Class 7

Lesson -8

The Story of Proserpine

Activity-1

Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the passage above:

a. Goddess Ceres lived in the beautiful island of Sicily.

b. Pluto was the king of the land of the dead.

c. Everyone said that Proserpine was the spring herself.

d. Pluto was charmed when he saw Proserpine.

e. Pluto struck the ground with his sceptre and it opened instantly.

Activity-2

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

a. Ceres had little role to play in the lives of the people on earth.[F]

supporting statement: On her depended the health and happiness of all the people of this world.

b. Ceres was extremely fond of her fair daughter.[T]

supporting statement: She loved her more than her life.

c. When Pluto first saw Proserpine, she was helping her mother in the field.[F]

supporting statement: She was playing with her little companions.

d. Pluto thought Proserpine’s beauty would brighten his dark kingdom.[T]

supporting statement: Will make even my dark kingdom look bright and beautiful.

e. Proserpine threw away her girdle because she did not require it in Pluto’s kingdom.[F]

supporting statement: She thought her mother would be able to trace her lost daughter.

Activity-3

Fill up the following chart with information from the text:

Cause	Effect
1) No Goddess wanted to live with Pluto among the deads.	Pluto led a lonely life
2) Pluto heard voices and laughter behind some bushes	He was curious to see who were there.
3) Pluto stepped into their circle and carried Proserpine to his chariot.	The companions of Proserpine got frightened and ran away.
4) Pluto was afraid that Ceres would appear in search of her daughter.	Pluto drove his chariot very fast.
5)The river was full to the brim.	Pluto could not drive the chariot through the water.

Activity-4

Some words or phrases are given below. Find words from the text having meanings similar to these:

a. a young unmarried girl: maiden

b. a horse driven carriage or car: chariot

c. eager to know: curious

d. flowers: blossoms

e. grasped or caught tightly: seized

f. a waistband: girdle

Activity-5

Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the list below. Change the form of the words where necessary. There are some extra words. (One is done for you):

plunged, departed, trace, lovely, bank, drove, curls

a. The rose is said to be the loveliest of all flowers.

b. Kolkata is situated on the bank of river Hooghly.

c. I could not trace the advertisement in yesterday’s newspaper.

d. When it rains, driving a car is not easy.

e. Please note the time of his departure from office last Saturday.

Activity-6

Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

a. From the fires of a volcano Ceres lighted a torch.

b. People thought of praying to Jupiter because Ceres could not help them.

c. The nymph of the fountain lived in the dark depth of the earth.

d. Jupiter said that Proserpine might return to earth if she had not tasted any food in Pluto’s kingdom.

e. Ceres would begin to grieve for six months when Proserpine returned to Pluto’s kingdom.

Activity-7

Fill up the following chart with information from the text:

WHO	DID WHAT	WHEN
Ceres; She returned home in the evening and could not see her daughter.	searched for Proserpine in all the rooms
People	came to Ceres and begged to bring back plenty and save their lives.	they were starving
Ceres; while she was passing by a river.	found the girdle of her daughter
Proserpine; Ceres went down to the land of the dead.	had eaten six pomegranate seeds
The earth	Smiled with beauty to welcome Proserpine.	Proserpine would come back to her mother for six months.

Activity-8

Answer the following questions:

a. Why did Ceres feel very sad in the morning?

Ans- Ceres felt very sad in the morning as she could not find her daughter Proserpine despite of whole night’s search.

b. Why was there a severe famine all over the world?

Ans- Ceres the goddess of crops, plants and trees was so griefstricken for her lost daughter, that she neglected her work on earth. Then the crops failed everywhere and the ground became dry and barren. So there was a severe famine all over the world.

c. Briefly narrate what the nymph of the fountain told Ceres.

Ans- The nymph of the fountain told Ceres that she lived in the dark depths of the earth. She had seen Proserpine in the kingdom of Pluto who looked pale and grief-stricken.The nymph finally advised Ceres not to grieve any more and to pray to Jupiter for her daughter’s return.

d. Why was Proserpine bound to live for six months in the underground kingdom?

Ans-Proserpine was bound to live for six months in the underground kingdom as she had eaten six pomegranate seeds there. For each seed she had to spend a month in the land of dead.

Activity-9

Rearrange the following sentences and make a paragraph on how Proserpine returned from the underworld to her mother on earth:

a. Suddenly one day Ceres picked up Proserpine’s girdle by the riverside.[4]

b. Ceres visited Jupiter and sought his help to get back her daughter.[6]

c. Pluto took away the beautiful maiden Proserpine to his underground kingdom.[1]

d. Ceres went underground to find that Proserpine had already eaten six pomegranate seeds there.[8]

e. Ceres, her mother, was much surprised not to find her at home in the evening.[2]

f. The nymph of the fountain told Ceres about her daughter’s where abouts.[5]

g. Jupiter said that Proserpine might return to earth if she had not eaten any food in the land of the dead.[7]

h. The mother searched for her daughter everywhere in vain.[3]

i. Proserpine was destined to spend six months every year in Pluto’s underworld and the remaining six months on earth with her mother.[9]

Activity-10

Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B:

A	B
1) realm	a) deep sorrow (4 )
2) ceaseless	b) dull or whitish in colour ( 3)
3) pale	c) dark or depressing (6 )
4) grief	d) begged ( 5)
5) implored	e) kingdom (1 )
6) gloomy	f) endless (2 )

Activity-11

Make sentences with the following pairs of words to show the difference in their meanings:

a) meet - I hope to meet my friend at the park later.
meat - For dinner, we are having grilled meat.

b) wandered - She wandered through the forest, enjoying the quiet.
wondered - I wondered where my keys had gone.

c) whole - I ate the whole pizza by myself.
hole - There was a hole in my sock.

d) leap - The cat made a big leap onto the table.
lip - He had a cut on his lip after the fall.

e) cease - The rain will cease by tomorrow morning.
seize - The police will seize the stolen goods.

f) throne - The king sat on his golden throne.
thrown - The ball was thrown across the yard.

g) prey - The lion chased its prey through the grass.
pray - Every night, I pray for good health.

h) tested - The students tested their knowledge in the exam.
tasted - I tasted the cake and it was delicious.

Activity-12

Solve the word puzzle by putting suitable letters in the blank boxes. You will find the words in the text:

Horizontally

FOOTFALL

GIRDLE

PLUNGE

COMPANION

PLANTS

SCEPTRE

Vertically

BLOSSOM

MAIDEN

LIP

GRIEF

LONELY

CROPS

NYMPH

DEPTH

Activity-13(a)

Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals from the list given below. One modal may be used more than once.

may, would, will, should, must, can, could

a. I must finish my homework before going to school.

b. He can give you a solution.

c. Rajesh planned that he would make a kitchen garden.

d. He could help me if he wished.

e. We must save trees for a better future.

f. The teachers expect that all the students will pass the examination.

g. Students should treat their teachers with respect.

h. It may rain today.

Activity-13 (b)

Fill in the blanks with the negative forms of appropriate modals:

a. I can’t help you. I am sorry.

b. Your bed is ready. Won’t you lie down now?

c. One shouldn’t go for swimming when the sea is rough.

d. The student got poor marks because he couldn’t solve a few sums.

e. They may not be able to supply the materials on time.

Activity-14(a)

Now match the clues with the pictures. Write the matching picture numbers in the brackets.

God appeared in the disguise of a wise man and asked the cart-man to put his shoulders to the wheel. ( 4)

The cart moved. ( 6)

A cart-man driving a cart. (1 )

He started praying to God. ( 3)

The wheels sank in mud. (2 )

Cart-man pulled the wheel with great effort. ( 5)

Activity-14(b)

Write a story based on the above clues in about seventy words. Add a title to your story.

Activity-15

In each group there are three sentences. One of them has some grammatical errors. Identify that sentence and underline it. One is done for you:

Group A: i) Ranit has taken my pen.

ii) This house is our.

iii) They live happily in their village.

Group B: i) I always enjoy reading children’s books.

ii) Sunita studies in Nivedita Girl’s High School.

iii) The children is crying.

Group C: i) The bird on the cage has flew away.

ii) Take out that book from the shelf.

iii) The man arrived at the station on time.

Group D: i) She left the place quietly.

ii) The cart-man is driving his cart in a slowly manner.

iii) Alam is known for his gentle manners.

Group E: i) Would you like to have a cup of coffee?

ii) If you wanted to perform well, you shall work hard.

iii) We can reach Delhi by road.

Activity-16

Write a paragraph on a recent Tree Plantation Drive undertaken by your school. Your paragraph should be in about seventy words. Give the following details:

Name and location of your school.

Date, time and place of the Tree Plantation Programme

Inauguration Ceremony

The Participants

Guests present, if any

Cultural programme to mark the day

Your role

Tree Plantation Drive at Gantar B.M High School

On 5th June at 9 a.m., our school, Gantar B.M High School, located in Gantar, Purba Bardhaman, organized a Tree Plantation Drive in the school garden. The Principal inaugurated the event, and many students and teachers took part. A local environmentalist was the chief guest. A short cultural programme with songs and speeches was held. I helped plant saplings and also took part in a group song to spread awareness.

The Story of Proserpine Question Answer

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