What did the parents of the students encourage Prasanna Guruji to do?

Who did Apu believe were usually sent to school?

How do we know that Apu did not want to go to school?

Why did Apu’s mother want him to go to school?

What does the author compare Apu with after his father drops him off at the school?

Which game were the boys in the class playing? Did Apu participate in their game? Why or why not?

What did Apu think Guruji would do with the brick he ordered Sateyy to bring to him?

“Wake up, Apu, don’t you remember, you’re to start school today!”

i)Who spoke these lines?
ii)Was Apu looking forward to going to school? Why or why not?

“I shall never come back home again just see if I do!”

i) Who was the speaker of these words? To whom are they addressed?
ii) Do you really think the speaker will never come home again?

“May you become wise and learned. You must study hard and you are sure to get a wonderful job and earn lots of money. Don’t be afraid.”

1. Who spoke these words and to whom?

2. Why did the speaker say, “Don’t be afraid”?

3. Do you think that the purpose of learning and wisdom is ‘to get a wonderful job and earn lots of money’? Explain.

“I’ve put down a cross,” whispered one to the other. “Here’s my nought,” said the other.

i) Who were the speakers of these lines?
ii) Where and why were the speakers playing this game?
iii) What does it tell you about the place where the speaker were?

“Pick me a brick from the pile near the tamarind tree. And mind you, get a big one.”

i) Who spoke these words and to whom?
ii) What do you predict will happen with the brick that is brought in?

Write a short paragraph on Guruji, choosing only the appropriate words from the options below.

Do you remember your first day at school? How was it different from Apu’s experience? Discuss in class.

The word ‘spoilsport’ means ‘someone who spoils someone else’s plans or enjoyment’. Who would you call a spoilsport after reading this extract? Why?

Irony is a form of humour in which you use words to express the opposite of what the words really mean.
Example:
-      Not much was offered by way of facilities in this school, excepting the cane.
        Find evidence of irony in the second paragraph of this extract.

Complete the story. Use the simple past or the past perfect of the verbs in brackets. Use the simple past when the past perfect is not possible.
Before last year, Mrs Dasgupta _______________ (be) a very lucky woman. She _____________ (never worry) about crimes because she _____________ (never/be) a victim. She _____________ (never/lock) the doors of her house. She _____________ (always/leave) her car unclosed with the keys inside. She _____________ (always/go) out of her house wearing expensive jewellery and carrying a lot of cash. Unfortunately, Mrs Dasgupta’s luck _____________ (run out) last year. By the end of the year, she _____________ (be) the victim of a pickpocket, a burglar, and car theft. Three months later, she _____________ (move) into a new house in new neighbourhood.

Read the headline from the newspaper article and the sentences from it. Put the sentences in the correct order. Write I (first sentence), 2 (second sentence), and so on.
a)    She picked up the phone and hit the redial button.
b)    The burglar had kept her phone in the kitchen.
c)    The victim’s quick thinking led to the arrests of Ramlal and his partner.
d)    A woman went out of town for a few days.
e)    When a woman on the other side of the line answered, it was revealed that she was Ramlal’s
        mother.
f)     When she returned home, she discovered that someone had broken into her flat and stolen
        her jewellery.
g)    When she went to call the police, she noticed that her phone was not in its usual place.
h)    Someone had made a call to an unknown number from her phone.
i)     The woman gave a detailed account of what had happened to the police.

Now think of another ending to the story and tell it to the class. Who do you think has the best ending?

Underline the topic and the thesis statement from this paragraph.
My best childhood memory is of the summers I spent with my grandmother. When I was a child. I lived in Siliguri near Darjeeling. City life was sometimes fast and confusing for a small child. But I was lucky. Every summer I left Siliguri behind and went to my grandmother’s house in the little village of Dhupguri. Those summer’s were my escape from the fast life of the city. When I was with my grandmother, time moved slowly. Those summers were a special time.

Write introductory paragraph about the following.
a) What I will miss the most about school when I grow older.
b) Why teachers hold a special place in our lives.