A squatter occupies the public land without the government licence. The squatters have migrated from Bangaladesh to Seemapuri in East Delhi. they have settled there are setup their transit camps in a wilderness on the periphery of Delhi. The structures are made of wood with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. The squatters are devoid of basic facilities like water, drainage and sewerage. They have ration cards to buy grains and for voting purposes. They look for gold by picking rags and there dwell more than 10,000 children. They move in the streets barefoot. Sometimes they find a coin but continue scrounging garbage in hope of find more. For the elders the garbage is gold. It is a means of survival for their children and is wrapped in wonder. They are abused but, can practise any criminal activity.

Seemapuri is still in wilderness but it is no longer empty. In 1971 it was inhabited illegally by more than 10,000 rag-pickers from Bangladesh in 1971. It is on the periphery of Delhi yet it is miles away from it metaphorically. People live in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. It is devoid of sewage, drainage and running water. They have got ration cards for votes and buying grains. They have no identity. Women move in tattered saris. Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.

Charley knew that there were only two levels at Grand Station. In his fantasy he visited the Third Level as well. There he felt a strange mystery of 1894. Therefore, he consulted a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist thought that Charley had been day-dreaming. Side by side he revealed that the third level was still there. In reality Charley got upset with his dull life. It made him rush back from the third level.

Q : Where was the poet coming from?
A n s w e r 
The poet was coming from her parent's home in Cochin and she was driving to airport along with her mother.

Dr Sadao was a very dedicated doctor. His profession was like prayer for him. Bounded by the promises that he made during his oath-taking ceremony, he couldn’t let the soldier go untreated. He had promised at the beginning of his career that treating everyone without discriminating them on any basis would be his prime duty. True to his promise he took the soldier in, hid him till he got well and treated him generously.

Another reason why Sadao treated the soldier is that he wanted to pay his gratitude to America as a nation. He had got a lot of good things in life from America. His medical degree was from America and moreover he had met his lovely wife Hana in America. For all these reasons he wanted to pay homage to America since it had somehow or the other enriched Sadao’s life. So Sadao saved the soldier and treated him till he got well.

Dr Sadao was a very dedicated doctor. His profession was like prayer for him. Bounded by the promises that he made during his oath-taking ceremony, he couldn’t let the soldier go untreated. He had promised at the beginning of his career that treating everyone without discriminating them on any basis would be his prime duty. True to his promise he took the soldier in, hid him till he got well and treated him generously.

Another reason why Sadao treated the soldier is that he wanted to pay his gratitude to America as a nation. He had got a lot of good things in life from America. His medical degree was from America and moreover he had met his lovely wife Hana in America. For all these reasons he wanted to pay homage to America since it had somehow or the other enriched Sadao’s life. So Sadao saved the soldier and treated him till he got well.

An act of kindness does change a person’s perspective and nature as well as his view of the world. The peddler had been living a despicable life of poverty, despair and frustration. Everywhere he was not welcomed and had the fear of being caught. No one was there in his life who would love him. Edla’s hospitality and kindness deeply touched him.

He never received such kind treatment being a stranger to Edla. It was her generosity which made Peddler to confess his mistake and he repaid for his wrong doings by behaving like a real captain. He left rattrap as a Christmas gift for her and wrote a letter of thanks leaving behind the stolen money. This way he redeemed himself from a thief to real captain and emerged altogether as a transformed person.

In this quote, Mr. Lamb says this to Derry because he finds positivity, hope and a flicker of light in Derry's attitude towards nature.

He enjoys Mr.Lamb's garden and loves the rain and all of these show that he still has some light left in his soul and has not completely given up on life.

The fact that he is not completely lost into the negativity of his mind but is simply scattered and needs to be guided to the light is what Mr. Lamb talks about here.

The poet, Stephen Spender wants the life of the slum children be changed. He wants their poverty to end. He wishes them to live in healthier, hygienic and beautiful environment. He wants their future to be bright and full of hope.

According to the poet, their lives can only be changed if governor, teacher, inspector, visitor, and people do more to help them. Mere paltry donations won't solve their problems of poverty, illiteracy, and backwardness. The rich people and the government will have to do more for them.

•Stephen Spender wants the governor, inspector or some philanthropist to take necessary measures

Stephen Spender wants the people in power to rescue slum dwellers from poverty and oppression .

• He wants that children should be given opportunities to explore the world with its gifts and bounties.

• He wants the children to acquire proper education and create their own history.

The poetess, Kamla Das looked at young trees and merry children to divert her mind from the sad and melancholy thoughts her mind had started thinking. She was sitting in the car beside her mother. Her mother had dozed off. The poetess observed that her mother had grown quite old and weak. Her face was looking ashen like that of corpse. The fearful thoughts related to the imminent death of her mother began disturbing her. In order to stop these thoughts, she looked out of the car at the young trees speeding past and children running out of their houses to play. This allayed her fears aslo. 

A n s w e r:

The poetess look at young trees and Merry children because of the following reasons:
To distract her mind from unhappy thoughts of her mother’s old age.
To look at the freshness of life.

The drowning incident at the pool had many short and long-term consequences on Douglas. The short-term consequences such as weakness, trembling, sickness, haunting fear of water, etc.

As time elapsed, these consequences took the shape of more sinister and deeply ingrained fears. Douglas developed a perennial aversion to water; the very sight of a water body such as a lake, river, water fall, etc. made him petrified. When he accompanied his friends to any picnic spot, he would stay on shore, while his friends enjoyed the water sports and recreational activities. Douglas felt terribly scared and bad about it. This humiliation gave birth to a strong desire to overcome his fear of water.

Felt weak and trembling as he walked back home

• Shook and cried as he lay on the bed

• Couldn’t eat that night

• Haunting fear gripped him for days 

• Slightest exertion tired him 

• Knees felt wobbly

• Felt sick in the stomach

• suffered from hydrophobia for years

• They wanted to express their repentance for their casual approach to their own schooling

• They wanted to thank M. Hamel for his 40 years of dedicated service 

• They wanted to show respect to their country which was no longer theirs 

Aunt Jennifer is busy knitting with her ivory needle through her wool. But the chores and duties of the family checked her in the middle, she had to stop knitting. ‘Massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’ represents the marriage band between Jennifer and uncle. It suggests the harsh and difficult experiences of her married life. After marriage she had lost all her freedom. Aunt was like a heavy band put on her.

Aunt Jennifer is busy knitting with her ivory needle through her wool. But the chores and duties of the family checked her in the middle, she had to stop knitting. ‘Massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’ represents the marriage band between Jennifer and uncle. It suggests the harsh and difficult experiences of her married life. After marriage she had lost all her freedom. Aunt was like a heavy band put on her.

Aunt Jennifer,s hand are fluttering because the reflection of her suppressed spirit she is physically nad emotionally drained and find it hard to pull a needle her hand are heavy with the weight of the wedding ring which symbolises the hardship and difficulties of the life

Man's activities are indeed heading him he is getting victorious but the war which a man is waging will soon turn the 'living planet' into a dead one and the war may be the victory of man's scientific knowledge but there would be no survivors to celebrate this victory.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Those who prepare green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire, 

Victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes

And walk about with their brothers in the shade, doing nothing.

1.  Who are ' those ' in line 1 ?

2.  What are 'green wars'?

3.  Explain :  'victory with no survivors'.

4.  Which figure of speech is used in the above stanza?

1. Over ambitious/eccentric people involved in waging wars to gain dominance.

2. War against environment

3. None may survive to celebrate victory

4. Metaphor – clean clothes / their brothers

green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire'.
The expression refers to the chemical wars which man is waging against man and against nature. Man's activities are polluting the nature and the chemical and nuclear weapons created by him have brought mankind to its dead end.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Those who prepare green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire, 

Victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes

And walk about with their brothers in the shade, doing nothing.

1.  Who are ' those ' in line 1 ?

2.  What are 'green wars'?

3.  Explain :  'victory with no survivors'.

4.  Which figure of speech is used in the above stanza?

1. Over ambitious/eccentric people involved in waging wars to gain dominance.

2. War against environment

3. None may survive to celebrate victory

4. Metaphor – clean clothes / their brothers

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9/8, Dharma Colony

Ramgarh

Rajasthan

7 January, 2019

The Honourable Mayor

Ramgarh

Rajasthan

Respected Sir,

Sub: Water logging of areas in Ramgarh

As you must be aware, several areas of our city are under water after the recent rains. It is my observation that this is mainly due to non-maintenance of gutters and storm-water drains, during the non-rainy season.

Most of them are clogged, resulting in water overflow on to streets, roads and open grounds. Several gutters and storm-water drains, have their covering slabs caved-in, which often results in fatal accidents.

I request your office to kindly take this up as a matter of priority, so as to avoid water-logging and accidents in future.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely

Rani

This change in his life was the betterment of him as he was able to earn a livelihood for himself and his family. But, Saheb was not happy with this change. He lost his freedom by working under a master, who would command him to do things. Saheb, now, no longer was his own master, which made him unhappy.

Pick out the words from the passage which mean the same as the following : (1×2=2)

(a) save (para 1)

(b) achieved / carried out (para 3)

Sol.

(a) Preserve (b) Accomplished

Pick out the words from the passage which mean the same as the following : (1×2=2)

(a) save (para 1)

(b) achieved / carried out (para 3)

Sol.

(a) Preserve (b) Accomplished

Franz entered the school. He noticed many unusual things in the school. It was all so still, calm and quiet like Sunday morning. The whole school looked strange and solemn. There was no hustle and bustle. The rapping of the teacher’s ruler on the table was not heard. The voice of the students repeating the lessons and the opening and closing of the desks was not heard. It was quite unusual and surprising.

HRD Minister Ramesh Nishank announced a major CBSE syllabus reduction for the new academic year 2020-21 on July 7 which was soon followed by an official notification by CBSE on the same.

Considering the loss of classroom teaching time due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, CBSE reduced the syllabus of classes 9 to 12 with the help of suggestions from NCERT.

The CBSE syllabus has been rationalized keeping intact the learning outcomes so that the core concepts of students can be retained.

CBSE stated in its notification that the deleted portions of the CBSE syllabus should not be considered for internal assessments or for the year-end board exams.

Mukesh is quite different from other bangle makers of Firozabad because he has the courage to take initiative and break from the traditional family occupation. He has strong will power also. He insists on being his own master by becoming a motor mechanic.