BALGOVIND'S EDUCATIONAL TOUR

Thinking about the Text I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each. (The paragraph numbers within brackets provide clues to the answers.) Question 1. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised? (1) Answer: The ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings was surprised because the unborn child’s grandmother, who was standing close by, told him that they wanted a daughter, contrary to the fact that the birth of a son was regarded as a blessing in their society. Question 2. Give an example to show that even as a young girl, Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. (2) Answer: Following are the examples that show that Santosh as a young girl was not ready to was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. i. Santosh was not content with her place in the traditional way of life, and so she began living life on her own terms from the start. ii. While other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred to wear shorts. Qu...

The Happy Prince Think about it Question 1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him? Answer: The courtiers called the prince ‘the Happy Prince’ because when he was alive and had a human heart, he did not know what tears were, for he lived in the Palace, where sorrow was not allowed to enter. No, he was not really happy. After the death of the Prince, a statue of him was built and set up so high that he could see the ugliness and all the misery of his city, and though his heart was made of lead yet he could do nothing but weep. Question 2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress’ house? Answer: The Happy Prince sends a ruby for the seamstress because he finds her very poor and her son ill. He also finds that her son is asking for oranges but his mother has nothing to give him except river water. The swallow enters into the seamstress’ house and lays the grea...