English Literature - ...

About the passage

A.  Read to understand

1.   Match these towns and villages with their descriptions.

A	B
a. Gujraula	where the marriage ceremony was to take place
b. Molanpur	where an old family house stood
c. Gavvan	where the eateries were located
d. Hasanpur	where Nirottam lived

 

2.   Answer the following questions.

      a)   What ensured the good quality of food at Rattan Singh’s dhaba?

 

      b)   What made the experience of eating at the dhaba an unpleasant one for the author? Why did he not complain?

 

      c)   How do we know that the wrestler exercised great authority at the dhaba?

 

      d)   Why did the author and his friends not rest during their journey even though it was unbearably hot?

 

      e)   The narrator mentions two things found in the Indian countryside that have been carried over from an older way of life. Name them.

B.  Read to infer

      1.   Which of the following statements reveals the author’s opinion about the black redstart?

a)   It had probably forgotten its way back home.

b)   It had probably gone out of its mind.

c)   It was probably on its way to the Himalayas.

d)   It was probably affected by the polluting phut-phuts.

 

      2.   ‘(The contractors) were just waiting to complete the transformation of Hasanpur into yet another hot and ugly concrete cauldron.’ This line tells us that

a)   the author doesn’t have a very high opinion about cities.

b)   the contractors were involved in the illegal demolition of old houses in Hasanpur .

c)   Hasanpur was fast becoming a deserted town due to various construction activities.

 

      3.   Give two examples from the passage which show the author’s considerate behavior.

 

      4.   How do we know that the people living in the area just outside Hasanpur were not well off?

 

 

C.  Discuss

More and more of the Indian countryside is slowly becoming city-like or urban. Even in the passage, the author talks about such a transformation taking place in Hasanpur. Why do you think changes occur? Can they be prevented? How does the growth of more and more cities change the countryside? Discuss in class.