‘Amazingly, there was to be found neither a puddle nor a muddy patch.’ 

1. Why did the author expect to find puddles or muddy patches? 
2. Why did she not find any puddles? What was so amazing about it? 
3. How did the sky look when the author went for a walk? 

What led to the ‘drastic change’ that the writer talks about? 

  a) the breaking up of the haze 
  b) the last rays of the setting sun 
  c) the return of birds and butterflies 

Which sight left the writer ‘transfixed in awe’? 

 The writer builds many contrasts throughout the passage. Mention three such contrasts
  presented in the passage. These hints will help you. 
  - What happened during the rain? What happened once it stopped? 
  - What did the haze do to the surroundings? What happened when it lifted? 
  - What happened to the surroundings at night? What did the writer see in the sky?

Personification is the literary technique of describing objects in such a way that they seem human. Tick the line that uses this technique. 
  a) leaves dancing in mirth 
  b) a million brightly lit stars 
  c) night gradually let down her curtains 
  d) winding pathway at the foot of our hillock 
  e) Lady Cloud caressing our face, neck, and hands

For what does the writer express gratitude at the end of the passage? 

write a short note about the author Rudrani Ghosh

Talk to the class about any one time you were outdoors and were 
a) Inspired by nature.
b) frightened by nature. 

Imagine you are at any one of these locations at dusk. 
a) The seashore b) the countryside c) a forest 
Now write a description of the sights, sounds, and odours you encounter at that place. Share your imagined description with the class. 

Cross out the incorrect adjectives to complete the following sentences.

1. There is (few/little) chance of rain tonight.
2. Our house is (a few/a little) blocks from here.
3. Not (much/many) people know of these facts.
4. Do you have (some/any) opinion on this matter?
5. The library is (a few/a little) way down the road.
6. There are (few/little) gardens as pretty as this one.
7. I did hear (some/any) noise coming from the workshop.
8. There isn’t (much/many) hope of winning the match now.

Form adjectives from the following nouns and verbs. Then make sentences with any five newly formed adjectives.

1. Advantage __________              2. Count __________
2. Culture __________                   4. Doubt __________
3. Grass __________                      6. Like __________
4. Logic __________                       8. Mountain __________

Write whether the highlighted words are adjectives (ad) or adverbs (av) in these sentences.

1. What a lovely dress she is wearing! ______
2. She is looking lovely in that dress. ______
3. He is a hard nut to crack. ______
4. She tried hard to solve the problem. ______
5. There was a long line at the ticket counter. ______
6. We didn’t have to wait long for the taxi. ______
7. This is the most difficult problem I have faced. ______
8. Most people will find the problem difficult to solve.______

Imagine you found the purse on the lawn tennis court. Write a ‘Found’ notice. You may use a similar format as in the ‘Lost’ notice above. Remember to give a brief description of the purse. 

Why do you think the author could not see stars at such close quarters where she came from?