Class 7

Lesson-13

Ghosts on the Verandah

-by Ruskin Bond

Activity- 1

Complete the following table with information from the text:

Statement	Reason
a) The author went to stay at Anil’s house	Anil’s father was out of town.
b) Anil’s mother told them ghost stories	Anil’s mother’s memory was stored with an incredible amount of folklore.
c) The boy in the classroom could stretch his hands four yards	The boy was a jinn.
d) Anil wished to be a Jinn	He will take advantages in volleyball matches.

Activity-2

Answer the following questions:

a. What attracts a Jinn?

Ans- Long hair and pretty black eyes attract a Jinn.

b. List the activities of an annoyed Munjia.

Ans-i) An annoyed Munjia rushes out from his tree,

ii) upsets tongas, bullock-carts, cycles and even buses.

c. Why must one be careful while yawning under a peepul tree at night?

Ans- If someone yawns without covering the mouth or snapping fingers in front of the mouth Munjia will jump down the throat and completely ruin the digestion. So one must be careful while yawning under a peepul tree.

d. How did the boy in the class show that he was a Jinn?

Ans- When the teacher asked the boy to fetch the book, he remained seated and simply stretched out his hand nearly four yards to reach it. This strange act revealed that he was, in fact, a Jinn.

Activity- 3

Fill in the blanks by choosing appropriate words from the box given below. You may need to change the form of the words:

Incredible, fetch, cupboard, agility

a. Since she is a gymnast, she has great agility.

b. Tuhin fetched a bucket of water.

c. Your story is incredible

d. The utensils are kept inside a cupboard

Activity- 4

Complete the following comparisons by correctly choosing the word from the box given below:

cold, hot, black, proud, brave, green, heavy, gentle, firm, busy

a. as black as coal

b. as brave as a lion

c. as busy as a bee

d. as gentle as a lamb

e. as proud as a peacock

f. as green as grass

g. as firm as a rock

h. as heavy as lead

i. as cold as ice

j. as hot as fire

Activity- 5

Rewrite the following sentences using the adverbs given in brackets in the appropriate place:

a. This exercise is easy. (too)

Ans- This exercise is too easy.

b. The train is fast. (fairly)

Ans- The train is fairly fast.

c. The bottle is full. (quite)

Ans- The bottle is quite full.

d. We won the match. (nearly)

Ans- We nearly won the match.

e. We are late, let us hurry. (rather)

Ans- We are rather late, let us hurry.

f. She has come in. (just)

Ans- She has just come in.

g. He makes a mistake. (never)

Ans- He never makes a mistake.

h. I get up early in the morning. (always)

Ans- I always get up early in the morning.

i. I am sorry. (very)

Ans- I am very sorry.

j. He was intelligent to solve the problem. (enough)

Ans- He was intelligent enough to solve the problem.

Activity- 6

Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

a. Anil’s mother thought that seeing a snake Kamal’s friend had killed it.

b. Kamal and the author did not want to go to their room because they were fearful about ghosts.

c. When Anil’s mother saw the boys rushing about, she gave another scream and collapsed on a cot.

d. Kamal sang softly because he tried to raise their spirits.

Activity-7

Answer the following questions:

a. Why did Anil and Mulia appear “pale and anxious”?

Ans- Anil and Mulia appeared ‘pale and anxious’ because, they were frightened as a result of Anil’s mother’s stories.

b. What did Anil’s mother think when she saw the room empty?

Ans- When Anil’s mother saw the room empty, she thought that the ghosts had carried the children away with their beds.

c. What was the effect of Kamal’s singing on the author?

Ans- Kamal’s singing made the atmosphere more eerie for the author.

d. Do you think Anil’s mother believed in ghosts? Give a reason for your answer.

Ans- Undoubtedly, Anil’s mother believed in ghosts. She often warned the children about them. When she saw the narrator and his friend, she mistook them for ghosts, screamed in fear, and collapsed.

Activity- 8

Fill in the blanks with suitable modals:

a. I can speak english.

b. We eat so that we can live.

c. You may go now.

d. May you have good luck!

e. We will be rewarded.

f. I will not surrender.

g. You should be able to do it in no time.

h. We should help the poor.

i. I shall never tell lies.

j. Tomorrow we will have a holiday.

Activity-9

Fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the verb given in brackets:

a. She ran so fast that I could (can) not overtake her.

b. I thought I had seen (see) you yesterday.

c. He helps his neighbours more than he helps (help) his family.

d. When I saw her, I spoke (speak) to her.

e. The more he learned, the more he wanted (want) to learn.

f. There was a rumour that he had died (die) in the accident.

g. We thought that she would (will) succeed.

h. I shall nurse her that she may (may) recover.

i. I left the place as soon as I heard (hear) the news.

j. Honesty is (be) the best policy.

Activity- 10

Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct verb given in brackets:

a. All that glitters is (is/ are) not gold.

b. The great poet and novelist is (is/ are) dead.

c. Each of the boys was (was /were) given a prize.

d. Salim as well as his friend is (is/ are) honest.

e. Time and tide wait (wait / waits) for none.

f. Neither of the girls has (has/have) brought her book.

g. None but the brave deserves (deserve/ deserves) the fair.

h. Three-fourths of the meal was (was/ were) eaten.

i. Either you or he has (has/have) done it.

j. Slow and steady wins (win/ wins) the race.

Activity- 11

Fill in the gaps in the following table with appropriate forms of adjectives:

POSITIVE	COMPARATIVE	SUPERLATIVE
good	better	best
dark	darker	darkest
mild	milder	mildest
wise	wiser	wisest
hard	harder	hardest
soft	softer	softest
high	higher	highest
bright	brighter	brightest
less	lesser	least
beautiful	more beautiful	most beautiful
bad	worse	worst
intelligent	more intelligent	most intelligent
serious	more serious	most serious
little	lesser	least
swift	swifter	swiftest

Activity-12

Pick out the adjectives from the following sentences and write their degree:

a. Which is the best book?

Ans- best (superlative)

b. December is colder than other months.

Ans- colder (comparative)

c. He is my eldest brother.

Ans- eldest (superlative)

d. Nothing moves as fast as light.

Ans- fast (positive)

e. Success is sweeter than failure.

Ans- sweeter (comparative)

Activity- 13

Write a story in which you and your two friends are forced to spend a night in an old, desolate building far away from home.

A Night in the Old Building

One winter evening, my friends Raj, Arjun, and I lost our way during a trek in the forest. As night fell, we found an old, abandoned building and decided to stay there for shelter.

The place was dark, dusty, and creepy. Strange sounds echoed through the night, and we even heard footsteps upstairs, though no one was there. We were scared but tried to stay calm by talking and keeping close.

After a cold, restless night, morning finally came. We left the building quickly and found our way back with help. It was a night we’ll never forget.

Activity- 14

Write a paragraph on a magic show. Use the following points:

Place-the atmosphere-dress of the magician-tricks that he performed-how you liked the show-did you feel interested in performing magic by yourself-conclusion.

Last Sunday, I attended a magic show at the town hall. The atmosphere was full of excitement and curiosity, with people of all ages waiting eagerly for the show to begin. The magician wore a black coat, a tall hat, and white gloves, which gave him a mysterious look. He performed many amazing tricks like turning a handkerchief into a dove, pulling coins out of thin air, and even cutting a person in half and joining them again! I was thrilled by the performance and watched every trick with wide eyes. The show was so interesting that I felt inspired to learn magic myself. In the end, it was a fun and unforgettable experience.

Ghosts on the Verandah -by Ruskin Bond Question Answer

Ratings & Reviews

Suggested Material