Unit - 8 : A Short Monsoon Diary English - Unit - 8 : A Short Monsoon Diary

The rain stops. The clouds begin to break up, the sun strikes the hill on my left. A woman is chopping up sticks. I hear the tinkle of cowbells. In the oak tree, a crow shakes the raindrops from his feathers and caws disconsolately. Water drips from a leaking drainpipe. And suddenly, clean and pure, the song of the whistling thrush emerges like a dark sweet secret from the depths of the ravine.
Endless rain, and a permanent mist. We haven't seen the sun for eight or nine days. Everything damp and soggy. Nowhere to go. Pace the room, look out of the window at a few bobbing umbrellas. At least it isn't cold rain.
1. On which side of the author is the hill ?
2. What is a woman doing there?
3. Name the bird who sings sweetly.
4. What happened to everything?
5. Write the one word for the following sentence, "deep narrow steep-sided valley between mountains"
6. Find the opposites of the following from the passage :
(i) temporary
(ii) dirty

Yesterday afternoon the leopard lifted a dog from near the servants' quarter below the school. In the evening it attacked one of Bijju's cows but fled at the approach of Bijju's mother, who came screaming imprecations. As for the leeches, I shall soon get used to a little bloodletting every day.
Other new arrivals are the scarlet minivets (the females are yellow), flitting silently among the leaves like brilliant jewels. No matter how leafy the trees, these brightly coloured birds cannot conceal themselves, although, by remaining absolutely silent, they sometimes contrive to go unnoticed. Along come a pair of drongos, unnecessarily aggressive, chasing the minivets away.
1. Who are domestic animals in this extract ?
2. Why did the leopard flee from there after attacking one of Bijju's cows ?
3. What type of creature are leeches ?
4. What are the colours of the male and the female minivets?
5. Find the one word from the passage which means, "institution for educating children".
6. Find the opposites of the following from the passage :
(i) far
(ii) dull

The first day of monsoon mist. And it's strange how all the birds fall silent as the mist comes climbing up the hill. Perhaps that's what makes the mist so melancholy, not only does it conceal the hills, it blankets them in silence too. Only an hour ago the trees were ringing with birdsong. And now the forest is deathly still as though it were midnight. Through the mist, Bijju is calling to his sister. I can hear him running about on the hillside but I cannot see him. Some genuine early-monsoon rain, warm and humid, and not that cold high-altitude stuff we've been having all year.
1. What is strange on the first day of monsoon mist?
2. What is the contrast the author draws?
3. To whom is Bijju calling?
4. What two different things does the author discuss here?
5. Find the one word from the passage which means, "deep sadness which lasts for sometime".
6. Find the opposites of the following from the passage :
(i) open
(ii) then

Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter ? Why?

For how many days does it rain without stopping ? What does the author do on these days ?

When does the monsoon season begin and when does it end? How do you prepare to face the monsoon

What are the two ways in which the hills appear to change when the mist comes up?

Why is the author not able to see Bijju ?