“She has one chance in—let us say—ten.” He said, as he shook down the mercury in his clinical thermometer. “And that chance is for her to want to live. This way people have of lining up on the side of the undertaker makes the entire pharmacopoeia look silly. Your little lady has made up her mind that she’s not going to get well. Has she anything on her mind?” 

1. Who said to whom?
2. What chance was he talking about? 
3. Why were the chances low? 
4. Why did the Pharmacopoeia look silly? 
5. Did she have anything on her mind?

How did Behrman agree to pose?

‘Sue went into the workroom and cried a Japanese napkin to a pulp. ‘Why’? 

Johnsy began to fancy something strange. What was it? Did she have reason enough for it? Give a reason to support your answer. 

Johansy’s behaviour changed. When and in what manner? 

Sue wanted to help her friend get better physically and mentally. Justify. 

What kind of a person was Mr. Behrman? What convinced him to paint the ivy leaf on the wall? 

Looking at the last leaf hanging strong after the terrible rain and storm, Johnsy saw a ray of hope and began feeling better. This is evident from certain things she said and expressed.
  Put these in sequential order. 
  a. The last leaf stayed to teach her a lesson. 
  b. She wanted to sit up and watch Sue cook. 
  c. She had been a bad girl. 
  d. She hoped to paint the Bay of Naples. 
  e. She asked Sue to bring her a little broth. 
  f. She wanted to look at her face in a hand mirror. 

Johnsy ________________ when she gets to know that she was suffering from
Pneumonia? 
- is filled with despair. 
- Is hopeful that she will get well soon. 
- doesn’t seem to bother much. 

The doctor told Sue that Johnsy would recover soon if ________________. 
- She took her medication properly. 
- She had the will to get better. 
- She took ample rest. 

When the last leaf of the ivy vine would fall. Johnsy would die. That was __________. 
- Sue’s belief.
- Johnsy’s belief. 
- the doctor’s belief. 

Old Behrman was ________________. 
- a successful painter.
- a great artist. 
- an unsuccessful painter. 

Mr. Behrman died because of ________________. 
- Pneumonia.
- a prolonged illness. 
- The fall. 

Who is a true pessimist in the story? What circumstances were involved in making this
 person behaves pessimistically? 

The ‘last leaf’ was Mr. Behrman’s masterpiece. Justify the statement. 

The writer has used a lot of adjectives and figurative language to create in the readers’ mind, a vivid image of all the happenings in the story. Read the following lines aloud.
                 -              ‘The cold breath of autumn had stricken its leaves from the vine ...’
                 -              ‘light and fragile as a leaf herself ...’
                 -              ‘... dull, wide-open eyes staring at the drawn green shade.’
                 -              ‘... the beating rain and fierce gusts of wind ...’
                 -              ‘... a dreadful night.’
 How has the language been used to help the reader go beyond the story and explore the issues, problems and attitudes it contains? Have a class/group discussion and present your views.
 Issues:
 Problem:
 Attitudes:

Rewrite each sentence below, adding the participle phrases given with brackets. Be sure to position the participle phrase so that it refers clearly and logically to a noun. The first one has been done as an example.
 a.            I could hear the storm. (shrieking in the distance)
                 I could hear the storm shrieking in the distance.
b.            Shalini performed once more. (encouraged by the applause of the audience) 
                 ______________________________________________________________________
 c.             The children tripped and fell. (running down the lane) 
                 ______________________________________________________________________
 e.            I watched the sun rise. (blazing over houses, farms, and fields) 
                 ______________________________________________________________________
 f.             Gaurav fell asleep. (relaxing on his seat) 
                 ______________________________________________________________________
 g.            I found the puppy. (trapped inside the laundry basket) 
                 ______________________________________________________________________
 h.            The students waited for the Principal to pass. (standing in a line) 
                 ______________________________________________________________________
 i.              Molly food a crystal ball. (fallen under her father’s desk). 
                 ______________________________________________________________________
 j.             Food was given to the refugees. (sealed in tins) 
                 ______________________________________________________________________

Match the columns appropriately. 
                         Phrases                                                                                Infinitives 
 a. You have a choice,                                                             (i) to rest 
 b. Nitu tried her best                                                             (ii) to pitch their tents 
 c. She had no choice                                                            (iii) to speak the truth or to leave the room. 
 d. The child was afraid                                                         (iv) to step into the dark room. 
 e. The volunteers came                                                       (v) to see what the commotion was all about
 f. The farmer begged the landlord                                     (vi) to offer their services 
 g. Sahil had a plan                                                                (vii) to warn them of the danger 
 h. They finally sat down                                                      (viii) to cheat his boss 
 i. The campers stopped                                                     (ix) to listen to his plea 
 j. The neighbours came out                                              (x) but to give up the opportunity 

What is the greatest sacrifice you have ever made for your family or friends? Write a short story about something you decided to give up/to give away/ not to do, so that you could help somebody else. (100 – 125 words.) 

Writing Tips 
 - Think about the experience. 
 - Organise your thoughts. 
 - Use ‘I’ throughout your story. Most narratives are told using the first- person point of view. 
 - Write an introduction that gets the reader’s attention. 
 - Be sure to add sensory details so that the reader will be drown into the experience. 
 - Write an appropriate conclusion. Tell the reader why this experience was important to you and what you learnt from it. 
 - Once you have finished your personal narrative, be sure to review your work.