Class 7

Lesson 11

The Axe

R.K. Narayan

Activity- 1

Identify which of the following statements are True and which are False. Give a supporting statement for each of your answers:

1. Velan was very happy in the big house.[T]

supporting statement: "Velan was perfectly contented and happy."

2. The other people of the big house were not so happy.[F]

supporting statement: "As far as he could see, the people in the big house too seemed to be equally at peace with life."

3. No tenant remained in the house for more than a few months. [T]

supporting statement: "No one remained for more than a few months."

4. People started avoiding the house.[F]

supporting statement: It came to be known as the “Ghost House”.

Activity- 2

Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

a. One midnight he was told that the master of the house was dead.

b. The sons of the late owner left the keys of the house with Velan.

c. The house acquired the reputation of being haunted.

d. Even the owners dropped the practice of coming and seeing the house.

Activity- 3

Answer the following questions :

a. Who was Velan?

Ans- Velan was the old gardener of a big house.

b. Did the tenants have any regard for the garden?

Ans- No, the tenants did not have any regard for the garden.

c. Did the owners of the house visit the house frequently?

Ans-No, the owners of the house visited the house occasionally. Later they dropped this practice too.

d. How did the house acquire the reputation of a ‘Ghost house’?

Ans- The house was in ruins because of the lack of maintenance. The owners stopped visiting, and Velan only cleaned it sometimes when he wanted to. Slowly, people started thinking it was a ‘Ghost House’ because it looked empty and scary.

Activity- 4

Fill in the chart below with information from the text:

Cause	Effect
i) One day a car sounded its horn angrily at the gate.	i) Velan hobbled up with the keys
ii) Velan cleared the vegetation, which blocked the entrance.	ii) The car made its entry smoothly.
iii) The company, which brought the house was not going to have the garden.	iii) Velan was ordered to go back to his village.
iv) Velan requested the tree cutters to stop cutting his favourite margosa tree until he left the place.	iv) The tree cutters laid down their axes.

Activity- 5

Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

1. Someone from the car ordered Velan to open the gate.

2. One of the sons of the old masters told Velan that he would have to go back to his village.

3. Velan retired to his old hut.

4. Velan rushed out and saw four men hacking the massive trunk of the old margosa tree.

Activity-6

Answer the following questions:

1. Who bought the house?

Ans- A company bought the house.

2. Did they need a garden?

Ans- No, they did not need a garden.

3. What was the order of the company?

Ans- The company’s order was that all the trees except half a dozen on the very boundary had to be cut down.

4. What was Velan’s request to the tree-cutters?

Ans- Velan requested the tree-cutters to wait before cutting down the margosa tree until he had gone far away from the place.

Activity- 7

Choose the correct alternative from the bracket and fill in the blanks:

a. Binota studied ____ (harder ✔/more harder) than me.

b. Rupa sang ____(most sweetly / more sweetly✔) than her sister.

c. Mita did (worse✔ / more badly) than Ruby in the music competition.

d. Among the gymnasts in the championship, Mihir scored the (less / least✔).

Activity-8

Choose the correct adverb from the box and fill in the blanks. One is done for you.

more gracefully, radiantly, least nervous, earliest, more composed

There was no one in the hall when Sumana arrived. She was the earliestthere. Soon, other dancers came. Sumana looked the least nervous among the competitors. Her steps were more composed than the other girls on the stage. Her face glowed radiantly as she performed more gracefully than the other dancers on the stage.

Activity-9

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:

a. The news ____(is / are) shocking.

b. The children ____(plays / play) cricket in the park.

c. Both Laboni and Soma ____(love / loves) outdoor games.

d. The hotel manager and his staff ___(make / makes) the guests feel comfortable.

e. Many women today _____(works / work) outside the home.

Activity- 10

Fill in the blanks with the words given below:

retired, blocked, excellent, orders, tenant

a. We have a new tenant in our house.

b. The singer has anexcellent voice.

c. The road was blocked due to an accident.

d. The job was done according to the orders of the manager.

e. My father retired from his job last year.

Activity- 11

Write the appropriate Plural Nouns of the following. One is done for you:

a. More than one woman: Women

b. More than one man: men

c. More than one person: persons

d. More than one goose: geese

e. More than one mouse: mice

f. More than one barrack: barracks

g. More than one deer: deer

h. More than one syllabus: syllabi /syllabuses

i. More than one focus: focuses/ foci

Activity- 12 (a)

Write a letter to your friend inviting him /her to the marriage ceremony of your uncle.

Gantar, Memari

Purba Bardhaman- 713146

Date :

Dear Usha,

I am writing this letter to you after a long time. Hope you are well by the grace of God. I am also well. I am writing this letter to invite you to attend my uncle’s wedding ceremony. The reception of the wedding ceremony will be held on 24th Dec at our house. The ceremony will start at 6 p.m. There will be dance and music.

Therefore, I request you to attend the ceremony along with your parents. Hope you will come. See you on that day.

Your loving friend

Trisha

Name- Usha Ghosh

℅ - Bipul Ghosh

Vill + P.o- Rasulpur

P.S.- Memari

Dist- Purba Bardhaman

Pin- 713151

Activity- 12(b)

Imagine yourself to be the friend whom the letter was sent to. Now write a reply to the letter accepting the invitation.

Gantar, Memari

Purba Bardhaman, 713146

Dear Tanima,

I have received your letter. I am very happy to receive your invitation. I will surely go with my parents. I have talked with them about the invitation. They have agreed. There will be a lot of fun on that day.

Be well. See you on that day. Take my cordial love and pay my regards to your parents. Bye.

Your loving friend

Sreeja

Name- Tanima Pal

℅ - Ratan Pal

Vill + P.o- Rasulpur

P.S.- Memari

Dist- Purba Bardhaman

Pin- 713151

Activity- 13

Write a story with the help of the following points :

Frogs lived in a pond - boys hit stones and hurt the frogs - a frog asked, “Why are you throwing stones ?”- boys replied, “We are playing”- frogs said, “It is death to us” - boys felt sorry - stopped sport

Once, there lived a family of frogs happily in a pond. One day, a group of boys was playing near the edge of the pond. Suddenly, one boy saw the frogs in the water. He told the others to hit the frogs with stones as part of a game. They immediately started throwing stones at the frogs.

As a result, some frogs were badly injured. They were trembling with fear. At last, an old frog put his head out of the water and said to the boys, “Why are you throwing stones at us?”

The boys replied that it was part of their game and they were enjoying it a lot. The old frog said that although it was fun for them, it meant death for the frogs.

The boys understood their mistake and stopped their cruel game.

Moral: One man’s pleasure may cause sorrow to others.

The Axe -by R.K. Narayan Question Answer

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