The Invisible Man

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Monotosh Dey

USEFUL TIPS FOR SCORING GOOD MARKS.

               SOME USEFUL TIPS FOR SCORING GOOD MARKS IN EXAM

As we get ready to welcome 2018, we also become aware of the exams lurking on the other side. But there is still time and no need for panic - when you choose to do things the right way. Here are ten examination tips for students, to help significantly boost grades in the New Year.

1)       Read a small fraction of the entire syllabus: You don’t have to read everything at one stretch. Read a few chapters. It will help you remember. If you rush through them by the dozen – it will be difficult to recall.

2)       Don’t stretch the sessions beyond two hours: Do not study from dawn to dusk – for 10 or 12 hours. You need to follow the below process.

  Let your study time be composed of 2-hour slots.

  Divide these 2 hours further into x 4 half hours.

  It goes like this à25-minute study + 5-minute break = 30 minutes

  Repeat the above 30-minute cycle x 4 times for two hours.

  After this two hour study period, take a 20-minute break.

  Get ready for the next 2-hour study session (you may switch to a different subject).

3)       Take a quality break: Now that you have “served your time” for 2 hours (pun intended), make sure you celebrate with a ‘quality’ break. Do not use your off time thinking, calling, or messaging friends with study-related matter.

Give your mind a release. Whether you choose outdoor games, watching YouTube, listening to your favourite iTunes or mp3, or munching your favourite cookie – it’s entirely your choice.

4)       Focus on the main points: The syllabus is made up of Core Material and Explanations. Core material consists of formulae, diagrams, charts and graphs. Explanations consist of examples and quotations. Study the Core Material since 75% of the questions arise from here. Make sure you read the previous years’ question papers. You may thus skim out the creamy stuff, i.e., the important points.

5)       Switch subjects: Before you start, divide your subjects into categories.

                I.    Geography, Biology and History are memory intensive.

                II.     Physics, Chemistry and Maths are logic based.

                III.       English and Languages are interpretation based.

It is good to switch between these subject categories while studying for exams. But don’t keep switching every time. Do it after a 2-hour long study of one particular subject.

6)       Write it down: Read the chapter, and underline the important points. Read these aloud while jotting them in your notepad. It helps retention when you hear it aloud and write.

7)       Use proper note-taking strategies: This is how you do it.

  Breeze through the textbook and underline the important points. It should not take you more than 10 minutes.

  Convert every heading and sub-heading into potential questions – to be asked in the exam.

  Read the text again. Now write down the underlined points in your own words. Read aloud these bulleted points for better understanding.

  Ask yourself the questions you noted down (by converting sub-headings). See if you can answer them.

  Repeat these steps till you completely understand the lesson.

8)       Use Visuals: Get yourself another miniature notepad or sticky notes. Now check the points you have previously underlined in the text or notepad. Convert these points into visual cues for better comprehension. E.g. you can have a sticky-note containing all the formulae in Physics. If you are studying Chemistry, you can have periodic table elements depicted in a sequence as per their appearance in the reaction. Post these stick-notes containing visual cues on your walls, cupboards or anywhere in the bed or bathrooms.

9)       Revise Daily: Brush up whatever you study, every 24 hours. According to science, 75% of what you just learnt will vanish from memory – if you don’t revise. So, make sure you revise and engrave the information in your mind.

10)     A good night’s sleep enhances memory: Getting at least 7 – 8 hours sleep is a must. A good night’s sleep helps convert short-term into long-term memory. Get yourself the sleep you deserve – after all the effort you have put in.

The above tips will help you comprehend your lessons better and study faster. So leave aside your anxiety and get down to the actual work. All the best for your exams!

Forget the Past – Look to the Future

Don’t let the ghosts of your past performance scare you. Believe in yourself and start with a positive frame of mind. You will become a topper through hard work. If you have had a below 40% past, don’t get bogged down because of it. Scoring 85% is more about hard work than intelligence.

Syllabus Books – Don’t leave them and befriend Heavy Duty Reference Books

I have seen many students go all out and buy ‘heavy duty’ reference books. While it is good to seek extra knowledge for your future competitive exams, do not ignore your very own syllabus textbooks. I repeat – “Stick to your textbooks to get a higher percentage”. You will benefit from those huge reference books – in the competitive exams following class 12.

Work on your weaknesses

Do you read the question paper thoroughly? Remove all your test and pre-board answer sheets. Check out all the mistakes – note them down. Make sure you won’t repeat them in future.  See the positive side. Convert these mistakes into opportunities for scoring better marks.

Time Management

Time Management is the key to getting good marks. Apply the below techniques to maximise your study time:

  Do not sleep for 8 hours, like in your childhood. Uninterrupted 6-hour sleep is      adequate. You gain two extra study hours!

  You can also get an extra half hour by alternatively using your games, extracurricular or lunch periods for learning logic-based subjects like Maths or Accounts.

  It is best to use the last three months for self-study. Do not join any coaching classes at this stage. Study by yourself and note down key points.

  Study for 8 hours on weekdays and 9-10 hours on weekends. Toppers may deny it – but it’s a fact that they study as much, or even more to stay at the top.

Old is Gold – Solve Previous Years’ Question Papers        

Don’t spend a fortune to buy reference books. Try solving previous years question papers instead. “Your ability to be a topper in any subject is directly proportional to the number of question papers you have solved successfully”. Now, evaluate your performance and see where you stand. Did you get 85% right away? If so you are just brilliant!

Your English Counts

If you think that English is not a scoring subject, think again! Many students score full marks in core subjects, but get a lower rank because of their English marks. Apart from being a key factor in deciding the rank, good English also helps you express better while answering other subjects. And make sure you also work on your handwriting and drawing skills. A neat and tidy answer sheet with clear diagrams always impresses the examiner.

On the Eve and Morning of your Exams

Let the night before exams serve to calm your nerves. Relax! Stop imagining how terrible the examiner or question paper will be. And don’t try to study anything now. Go to bed early. It will give your brain the much needed ‘reset time’ – to function at its best on exam day!

Sleep for 8 hours. Get up early. Now, quickly revise all the important topics or main points you have jotted down. If something is still unclear, leave it aside. Today is not the day to worry. See the positive side; revise the other topics that are clear to you. Always remain confident!

Here is some important advice - “Leave your books at home”. Pack your things including hall ticket and stationary. Reach the venue at least 45 – 60 minutes in advance. Don’t enter any group discussions or quizzes outside the exam hall. Remain aloof and enter the room with a relaxed state of mind!

What to do inside the Examination Hall

Read the question paper thoroughly – allot yourself 10-15 minutes. Get to the roots of each question and mentally prepare yourself to answer it. Don’t worry about using up these 15 minutes. Answering the previous years’ question papers will have given you a lot of confidence, besides prepping up your time management skills! You will have sufficient time on your hands – when you plan strategically.

Start with 5 or 10 marks questions first. Make sure you assign adequate time to answer the bigger questions. Keep the final hour or half, for answering the one mark questions.

Carry extra pens, pencils, erasers along with a scale. Draw diagrams where necessary. Once done, revise the answer sheet thoroughly. Scan it for errors and fix it.

The above eight-point strategy will easily help you to get 85 percent and more in your board exams in short span of time. So follow these eight steps and watch your academic career take off!

On The Face of It by Susan Hill

ON THE FACE OF IT

People who suffer from disabilities must always look at the bright side of things and adapt reality of life bravely. At the same time the actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabled people needs support and acceptance and not our pity. The title ‘on the face of it’ Is used to mean that something seems to be good, true etc. but that needs to be changed when you know more about it.

Justification of Title

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “On the Face of it” is an informal expression used to say that something seems to be good, true etc. but this opinion may need to be changed when you know more about it.
This definition of the expression should leave us in no doubt about the appropriateness of the title. An individual may be quite different from what we think of him or what he or she may apparently appear to be at first glance. There is the imperative need for us to view others by removing our glasses of prejudice, hatred, hearsay and dislike.
On the face of it, Mr. Lamb appears to be mysterious, lonely, lame old fellow who lives in a neighbourhood house with a huge garden, but in reality he is very kind, generous, loving and altruistic. Similarly, although Derek has an ugly looking scary face, he is fine lad of fourteen with a deep longing for love. There is nothing wrong with Mr. Lamb and Derek. What is wrong is the way people in their lives and around them view and treat them.
On the face of it, there is so much of diversity, so many differences and divides between the people and other species of the world but underneath is a oneness, a sameness – all of them are created by God and all of them need to live and grow together with love and mutual acceptance/ As the play progresses the characters’ views about each other and our impression of them changes for the better.
Thus, Susan Hill has quite appropriately entitled her play “On the Face of it”

Summary

·         Derry was a teenager, highly pessimistic and withdrawn from the mainstream society. He developed this attitude after one side of his face was disfigured by acid. He avoided company of others and remained lonely lest he be noticed by other people.

·         He believed that no one loved him and his mother loved him because she was supposed to. Derry cannot be completely blamed for his pessimistic and aggressive attitude towards the world around him. Once he heard two women commenting about his monstrous appearance.

·         They said only a mother could love a face like his. On another day Derry heard his parents conversing that he would not survive after their death because he was deformed. The shock he received from these words was big.

·         On another occasion Derry heard his relatives saying that his being put in the hospital where he had been treated after the accident was good for him. In their opinion a deformed boy like Derry could accommodate himself with other deformed boys and girls.

·         Derry had his ears always open for such comments and used to respond to them in his silent way. He concluded that the world altogether didn’t need a boy like him.

·         One day Derry accidently met a man called Mr. Lamb. Mr. Lamb was an old man with a lame leg. After he became lame, Mr. Lamb began to develop a positive attitude with his deformity. He worked hard to defeat this impairment and learnt to walk and climb ladders. He was happy to be alive and ignored his lameness. He made everyone his friend and had a house with no curtains and open doors. He welcomed anyone who came to him.

·         While Mr. Lamb took his impairment as a challenge and tried to overcome it, Derry believed that he was unwanted and lost. His pain was physical and mental. Being a child he was not as strong as Mr. Lamb about suffering. He couldn’t take the sneering and sympathizing world as taken by Mr. Lamb. Mr. Lamb was able to sit smart and unaffected as long as he wore trousers and sat but Derry had no way to hide his face.

·         After meeting Mr. Lamb Derry realized how foolish he had been to believe his parents. For him Lamb was a man who opened the doors of his closed world in an hour’s time the same of which were shut on him by his parents and therefore believed that his company with Lamb would make him a perfect person.

ON THE FACE OF if

Susan Hill

The play "on the face of it" deals with loss and sense of Isolation and how an Individual should deal with it. Derek a young lad of fourteen was sinking in the abyss of despair and frustration. He disliked every one. Mr. Lamb a physically challenged old man changed his pessimistic attitude-towards life.

Notes

v First Scene: Derek encounters Mr. Lamb

·        Derek a 14 years boy enters a garden thinking it an empty place

·        Finds an old man Mr. Lamb minding the apples

·        Derek feels embarrassed and wants to go back.

·        Mr. Lamb assures him that he does not mind strangers

·        The gates of garden are open for every one

v Derek-A complex ridden boy

·        Thinks people are afraid of him because of his burnt face because of acid

·        Does not like to mix with Mr. Lamb

·        Thinks even his mother kisses him only on the good side of his face.

·        Have bitterness for the world

·        Over obsessed with himself

v Mr. Lamb positive attitude

·        Tells Derek that he too is handicapped

·        loves all creatures made by God 

·        Nothing in this world is worthless

·        Even weeds have their own values

·        Advise Derek to think of the beautiful objects of the world

·        Never believe on your eyes believe on your ears

·        Avoid people's comments

·        Love all mankind because hatred corrodes us and hurts more than acids.

·        Considers Derek to be his friend

·        Thinks to be acquainted with one is not necessary

·        Thinks his bees humming

v Mr. Lamb tells a story to give Derek a lesson

·        A Timid man- Refused to come out in fear of fatal accident.

·        In his own room a picture fell of the wall on his head and he died

v Change in Derek's attitude

·        Takes interest in Mr. Lamb's talking

·        Likes Mr. Lamb's house without curtain

·        Likes to listen more to Mr. Lamb

·        Wants to help Mr. Lamb in his work

·        Accepts Mr. Lamb's Challenge that he would not come.

v Derek follower of Mr. Lamb

·        He is changed lad now

·        Runs home and tells his mother his decision

·        In spite of mother's protest he runs back

·        Mr. Lamb has fallen down along with the ladder

·        Does not respond to Derek's words

·        He is dead

·        He has trained and tutored one of the next generation to carry on his good work before passing off to the next world

​Questions and Answers

1.     What sort of a boy was Derry?
Derry was a teenager, a highly pessimistic and withdrawn from the mainstream society. He developed this attitude after one side of his face was disfigured by acid. He avoided company of others and remained lonely so that he would not be noticed by other people. He believed that no one loved him and his mother loved him because she was supposed to.

2.     Why did Derry go into Mr. Lamb’s garden?
Derry preferred a lonely life in order to hide his disfigured face from the world. Yet he had love for the world such as a garden and he wished to own one. He thought that Mr. Lamb’s garden and his house were empty and therefore went into it.

3.     Why did Derry wish to get out of Mr. Lamb's garden immediately after getting into?
Derry went into Lamb’s garden because he thought it was empty. But when he saw Mr. Lamb there and that he had been being watched by Mr. Lamb, he felt ashamed and wished to get out of the garden.

4.     What kind of a man was Mr. Lamb?
Mr. Lamb was an old man with a lame leg. Since he was lame, Mr. Lamb began to develop a positive attitude with his deformity. He worked hard to defeat this impairment and learnt to walk and climb ladders. He was happy to be alive and ignored his lameness. He made everyone his friend and had a house with no curtains and locked doors. He welcomed anyone who came to him.

5.     Both Mr. Lamb and Derry had much to suffer yet Derry was the worst affected. Explain.
Mr. Lamb was an old man who had lost one of his legs in a blast while Derry was a teenager with a burnt face. While Mr. Lamb took his impairment as a challenge and tried to overcome it, Derry believed that he was unwanted and lost. His pain was physical and mental. Being a child he was not as strong as Mr. Lamb about suffering. He couldn’t take the sneering and sympathizing world as taken by Mr. Lamb. Mr. Lamb was able to sit smart and unaffected as long as he wore trousers and sat but Derry had no way to hide his face.

6.     How does Mr. Lamb explain the dual faces of a weed garden?
Mr. Lamb believes in a positive attitude. He always found the better parts of reality. He says that it is people’s perception that goes wrong, not the realities. Some people consider some plants fit for a garden while some other people consider the same plants as weeds, to be removed from their gardens. Both have leaves and flowers and the beauty of these flowers vary from person to person.

7.     What does Mr. Lamb teach Derry from his exploring the two types of sounds of the bees?
Mr. Lamb believes in a positive attitude. He always found the better sides of reality. He says that it is people’s perception that goes wrong, not the realities. Bees produce the very same sound: music for some and irritation for others. If one is happy, the bees sound music and if one is sad, the bees buzz. He explored this dual perception to show Derry that it was important for him to change his attitude.

8.     What makes Mr. Lamb say that Derry wasn't completely lost?
When Derry entered Mr. Lamb’s garden, the former appeared to be highly pessimistic and withdrawn. He sounded bitter because the world had been so cruel to him. But at one point Derry said that he loved a garden and a house like the one as Lamb’s, Mr. Lamb saw his love for the nature and beauty and this gave Mr. Lamb the hope that Derry was not completely lost in his gloomy world.

9.     Why did Derry's mother warn him to keep away from Mr. Lamb?
Derry’s mother was very particular about not letting her son mix with other people. She was much stricter about not allowing the boy to go to Mr. Lamb as she had heard that the old man was not good.

10.         Why does Derry say that he would never go out to the world if he didn't go to Mr. Lamb?
Derry’s parents were greatly responsible for making an introvert out of him. They believed that the world was not the place for their son due to his burnt face. They advised him to keep away from people. They convinced him that his life would be impossible after their death. Thus Derry’s parents shut him in a narrow world of his own, inspiring him to hate and avoid everyone. But after meeting Mr. Lamb Derry realized how foolish he had been to believe his parents. For him Lamb was a man who opened the doors of his closed world in an hour’s time the same of which were shut on him by his parents and therefore believed that his company with Lamb would make him a perfect person.

11.         Do you think Mr. Lamb really had a lot of friends? Explain?
Mr. Lamb claimed to have a lot of friends but in fact he appears to have few. Mr. Lamb is a peculiar person with no complaints about his deformity but his heavy, philosophical talks may bore people who run into him. Even though Mr. Lamb had claimed he had hundreds of friends, he didn’t know of those names and no one showed up while Derry was with him for such a long time. Moreover, Mr. Lamb himself is found telling his bees that human beings do not keep their promise of returning to his garden. From all these one can conclude that Mr. Lamb had no friends but the bees and the nature around him.

12.         Mr. Lamb says to Derry: ‘It’s all relative. Beauty and Beast’. What does he mean by that?
Mr. Lamb believes in the relativity theory of beauty. Quoting the fairy tale, ‘The Beauty and the Beast,’ he said that everyone has beauty inside but people hardly recognize that. The beautiful ones are not always good at heart and the ugly ones can have a beautiful heart.

13.         Who should be ‘friends’ according to both Derry and Mr. Lamb?
Both Mr. Lamb and Derry keep different views regarding friendship and company. Derry thinks that one should know all the particulars of a person before becoming friends. He also thinks that two people who met casually on the way cannot be friends because they are not going to meet again. In contrast, Mr. Lamb doesn’t agree with Derry. He doesn’t know the names of his friends yet he has a lot of friends. For him anyone is his friend, whether he met them just once or so many times.

14.         “That would do you more harm than any bottle of acids.” Explain.
Mr. Lamb was a man who tried to look at problems with reduced importance while Derry thought his deformity was the last word of his life and existence. He said that he hated some people for their hatred and sympathy for him. Seeing the burning hatred in Derry, Mr. Lamb warned him that hatred can burn in and out of a person while acid can burn part of the body alone.

15.         How was the society and family responsible for forming Derry an introvert?
Derry cannot be solely blamed for his pessimistic and aggressive attitude towards the world around him. Once he heard two women commenting about his ugliness. They said only a mother could love a face like his. On another day Derry heard his parents conversing that he would not survive after their death because he was deformed. The shock he received from these words was big. On another occasion Derry heard his relatives talking about his being put in the hospital where he had been treated after the accident. In their opinion a deformed boy like Derry could accommodate himself with other deformed boys and girls. Derry had his ears always open for such comments and used to respond to them in his silent way. He concluded that the world altogether didn’t need a boy like him.

16.         “And the world is there to look at.” Explain.
In Mr. Lamb’s opinion the world is a perfect example for people with deformity. The earth is full of good and bad things, beautiful and ugly places, inhabitable and uninhabitable places yet we love the earth as a whole, not as a part. Mr. Lamb wants to make Derry think of himself as a whole person with good and bad in him.

17.         Why does Derry go back to Mr. Lamb in the end?
Mr. Lamb was a wizard who could transform Derry into a positive character. Derry realized the importance of a man like Lamb and hoped that he would change completely in his company. Moreover, he knew, he could revert to his old attitude if he lived with his pessimistic mother and father.

18.         How does Derry claim that his deformity is graver than Mr. Lamb’s lameness?
Derry had a burnt face and Mr. Lamb had lost one of his legs. In Derry’s opinion he bore more damage and pain than Mr. Lamb because his burnt face cannot be hidden from others while Mr. lamb could sit somewhere as a normal man. For Derry, the deformed face was his identity. People got away from him because of the face and he believed that no one runs away from a lame man.

19.         "Because, if I don't go back there, I will never go in this world again." How does this statement blame the society on one side and confirm Derry's transformation on the other?

​Reference to Context

1.     "You can't help the things you say. I forgive you. It is bound to make you feel bad things... and say them. I don't blame you."

1.     What things does Derry say?

2.     What is bound to make Derry feel bad things?

3.     Why doesn't Derry's mother blame him?

Vistas At a Glance, Part 2

VISTAS AT A GLANCE –PART I ( LAST MIN PREP)

 

 THE ENEMY BY PEARL S BUCK

 

• Character Sketch of Sadao

– Dedicated surgeon and doctor, has fellow feeling and kindness for

people in distress

– Conflict between duty as a doctor and duty as a Japanese

– prejudiced against the white man, afraid of being called a traitor

– Shelters the enemy and saves his life.

– Out of loyalty to his country, informs the General

– helps the white man escape

• Character Sketch of Hana

– Balanced woman, stands with her husband

– Responsible - washes prisoner, treats him respectfully

– Dignified and graceful about servants leaving the house

– helped Sadao in the operation

– administers anesthesia to the prisoner

• American Soldier – Tom

– Hardly 17, taken prisoner

– Escaped, but shot at the back

– suffered torture and hunger

– Wounded, bleeding was in great pain, lay unconscious

– Strong will-power

– Full of gratitude towards Dr. Sadao

• The General

– Selfish, thinks of only his treatment

– had faith in Sadao’s skill as a doctor

– Promises to send private assassins to get rid of the prisoner

– Careless – forgot to send assassins

• Reaction of Servants

– Don’t agree with the idea of helping an enemy

– Yumi refused to wash the white man

– Gardener felt Sadao should have let the soldier die

– Thought sea and gods would take revenge if Sadao saved the

soldier

– felt Sadao was proud of his skill and used it irresponsibly

– left the house till the time the prisoner stayed there.

• How Sadao helped the soldier escape

– Put food and extra clothing in the boat.

– Directed him to row to an uninhabited island

– Asked him to wait for a Korean fishing boat

– Told him to catch fish but eat it raw

– Gave him his flash light

– Told him to flash the torch twice if food ran out and one flash if he was all right

– Gave him Japanese clothes and covered his hair with a black

cloth.

 

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 

Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each. (2 Markseach)

1. Why did Sadao wait before falling in love with Hana?

2. Give two reasons why Sadao was not sent abroad with the troops.

3. What do you learn about Sadao’s father from the story ‘The Enemy’?

4. In which condition did Sadao and Hana find the man? How did they

est1ablish his identity?

5. What superstitious beliefs of the servants made them oppose Sadao’s

decision to give shelter to the injured man?

6. Why did Sadao decide to treat the injured man?

7. What did the servants think about Sadao’s sheltering an enemy?

8. What message did the messenger from the palace deliver to Dr. Sadao?

9. How did Hana react to the servants leaving the house?

10. What plan did the General suggest to get rid of the prisoner?

11. Why couldn’t the General’s plan of eliminating the prisoner succeed?

12. What things did Sadao provide for the wounded prisoner on the boat?

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer the following in 125-150 words. (7 Marks each)

1. Dr. Sadao and Hana rise above man made divisions to serve the nobler

cause of humanity. Discuss with reference to the story.

2. What efforts were made by Dr. Sadao and Hana to save the life of the

injured man?

3. Hana plays an instrumental role in saving the life of the injured prisoner.

Give an account of her role in the light of this statement.

4. How did the servant’s react to the efforts made by Sadao and Hana to

save the prisoner’s life?

5. What conflict of duties does Dr. Sadao f ace? How does he resolve

them?

SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY BY JOHN UPDIKE

• Jack’s Story Telling

– Began two years ago

– to tell stories in the evening for the Sunday naps

– Story telling very tiresome

– no longer takes everything as true

– growing up and questions everything.

• The Story

– a basic story line and a few characters

– the main character – a small creature

– usually named Roger

– when in trouble Roger goes to wise owl

– owl sends him to the wizard

– wizard finally solves the problem

• Roger Skunk’s Story

– smelled very bad

– no one wants to play with him

– teased and called stinky skunk

– meets the owl and tells his story

– owl asks him to meet the wizard

– the wizard asks for 7 pennies

– he had 4 and took 3 from magic wall

– changed his smell like roses

– Friends were happy and want to play with

– But his mother didn’t like his smell

– became angry and took him back to wizard

– ordered to change back to his original smell

– once again smelled very bad

• Jo’s Opinion About the Ending

– not likes the end of the story

– wants to see her character happy

– not wants to smell bad once again

– not likes mommy’s interference

– wants her dad to change the ending

– wants dad to make the wizard hit her

– not convinced at her father’s saying that his mother loved him as

he smelled like her baby

– Jo wants his mommy to understand how his friends used to tease

him and not to play with.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer the following in about 30-40 words each. (2 Marks each)

1. What made Jack realize that the custom of telling his daughter a story, had

turned futile?

2. What was unique about the story that Jack told?

3. How did the wizard solve as well as create problem for Roger?

4. What was the cause of Roger Skunk’s sadness?

5. What change occurred in the attitude of other animals when the smell of

Roger Skunk changed.

6. How did Roger Skunk’s mother react to his newly acquired smell?

7. Did Jo accept the violence of Roger Skunk’s mother to the wizard? What

did she want?

8. Jo is no longer a passive listener to Jack’s stories. How?

9. How does Jack justify his ending of the story?

10. Why does Jo want a different ending to the story?

 

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 

Answer the following in 125-150 words. (7 Marks each)

1. Why does Jo want the wizard to hit mommy? Discuss with reference to the

text.

2. Adults should not impose their perspective on kids. Do you agree? Give

a reasoned answer.

3. Bring out the moral issues raised in the story.

4. Jack’s handling of the ending of his story projects him in a poor light as

a father. Do you agree? Why? Why not?

 

ON THE FACE OF IT BY SUSAN HILL

• Mr. Lamb Welcomes Derry

– in his garden in spite of jumping over the wall

– tries to make him comfortable

– tells him to pick crab apples

– talks to him, without considering his disability

– Derry thinks, pretending not to be afraid of his burnt face

– tells usually people afraid of his face

– Mr. Lamb asks but doesn’t probe

– tells Derry that he has a tin leg

• Mr. Lamb’s advice to Derry

– tells that in Nature shapes differ but quality is the same

– no difference among the plants whether they are weeds, flowers

and others all grow

– inside is important than outside

– accept yourself, not to fear others’ comments.

– calling Lamey-Lamb not bother him

– not to keep thinking of these things

– life offers many more things

– isolation not good

– inspires to look at thing positively

• Derry’s reaction to Mr. Lamb’s advice

– initially, very suspicious of Mr. Lamb

– never had anybody to talk to and understand

– not believe that he does not find him ugly

– later, fascinated by Mr. Lamb’s talk

– motivated and drawn towards him

• Mr. Lamb

– an old man with a tin leg

– lives alone, lonely

– found ways to overcome his loneliness

– keeps his gate open

– never curtains his windows

– imagines kids and people walking all over

– spends time listening to the bees

– has a positive approach to life

• Derry’s Transformation

– had bitter experience in the world

– tells Mr. Lamb about sarcastic comments about his looks

– Even his mother kisses on the other side of face

– not trust people and ignore their comments about his face

– sad that he will have only half a face

– Mr. Lamb’s meeting changes his outlook towards life

– talks to Mr. Lamb about his likes, dislikes and fears

– wants to be loved and appreciated

– wants to break free from the stigma of being disabled

– his going back to Mr. Lamb’s garden shows his changing

personality.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer the following in 30-40 words each. (2 Marks each)

1. How does Derry enter the garden? What had he thought about it?

2. What had happened to Derry’s face? How do people react when they look at it?

3. What does Mr. Lamb say about weeds and flowers?

4. What did Mr. Lamb tell Derry about his handicap?

5. Why did children call Mr. Lamb ‘Lamey Lamb’?

6. How does Mr. Lamb convince Derry of the uselessness of being a recluse

(Lonely Person)?

7. How does Mr. Lamb spend his time?

8. What did Derry overhear his parents talking about his future? How did this affect him?

9. Why does Mr. Lamb advise Derry to stop having feelings of hatred towards the people?

10. What draws Derry to Mr. Lamb?

11. What did Derry hear the woman at the bus stop say?

12. How is Mr. Lamb’s concept of a ‘friend’ different from that of Derry’s?

13. What, according to Derry, would happen if Mr. Lamb continued his friendship with him?

14. Why is not Mr. Lamb troubled by the people who stare at him?

15. Why were there no curtains in Mr. Lamb’s house?

16. Why did Derry want to go back to Mr. Lamb’s garden?

17. Why does Derry’s mother object to his going to Mr. Lamb’s house?

18. Give reasons to show that Derry is a changed person at the end of the play.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer the following in 125-150 words. (7 Marks each)

1. The play ends on a tragic note but reaffirms hope. Discuss with reference to the text.

2. Despite his show of Bravado, Mr. Lamb is a lonely man. Do you agree? Give a reasoned answer.

3. How is Mr. Lamb successful in infusing Derry with a zest for living?

4. Derry suffers from a sense of insecurity and alienation. Comment.

EVANS TRIES AN O LEVEL BY COLIN DEXTER

• Evans tries an O-Level

– James Roderick Evans – a prisoner

– earlier escaped thrice from the prison

– therefore titled ‘Evans the Break’

– started night classes in O-Level German

– Govt. arranged to examine Evans for O-Level in his prison cell

– On the exam day he was given time to smarten up

– Unshaven and having a filthy looking hat

– refused to remove the cap that’s lucky

• Examination Arrangements

– removal of razors and nail scissors

– set tables opposite each other and placed two hard chairs in the

cell

– deputed Stephens on D-Wing and newly recruited to visit Evans’

prison

– invigilator Mc Leery left his house at 8:45 am as the exam was to

begin at 9:15 am.

– Mc Lerry came, having a brown suitcase, semi-inflated rubber ring,

needed for haemorrhoids?

• The Exam Begins

– asked Evans to write index No., centre No, 313 and 271

– at 9:40 a.m. Mc Leery asked for correction slip

– Evans hardly understood anything, kept his pen between lips and

staring towards the door.

– at 10:15 Evans requested for a blanket

– The exam got over at 11:20

– Hearing the Governor’s order at 11:22 a.m. accompanied McLeery

to the prison gate

– Stephens obeyed the orders

– On the way asked Mcleery about Evans

– McLeery’s answer made him feel, his broader scots accent, to be

slimmer due to long black overcoat.

• Evans Escapes

– After seeing McLeery off, wanted to go for coffee, must take one

last look at Evans

– he saw McLeery sprawled in Evan’s chair slipping the blanket and

blood dripping through the beard.

– instead of calling ambulance McLeery low moaned and asked for

police to call

– he knew where Evans was

– opened the German Q. Paper and found a photocopied sheet

carefully and cleverly super imposed over the last page of Q. Paper

– instructions and the plan written in German as Make your way to

Neugraben

– Governor was furious, not made any call to see off McLeery at the

prison gate

– Governor wanted to know about the false beared, spectacles and

other things

– Later the Governor was puzzled Mcleery was not in the hospital

– The ambulance sent to Elsfield to pick, Mc Leery but just vanished

– after a quarter and half an hour they found McLeery bound and

Gagged

– Now they understood it was not Evans impersonating as McLeery

who had walked out but it was Evans, impersonating Mc Leery

who stayed in

• Final Escape

– reached his hotel at Golden Lion

– very happy for his successful plan

– able to hide his closely cropped hair due to lucky hat

– as he reached the reception, found the receptionist not the same

girl

– collected the keys, asked for early morning call at 6.45 am.

– as entered the room, shocked to see the Governor sitting on the

narrow bed

– finally spoke that was the correction slip which he left behind,

given the clue about

– Index No. 313, Centre No. 271 the six figures 313271 got him there

– Governor wanted to know where the blood came from, answered

that was pig’s blood in ring

– told about his German friend, helped him

– winked at receptionist and get back

– hand cuffed and clambered into the back seat of prison van, As he

turned right, unlocked hand cuffs and asked to drive fast

– on the driver’s query, suggested Newbury

– prison officer was Evans’ own man and the Governor was fooled

once again.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each. (2 Marks each)

 

1.What was unusual about the request received by the examination board?

2. How is Evans not a typical criminal?

3. What is the nickname that Evans has got and why?

4. The prison authorities were not taking any chances with Evans’. What precautions did they take?

5. How did Evans convince Jackson to allow him to wear his hat?

6. What reason did McLeery give for bringing the rubber ring with him?

7. What did the governor instruct Stephens to do after the exam got over?

8. What did Stephens discover in Evans’ cell after McLeery had left?

9. Who had impersonated whom in the plan to escape?

10. Mention two changes that Stephens notices in McLeery when he was leaving after the exam?

11. How did Evans exploit the soft corner Jackson had for him?

12. How did Evans manage to procure the things that had helped him in his escape?

13. What was Evans actually doing when the pen was stuck in his mouth?

14. How did Evans manage to get blood? How was its clotting prevented?

15. How did the governor manage to track down Evans to the hotel where he was hiding?

16. How is Evans able to manage his escape in the absence of visitors and letters?

17. Why did Evans leave the question paper with German written on it in the cell?

18. How did the correction slip help in Evan’s escape?

19. What fate did the real McLeery meet?

20. How did Evans manage to give a slip to the governor at the end?

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer the following in about 125-150 words. (7 Marks each)

1. What steps were taken by the prison authorities to prevent any escape attempt by Evans?

2. How was Evans able to turn the table on his captors?

3. “The Governor was just another, good for a giggle, gullible governor.” Do you agree? Give a reasoned answer.