Question
A1. Simple Factual Activities:
State whether the following statements are Right or Wrong. Correct the wrong ones:
(1) The author and Meena were great enemies.
(2) Meena was a very cheerful person initially.
Meena is a good friend of mine. She is an LIC officer earning a good salary. But there was always something strange about her. She was forever unhappy. Whenever I met her, I would start to feel depressed. It was as though her gloom and cynicism had a way of spreading to others. She never had anything positive to say on any subject or about any person.
For instance, I might say to her, ‘Meena, did you know Rakesh has come first in his school ?’
Meena’s immediate response would be to belittle the achievement. ‘Naturally, his father is a school teacher’, she would say.
If I said, ‘Meena, Shwetha is a very beautiful girl, isn’t she ?’ Meena would be pessimistic. ‘When a pony is young, he looks handsome. It is age that matters. Wait for some time. Shwetha will be uglier than anyone you know.’
‘Meena, it’s a beautiful day. Let’s go for a walk’.
‘No, the sun is too hot and I get tired if I walk too much. Besides, who says walking is good for health ? There’s no proof.’
That was Meena. She stayed alone in an apartment as her parents lived in Delhi. She was an only child and had the habit of complaining about anything and everything. Naturally, she wasn’t a very pleasant company and nobody wanted to visit her. Then one day, Meena was transferred to Bombay and soon we all forgot about her.
Many years later, I found myself caught in the rain at Bombay’s Flora Fountain. It was pouring and I didn’t have an umbrella. I was standing near Akbarallys, a popular department store, waiting for the rain to subside. Suddenly, I spotted Meena. My first reaction was to run, even in that pouring rain. I was anxious to avoid being seen by her, having to listen to her never-ending complaints. However, I couldn’t escape. She had already seen me and caught hold of my hand warmly. What’s more, she was very cheerful.
‘Hey ! I am really excited. It’s nice to meet old friends. What are you doing here ?’
I explained that I was in Bombay on an official work.
A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Choose the correct alternative and rewrite the sentences:
(1) Meena who is an LIC officer, is _______________.
(a) a pessimistic person
(b) an optimistic person
(c) a disabled person.
(2) The writer was standing near Akbarallys, a popular department store because _______________.
(a) she was waiting for her friend Meena.
(b) she was waiting for the rain to stop.
(c) she wanted to buy something in Akbarallys.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Match the words with their meanings:
State whether the following statements are Right or Wrong. Correct the wrong ones:
(1) The author and Meena were great enemies.
(2) Meena was a very cheerful person initially.
Meena is a good friend of mine. She is an LIC officer earning a good salary. But there was always something strange about her. She was forever unhappy. Whenever I met her, I would start to feel depressed. It was as though her gloom and cynicism had a way of spreading to others. She never had anything positive to say on any subject or about any person.
For instance, I might say to her, ‘Meena, did you know Rakesh has come first in his school ?’
Meena’s immediate response would be to belittle the achievement. ‘Naturally, his father is a school teacher’, she would say.
If I said, ‘Meena, Shwetha is a very beautiful girl, isn’t she ?’ Meena would be pessimistic. ‘When a pony is young, he looks handsome. It is age that matters. Wait for some time. Shwetha will be uglier than anyone you know.’
‘Meena, it’s a beautiful day. Let’s go for a walk’.
‘No, the sun is too hot and I get tired if I walk too much. Besides, who says walking is good for health ? There’s no proof.’
That was Meena. She stayed alone in an apartment as her parents lived in Delhi. She was an only child and had the habit of complaining about anything and everything. Naturally, she wasn’t a very pleasant company and nobody wanted to visit her. Then one day, Meena was transferred to Bombay and soon we all forgot about her.
Many years later, I found myself caught in the rain at Bombay’s Flora Fountain. It was pouring and I didn’t have an umbrella. I was standing near Akbarallys, a popular department store, waiting for the rain to subside. Suddenly, I spotted Meena. My first reaction was to run, even in that pouring rain. I was anxious to avoid being seen by her, having to listen to her never-ending complaints. However, I couldn’t escape. She had already seen me and caught hold of my hand warmly. What’s more, she was very cheerful.
‘Hey ! I am really excited. It’s nice to meet old friends. What are you doing here ?’
I explained that I was in Bombay on an official work.
A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Choose the correct alternative and rewrite the sentences:
(1) Meena who is an LIC officer, is _______________.
(a) a pessimistic person
(b) an optimistic person
(c) a disabled person.
(2) The writer was standing near Akbarallys, a popular department store because _______________.
(a) she was waiting for her friend Meena.
(b) she was waiting for the rain to stop.
(c) she wanted to buy something in Akbarallys.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Match the words with their meanings:
| Group 'A' | Group 'B' |
| (1) gloom | (a) to abate |
| (2) cynicism | (b) expecting the worst |
| (3) subside | (c) feeling of sadness |
| (4) pessimistic | (d) a distrustful attitude |
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
(1) Choose the correct alternative of affirmative sentence:
She wasn't a very pleasant company.
(a) She was a very unpleasant company.
(b) She wasn't a very unpleasant company.
(c) She was a very pleasant company.
(d) She was a very beautiful company.
(2) Do as directed:
Meena is a LIC Officer.
(Frame a wh-question to get the underlined part as an answer)
A5. Personal Response:
(1) If you have a friend like Meena, what would be your attitude towards her?
