Raja Ravi Varma - Starburst - Class 8 - English

As a child who and what did he observe that went into shaping him as an artist?

When did his uncle predict Ravi Varma’s success as an artist?

What are the factors which contributed to Raja Ravi Varma’s growth as an artist?

According to the legend, what gave Raja Ravi Varma the inspiration to paint the effect of lightning?

Find the following in the chapter.
a. a word in paragraph 3 which means the same as looked like .....................…
b. a word in paragraph 6 which could be used for something that makes you want to do a thing better or quickly .....................…
c. a word in paragraph 8 which means work or way of life that you consider suitable for you .....................…

Some of his depictions of Hindu deities are popular even today.
This sentence shows that the .............................… of Ravi Varma still lives.
i. memory
ii. style
iii. legacy

Details like pearl necklaces, satin and silk fabrics, gold brocade borders, lapdogs, and marble pillars are depicted with great skill in his paintings.
This description affirms the fact that Ravi Varma
i. paid great attention to finer aspects in his paintings to make them life-like.
ii. painted pictures of wealthy people or royal families only.
iii. paid more attention to other details than the main subject.

For him, it was a triumph of will and inherent talent that did not depend on traditional training.
This sentence shows that Ravi Varma was
i. a rebel who did not want to depend upon traditional training.
ii. too independent to follow anyone’s guidance regarding how to paint.
iii. a born artist who absorbed the nuances of the sill from other’s work.

The European Art in the maharaja’s palace was eagerly examined by young Varma.
He eagerly examined the European Art in the Maharaja’s palace because he
i. Wished to learn how they had brought about a certain effect.
ii. Wanted to help the Maharaja in selecting paintings for his court.
iii. Was asked to tell if they were genuine or not.

Raja Ravi Varma and his brother Raja worked together in collaboration but they differed from each other in certain ways. Discuss.

In about 150 words, write a profile of Raja Ravi Varma, the ‘self-made’ artist.

“There are many popular legends about Raja Ravi Varma. It is said that on one occasion when he had to capture the effect of lightning, a real lightning flashed across the sky and gave him the required inspiration.”
Questions:

1. What is one popular legend about Raja Ravi Varma?

2. How did nature influence Raja Ravi Varma’s art?

Put together words from Set A and Set B to create compound adjectives. Then use them in the sentences below. One word in A can be used twice.
A     freshly-                 so-          poorly-                  smooth-               well-      newly- self-       intricately-
        short-                    cock-     terror-                  
B     -sighted                - eyed   - called                  -carved                 -hatched              - appointed        
        - stricken              - conceived         -tongued             -baked - painted              -written

1.    The .............................. connoisseur of art turned out to be nothing but a ..............................
        person. He knew nothing about art, actually.
2.    We stood on the farm watching the .............................. chicks and smelling the lovely flavour
        of .............................. bread.
3.    Our .............................. leader came up with some very .............................. plans.
        Everyone knew that he was talking through his hat. So they simply got up and left.
4.    I’m sorry, I cannot include this article in the journal. It is father .............................. even
        though the ideas are .............................. .
5.    The handle of the knife was made of .............................. wood but the blade was rather
        rusted.
6.    I don’t want to listen to your .............................. logic. I strongly feel that what you did was
        incorrect.
7.    Yesterday a tiger was sighted in the village. The .............................. villagers remained
        indoors with their doors shut.
8.    By mistake she sat on a .............................. bench and got some brown paint on her dress.

Fill in the blanks by converting the words in the box into abstract nouns.

1.    The .............................. of the flowers made me stop and buy them.
2.    The company had to increase .............................. as the demand was growing rapidly.
3.    Young children need .............................. to learn better.
4.    Every scientist in the Focus Group in Earth Summit belonged to a different .............................. .
5.    Laboratory work needs a lot of .............................. .
6.    You must read your answer script well before .............................. .

Use appropriate gerunds to complete this paragraph on the process of manufacturing tea.
.............................. (manufacture) black tea is an elaborate process. First the tea is plucked.
.............................. (pluck) in India is mostly done by hand. Women are employed as pickers as they are very deft at picking only one leaves and a bud.
After it is plucked, the tea is taken to the factory for .............................. (wither), which involves removing as much moisture as possible from the tea to prepare it for daying.
Once the tea is limp and a dark shade of green, it is taken or .............................. (roll), which is a process under which the tea is put into roller machines. The roller machines twist and turn the leaf and break it. .............................. (break) of the tea leaf causes its juices to be exposed to the process of oxidation. .............................. (place) the tea in large trays and .............................. (expose) the tea to air, results in oxidation. As the leaf oxidizes, it changes its colour from dark green to red, then brown and finally black.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate infinitives and bare infinitives from the box.

Marina had a terrible time last evening. Her mother had .............................. a meeting and Marina offered .............................. after her baby sister and cook dinner as well. But things did not go as planned.
To begin with, the baby would not let her .............................. her side at all. When she thought the baby had slept off, Marina decided .............................. away and make an omelette. She had just poured the beaten egg on the frying pan when she heard the baby .............................. . She rushed to the baby and tried to comfort her by singing. In the middle of her song she realized that the omelette was burning. She had forgotten .............................. the heat and the high flame had made the omelette .............................. . Torn between the diner and the baby she decided to let the baby .............................. while she salvaged the omelette.

The chapter you just read is a third person account of Raja Ravi Varma’s Life. Write about Raja Ravi Verma’s life from the point of view of the people mentioned in the table.

1. Naidu, when Raja Ravi Varma approached him

2. Naidu’s pupil who decided to help Raja Ravi Varma

3. Raja Ravi Varma’s uncle when he noticed his talent.