3.2 A Lesson in Life from a Beggar My English Coursebook - 3.2 A Lesson in Life from a Beggar

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
State whether the following statements are Right or Wrong. Correct the wrong ones:
(i) The beggar and the young girl were playing on the road because there was a lot of traffic.
(ii) The scene of the beggar and the girl made Meena peep into her own life. 
(iii) The beggar became Meena's role model.
(iv) It took Meena almost two years to put the change into effect.

     ‘Yes, a beggar,’ she repeated, as if to reassure me. ‘He was old and used to stay in front of my house with his five-year old granddaughter. As you know, I was a chronic pessimist. I used to give my leftovers to this beggar every day. I never spoke to him. Nor did he speak to me. One monsoon day, I looked out of my bedroom window and started cursing the rain. I don’t know why I did that because I wasn’t even getting wet. That day I couldn’t give the beggar and his granddaughter their daily quota of leftovers. They went hungry, I am sure.
     ‘However, what I saw from my window surprised me. The beggar and the young girl were playing on the road because there was no traffic. They were laughing, clapping and screaming joyously, as if they were in paradise. Hunger and rain did not matter.They were totally drenched and totally happy. I envied their zest for life.
     ‘That scene forced me to look at my own life. I realized I had so many comforts, none of which they had. But they had the most important of all assets, one which I lacked. They knew how to be happy with life as it was. I felt ashamed of myself. I even started to make a list of what I had and what I did not have. I found I had more to be grateful for than most people could imagine. That day, I decided to change my attitude towards life, using the beggar as my role model.’
      After a long pause, I asked Meena how long it had taken her to change.
     ‘Once this realization dawned’, she said, ‘it took me almost two years to put the change into effect. Now nothing matters. I am always happy. I find happiness in every small thing, in every situation and in every person.’
     ‘Did you give any gurudakshina to your guru ?’ I asked.
     ‘No. Unfortunately, by the time I understood things, he was dead. But I sponsored his granddaughter to a boarding school as a mark of respect to him.’

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
(1) Meena sponsored the granddaughter of the beggar because _______________.
(a) she was alone in her life after his death.
(b) it was a token of respect to the beggar.
(c) she was rich and so she wanted to help.
(2) _______________ was the most important of all assets, that the beggar and his granddaughter had but the writer was lacking.
(a) Attitude towards life
(b) So many comforts
(c) Hunger. 
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Match the synonyms:

Column 'A'	Column 'B'
(1) paradise	(a) enthusiasm
(2) zest	(b) valuable thing
(3) asset	(c) wet
(4) drenched	(d) heaven

A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
(1) Do as directed:
He used to stay in front of my house.
(Rewrite the sentence by using 'would'.)
(2) Change the voice:
That scene forced me to look at my own life.
(Begin the sentence with "I .....)
A5. Personal Response:
(1) According to you, how can we help beggars?

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Read the passage and fill in the blanks:
(i) Meena was a chronic _______________.
(ii) _______________ changed Meena's life.
(iii) The begger lived with his _______________ daughter.
(iv) The beggars were playing on the road because _______________.

     ‘Yes, a beggar,’ she repeated, as if to reassure me. ‘He was old and used to stay in front of my house with his five-year old granddaughter. As you know, I was a chronic pessimist. I used to give my leftovers to this beggar every day. I never spoke to him. Nor did he speak to me. One monsoon day, I looked out of my bedroom window and started cursing the rain. I don’t know why I did that because I wasn’t even getting wet. That day I couldn’t give the beggar and his granddaughter their daily quota of leftovers. They went hungry, I am sure.
     ‘However, what I saw from my window surprised me. The beggar and the young girl were playing on the road because there was no traffic. They were laughing, clapping and screaming joyously, as if they were in paradise. Hunger and rain did not matter.They were totally drenched and totally happy. I envied their zest for life.
     ‘That scene forced me to look at my own life. I realized I had so many comforts, none of which they had. But they had the most important of all assets, one which I lacked. They knew how to be happy with life as it was. I felt ashamed of myself. I even started to make a list of what I had and what I did not have. I found I had more to be grateful for than most people could imagine. That day, I decided to change my attitude towards life, using the beggar as my role model.’
      After a long pause, I asked Meena how long it had taken her to change.
     ‘Once this realization dawned’, she said, ‘it took me almost two years to put the change into effect. Now nothing matters. I am always happy. I find happiness in every small thing, in every situation and in every person.’
     ‘Did you give any gurudakshina to your guru ?’ I asked.
     ‘No. Unfortunately, by the time I understood things, he was dead. But I sponsored his granddaughter to a boarding school as a mark of respect to him.’

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
(1) How did the beggar change Meena's attitude towards life? Write it down in 5 to 6 lines. 
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find synonyms for the following words from the passage:
(a) heaven
(b) happily
(c) rainy
(d) very surprised
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Do as directed:
(1) They were laughing and screaming.
(Choose the correct option of 'Not only...... but also'.)
(a) They were not only but also laughing and screaming.
(b) They were not only laughing but also screaming.
(c) They were laughing not only but also screaming.
(d) They were not only laughing and but also screaming.
(2) He used to stay in front of my house.
(Rewrite the sentence by using 'would'.)
A5. Personal Response:
(1) Describe an experience, where somebody has changed your way of looking at life.

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Write whether the following sentences are True or False:
(1) Meena chose the beggar as her role model.
(2) There was traffic on the road.
(3) The beggar and the young girl taught Meena how to be happy with life as it was.
(4) The beggar and the young girl were playing on the terrace.

     ‘Yes, a beggar,’ she repeated, as if to reassure me. ‘He was old and used to stay in front of my house with his five-year old granddaughter. As you know, I was a chronic pessimist. I used to give my leftovers to this beggar every day. I never spoke to him. Nor did he speak to me. One monsoon day, I looked out of my bedroom window and started cursing the rain. I don’t know why I did that because I wasn’t even getting wet. That day I couldn’t give the beggar and his granddaughter their daily quota of leftovers. They went hungry, I am sure.
     ‘However, what I saw from my window surprised me. The beggar and the young girl were playing on the road because there was no traffic. They were laughing, clapping and screaming joyously, as if they were in paradise. Hunger and rain did not matter.They were totally drenched and totally happy. I envied their zest for life.
     ‘That scene forced me to look at my own life. I realized I had so many comforts, none of which they had. But they had the most important of all assets, one which I lacked. They knew how to be happy with life as it was. I felt ashamed of myself. I even started to make a list of what I had and what I did not have. I found I had more to be grateful for than most people could imagine. That day, I decided to change my attitude towards life, using the beggar as my role model.’
      After a long pause, I asked Meena how long it had taken her to change.
     ‘Once this realization dawned’, she said, ‘it took me almost two years to put the change into effect. Now nothing matters. I am always happy. I find happiness in every small thing, in every situation and in every person.’
     ‘Did you give any gurudakshina to your guru ?’ I asked.
     ‘No. Unfortunately, by the time I understood things, he was dead. But I sponsored his granddaughter to a boarding school as a mark of respect to him.’

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Arrange the following sentences as per their sequence occurred in the passage:
(i) Meena changed her attitude towards life.
(ii) Meena felt ashamed of herself.
(iii) The beggar and the young girl were playing on the road.
(iv) The beggar and the young girl were totally drenched and totally happy.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find antonyms of the following words from the passage:
(1) frowned ×   _____________
(2) hell ×  _____________
(3) unhappy ×  _____________
(4) disrespect ×  _____________.
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
(1) Do as directed:
The beggar and the young girl were playing on the road.
(Rewrite it in 'present continuous tense'.)
(2) Change into indirect speech:
"Did you give any gurudakshina to your Guru?" I asked.
A5. Personal Response:
(1) Who is your role model? Why? 

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Who said to whom?

Sentence	Who said	To whom
(1) "Then, what's the secret of your energy?"
(2) "A beggar changed my life."

    ‘Then stay with me tonight,’ she said. ‘Let’s chat. Do you know that, old friends and memories are precious and rare ?’
     I couldn’t believe it. Was this really Meena ? I pinched myself hard to be sure it wasn’t a dream. But Meena was really standing there, right in front of me, squeezing my hand, smiling, and yes, she did look happy. In the three years she had been in Bangalore, I had never once seen her smiling like that. A few strands of grey in her hair reminded me that years had passed. There were a few wrinkles in her face, but the truth was that she looked more attractive than ever before.
     Finally, I managed to say, ‘No Meena, I can’t stay with you tonight. I have to attend a dinner. Give me your card and I’ll keep in touch with you, I promise.’
     For a moment, Meena looked disappointed, ‘Let’s go and have tea at least’, she insisted.
     ‘But Meena, it’s pouring.’
     ‘So what ? We’ll buy an umbrella and then go to the Grand Hotel,’ she said.
     ‘We won’t get a taxi in this rain’, I grumbled.
     ‘So what ? We’ll walk’.
      I was very surprised. This wasn’t the same Meena I had known. Today, she seemed ready to make any number of adjustments.
      We reached the Grand Hotel drenched. By then the only thought in my mind was to find out who or what had brought about such a change in the pessimistic Meena I had known. I was quite curious.
      ‘Tell me Meena, is there a Prince Charming who has managed to change you so ?’
       Meena was surprised by my question. ‘No, there isn’t anyone like that’, she said.
       ‘Then what’s the secret of your energy?’ I asked, like Tendulkar does in the  advertisement.
       She smiled, ‘A beggar changed my life.’ I was absolutely dumbfounded and she could see it.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Choose the correct alternative and complete the following sentences:
(1) The only thought in the writer's mind till they reached the Grand Hotel was _______________.
(a) why the rain was not stopping.
(b) what had brought about such a change in Meena.
(c) how the beggar had changed the entire life of Meena.
(2) The writer wanted to attend _______________.
(a) a marriage party.
(b) a dinner.
(c) a birthday party.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find out antonyms for the following from the passage:
(1) lie ×   _____________
(2) dry ×  _____________
(3) common ×  _____________
(4) wrong ×  _____________.
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Change into indirect speech:
(1) "We won't get a taxi in this rain," I grumbled.
(2) "So what? We'll buy an umbrella and then go to the Grand Hotel," she said.
A5. Personal Response:
(1) What, according to you, is the difference between an optimistic person and a pessimistic person?

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Who said to whom?

Sentence	Who said	To whom
(1) "Let's chat."
(2) "We won't get a taxi in this rain."

    ‘Then stay with me tonight,’ she said. ‘Let’s chat. Do you know that, old friends and memories are precious and rare ?’
     I couldn’t believe it. Was this really Meena ? I pinched myself hard to be sure it wasn’t a dream. But Meena was really standing there, right in front of me, squeezing my hand, smiling, and yes, she did look happy. In the three years she had been in Bangalore, I had never once seen her smiling like that. A few strands of grey in her hair reminded me that years had passed. There were a few wrinkles in her face, but the truth was that she looked more attractive than ever before.
     Finally, I managed to say, ‘No Meena, I can’t stay with you tonight. I have to attend a dinner. Give me your card and I’ll keep in touch with you, I promise.’
     For a moment, Meena looked disappointed, ‘Let’s go and have tea at least’, she insisted.
     ‘But Meena, it’s pouring.’
     ‘So what ? We’ll buy an umbrella and then go to the Grand Hotel,’ she said.
     ‘We won’t get a taxi in this rain’, I grumbled.
     ‘So what ? We’ll walk’.
      I was very surprised. This wasn’t the same Meena I had known. Today, she seemed ready to make any number of adjustments.
      We reached the Grand Hotel drenched. By then the only thought in my mind was to find out who or what had brought about such a change in the pessimistic Meena I had known. I was quite curious.
      ‘Tell me Meena, is there a Prince Charming who has managed to change you so ?’
       Meena was surprised by my question. ‘No, there isn’t anyone like that’, she said.
       ‘Then what’s the secret of your energy?’ I asked, like Tendulkar does in the  advertisement.
       She smiled, ‘A beggar changed my life.’ I was absolutely dumbfounded and she could see it.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Complete the following sentences:
(1) Old friends and memories are precious and rare.
(2) A few strands of grey in her hair had reminded the writer that years had passed.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find out synonyms for the following from the passage:
(1) inquisitive -  _____________
(2) displeased -  _____________
(3) attractive -  _____________
(4) valued -  _____________.
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Complete the following table:

Present Tense	Past Tense	Past Participle
(1) see	_______	_______
(2) pour	_______	_______
(3) _______	brought	_______
(4) _______	_______	known

A5. Personal Response:
(1) What, according to you, is the difference between an optimistic person and a pessimistic person?