A1. Simple Factual Activity: State whether the following statements are True or False: (1) R. K. Narayan's 'Swami and Friends' is a good read for the kids and teens alike. (2) Mischievous kids are not as sensitive as other people. Significance of the book... ‘Swami and Friends’ by R. K. Narayan is not merely an interesting read that could be enjoyed from top to bottom, but the work attributes a lot of literary values even if it is a teen book ‘Swami and Friends’ is a good read for the kids and teens alike. Also the book is widely used in the Asian continent as a study text for the students who study literature as a subject at schools. This does not mean that the book is filled with heavy grammar and technical jargon. Actually the truth is in contrary to this. Swami and Friends is written in such simple English it is hard to imagine that it is a work of such a literary genius like R. K. Narayan. The English used in the book is both plain and simple, without any troubling words for the kids. Also the use of simple and short sentences adds to the simplicity of the book. It is mentioned in the description that the book is about a mischievous ten year old Indian boy, and some parents may be concerned about the influence this will have on their already mischievous children. But the book is as such, that it encompasses the mischief of the kids in a view of the kid which is harmless and pure in his perspective. Also amidst all the mischief and naughtiness, we actually find that Swami is a loving and a tender kid who's actually very sensitive. It is also a known fact that mischievous kids are the most sensitive and loving people of all. And R. K. Narayan does a great job conveying that to all of us. A2. Complex Factual Activity: Complete the following web: A3. Activities based on Vocabulary: Find the following from the passage: (i) Noun forms of : conclude, rule (ii) Verb forms of : improvement, inclusion A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar: Do as directed: (1) The author is one of the greatest authors of all the time. (Change the sentence into positive degree.) (2) R. K. Narayan is responsible for many of the outstanding literary works. (Frame a Wh-question to get the underlined as answer.) A5. Personal Response: (1) What difference do you find between the children of Swami's days and today's children?

A1. Simple Factual Activity: (1) False (2) False (3) True (4) True A2. Complex Factual Activity: A3. Activities based on Vocabulary: (i) conclude - conclusion, rule - rule/ruling (ii) improvement - improve, inclusion - include A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar: (1) Very few (Not many) authors of all the time are so (as) great as him. (the author). (2) What is R. K. Narayan responsible for? A5. Personal Response: (1) I like the magazine 'Tin-Tin' the most. I like it because it provides all kinds of literature the children like. It gives fairy tales, mythological stories, historical stories, jokes and vivid information related to every field of children's It also gives cartoons for the kids in view of the kids which are harmless and pure. It is a priceless gift for me, every month.

A1. Simple Factual Activity: State whether the following statemen…

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
(1) Complete the following sentences:
Small groups, local organisations and individuals are _______________ .
(2) Name the following:
The daughters of Kailash Satyarthi mentioned in this passage:

We have made progress in the last couple of decades. We have reduced the number of out-ofschool children by half. We have reduced the number of child labourers by a third. We have reduced child mortality and malnutrition, and we have prevented millions of child deaths.
But, let us make no mistake, great challenges still remain.
Friends! The biggest challenge or biggest crisis knocking on the doors of humankind is fear and intolerance.
We have utterly failed our children in imparting an education. An education that gives the meaning and objective of life. An education that gives a sense of global citizenship among the youth.
I am afraid that the day is not very far away when the cumulative result of this failure, will culminate in an unprecedented violence, and that will be suicidal for humankind.
Rights, security, hope can only be restored through education.
Young people like Malala ... I’ve started calling her my daughter Malala not just Malala ... So my daughter Malala and other daughters including Kayanat.. in fact.. two Kayanats, and Shazia, and the daughters from Africa, and from all over the world. They are rising up and choosing peace over violence, tolerance over extremism, and courage over fear.
The solutions are emerging. But these solutions cannot be found in the deliberations in conferences alone, and cannot be found in prescriptions from a distance.
They lie in small groups and local organisations and individuals, who are confronting with the problem every day. Even if they remain unacknowledged, unrecognised and unknown to the world the solution are with them.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Complete the following web stating the sign of progress mentioned by Satyarthi :

A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find out the describing words used for the following nouns and make your own sentences by using any three combinations:
(1) challenges
(2) organisations
(3) citizenship
(4) groups
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
(1) Find out and write four sentences from the passage that are in Present Perfect Tense:
A5. Personal Response:
(1) What is the role of education in nation building?

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A1. Simple Factual Activity:
Complete the sentences with the help of the information in the passage:
(1) The quality and quantity of energy we put forth, _______________.
(2) _______________ is a walk in the dark.

Time-bound: Establish time parameters around each goal, as it will help increase focus and accountability. To reduce weight we know how to go about it. But without consistent time - bound action, it never becomes a reality. It may be exercise, diet and stress-free thoughts. All these have to be practised and implemented without hesitation, doubt or indifference, but within a deadline.
Visions, wishes, intentions and dreams are all valuable. They spark off imagination and encourage us to define where we want to reach. In order to get there, however, we need to bring life images, down to earth and plan to execute our strategies. The quality and quantity of energy we put forth, directly impact the results. Life is something like a trumpet. If we don’t put anything in, we can’t get anything out.
Success is a walk in the dark. Finding the right footing, precisely mastering the skills and getting to the next place, all depend on how we approach and
tackle the problem. The best way to get from where we are, to where we want to be is to find the footing of our next step. When we take the next step, it should support and hold us without a crack.

A2. Complex Factual Activity:
Pick out examples from the passage that support each of the following facts:
(a) Good results depend upon the quality and quantity of work put in.
(b) A time-limit should be set to achieve goals.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Classify the following words in their respective columns:
ah, of, if, and, oh, from, we, but, it, hurrah

Pronoun	Preposition	Conjunction	Inter- jection

A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
(1) We need to bring life images. (Underline the infinitive.)
(2) The next step should support and hold us without a crack.
(Choose the correct question tag.)
(a) should it? (b) don't it? (c) shouldn't it?
A5. Personal Response:
(1) 'If we don't put anything in, we can't get anything out.' Explain.

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A1. Simple Factual Activity:
Complete the following sentences with the help of the passage:
(1) Specific goals make it easier to _______________.
(2) It is important to create goals that are _______________.

SMART goals have a specific rubric:
Specific: Involves identifying a specific area for improvement. The more specific the area, the more refined the achievement of one’s goal can be. It makes it easier to set parameters and work towards the goal. For exaxmple, if it is building a house, what exactly is the capacity required and how long can it stretch ?
Measurable: Quantifying goals provides specific ways to track progress against goals. This makes it easy to benchmark performance throughout the goal period, including areas to improve. While playing football, one’s exact role and position has to be clearly defined.
Achievable: Setting goals that can be completed in the designated period of time. Often, these goals may act like stepping stones to help meet broader goals that further define a career. As students, we can’t become a President, a Prime Minister, but can hope to reach those heights in future.
Realistic: It is important to create goals that are within one’s current skill set or area of expertise. Building expertise takes time, so expecting to become an expert in a short amount of time is unrealistic. Being realistic will make it easy to be successful at attaining goals. If defensive and not aggressive, the goal perhaps lacks realism. We must have the clear picture in mind and must have the ability to adhere to that picture.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
(1) How does quantifying goals help us?
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find from the passage adjectives for the following:
(1) area
(2) period
(3) role
(4) stones
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Underline the Present Participles/ Infinitives:
(1) It makes it easier to set parameters.
(2) These goals may act like stepping stones to help broader goals.
A5. Personal Response:
(1) Why is it necessary that our goals should be realistic?

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A1. Simple Factual Activities:
State whether you Agree or Disagree with the following statements:
Statements
(1) The narrator made a mistake by saving the baby langur.
(2) Animals cannot convey emotions.

For a few seconds, the mother langur looked straight into my eyes. Even today, I cannot forget that look in her eyes, showering silent gratitude on me for saving her child. I was overwhelmed by the emotion, the sentiment and the way she said thanks to me. There sat a universal mother holding a stricken child in her lap.
Then, in a flash, she jumped with her baby clinging to her belly and reached our kitchen roof. She surveyed the area for the vicious male langur and then leapt away in the direction opposite to the place of the violent encounter.
The brief meeting with the mother and the baby langur convinced me that interspecies communication and mutual trust is indeed a reality and should anyone strike the right chord, the relationship hums into action. The mother langur showed me that food was not the only means of communication between man and animal but that there were other means of establishing a bond through trust, compassion and mutual understanding.
Fifty-five years have passed since that day. I am now seventy years old. But I still fondly remember that ‘encounter of a special kind’.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Complete the web:

A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Match the words in column 'A' with their meanings in column 'B':

Column 'A'	Column 'B'
(1) to be overwhelmed by	(a) to do something that makes people feel to have sympathy with.
(2) in a flash	(b) very quickly
(3) strike the right chord	(c) belief felt equally by both people involved.
(4) mutual trust	(d) to be affected emotionally in a powerful way.

A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Rewrite the sentences as per the tenses mentioned in the brackets:
(1) The mother langur looked straight into my eyes. (Simple Present Tense.)
(2) She surveyed the area for the vicious male langur. (Simple Future Tense.)
A5. Personal Response:
(1) What did the mother langur seem to convey to the narrator?

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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:

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?

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A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Choose the correct alternatives:
(1) What did Mary Kom prefer being called?
(a) Super mom (b) Super woman
(c) Super being (d) Super Boxer
(2) What would be a key factor in your conditioning for the Olympics?
(a) saturated fats
(b) diet and nutrition
(c) trophies and medals

Interviewer : Do you think interest in boxing in India will ever go beyond the Olympics ?
Mary Kom : Yes, I am sure that in a few years boxing will be very popular among everyone in India, all the year round.
Interviewer : How aware are Indian women of their nutritional requirements ? Diet and nutrition must’ve been a key factor in your conditioning for the Olympics. Do you think nutrition is a neglected area in Indian sports ?
Mary Kom : The awareness is growing now among the female athletes when it comes to nutritional requirements. Nutrition has definitely been a neglected area in Indian sports. I had to gain 3 kgs since I had to fight in the 51kg event instead of the usual 48kgs that I fight in. So I had to focus on what to eat. I gained weight by eating the right kind of healthy food rather than bad saturated fats.
Interviewer : How big a role did OGQ play in shaping the boxing scene in India for the better ?
Mary Kom : OGQ really played an important part in my success. They helped me out whenever I needed something. They took care of everything, which helped me focus on my boxing and kept me stress - free.
Interviewer : What’s your opinion on the future of Indian boxing ?
Mary Kom : The future is very bright and I am sure many more boxers will get medals for us.
Interviewer : Do you find it difficult to convince your children not to fight when they watch you go out and do it in style all the time ?
Mary Kom : Well, I have twins and yes, sometimes it becomes really difficult to keep them under control.
Interviewer : Will you train your kids to become boxers as well ?
Mary Kom : I haven’t really thought about it. As of now, just let their mother box !
Interviewer : You have broken several stereotypes about the women in India by showing that women can compete with men in any field. But how good are you at the ‘traditional’ feminine activities like cooking ?
Mary Kom : Well, I am good at cooking and other household work too.
Interviewer : Would you be interested in coaching Indian women in boxing one day ?
Mary Kom : Let’s see. In the future, may be yes.
Interviewer : What do you prefer being called -Super Mom or Super Boxer ?
Mary Kom : I love being a mom. That’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Awards and recognitions
• Arjuna Award (Boxing) in 2003
• Padma Shree (Sports) in 2006
• Contender for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2007
• People of the Year - Limca Book of Records in 2007
• CNN-IBN and Reliance Industries Real Heroes Award in 2008
• Pepsi MTV Youth, AIBA in 2008
• ‘Magnificent Mary’, AIBA in 2008
• Felicitation by Zomi Student’s Federation (ZSF) at New Lamka YPA Hall in 2008
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2009
• International Boxing Association’s Ambassador for Women’s Boxing in 2009
• Sportswoman of the year, Sahara Sports Award in 2010.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
(1) What did OGQ do for Mary Kom?
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find out opposite words for the following from the passage.
(1) hated ×
(2) fair ×
(3) Inclusive ×
(4) diffident ×
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Underline the subordinate clause and state its kind:
(1) The male boxers were kind enough to practise with me, whenever I required them.
Kind: _______________
(2) I think more and more people should take up sports as a full-time career.
Kind: _______________
A5. Personal Response:
(1) Name some sportswomen you know:

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A1. Simple Factual Activities:
State who/what:
(1) Colours the entire sky.
(2) Takes new shapes with every passing moment,
(3) Makes trees dance.
(4) Changes its forın according to the dictates of the sun and the wind.

We saw small bits of grass peeping through the small cracks in a concrete pavement. It left us thinking : however impossible things may look, there is always an opening...
We saw a tree bare of all leaves in the cold winter months. We thought its chapter was over. But three months passed, spring set in and the tree was back to its green majesty once again, full of leaves, flowers, birds and life. What if we too had the conviction that, however difficult things are right now, it will not remain so for ever. Remember, this too shall pass.
We saw an army of ants lugging a fly which was at least ten times the ant’s size. The ants organized themselves around the fly, lifted it on frail feelers and carried it to quite a distance. Their teamwork and perseverance were impressive. What if we too are consistent, organized, focused...Spider webs are delicate, yet very strong. A rainbow colours the entire sky. Oysters take in a grain of sand they open up with a pearl. Innumerable stars shine across the infinite sky. Clouds take new shapes with every passing moment. The wind makes trees dance with unhindered passion. Water, without hint of ego, changes its form according to the dictates of the sun and the wind. When we see a caterpillar turn into a butterfly, a flower turn into a fruit, we experience the alchemy of nature... we touch it and become gold ourselves.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
(1) What are the alchemies of nature mentioned in the extract?
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Match the pairs of antonyms:

Words	Antonyms
(1) impossible	(a) easy
(2) difficult	(b) strong
(3) delicate	(c) forget
(4) remember	(d) possible

A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Identify the tenses:
(1) We saw an army of ants
(2) We experience the alchemy of nature
A5. Personal Response:
(1) 'Nature is our best teacher'-Explain.

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A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Name the following:
(1) The greatest personalities from the great land-India.
(2) The American politician, attorney and author mentioned in the speech -e help beggars?

My dear children of the world ... Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, distinguished members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, dear brother Tom Harkin, brothers and sisters, and my dear daughter Malala.
From this podium of peace and humanity, I am deeply honoured to recite a mantra from the ancient texts of wisdom, Vedas. This mantra carries a prayer, an aspiration and a resolve that has the potential to liberate humanity from all man-made crises.
Let’s walk together. In the pursuit of global progress, not a single person should be left out or left behind in any corner of the world, from East to West, from South to North. Let’s speak together, let our minds come together! Learning from the experiences of our ancestors, let us together create knowledge for all that benefits all.
I bow to my late parents, to my motherland India, and to the mother earth.
With a warm heart I recall how thousands of times, I have been liberated, each time I have freed a child from slavery. In the first smile of freedom on their beautiful faces, I see the Gods smiling.
I give the biggest credit of this honour to my movement’s Kaalu Kumar, Dhoom Das and Adarsh Kishore from India and Iqbal Masih from Pakistan who made the supreme sacrifice for protecting the freedom and dignity of children. I humbly accept this award on behalf of all such martyrs, my fellow activists across the world and my countrymen.
My journey from the great land of Lord Buddha, Guru Nanak and Mahatma Gandhi; India to Norway is a connect between the two centres of global peace and brotherhood, ancient and modern.
Friends, the Nobel Committee has generously invited me to present a “lecture.” Respectfully, I am unable to do that. Because, I am representing here - the sound of silence. The cry of innocence. And, the face of invisibility. I represent millions of those children who are left behind and that’s why I have kept an empty chair here as a reminder.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Complete the following sentences:
(1) We can create knowledge for all that benefits all by _______________.
(2) The mantras that carries a prayer has the potential to _______________.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find out the describing words used for the following nouns and make your own sentences using any one combinations:
(1) sacrifice (2) faces
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Name the tense:
(1) The Nobel committee has generously invited ine to present a 'Lecture.'
(2) I am representing the millions of children.
A5. Personal Response:
(1) What do you know about Kailash Satyarthi?

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A1. Simple Factual Activity:
Complete the following sentences with the information given in the passage:
(1) The man with crooked leg was _______________.
(2) Someone said that the Seth had hanged himself _______________.

Old Ganpat the beggar, had a crooked leg. He had been squatting on the pavement for years, calling for alms. In the evening someone would come with a barrow and take him away. He had never been known to walk. But now, on learning that the bank was about to collapse, Ganpat astonished everyone, leaping to his feet and actually running at top speed in the direction of the bank. It soon became known that he had a thousand rupees in savings!
Men stood in groups at street corners discussing the situation. Pipalnagar seldom had a crisis, seldom or never had floods, earthquakes or drought; and the imminent crash of the Pipalnagar Bank set everyone talking and speculating and rushing about in a frenzy. Some boasted of their farsightedness, congratulating themselves on having already taken out their money, or on never having put any in; others speculated on the reasons for the crash, putting it all down to excesses indulged in by Seth Govind Ram. The Seth had fled the State, said one. He had fled the country, said another. He was hiding in Pipalnagar, said a third. He had hanged himself from the tamarind tree, said a fourth, and had been found that morning by the sweeper-boy.
By noon the small bank had gone through all; its ready cash, and the harassed manager was in a dilemma. Emergency funds could only be obtained from another bank some thirty miles distant, and he wasn’t sure he could persuade the crowd to wait
until then. And there was no way of contacting Seth Govind Ram on his houseboat in Kashmir.

A2. Complex Factual Activity:
Complete the following sentences that tell you about Ganpat, the beggar:
(1) Ganpat was an old beggar who had a _______________.
(2) He had been _______________ for years.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find the describing words for the following from the passage:
(1) fund (2) leg (3) manager (4) speed
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
(1) I must know the reason. You are late.
(Join the sentence with the word 'why'.)
(2) He was hiding in Pipalnagar.
(Rewrite the sentence using Simple Present Tense.)
A5. Personal Response:
(1) Have you ever heard a rumour that harmed people? Elaborate it.

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A1. Simple Factual Activity:
Write whether the following statements are True or False:
(1) To accomplish goals, experts recommend a ten step approach.
(2) The champions have to have the skill and the will
(3) For anyone, setting goal is not easy but challenging.
(4) If we do not take action to achieve goals, we shall not achieve goals.

Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them- a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. Successful professionals thrive in the same manner. We all have natural talents. If we use that talent to set our goal in life, we can easily get success in life. We shall not achieve our goals if we do not take action to achieve them.
Setting goals has two valuable assets - a sense of originality and a stepping stone to illuminate the path. Goals put one at the helm of life; pursuing them acknowledges a better future situation. They help to steer a course of life rather than simply drifting along and letting things happen.
Setting goals may appear easy, but, for some, it is quite challenging. Fear of failure may be avoided in the absence of any goals. After all, one has to decide what one wants to achieve in the end. To accomplish goals, experts recommend a five step approach.
SMART goals are a methodology of thinking that helps people reach success. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Complete the web:

A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
(1) Pick out any two adverbs from the passage:
(2) Write adjectives of the following words:
(i) Success (ii) Nature
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Underline the gerund/present participles/ infinitives:
(1) Setting goal may appear easy, but it is quite challenging.
(2) After all, one has to decide what one wants to achieve in the end.
A5. Personal Response:
(1) Do you have a goal in your life? What efforts will you make to achieve it?

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