Arsod Sir
HSC Board July 2023 Activity Sheet
Q. 2. (A) Read the following extract and complete the activities given below: (12) [18]
“This is my birthday, sir,’ explained Gopal timidly. “Wish you many happy returns,’ said the director promptly and added, “What if it is your birthday?”
‘Rather a peculiar birthday,’ explained Gopal. “This is my forty-ninth birthday. Astrologers have often told me that I might not see this birthday, and if I lived to see this day I should have nothing more to worry about… I have lived in secret terror of this day all my life. Whenever I saw my wife and children I used to be racked with the thought that I should probably be leaving them orphans. I came late today because we held some propitiatory rites at home for the planets, and we celebrated my survival this day with a feast. My astrologer has suggested that I do nothing unpleasant today, sir. I wish to treat it as a very auspicious day, sir.”
The director was impressed. He turned to his assistant, who always shadowed him, carrying a portfolio under his arm and commanded, “fetch the story-writer’. Presently he arrived, his lips red with the chewing of betel leaves. He was a successful story-writer who made a lot of money by dashing off plots for film people. He laughed aloud on hearing of the problem created by the actor. He was not the angry type to feel upset at contrary suggestions. He declared, ‘Impossible to change the story. How can he refuse to die? I am busy.”
He turned on his heel and started out. At the door he stopped to add, ‘Anyway, send for our boss and tell him about it.’ The boss came running into the scene. He asked anxiously, ‘What is all this trouble about? What is it all about?”
Gopal sat in his chair unmoving: he was not allowed to shift his position even slightly; continuity would be spoilt otherwise. He felt stuffy. The big lamp scorched his face. They all stood around and looked at him as if he were a freak. Their faces were blurred beyond the shadows. All of them are my Yamas,’ Gopal thought. ‘They are bent upon seeing me dead.
A1. Arrange the following statements in a proper sequence as per their occurrence in the extract and rewrite : (2)
(i) The director was impressed.
(ii) Their faces were blurred beyond the shadows.
(ii) Gopal explained timidly that it was his birthday.
(iv) His lips were red with the chewing of betel leaves.
Ans:
1. Gopal explained timidly that it was his birthday.
2. The director was impressed.
3. His lips were red with the chewing of betel leaves.
4. Their faces were blurred beyond the shadows.
A1. Proper sequence of statements:
(iii) Gopal explained timidly that it was his birthday.
(iv) His lips were red with the chewing of betel leaves.
(i) The director was impressed.
(ii) Their faces were blurred beyond the shadows.
A2. Give reasons: (2)
(i) Gopal’s forty-ninth birthday was a peculiar one because——–
Ans: Gopal’s forty-ninth birthday was a peculiar one because astrologers had predicted that he might not live to see this birthday, and he had lived in secret terror of this day all his life.
(i) He felt stuffy because————-
(ii) He felt stuffy because the big lamp scorched his face, and he was not allowed to shift his position even slightly to maintain continuity during filming.
A3. ‘All of them are my Yamas’. Explain the statement.
Ans: In this statement, Gopal is likening the people around him, including the director, assistant, and boss, to Yama, the Hindu god of death. By referring to them as his Yamas, Gopal implies that they are all determined to see him dead, possibly symbolically suggesting that they are not supportive of him or unwilling to understand his fears.
A4. ‘Superstition poison our minds. Explain in your own words.
Ans: This statement suggests that superstitions can have a negative impact on our thoughts and actions. When people believe in superstitions too strongly, it can cloud their judgment, create unnecessary fears, and lead them to make decisions based on irrational beliefs rather than logic or reason. Superstitions can be harmful when they start influencing important aspects of life, as seen in Gopal's fear of his predicted birthday.
A5. Do as directed:
(i) He laughed aloud on hearing of the problem.(1)
(Choose the correct change in the given options, if ‘would’ is used in the above sentence).
(a) He would laughed on hearing of the problem.
(b) He would have laughed on hearing of the problem.
(c) He would laugh on hearing of the problem.
(d) He would be laughed on hearing of the problem.
(ii) They all stood around and looked at him.
(Choose the correct alternative to write it with ‘not only… but also.”) (1)
(a) They all not only stood around but also looked at him.
(b) They all stood not only around but also looked at him.
(c) Not only they all stood around but also looked at him.
(d) They all stood not around only but also looked at him.
A6. Find out the antonyms for the following from the extract: (2)
(i) bravely - timidly
(ii) pleasant - unpleasant
(iii) accept - refuse
(iv) moving - unmoving
(B) Summarising: (3)
Write a ‘summary’ of the above extract by using the following points.
| Gopal’s birthday —— Astrologers’ prediction ——– The director’s impression ——- The boss ———– Gopal’s thought. |
"A Tale of Superstition and Fear"
Gopal timidly explains to the director that it is his forty-ninth birthday, a day he feared because astrologers predicted he might not live to see it. He had celebrated his survival with propitiatory rites and a feast. The director is impressed and calls for a story-writer to address Gopal's refusal to die in the film. The story-writer laughs and leaves, saying he is busy, but asks to inform the boss about the situation. Gopal sits unmoving in his chair during the discussion, feeling stuffy under the big lamp. He perceives the people around him as Yamas, seemingly bent on seeing him dead.
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