A1. Simple Factual Activity:
State whether the following statements are True or False:
(1) The female peacock has fan-shaped crest.
(2) The peacock is the most beautiful among male birds.
(3) The peacock is our national bird.
(4) Peacocks shed their tail feathers twice a year.
The peacock is perhaps the most beautiful among male birds, with its long blue neck, fan- shaped crest, and its gorgeous train or tail of feathers. Each feather ends in a half-moon or 'eye'. When raised, the tail spreads like a fan from which thousands of eyes seem to gaze. Ironically, the female or peahen, is a small, drab bird in comparison, without the sweeping train.
Peacocks shed their tail feathers once a year and grow new ones. People carefully collect these old feathers, which are then made into lovely fans and other decorative items.
The peacock, although a shy bird, dances in front of the peahens during courtship. He then struts before them showing off his many-coloured train.
The sight of rain clouds is another occasion for such display, perhaps to hail the arrival of rain after the long hot summer. The peacock's lordly strutting has also given rise to the commonly used phrases, 'proud as a peacock' and 'as vain as a peacock'.
The peacock is our national bird. The peacocks have a special place in our arts, songs, dances, culture and stories.
A2. Complex Factual Activity:
Complete the table based on the informaton from the passage:
| Beauty of peacock's tail of feathers | |
| (1) | (2) |
A3. Activity based on Vocabulary:
Match the words in Column 'A' with their antonyms (opposites) in Column 'B':
| Column 'A' | Column 'B' |
| (1) gorgeous | (a) too proud of one's appearance |
| (2) shy | (b) not attractive |
| (3) vain | (c) very beautiful and attractive |
| (4) drab | (d) nervous |
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
(1) Choose the correct Question Tag from the given alternatives for the following:
His tail spreads like a fan....
(a), isn't it?
(b), doesn't it?
(c), don't it?
(2) Choose the correct comparative degree from the given alternatives for the following:
The peacock is the most beautiful among male birds.
(a) No other among male birds are as beautiful as the peacock.
(b) Very few among male birds are as beautiful as the peacock.
(c) No other among male birds is more beautiful than the peacock.
(d) Not many male birds are beautiful as the peacock is.
A5. Personal Response:
Why, do you think, should we love birds?
(B) Read the passage given for comprehension and write the Summary of it. Suggest a suitable title to your summary:
