always comes out lumpy.<br />

“What’s this?” asked Gautam suspiciously, when I offered<br />

him some.<br />

“Porridge!’ I said enthusiastically, “It’s eaten by those brave<br />

Scottish Highlanders who were always fighting the English!”<br />

“And did they win?” he asked.<br />

“Well—er—not usually. But they were outnumbered!”<br />

He looked doubtfully at the porridge. “Some other time,” he said.<br />

So why not take the advice of Thoreau and try to simplify life! Simplify! Simplify! Or simply<br />

sandwiches...<br />

These shouldn’t be too difficult, I decided. After all, they are basically bread and butter.<br />

But have you tried cutting bread into thin slices? Don’t. It’s highly dangerous. If you’re a<br />

pianist, you could be putting your career at great risk.<br />

You must get your bread ready-sliced. Butter it generously. Now add your fillings.<br />

Cheese, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, whatever. Gosh, I was really going places! Slap another<br />

slice of buttered bread over this assemblage. Now cut in two. Result: Everything spills out<br />

at the sides and on to the table-cloth.<br />

“Now look what you’ve gone and done,” says Gautam, in his best Oliver Hardy manner.<br />

“Never mind,” I tell him, “practice makes perfect!”<br />

And one of these days, you’re going to find Bond’s Book of Better Sandwiches up there on the<br />

bestseller lists.<br />

A. Now that you have read the chapter, talk about the humour in it.<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

6


MY FAILED OMELETTES AND<br />

OTHER DISASTERS<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 2<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

B. Match the words to their meanings.<br />

1. sumptuous<br />

2. snapped up<br />

3. simple undertaking<br />

4. achievement<br />

5. altitude<br />

6. density<br />

7. nutritious<br />

8. feeble contributions<br />

9. assemblage<br />

10. gluttony<br />

A. height<br />

B. easy task<br />

C. quantity of matter<br />

D. eating far too much<br />

E. weak efforts<br />

F. impressive, tasty and costly<br />

G. collection of articles<br />

H. healthy and nourishing<br />

I. something completed successfully<br />

J. quickly taken or bought<br />

C. Answer the following questions.<br />

1. What is a bestseller? Why do you think a cookbook is a bestseller?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

2. Why did the eggs, which the author made for breakfast, remain half-boiled?<br />

How did he console himself?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

3. Why did Gautam feel that the cheese omelette had no egg?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

4. What advice did he give his grandfather?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

5. What were the author’s granny’s kitchen proverbs? What do they mean?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

6. Why does the author say that a pianist’s career would be at risk if he tried to<br />

cut very thin slices of bread?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

7. Name some bestsellers that the author thinks he could write.<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

7


MY FAILED OMELETTES AND<br />

OTHER DISASTERS<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 2<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

D. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the appropriate phrasal verbs given in the brackets.<br />

BRUSH UP, GIVE UP, TURN UP, BLOW UP, SNAP UP<br />

1. The new car _________________________ in the middle of the road due to a<br />

technical problem.<br />

2. The best clothes were __________________________ by eager shoppers at the<br />

beginning of the sale.<br />

3. We thought he was not in town and were quite surprised when he<br />

_______________________ for dinner.<br />

4. Don’t __________________________ yet; keep trying hard and you may still<br />

succeed.<br />

5. He needs to _______________________ his typing skills if he wants a job in this<br />

office.<br />

E. Have you ever had adventures in the kitchen like the author? Write a diary entry abput one of<br />

them.<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

8


MY FAILED OMELETTES AND<br />

OTHER DISASTERS<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 2<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

F. You have invited ten friends for dinner. Three of them are vegetarians, and one is a vegan. He/<br />

She is a vegetarian who does not take any animal products. You have to explain this to one of your<br />

parents, and draw up an ideal menu to suit everybody. Write the conversation between you and<br />

your parent.<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

9


LAUGHING SONG<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 3<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,<br />

And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;<br />

When the air does laugh with our merry wit,<br />

And the green hills laughs with the noise of it;<br />

When the meadows laugh with lively green,<br />

And the grasshoppers laughs in the merry scene;<br />

When Mary and Susan and Emily<br />

With their sweet round mouths sing ‘Ha ha he!’<br />

When the painted birds laugh in the shade,<br />

Where our table with cherries and nuts is spread:<br />

Come live, and be merry, and join with me,<br />

To sing the sweet chorus of ‘Ha ha he!’<br />

A. Pick out words from the poem which mean the following:<br />

1. Forests _________________________________<br />

2. Making hollow spaces in the way _________________________________<br />

3. Ability to be funny and clever _________________________________<br />

4. Green fields _________________________________<br />

B. The mood of the poem is a happy one. Write a diary entry in about 100-150 words about the<br />

things that make you happy.<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

10


LAUGHING SONG<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 3<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

C. Answer these questions based on your reading of the poem.<br />

1. What do the green hill and the meadows do in the poem?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

2. Which words in the poem suggest joy?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

3. What are Mary, Emily and Susan doing?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

4. What does the poet want the readers to do?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

5. Do you think the mood of the poem is happy? Or is it sad? Give reasons for<br />

your answer.<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

6. Explain the following phrases from the poem in your own words:<br />

i. dimpling streams:<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

ii. Green hills laugh<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

iii. Lively green<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

iv. Painted birds<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

D. Given below are the adverb forms of some words. Tick the correct spelling for each..<br />

1. merry<br />

2. sweet<br />

3. soft<br />

4. true<br />

5. clumsy<br />

6. gentle<br />

merrily<br />

sweetily<br />

softly<br />

truly<br />

clumsily<br />

gentley<br />

merrily<br />

sweetly<br />

softily<br />

truly<br />

clumsly<br />

gently<br />

There are different spelling rules<br />

being followed in the above exercise.<br />

After you have ticked the correct<br />

spelling, can you identify the<br />

different spelling rules followed?<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

11


LAUGHING SONG<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 3<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

E. Laughter a very important part of our lives. Write a short letter to your younger sister/<br />

brother highlighting this fact.<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

12


NATURE’S FURY: VOLCANOES<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 4<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

Imagine a mountain spitting out burning hot rocks, and lava trickling down along its<br />

sides—frightening, awe-inspiring nature at its wildest. That’s what a volcano is. Let us<br />

read more about this.<br />

The crust of the earth is composed of twelve major plates and a number of smaller plates.<br />

The plates keep rubbing against each other. They slide and push against one another and<br />

even pull apart from each other. When this happens, sometimes earthquakes and volcanoes<br />

occur. How does all this happen?<br />

In the core of the earth, there is a pool of melted rock. It is called magma. Due to the intense<br />

heat inside, magma expands and pushes against solid rock. It squeezes into cracks<br />

and a sit reaches the earth’s surface, it bursts out and that is a volcanic eruption.<br />

Magma also has extremely hot gases in it. When magma reaches the surface of the earth, it<br />

is called lava. Lava is a boiling, red-hot liquid. As it runs down the sides of the volcano, it<br />

cools down and solidifies. A volcano also spits our tephra, which is hardened magma. It<br />

either comes out in the form of rocks or tiny particles of volcanic ash. The largest pieces of<br />

tephra are known as volcanic bombs. These are dangerous as they may be large and very<br />

heavy. Volcanoes do not smell good as they give off gases, some of which are poisonous.<br />

Volcanoes that have erupted in the recent periods are called active volcanoes. One such<br />

volcano is Stromboli, which is called the ‘Lighthouse of the Mediterranean’. An extinct<br />

volcano is one that has not erupted for thousands of years. Edinburgh in Scotland is built<br />

around an extinct volcano. A dormant volcano is one which may have erupted only in the<br />

earlier periods of history but is inactive now. An example of this is the Paricutin in Mexico,<br />

which has not erupted since the early 1950s.<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

13


NATURE’S FURY: VOLCANOES<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 4<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

Earth is not the only planet which has volcanoes. Volcanoes are found on Venus and Mars,<br />

as well as on our moon and the moons of Jupiter. On the Earth, however, volcanoes are<br />

found on all the continents except Australia. Most volcanoes on Earth are found in an area<br />

appropriately named the Pacific Ocean. A number of volcanoes are also found near the<br />

Mediterranean and Caribbean seas.<br />

Volcanoes endanger the lives and properties of those living close to them, but volcanic ash<br />

is full of minerals that make the soil very fertile. A good example of this is the rich, mineral-filled<br />

soil of Bali, Indonesia. Thanks to this, three crops of rice may be grown here in a<br />

year. Volcanoes also bring to the surface precious metals such as gold and silver. Magma,<br />

when it cools over a long period of time, may also form diamonds.<br />

Much of the mystery surrounding volcanic eruptions has been unraveled by scientists and<br />

geologists. But an erupting volcano still remains an awe-inspiring sight.<br />

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SOME VOLCANOES<br />

1. Krakatau is a small volcanic island in the South Pacific Ocean. In 1883, this island<br />

erupted and amazingly the sound was heard 4800 km away, in islands of the Indian<br />

Ocean. Volcanic ash from this eruption hung in the air even in faraway London for two<br />

years!<br />

2. Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted in AD 79. the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were<br />

buried under lava and volcanic ash which later hardened. The cities were discovered only<br />

in 1700s.<br />

3. El Popo,55 km from Mexico City, is the most dangerous volcano as it erupts on a daily<br />

basis. A major eruption could cause tremendous destruction as a population of millions<br />

living close by would be affected.<br />

4. The largest active Volcano is Mauna Lao in Hawaii. It is about 4 km above sea level and<br />

192 km wide.<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

14


NATURE’S FURY: VOLCANOES<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 4<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

A. Try to guess the meaning of these words as used in the passage. Pick out the closest meaning<br />

from the alternatives provided.<br />

1. awe-inspiring<br />

a. height b. wonder c. respectful fear<br />

2. intense<br />

a. extreme b. deep c. strong feeling<br />

3. eruption<br />

a. boil b. bursting out of lava and ash c. dramatic outbreak<br />

4. composed<br />

a. calm b. made up of c. made up<br />

5. dormant<br />

a. asleep b. temporarily inactive c. alive but not actively<br />

growing<br />

6. unravelled<br />

a. wrapped up b. to make clear c. written about<br />

B. Imagine that you are a journalist based at Ahmedabad. Write a short report of the earthquake<br />

that took place in Gujrat on 26 January 2001. you may collect information from magazines and the<br />

Internet.<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

________________________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

15


NATURE’S FURY: VOLCANOES<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 4<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

C. Answer the following questions.<br />

1. Why is a volcano described as being ‘nature at its widest’?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

2. Why does a volcanic eruption take place?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

3. What is magma? When is it called ‘lava’?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

4. What is ‘tephra’?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

5. What are the following types of volcanoes? Give examples of each.<br />

a. Active volcanoes<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

b. Dormant volcanoes<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

c. Extinct volcanoes<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

_______________________________________________________________<br />

6. What is the ‘Ring of Fire’?<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

D. As you already know, words may have different meanings. They may also be used as different<br />

parts of speech. Pick out words from the passage which have these meanings when used in a different<br />

context. One has been done for you.<br />

1. Hard outer part of a loaf of bread crust<br />

2. The centre of an apple _____________________<br />

3. We eat on it _____________________<br />

4. A rank in the army _____________________<br />

5. We wash our faces in these _____________________<br />

6. A modern form of music _____________________<br />

7. Come to the top _____________________<br />

8. Length X breadth _____________________<br />

9. A document with blank spaces to be<br />

filled in with necessary information<br />

_____________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

16


THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 5<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

It was six men of Indostan,<br />

To learning much inclined,<br />

Who went to see the elephant<br />

(Though all of them were blind),<br />

That each by observation<br />

Might satisfy his mind.<br />

The First approached the Elephant,<br />

And happening to fall<br />

Against his broad and sturdy side,<br />

At once began to bawl:<br />

“God bless me! But the elephant<br />

Is very like a wall.”<br />

The second, feeling of the tusk<br />

Cried, “Ho! What have we here<br />

So very round and smooth and sharp?<br />

To me ‘tis mighty clear<br />

This wonder of an Elephant<br />

Is very like a spear!”<br />

The third approached the animal,<br />

And happening to take<br />

The squirming trunk within his hands,<br />

Thus boldly up and spake:<br />

“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant<br />

Is very like a snake!”<br />

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,<br />

And felt about the kee.<br />

“What most this wondrous beast is like<br />

Is mighty plain,” quoth he;<br />

“ ‘Tis clear enough, the Elephant<br />

Is very like a tree.”<br />

The Fifth who chanced to touch the ear,<br />

Said, “E’en the blindest man<br />

Can tell what this resembles most;<br />

Deny the fact who can,<br />

This marvel of an Elephant<br />

Is very like a fan!”<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

17


THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 5<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

The sixth no sooner had begun<br />

About the beast to grope,<br />

Than, seizing on the swinging tail<br />

That fell within his scope,<br />

“I see,” quoth he,<br />

“the Elephant is very like a rope!”<br />

And so these men of Indostan<br />

Disputed loud and long,<br />

Each in his own opinion<br />

Exceeding stiff and strong;<br />

Though each was partly in the right<br />

And all were in the wrong.<br />

A. Complete the table to find out what the elephant looked like to the blind men. The first one has<br />

been done for you.<br />

MAN FELT BELIEVED<br />

First man The side That it was like a wall<br />

B. Find words and phrases in the poem which mean the following:<br />

1. Interested in education _____________________<br />

2. Cry out loudly _____________________<br />

3. A weapon with a long shining blade _____________________<br />

4. Said _____________________<br />

5. Moving around all the time this way and that _____________________<br />

6. Without fear _____________________<br />

7. Holding onto _____________________<br />

8. Argued _____________________<br />

9. Not completely _____________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

18


THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 5<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

C. Play a game. Your teacher will place some objects on a tray covered with a cloth. Form two<br />

teams. Four members of each team will be blindfolded and asked to feel the objects and guess<br />

what they are. A scorekeeper can give points for each correct answer and the team with the<br />

highest score will win.<br />

D. Make pairs of sentences with the words in the box to show how they may be used in different<br />

ways. One has been done for you.<br />

TRUNK, PLAIN, FAIR, BAY, LIGHT, BARK<br />

1. The blind man took the squirming trunk of the elephant in his hands.<br />

He packed his clothes in his steel trunk.<br />

2. ______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

3. ______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

4. ______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

5. ______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

6. ______________________________________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

19


THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT<br />

CLASS 7<br />

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE 5<br />

NAME ______________________________________<br />

DATE _________________<br />

E. The guessing game must have been quite interesting. Write a dairy entry about it when you<br />

reach home.<br />

Date ______________________<br />

Dear Dairy,<br />

Today it wasn’t a;; studies. We actually played a game in <strong>class</strong>. It was great fun…<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

_________________________________________________________________________<br />

© copyright <strong>Pearson</strong> Education<br />

www.pearsoned.co.in<br />

20

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!