Madhyamik 2026 English Suggestion PDF

Madhyamik 2026 English Suggestion PDF – Download Complete Guide with Most Expected Questions
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এবারের ফাইনাল পরীক্ষার জন্য গুরুত্বপূর্ণ Prose ও Poem :

Prose : 1. Our Runaway Kite, 2. Passing away of Bapu, 3. Father’s Help
Poem : 1. The Snail, 2. Fable, 3. My Own True Family.

Father’s Help Madhyamik 2026 English Suggestion PDF

Lying in bed, Swami realized with a shudder that it was Monday morning. It looked as if only a moment ago it was Friday. Already Monday was here. He hoped he didn’t have to go to school.

At nine o’clock, Swaminathan said, “I have a headache.”

Mother generally suggested that Swami might stay at home. At 9.30, when he had not yet been in the school prayer hall, Swami was lying on the bench in Mother’s room.

Father asked him, “Have you no school today?”
“Headache,” Swami replied.
“Nonsense! Dress up and go.”
“Headache.”

“Laugh about less on Sundays and you’ll be without a headache on Monday.”
Swami knew how strict his father could be. So he changed his tactics. “I can’t go so late to class.”

“If he’s so angry, why don’t you tell your headmaster about it?”
“They say even the headmaster is afraid of him.”
Swami hoped that with this his father would be made to see why he must avoid school for the day. But father’s behavior took an unexpected turn. He proposed to send a letter with Swami to the headmaster. No amount of protest from Swami would make him change his mind.
By the time Swami was ready to leave for school, Father had composed a long letter to the headmaster. He put it in an envelope and sealed it.
“What have you written, Father?” Swami asked apprehensively.
“Nothing for you. Give it to your headmaster and go to your class.”
“Have you written anything about our teacher Samuel?”
“Yes. Plenty of things.”
“What has he done, Father?”
“Everything is there in the letter. Give it to your headmaster.”
Swami went to school feeling that he was the worst boy on earth. His conscience bothered him. He wasn’t at all sure if his description of Samuel had been accurate. He felt he had mixed up the real and the imagined.

বঙ্গানুবাদ :

বিছানায় শুয়ে, ভয়ে কেঁপে উঠে স্বামী বুঝল যে এটা হল সোমবার। সকাল। তার মনে হল যেন এক মুহূর্ত আগে দিনটা ছিল শুক্রবার। ইতিমধ্যে সোমবার হাজির। সে আশা করেছিল যে তাকে স্কুলে যেতে হবে না।
সকাল ন’টার সময় স্বামীনাথন ডুকরে কেঁদে বলল, ‘আমার মাথায় যন্ত্রণা হচ্ছে।’
মা সদয়ভাবে বললেন যে স্বামী বাড়িতে থেকে যেতে পারে। সাড়ে ন’টার সময় যখন তার স্কুলের প্রার্থনা হলে থাকা উচিত ছিল, স্বামী তখন মায়ের ঘরের বেঞ্চের ওপর শুয়েছিল।
বাবা তাকে জিজ্ঞেস করলেন, আজকে তোর স্কুল নেই?
মাথার যন্ত্রণা, স্বামী উত্তর দিল।
বাজে কথা! জামাকাপড় পড়, স্কুলে যা।
মাথার যন্ত্রণা!
রবিবারে একটু কম ঘোরাঘুরি কর, তাহলে আর সোমবারে কোনো মাথার যন্ত্রণা করবে না।
স্বামী জানত তার বাবা কতটা কঠোর হতে পারে। তাই সে তার কায়দা বদলে ফেলল। আমি এত দেরিতে ক্লাসে যেতে পারব না।
তোকে যেতেই হবে। এটা তোর নিজের দোষ।
আমি যদি এত দেরিতে যাই, মাস্টারমশাই কী ভাববেন?
তাঁকে বলবি তোর মাথায় যন্ত্রণা হচ্ছিল এবং সেইজন্যই তোর দেরি হয়ে গেছে।
আমি তাঁকে একথা বললে তিনি আমাকে বকবেনা
তাই নাকি! আচ্ছা দেখি। কী নাম তাঁর?
স্যামুয়েল।
তিনি কি সবসময় ছাত্রছাত্রীদের বকাবকি করেন?
উনি খুব রাগী লোক। তিনি বিশেষ করে সেই সমস্ত ছেলেদের ওপর রেগে যান যারা দেরি করে স্কুলে আসে। আমার স্যামুয়েলবাবুর ক্লাসে দেরি করে যাওয়ার একেবারে ইচ্ছা নেই।
যদি উনি অতই রাগী, এ ব্যাপারে তোরা হেডমাস্টারমশাইকে বলিসনি কেন?
ওরা বলে হেডমাস্টারও নাকি তাঁকে ভয় পান।
স্বামী আশা করেছিল যে এইভাবে তার বাবাকে দেখানো যাবে কেন তার আজকে স্কুলে যাওয়া উচিত নয়। কিন্তু বাবার আচরণ এক অপ্রত্যাশিত বাঁক নিল। তিনি প্রস্তাব দিলেন স্বামীকে দিয়ে হেডমাস্টারকে একটি চিঠি পাঠাবেন। স্বামীর কোনো ধরনের প্রতিবাদে বাবার মন পরিবর্তন করা গেল না।
ইতিমধ্যে স্বামী স্কুলে যাওয়ার জন্য প্রস্তুত হল। বাবা হেডমাস্টারকে একটি বড়ো চিঠি লিখে ফেলেছেন। তিনি চিঠিটা একটি খামে ভরলেন এবং সেটির মুখবন্ধ করে দিলেন।
বাবা তুমি কী লিখেছ? স্বামী দুশ্চিন্তাগ্রস্তভাবে জিজ্ঞেস করল।
তোর জন্য তো কিছু নয়। এটা হেডমাস্টারকে দিবি আর ক্লাসে চলে যাবি।
আমাদের মাস্টার স্যামুয়েলের সম্পর্কে কিছু লিখেছ?
হ্যাঁ, অনেক কিছু লিখেছি।
বাবা, উনি কী করেছেন?
সব চিঠিতে লেখা আছে। তোদের হেডমাস্টারকে এটা নিয়ে দিবি।
স্বামী স্কুলে গেল এইরকম ভাবতে ভাবতে যে সে হল পৃথিবীর নিকৃষ্টতম ছেলে। তার বিবেক তাকে দংশাচ্ছিল। সে আদৌ নিশ্চিত ছিল না যে স্যামুয়েলের সম্পর্কে তার দেওয়া বর্ণনা সঠিক ছিল কিনা। তার মনে হল সে যেন বাস্তবের সঙ্গে কল্পনা মিশিয়ে ফেলেছে।

যখন সে স্কুলের গেটে ঢুকল, তার মাথায় একটি ভাবনা এল। সে হেডমাস্টারমশাইকে চিঠিটা দেবে দিনের শেষে। স্যামুয়েল স্যার সারাদিন এমন কিছু করতে পারে যাতে চিঠিটার যথার্থতা প্রমাণ হতে পারে।
স্বামী ক্লাসের চৌকাঠের দরজায় দাঁড়াল। স্যামুয়েল অবাক করাচ্ছিল। তিনি স্বামীর দিকে তাকালেন। স্বামী ভাবল এবার স্যামুয়েল স্যার তাকে দারুণ বকাবকি করবেন।
তুমি আধঘণ্টা দেরি করেছ, স্যামুয়েল স্যার বললেন।
আমার মাথায় যন্ত্রণা হচ্ছে, স্যার। স্বামী বলল।
তাহলে তুমি এলে কেন?
এটা স্যামুয়েলের কাছে থেকে সম্পূর্ণ অপ্রত্যাশিত প্রশ্ন। স্বামী বলল, আমার বাবা বললেন আমার স্কুল কামাই করা উচিত নয়, স্যার।
স্যামুয়েল স্যারকে দেখে মনে হল তিনি বেশ প্রভাবিত হয়েছেন।
তোমার বাবা একদম ঠিক বলেছেন। এরকম বাবা-মা আমরা আরও বেশি করে চাই।
হায় রে হতভাগা স্বামী ভাবল, আপনি জানেনই না আমার বাবা আপনার কী করেছেন।
ঠিক আছে, জায়গায় গিয়ে বোসো।
স্বামী বসল, তার দুঃখ হচ্ছিল। সে স্যামুয়েলের মতো এত ভালো মানুষ কখনও দেখেনি।
শিক্ষক বাড়ির কাজ দেখছিলেন। স্বামীর ভাবনা-চিন্তা অনুসারে, এই সময়েই স্যামুয়েল স্যার সবচেয়ে বেশি রেগে যান। কিন্তু আজকে স্যামুয়েল স্যারকে বড়ো নমনীয় মনে হচ্ছিল।
স্বামীনাথন, তোমার বাড়ির কাজ কোথায়?

Him in the letter. The more he thought of Samuel, the more Swami grieved for him. To recall Samuel’s dark face, his thin moustache, unshaven cheek and yellow coat filled Swaminathan with sorrow.

As he entered the school gate, an idea occurred to him. He would deliver the letter to the headmaster at the end of the day. There was a chance Samuel might do something during the course of the day to justify the letter.
Swami stood at the entrance to his class. Samuel was teaching arithmetic. He looked at Swami. Swami hoped Samuel would scold him severely.
“You are half an hour late,” Samuel said.
“I have a headache, sir”, Swami said.
“Then why did you come at all?”
This was an unexpected question from Samuel.
“My father said I shouldn’t miss school, sir.”
Samuel looked impressed. “Your father is quite right. We want more parents like him.”
“Oh, you poor man!” Swami thought. “You don’t know what my father has done to you.”
“All right, go to your seat.”
Swaminathan, what’s your homework?”
“I haven’t done my homework sir,” Swami said.
“Why—headache?” asked Samuel.
“Yes sir.”
“All right, sit down,” Samuel said.
When the bell rang for the last period at 4.30, Swami picked up his books and ran to the headmaster’s room. He found the room locked. The peon told him the headmaster had gone on a weeks’ leave. Swaminathan ran away from the place.

As soon as he entered home with the letter, Father said, “I know you won’t deliver it.”
Father snatched the letter away from Swami and tore it up.
“Don’t ever come to me for help if Samuel scolds you again. You deserve your Samuel,” he said.

তালগোল পাকানো চিন্তাভাবনায় স্বামীর মাথা ভোঁ ভোঁ করতে লাগল। সে কিছুতেই মনস্থির করতে পারল না চিঠিতে লেখা তার সম্পর্কে সমস্ত অভিযোগগুলো সত্যিই স্যামুয়েলের স্যারের প্রাপ্য কিনা। স্যামুয়েল স্যারের কথা সে যত ভাবতে লাগল, স্বামী ততই তার জন্য যন্ত্রণাক্লিষ্ট হতে লাগল। স্যামুয়েল স্যারের কালো মুখ, তার পাতলা গোঁফ, দাড়ি না কামানো গাল ও হলুদ কোটের কথা মনে করে স্বামীনাথনের মন দুঃখে ভরে গেল।

যখন ৪টে ৩০ মিনিটে শেষ পিরিয়ডের ঘণ্টা বাজল, স্বামী তার বইপত্র গুছিয়ে নিল এবং দৌড়ে হেডমাস্টারের ঘরে গেল। সে দেখল দরজা বন্ধ। পিওন তাকে বলল যে হেডমাস্টার এক সপ্তাহের ছুটিতে গেছেন। স্বামীনাথন সেখান থেকে দৌড়ে চলে গেল।
যেই মাত্র চিঠিটা নিয়ে সে বাড়িতে ঢুকল, বাবা বললেন আমি জানতাম, তুই চিঠিটা দিবি না।
কিন্তু হেডমাস্টার তো ছুটিতে আছেন, স্বামী বলল।
বাবা স্বামীর হাত থেকে চিঠিটা ছিনিয়ে নিলেন এবং সেটিকে ছিঁড়ে ফেললেন।
যদি স্যামুয়েল স্যার আর কখনও তোকে বকাবকি করেন, আমার কাছে আর সাহায্যের জন্য আসিস না। তোর স্যামুয়েল স্যারই প্রাপ্য। তিনি বললেন।

Unit-1

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:
(a) With a shudder Swami realized that it was
(i) Friday (ii) Thursday (iii) Wednesday (iv) Monday
Ans: (iv) Monday
(b) When Swami ought to have been in the school prayer hall, he was lying on the
(i) bench (ii) table (iii) bed (iv) desk
Ans: (i) bench
(c) According to Swami, the headmaster was not afraid of Swami.
Ans: False
S.S>: Swami was lying in his father’s bed.
S.S>: Swami was lying on the bench in mother’s room.
Ans: True
S.S>: Swaminathan wailed I have a headache.
(b) Swami was lying in his father’s bed.
S.S>: “They say that even the headmaster is afraid of him”.

2. Fill in the chart with information from the text:
(a) time when Swami complained of a headache: At nine o’ clock
(b) person who ordered Swami to dress up and go to school: His father
(c) name of the teacher mentioned by Swami: Samuel

3. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/ phrases/ words in support of your answer:
(a) Swami said that he had a headache.
Supporting statement: “I have a headache.”
Supporting statement: Swami was lying on the bench in mother’s room.
(c) According to Swami, the headmaster was not afraid of Samuel.
Supporting statement: “They say that even the headmaster is afraid of him.”

Unit-2

4. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences.
(a) Father decided to send the headmaster a
(i) telegram (ii) notice (iii) letter (iv) report
Ans: (iii) letter
(b) While going to school Swami was bothered by
(i) conscience (ii) headache (iii) toothache (iv) fever
Ans: (i) conscience
(c) The colour of Samuel’s coat was
(i) black (ii) blue (iii) white (iv) yellow
Ans: (iv) yellow

5. Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
(a) Father’s behaviour to an unexpected turn.
(b) Swami went to school feeling that he was the worst boy on earth.
(c) Swami stopped on the roadside to make up his mind about Samuel.

6. Answer the following question:
(a) Where did Father put the letter?
Ans. Father put the letter in an envelope.
(b) What did Swami fail to decide about Samuel?
Ans. Swami failed to decide whether the description he had given of Samuel was accurate or not.
(c) How did Samuel look?
Ans. Samuel had a dark face, a thin moustache, and an unshaven chick.

9. Fill in the chart with information from the text:
Cause
(a)Swami had a headache.
(b)Swami never met anyone as good as Samuel.
(c)The headmaster had gone on a week’s leave.

Effect
(a)Swami did not do his homework.
(b)Swami felt sad.
(c)Swami could not deliver the letter.

Grammar in Use:

10. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:
(a) Rina (take/takes/took) the bus to school every day.
Ans: takes
(b) Last Monday, while we (was watching/ have been watching/were watching) the television, the electricity went off.
Ans: were watching
(c) By this time tomorrow, they (will have left/will leave /will had left).
Ans: will have left.

11. Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions:
Arifa, the younger _ the two girls, has cracked IIT, while _ older one is _ engineer _ a multinational company.
Ans: of, the, an, at

12. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper (within 100 words) about the Problems faced by commuters due to reckless driving of public vehicles.
To
The Editor,
The Telegraph,
Kolkata – 700001.

Sub: Reckless Driving

Respected Sir,
I shall be highly obliged if you kindly allow me to ventilate my words in your daily journal regarding reckless driving by youngsters now-a-days. This problem is now a thinkable problem in our society. Sadly, I had like to bring to your attention the subject of rising accidents on local roads as a result of reckless driving by many teenagers and some irresponsible heavy truck drivers. Nobody seems to care about traffic rules, and no one seems to want to obey them.
The number of traffic accidents has increased dramatically in recent years. This is occurring mostly as a result of reckless driving. Many hit-and-run incidents are happening, creating a dangerous environment for children, the elderly, pedestrians, drivers, and other people in general. The offenders are fleeing from the site of the incident without being caught. This kind of irresponsible driving has taken so many lives in the near past. Drivers should obey the traffic rules properly. Police should also look out for the matter with varied care. Life is so precious. We all should be more responsible on this matter.
As a reason, I respectfully request that you publish this subject in your prestigious publication in order to bring it to the notice of the relevant statutory authorities and the general public. Kindly do spreading awareness, bring the offenders to justice, and save the lives of countless innocent people. Your assistance is much appreciated.
Thanking you,
Yours truly,
(Signature)
(Name of the Person)
Date: December 13, 2022,

Fable

The Mountain and the Squirrel had a Quarrel,
and the former called the latter ‘Little Preg’
and replied,
“You are doubtless very big;
but all sorts of things and weather
must be taken in together
to make up a year
and a sphere.
and I think it no disgrace
to occupy my place.
If I am not so large as you,
you are not so small as I,
and not half so spry.
I’ll not deny you make
a very pretty squirrel track;
talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
if I can’t carry forests on my back,
neither can you crack a nut.”

প্রথম জন দ্বিতীয় জনকে বলল, ক্ষুদে নীতিবাগীশ।
গোল আকৃতি (কাঠবেড়ালী) উত্তর দিল,
নিঃসন্দেহে তুমি অনেক বড়ো;
কিন্তু সব রকমের জিনিস আর আবহাওয়া
অবশ্যই একসঙ্গে জড়ো করতে হবে
যাতে তৈরি হয় একটা বছর
এবং একটা পরিবেশ।
আর আমি মনে করি এটা লজ্জার বিষয় নয়,
আমার জায়গাটিকে নিয়ে থাকাটা।
আমি যদি তোমার মতো বড়ো না হই,
তুমিও আমার মতো ছোটো নও,
আর আমি যত প্রাণবন্ত তার অর্ধেকও তুমি নও
আমি অস্বীকার করব না তুমি বানাও
সুন্দর একটা পথ, কাঠবিড়ালীর যাওয়ার জন্য;
গুণের তফাৎ থাকে; সবই ভালো আর বুদ্ধিমত্তার সাথে রাখা;
আমি যদি পিঠে করে জঙ্গল বইতে না পারি,
তুমিও তো একটা বাদাম ভাঙতে পারো না।

পর্বত ও কাঠবিড়ালী

Comprehension exercises:

(a) The quarrel was between the mountain and the
(i) rabbit (ii) squirrel (iii) rat (iv) cat
Ans: (ii) squirrel
(b) Bun has no doubt that the mountain is
(i) small (ii) big (iii) noble (iv) kind
Ans: (ii) big
(c) Unlike a mountain, a squirrel can crack a
(i) nut (ii) joke (iii) stone (iv) lock
Ans: (i) nut

2. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/phrases/words in support of your answer:
(a) The mountain called the squirrel “Little Bun”.
S.S: And the former called the latter ‘Little Prig’.
(b) The squirrel is sprier than the mountain.
S.S: And not half so spry.
(c) The mountain can carry forests on its back.
S.S: If I cannot carry forests on my back,

3. Answer the following questions:
(a) Who had a quarrel with the squirrel?
Ans: In the poem, “Fable” by Ralph Waldo Emerson the mountain had a quarrel with the squirrel.
(b) What is not a disgrace to the squirrel?
Ans: To occupy a small space, unlike the mountain is not a disgrace to the squirrel.
(c) What is it that the squirrel doesn’t deny?
Ans: The squirrel doesn’t deny that the mountain can make a very pretty squirrel track.

4. Replace the underlined words with suitable phrasal verbs from the list given below. Change the form of verbs where necessary. There is one extra phrasal verb in the list:
(a) Tanushree cannot put up with cruel behaviour to animals.
Ans: tolerate
(b) His proposal was rejected.
Ans: turned down.
(c) His proposal was rejected.
Ans: turned down
[List: turn down, come over, put up with, come across]

5. Change the voice of the following sentences:
(a) Lock the door.
Ans: Let the door be locked. / You are told to lock the door.
(b) Ashim knows the solution to this problem.
Ans: The solution to this problem is known to Ashim.
(c) I had written a letter.
Ans: A letter had been written by me.

Writing Activities

6. Write a letter to your friend (within 100 words) advising her/him to visit the public library in her / his locality as frequently as possible.
Ans:
Dear Antariksh,
Tell me first, how are you? I hope you and your family are well enough by the grace of God. We are also in good condition.
Recently I took membership in a local public library, in our locality. Believe me, it is the most beautiful library I have ever seen in my life. Lots of books on different subjects, magazines, maps, gazetteers, pamphlets are there. I have come to acquire much outer knowledge besides our syllabus. I visit there regularly. I insist you take membership and visit the library on a regular basis in your local library. It will give a great shape of knowledge to you. A new world is waiting for you. Inform me later about your experience.

No more today, more when we will meet.
Regards to your parents and lots and lots of love for you.
Yours ever,
Saptarshi.

7. Write a paragraph (within 100 words) on the benefits of early morning exercises using the following points:

Benefits of Morning Exercise

The world is very busy now and so to us. We have no time in our hands just to do our regular duties. In this scenario, we overlook our health. Similarly, health does not permit us to do our duties after a few years. Exercise is the prime thing for our good health. When it comes to exercise, the best time of the day to exercise is always the time you can do it. All are different. The “right” time depends on factors such as preferences, lifestyle and body type. There is no universal answer, but there are several benefits of morning exercise. The followings are the benefits of morning exercise:

Fewer distractions, 2. Beat the heat, 3. Healthier food choices, 4. Increased alertness, 5. More overall energy, 6. Better focus, 7. Better mood, 8. Support weight loss, 9. Appetite control, 10. Increased overall activity, 11. Blood glucose control, 12. Blood pressure management, 13. Improved sleep

Extra Question Answer:

Who had a quarrel with the squirrel?
Answer: The mountain had a quarrel with the squirrel.
What is not a disgrace to the squirrel?
Answer: It is not a disgrace to the squirrel to occupy a small space.
What is it that the squirrel doesn’t deny?
Answer: The squirrel does not deny that the mountain makes ‘a very pretty squirrel track.’
Why did the mountain call the squirrel ‘little prig’?
Answer: Mountain wanted to tease the squirrel, the mountain is too big in comparison to the squirrel, but squirrel didn’t have any inferiority complex for that that’s why mountain call the squirrel little prig.
According to the squirrel, what does it take to make up a ‘sphere’? What does ‘sphere’ refer to in this context?
Answer: According to the squirrel all sorts of things and weather must be taken in together to make a sphere. Here sphere means world.
“And the former called the latter!”.- Who are referred to here as the ‘former’ and the latter?
Answer: The mountain is referred to here as the ‘former’ and the squirrel is referred to here as the latter.
What are the two differences that the squirrel draws between itself and the mountain?
Answer: The two differences between mountain and squirrel are that the mountain is very big and squirrel is small. Another difference is mountain cannot crack a nut whereas squirrel cannot carry forest on its back.
What does the poet signify by ‘all is well and wisely put’?
Answer: By ‘all is well and wisely put’ the poet signifies that all the things on the earth that God has created have different reasons, purpose and importance behind the existence.
What is not a disgrace to the squirrel and why?
Answer: To occupy its place is not a disgrace to the squirrel because it can perform many such tasks which a mountain can not. Though the squirrel is a very small animal, it thinks it has an important part to play in the grand plan of nature.
Mention two qualities of the mountain?
Answer: Two qualities of the mountain in fable poem:-
1) The mountain is very big which plays a vital role in changing the weather and even seasons.
2)The poet also defines that the mountain carries dense forests and even wildlife on its back.
What is not a disgrace to the squirrel?
Answer: It is not a disgrace to the squirrel that it occupies its own place.
What is it that the squirrel doesn’t deny?
What did the mountain call the squirrel?
Who is referred to as ‘Bun’?
Answer: The squirrel is referred to as ‘bun’.
What did the squirrel think about occupying its place?
Answer: The squirrel thought that it was not a disgrace to occupy its own space.
How can one make up a year?
Answer: One can make up a year by taking in all sorts of things and weather together.
What, according to the squirrel, always differ?
Answer: According to the squirrel, talents always differ.
What can the squirrel do, that a mountain cannot?
Answer: A squirrel can crack a nut, but a mountain cannot.

The Passing Away of Bapu

I was having tea at home on the evening of 30 January 1948, when I was called to Birla House by an urgent telephone. Gandhiji had been shot on his way to a prayer meeting. I was numb with shock as I got into the car.

At the Birla House, Gandhiji’s relatives and followers had gathered round his body. There was silence in the room as Gandhiji breathed his last. Words of Bapuji’s death had spread through Delhi like a flame fanned by wind. Sad groups of men and women had collected around Birla House. Out of every window one could see a brown blur of faces. They did not make a sound. There was an unnatural silence. It was as if time stood still for two few minutes.
The people were too stunned to speak in the beginning. Later they clamored wildly, shouting and crying. They jostled one another in a stampede to break into the house. They came a little when it was announced that they would be able to see Gandhiji before the funeral.

When one is faced with the shock of a loved one’s death, one whimpers—”What will become of me now that he has left me?” This was surely the question uppermost in the minds of the morning people. They looked like children. It was the question in many of our hearts as we sat, still shocked and disbelieving. We listened to the broadcast telling the people of India that their Bapu was no more.
Gandhiji’s funeral was to take place the day after his death. Hours in advance, people lined the route the funeral procession was to follow. Padmasi, Mrs. Naidu’s daughter, spoke for us all when she said simply “We will walk.” It is the last time we shall be walking with Bapu.

It was an agonizing walk. Thousands silently watched the procession. Bapu lay on an open truck covered with flowers. Thousands of people wept, trying to touch Bapu’s feet. It was impossible to move in the thick crowd.
As I moved forward slowly I understood I was not alone in the midst of grieving people. This was even more than the funeral procession of India’s beloved leader. I was among people for whom walking with Bapu had a special meaning. We had walked with Bapu over the rough and smooth of India’s recent history. We could not now accept the fact that the man who had led us over many difficult paths, was never going to walk with us again. Bapu’s slender figure had walked, staff in hand, over a large part of India. To walk is to make slow progress. It is to think with clarity and closely look at all that is around you, from small insects to the horizon in the distance. Moreover, to walk was the only way open to the average Indian. It required no vehicle except his own body and cost him nothing but his energy.
Gandhiji took this necessity, as he took much that was commonplace and transformed it into a joyful effort.
Some days after the funeral, a special train took Gandhiji’s ashes to Allahabad. The compartment was decked with flowers. People on the train sang bhajans. People did not weep anymore for they could feel Gandhiji’s presence amidst the flowers and the songs. At every station sorrowful crowds filled the platform. Amidst song and prayer the train reached Allahabad. The ashes were immersed in the Ganges where a huge crowd had gathered at the bank. Afterwards we all went back to Delhi.
Back in Delhi, I felt at sea. I had not directly walked with Gandhiji, gone to prison at his call or made any sacrifice for my country. My sisters and I, and other young people like me, had been mere onlookers. But still I felt at sea. I felt I had grown up within a magic circle. With Bapu’s passing away, I felt the magic circle had vanished, leaving me unprotected.
With an effort I roused myself, I asked myself—Had Bapu lived and died for nothing? How could I so easily lose courage when he was no longer there? My values are not so weak. Millions of people would have been ordinary folk but for Bapu. He brought them out of indifference and awakened them to one another’s suffering. What if now Bapu is gone? We are still there, young, strong and proud to bear his banner before us.

১৯৪৮ সালের ৩০শে জানুয়ারির সন্ধ্যায় আমি যখন বাড়িতে চা খাচ্ছিলাম, তখন একটি জরুরি টেলিফোন পেয়ে আমাকে বিড়লা হাউসে ডাকা হয়। গান্ধিজি একটি প্রার্থনা সভায় যাওয়ার পথে গুলিবিদ্ধ হয়েছিলেন। আমি গাড়িতে উঠতে উঠতে বিস্ময়ে হতবাক হয়ে গেলাম।

বিড়লা হাউসে গান্ধিজির আত্মীয়স্বজন ও অনুগামীরা তাঁর দেহ ঘিরে জড়ো হয়েছিল। গান্ধিজি শেষ নিঃশ্বাস ত্যাগ করার সময় ঘরে নীরবতা বিরাজ করছিল। বাপুর মৃত্যুর খবর হাওয়ায় ওড়া আগুনের শিখার মতো দিল্লিতে ছড়িয়ে পড়ে। দুঃখী পুরুষ ও মহিলার দল বিড়লা হাউসের চারপাশে জড়ো হয়েছিল। প্রতিটি জানালা দিয়েই দেখা যাচ্ছিল বাদামি রঙের মুখের অস্পষ্ট মানুষের ভিড়। তারা কোনো শব্দ করছিল না। এক অস্বাভাবিক নীরবতা বিরাজ করছিল। মনে হচ্ছিল ওই কয়েক মিনিটের জন্য সময় থমকে গেছে।

শুরুর দিকে মানুষ এতটাই হতভম্ব হয়ে গিয়েছিল যে কথা বলতে পারছিল না। তারপর তারা তুমুল চিৎকার করতে শুরু করল আর কাঁদতে লাগল। তারা বাড়ির ভিতরে ঢোকার জন্য পদদলিত হওয়ার মতো ঠেলাঠেলি করছিল। যখন ঘোষণা হল অন্ত্যেষ্টি ক্রিয়ার আগে গান্ধিজিকে দেখতে দেওয়া হবে তারা একটু শান্ত হল।
যখন মানুষ ভালোবাসার কোনো লোকের মৃত্যুজনিত শোকের মুখোমুখি হয়, গুঙিয়ে ওঠে এবং বলে, ‘এখন আমার কী হবে? শোকার্ত মানুষগুলোর মাথায় নিশ্চিতভাবেই এই প্রশ্নটিই ঘুরছিল। তাদের হারিয়ে যাওয়া শিশুদের মতো দেখাচ্ছিল। একই প্রশ্ন আমাদের অনেকের হৃদয়েও ছিল, যারা তখনও হতচকিত অবস্থায় বসেছিলাম আর বিশ্বাস করতে পারছিলাম না। আমরা দিল্লিতে ফিরে আসি।
দিল্লিতে ফিরে এসে আমি যেন দিশেহারা বোধ করছিলাম। আমি গান্ধিজির সঙ্গে সরাসরি হাঁটিনি—তাঁর ডাকে জেলে যাওয়া বা দেশের জন্য কোনো স্বার্থত্যাগ করিনি। আমি, আমার বোনেরা, অন্যান্য অল্পবয়স্ক মানুষ শুধুমাত্র প্রত্যক্ষদর্শী ছিলাম। তবুও আমি দিগ্‌ভ্রান্ত বোধ করছিলাম। আমার মনে হচ্ছিল যেন আমি একটা জাদুবলয়ের মধ্যে বেড়ে উঠেছি। বাপুর চলে যাওয়ায় আমি অনুভব করলাম সেই জাদুবলয়টি অদৃশ্য হয়ে গেছে, আর আমাকে অসুরক্ষিত করে রেখে গেছে।
একটা চেষ্টায় আমি নিজেকে জাগিয়ে তুললাম, নিজেকেই জিজ্ঞেস করলাম—বাপুর বেঁচে থাকা ও মরে যাওয়া কি তাহলে ব্যর্থ? তিনি আর নেই বলে আমি এত সহজে সাহস হারাব কী করে? আমার মূল্যবোধ অতটা দুর্বল ছিল না। লক্ষ লক্ষ মানুষ সাধারণ লোকই থেকে যেত যদি বাপু না থাকতেন। তিনি তাদের নির্লিপ্ততা থেকে তুলে এনে একে অপরের কষ্টে জাগ্রত করেছিলেন। বাপু চলে গেলেও বা কী হয়েছে? আমরা তো এখনও তরুণ, শক্তিশালী ও গর্বিত, সেই পতাকা বহন করব।

Comprehension exercises

(a) Gandhiji had been shot on his way to
(i) the Birla House (ii) the author’s house (iii) a prayer meeting (iv) a family gathering
Ans: (iii) a prayer meeting
(b) The author came to know of Gandhiji’s death by
(i) a letter (ii) a telephone call (iii) a public broadcast (iv) a personal visit
Ans: (ii) a telephone call
(c) When one is faced with the shock of a loved one’s death, one
(i) whimpers (ii) laughs (iii) claps (iv) shouts
Ans: (i) whimpers

Supporting statement: I was having tea at home on the evening of 30th January, 1948, when I was called to Birla house by an urgent telephone.

(b) People attempted to break into the Birla House.
Supporting statement: They jostled one another in a stampede to break into the house.

(c) The news of Gandhiji’s death did not shock the people.
Supporting statement: The people were too stunned to speak in the beginning.

Unit 2

4. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:
(a) Gandhiji’s funeral was to take place
(i) on the day of his death (ii) two days after his death (iii) one day after his death (iv) a week after his death
Ans: (iii) one day after his death
(b) Padmasi was Mrs. Naidu’s
(i) niece (ii) sister (iii) friend (iv) daughter
Ans: (iv) daughter

(a) Thousands of people wept, trying to touch Bapu’s feet.
(b) The author was among people for whom walking with Bapu had a special meaning.
(c) To walk is to to make slow progress.

6. Fill in the chart with information from the text:
Statement
(a) It was impossible to move.
(b) Padmasi declared that they would walk with Gandhiji in the funeral procession.
(c) To walk was often the only way open to the average Indian.
Reason
(a) There was a thick crowd.
(b) It was the last time they would be walking with Bapu.
(c) It required no vehicle except his own body and cost him nothing but his energy.

Unit 3

7. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:
(a) Gandhiji’s ashes were taken to
(i) Ahmedabad (ii) Allahabad (iii) Delhi (iv) Benaras
Ans: (ii) Allahabad
(b) A huge crowd had gathered by the
(i) Ganges (ii) Yamuna (iii) Brahmaputra (iv) Narmada
Ans: (i) Ganges
(c) Gandhiji awakened people to one another’s
(i) indifference (ii) jealousy (iii) suffering (iv) greed
Ans: (iii) suffering

8. Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
(a) People on the special train sang bhajans.
(b) The author felt she had grown up within a magic circle.
(c) Bapu had passed away but his India would continue to live in his children.

(a) People could feel Gandhiji’s presence amid the flowers and the songs.
(b) The magic circle vanished.
(c) The author’s values were not so weak.
(a) People did not weep anymore.
(b) The author felt unprotected.
(c) The author felt that she wouldn’t lose courage so easily.

Grammar in use

10. Join the following pairs of sentences into single sentences as directed:
(a) The old man is unwell. He cannot go out. (use Illative conjunction)
Ans: The old man is unwell. So he cannot go out.
(b) He is honest. He is humble. (use cumulative conjunction)
Ans: He is not only honest but also humble.
(c) Sonali cannot write poetry. She keeps on trying. (use adversative conjunction)
Ans: Sonali cannot write poetry but she keeps on trying.
(d) Study hard. You will not pass the examination. (use alternative conjunction)
Ans: Study hard or you will not pass the examination.

(a) I saw a snake. I ran away.(use participle)
Ans: Seeing a snake, I ran away.
(b) He learns music. He listens to the chords. (use preposition with gerund)
Ans: By listening to the chords, he learns music.
(c) Gold is a precious metal. It is used to make ornaments. (use noun in apposition)
Ans: Gold, a precious metal, is used to make ornaments.
(d) Ramu has some money. He can buy books. (use infinitive)
Ans: Ramu has some money to buy books.
(e) The sky was cloudy. We postponed our journey. (use nominative absolute)
Ans: The sky being cloudy, we postponed our journey.
(f) The boy wrote the answer. The answer was incorrect. (use adverbial phrase)
Ans: The boy wrote the answer in an incorrect way.

11. Join the following pairs of sentences into single compound sentences as directed:
(a) It rained hard. The roads were not flooded. (compound sentence)
Ans: It rained hard but the roads were not flooded.
(b) He returned home. Everyone in the family had fallen asleep. (use adverb clause)
Ans: When he returned home, Everyone in the family had fallen asleep.
(c) The sun rises in the east. Everyone knows it. (use noun clause)
Ans: Everyone knows that the sun rises in the east.
(d) Rahul is a great singer. He can sing different kinds of songs. (complex sentence)
Ans: Rahul, who is a great singer, can sing different kinds of songs.
(e) I do not watch television. I do not listen to the radio. (compound sentence)
Ans: I neither watch television nor do not listen to the radio.
(f) The child was short. The child could not pick the guava from the tree.
Ans: Being short, the child could not pick the guava from the tree.

14. Split the following into two sentences:
(a) It rained and I could not leave my room.
Ans: It rained. I could not leave my room.
(b) He thought that he could win the race.
Ans: He could win the race. He thought it.
(c) Having been informed of the trouble, the Principal left for home.
Ans: The Principal had been informed of the trouble. He left for home.
(d) Nasir, who was the captain of the team, scored a century.
Ans: Nasir was the captain of the team. He scored a century.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a versatile genius, is known to us as a great freedom fighter. His contribution to India’s freedom movement is unforgettable. He was born on November 11, 1888. He worked as a journalist for a long time. He composed poetry in Urdu. In everything he continued his protest against the British Raj. He was a great and enthusiastic follower of Gandhiji and his philosophy. He wrote many books voicing his protest against the British Some of them are ‘India wins freedom’, ‘Ghubar-e-Khatir’ etc. After independence he became the first Education Minister of India. Now his birthday is observed as National Education Day. Unfortunately, we lost him forever on February 22, 1958.

16. Use the following flow-chart to write a paragraph (within 100 words) on how a building is constructed:
drawing of a plan of the building by the architect-getting the plan sanctioned by the corporation or municipal authorities-engaging masons and labourers-starting the construction with bricks, cement and sand-fitting doors and windows-plastering of walls-wiring-electric and water connections-painting-building completed-fit for living

How a Building Is Made
When a building is to be constructed, we have to follow a long process. First of all, the drawing of a plan is to be collected from an architect. Then it is to be sanctioned by the corporation or municipal authorities. After that, masons and labourers are engaged. The construction started with bricks, cement and sand. In the middle, if possible, the doors and windows are fitted. After the completion of the construction, the walls are plastered. Then the electric wiring is done. Electric and water connections are to be put in. Then the walls are painted both inside and outside. Now the building is complete and fit for living.

অতিরিক্ত প্রশ্ন উত্তর

Who was Padmasi?
Ans: Padmasi was Mrs. Naidu’s daughter.
Why was it impossible to move?
Ans: It was impossible to move due to the thick crowd.
What did the narrator understand at the time of walking?
Ans: The narrator understood that she was not merely in the midst of grieving people.
What couldn’t the narrator accept?
Ans: The narrator couldn’t accept that Bapu was never going to walk with them again.]
What was the only way open to the average Indian?
Ans: To walk was the only way open to the average Indian.
Why didn’t people weep anymore?
Ans: People didn’t weep anymore for they could feel Gandhiji’s presence amid the flowers and the songs.
How did the narrator feel when she was back to Delhi?
Ans: Back in Delhi, the narrator felt at a loss.
How did the magic circle vanish?
Ans: The magic circle vanished with the passing away of Bapu.
What did Bapu do for millions of people?
Ans: Bapu brought millions of people out of indifference and awakened them to one another’s suffering.
How would India continue to live after passing away of Bapu?
Ans: After the passing away of Bapu, India would continue to live in his children.

My Own True Family

Once I crept into an oakwood—I was looking for a stag.
I met an old woman there—all knobby stick and rag.
She said: ‘I have your secret here inside my little bag.’
Then she began to cackle and I began to quack.
She opened up her little bag and I came twice awake—
Surrounded by a steering tribe and me tied to a stake.
They said: ‘We are the oak-trees and your only true family.
We are chopped down, we are torn up, you don’t blink an eye.
Unless you make a promise now—now you are going to die.’
Whenever you see an oak-tree fell, swear now you will plant one.
Unless you swear the black oak bark will wrinkle over you
And root you among the oaks where you were born but never grew.
This was my dream beneath the bow, the dream that altered me.
When I came out of the oakwood, back to human company,
My walk was the walk of a human child, but my heart was a tree.

ওয়ান্স আই ক্রেপ্ট ইন অ্যান ওকউড—আই ওয়াজ লুকিং ফর আ স্ট্যাগ।
আই মেট অ্যান ওল্ড উওম্যান দেয়ার—অল নবি স্টিক অ্যান্ড র্যাগ।
শী সেড: ‘আই হ্যাভ ইওর সিক্রেট হিয়ার ইনসাইড মাই লিটল ব্যাগ।’
দেন শী বিগ্যান টু ক্যাকল অ্যান্ড আই বিগ্যান টু কোয়েক।
শী ওপেনড আপ হার লিটল ব্যাগ অ্যান্ড আই কেম টোয়াইস অ্যাওয়েক—
সারাউন্ডেড বাই আ স্টেয়ারিং ট্রাইব অ্যান্ড মি টায়েড টু আ স্টেইক।
দে সেড: ‘উই আর দ্য ওক-ট্রিজ অ্যান্ড ইওর ওন ট্রু ফ্যামিলি।
উই আর চপড ডাউন, উই আর টর্ন আপ, ইউ ডু নট ব্লিঙ্ক অ্যান আই।
আনলেস ইউ মেক আ প্রমিস নাউ—নাউ ইউ আর গোয়িং টু ডাই।’
হোয়েনেভার ইউ সী অ্যান ওক-ট্রি ফেলড, সোয়ার নাউ ইউ উইল প্ল্যান্ট টু।
আনলেস ইউ সোয়ার দ্য ব্ল্যাক ওক বার্ক উইল রিঙ্কল ওভার ইউ
অ্যান্ড রুট ইউ অ্যামং দ্য ওকস হোয়ার ইউ অয়্যার বর্ন বাট নেভার গ্রিউ।
দিস ওয়াজ মাই ড্রিম বিনিথ দ্য বাউজ, দ্য ড্রিম দ্যাট অল্টারড মি।
হোয়েন আই কেম আউট অফ দি ওকউড, ব্যাক টু হিউম্যান কম্পানি,
মাই ওয়াক ওয়াজ দ্য ওয়াক অফ আ হিউম্যান চাইল্ড, বাট মাই হার্ট ওয়াজ আ ট্রি।

একবার নিঃশব্দে এক ওকগাছের বনে গিয়েছিলাম, খোঁজ করছিলাম এক পুরুষ হরিণের,
সেখানে এক বৃদ্ধ মহিলার সাথে হল আমার দেখা—পিঠওয়ালা লাঠি হাতে ও ছেঁড়া কাপড় পড়া।
তিনি বললেন, ‘আমার এই ছোট্ট থলির মধ্যে তোমার গোপন কথা আছে।’
তারপর শুরু করলেন তাঁর অদ্ভুত আওয়াজ এবং আমি কাঁপতে লাগলাম।
তিনি তাঁর ছোট্ট থলিটা খুললে আর আমি যেন দ্বিগুণভাবে জেগে উঠলাম।
উপজাতি দ্বারা পরিবেষ্টিত যারা একদৃষ্টে তাকিয়ে, এবং একটা দণ্ডের মধ্যে বাঁধা।
ওরা বলল ‘আমরা হলাম ওক গাছ এবং তোমার নিজের সত্যিকারের পরিবার।’
আমাদের কাটা হয়, উপড়ে ফেলা হয়, তোমরা চোখের পলক ও ফেল না,
এখনই যদি না একটা শপথ নাও, এখন তোমার মৃত্যু নিশ্চিত।
যখনই দেখবে একটি ওক গাছ কেটে ফেলা হয়েছে, শপথ করো তুমি দুটো লাগাবে।
যদি তুমি শপথ না করো এই ওকগাছের কালো ছাল তোমাকে জড়িয়ে নেবে
এবং তুমি ওক গাছগুলির ভিতরে আটকে থাকবে, যেখানে তোমার জন্ম হয়েছিল, কিন্তু আর বৃদ্ধি হয়নি।
এই স্বপ্নই আমি দেখেছিলাম গাছের তলায়, যে স্বপ্ন আমাকে বদলে দিয়েছিল।
যখন আমি ওকগাছের বন থেকে বেরিয়ে, মানুষের সংস্পর্শে আবার ফিরে এলাম
আমার হাঁটা ছিল মানুষের সন্তানের মতো কিন্তু আমার হৃদয়টা হয়ে গিয়েছিল একটি গাছের।

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences
(a) Creeping in an oakwood, the poet was looking for a
(i) goat (ii) rhinoceros (iii) stag (iv) buffalo
Ans: (iii) stag
(b) Whenever an oak tree is felled, the number of trees the poet must plant is
(i) two (ii) three (iii) four (iv) five
Ans: (i) two
(c) When the poet came out of the oakwood, his heart was that of a
(i) stag (ii) tree (iii) human child (iv) old woman
Ans: (ii) tree

(a) The old woman held the poet’s secrets in her little bag.
Supporting statement: She said: ‘I have your secret here inside my little bag!
(b) The tree tribe said that the poet is bothered to see the chopping down of oak trees.
Supporting statement: We are chopped down, we are torn up, you do not blink an eye.
(c) The poet never came out of the oakwood.
Supporting statement: When I came out of the oakwood, back to human company,

(a) When did the poet come twice awake?
Ans:> When the old woman opened her little bag, the poet came twice awake.
(b) What would happen to the poet if he failed to make the promise?
Ans.> If the poet failed to make the promise, he would die.
(c) What was it that altered the poet?
Ans.> The dream of a true family altered the poet.

4. Change the following into indirect speech:
(a) Rahul asked Dipa, ” Will you go to school today?”
Ans: Rahul asked Dipa if she would go to school that day.
(b) Rita said to Ayesha, “Please give me a glass of water.”
Ans: Rita requested Ayesha to give her a glass of water.
(c) The old man told the little girl, “May you be happy!”
Ans: The old man wished that the little girl might be happy.

5. Do as directed:
(a) Ranjan said, “Who does not know the name of Rabindranath?” (Change into affirmative sentence)
Ans: Ranjan said, “Everybody knows the name of Rabindranath.”
(b) Sangeeta runs faster than any other girl in her class. (Rewrite using the positive degree of ‘faster’)
Ans: No other girl in the class runs as fast as Sangeeta.
(c) Kaushiki blamed her friend for the trouble. (Rewrite using the noun form of ‘blamed’)
Ans: Kaushiki put the blame on her friend for the trouble.

7. Your school is going to host the Inter-school District Sports Competition. Suppose you are the Secretary of the Sports Club of your school. Write a notice (within 100 words) calling students to participate in the competition. Mention the time, date and venue of the competition. Your notice should be countersigned by the Headmistress/Headmaster of your school.
NOTICE
XYZ High School
Inter-school District Sports Competition
Date: 30.12.2022
All the students are hereby informed that this year our school has been given the responsibility of organizing the Interschool District Sports Competition. The competition will be held in our school ground between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm on 22.01.2023. There will be different events with which the students are acquainted with through their school sports activities. So the willing students are requested to register their names with their respective class teachers within 16.01.2023. A student can compete in maximum three events. For further details all are requested to meet the sports teacher of the school.
Countersigned
Headmaster
sd/ Secretary
Sports Club

When did the poet come twice awake?
Ans.> When the old woman opened up her little bag,the poet came twice awake.
2.What would happen to the poet if he failed to make the promise?
3.What was it that altered the poet?
Ans ->The dream which the poet saw about the ill fate of oak trees has altered the poet completely.
Where did the poet once creep in?
Ans.> Once the poet crept in an oakwood.
What was the poet looking for?
Ans.> The poet was looking for a stag.
Whom did the poet meet in the oakwood?
Ans.> The poet met an old woman.
7.What did the old woman have?
Ans.> The old woman has a stick, a rag, and a little bag.
8.What did the old woman have inside her little bag?
Ans.> The old woman had the secret of the poet in her little bag.
By whom was the poet surrounded?
Ans.> The poet was surrounded by a staring tribe.
Who are the own true family of the poet?
Ans.> The oak trees are the own true family of the poet.
What will the poet have to swear?
Ans.> The poet will have to swear that whenever he will see an oak tree felled, he will plant two saplings.
12.How was the walk of the poet?
Ans.> The walk was the walk of a human child.
When did the poet come twice awake?
Ans -> When the old woman opened her little bag, the poet came twice awake.
What was it that altered the poet?
Who introduced themselves as the poet’s own true family?
Ans. The oak-tree introduced themselves as the poet’s own true family.

Our Runaway Kite

Of course, there was nobody for us to play with on the Big Half Moon. We just had to make the most of each other, and we did.
We live on the Big Half Moon Island. ‘We’ are Father and Claude and I and Aunt Esther and Mimi and Dick. It used to be only Father and Claude and I. It is all on account of the kite that there are more of us. This is what I want to tell you about.
Father is the keeper of the Big Half Moon Lighthouse. I am eleven years old. Claude is twelve. In winter when the harbor is frozen over, we all move over to the mainland. As soon as spring comes, back we sail to our own dear island.
The funny part used to be that people always pitied us when the time came for us to return. They said we must be so lonely over there, with no other children near us. Of course Claude and I would have liked to have someone to play with us. It is hard to run pirate caves and things like that with only two. But we had to play and make believe ourselves that we had an uncle and aunt and some cousins. Once we asked father about it, he looked so sad that we wished we hadn’t. He said it was all his fault. He had a brother and a sister. But they were mainland. He said it was all his fault. He had a brother and a sister. He had quarreled with his brother and had left home. Years afterwards he felt sorry and when he went back, he found his brother had died and he couldn’t find his sister. The letter father had just received was from his sister, Aunt Esther, mother of Dick and Mimi. She was a widow who lived hundreds of miles inland. One day when Dick and Mimi were out in the woods, they discovered the kite on the top of a tree and carried it home. When their mother saw the kite patched with the letter, she turned pale. It was the very letter she had once written to her brother. Philippa was her mother’s name and Claude was her father’s. She knew who we must be. So she sat down and cried to Big Half Moon and Father received her letter. Next day, Father went and brought Aunt Esther and Dick and Mimi with him. They have been here ever since. Aunt Esther is a dear and Dick and Mimi are too jolly for words.

এটা সত্যি যে আমাদের সঙ্গে খেলার জন্য বিগ হাফ মুন-এ কেউই ছিল না। আমাদের নিজেদের পারস্পরিক সম্পর্ক যতটা উপভোগ করা সম্ভব সব হত আমরা তা করতাম।
বাপু মারা গেছেন কিন্তু তাঁর ভারত বেঁচে থাকবে তাঁর সন্তানদের মধ্যে।
কিছু বছর পরে, তার মন খারাপ হয়েছিল এবং যখন সে ফিরে গেল, সে জানতে পারল তার ভাই মারা গেছে এবং সে তার বোনকে খুঁজে পায়নি। যে চিঠিটা বাবা সবে পেয়েছিলেন সেটা তাঁর বোন, আন্ট এস্থার, ডিক আর মিমির মা পাঠিয়েছিলেন। সে ছিল একজন বিধবা মহিলা যিনি থাকতেন শত শত মাইল দূরে দেশের ভেতরে।
একদিন যখন ডিক আর মিমি বনের মধ্যে ঘুরছিল, তারা একটা গাছের মাথায় ঘুড়িটা খুঁজে পেল এবং সেটা বাড়ি নিয়ে এল। যখন তাদের মা ঘুড়িটা দেখল যেটার ওপর চিঠি দিয়ে তালি দেওয়া আছে, তার মুখটা ফ্যাকাশে হয়ে গেল। এটা সেই চিঠিটাই ছিল যেটা সে একবার তার ভাইকে লিখেছিল। ফিলিপ্পা ছিল তার মায়ের নাম আর ক্লড ছিল তার বাবার। সে জানত আমরা কারা হব। তাই সে বসে বিগ হাফ মুন-এ চিঠি লিখল আর বাবা তার চিঠি পেলেন।
পরের দিন, বাবা গিয়ে এস্থার পিসি, ডিক আর মিমিকে সঙ্গে করে নিয়ে আসেন। তারপর থেকে ওরা এখানেই থাকে।
এস্থার পিসি খুব ভালো আর ডিক আর মিমি কতটা হাসিখুশি তা ভাষায় বোঝানো যাবে না।
আর সব থেকে দারুণ ব্যাপার হল এখন আমাদের ও আত্মীয়স্বজন আছে!

(a) The keeper of the Big Half Moon Lighthouse is
(i) Aunt Esther (ii) Father (iii) Claude (iv) Dick
Ans: (ii) Father
(b) The family moved over to the mainland in
(i) summer (ii) spring (iii) monsoon (iv) winter
Ans: (iv) winter
(c) When asked about relations, Father looked
(i) happy (ii) angry (iii) sorrowful (iv) irritated
Ans: (iii) sorrowful

(a) name of the island: Big Half Moon
(b) age of Claude: twelve years
(c) the game played by Claude and the narrator: pirate caves

3. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences / phrases / words in support of your answer :
(i) People felt that Claude and the narrator were lonesome in the island.
Supporting statement : They said we must be so lonesome over there.
(ii) Claude and the narrator quarrelled.
Supporting statement : Claude and I never quarrelled.
(iii) Nobody on the mainland had relations.
Supporting statement : Everybody on the mainland had relations.

4. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences :
(a) In summer the Big Half Moon is always
(i) lovely (ii) unpleasant (iii) boring (iv) dull
Ans: (i) lovely
(b) Back on the island, Claude and the narrator made plenty of
(i) puppets (ii) masks (iii) kites (iv) envelopes
Ans: (iii) kites
(c) The kite was patched with a
(i) newspaper (ii) letter (iii) envelope (iv) card
Ans: (ii) letter

5. Complete the following sentences with information from the text :
(i) A boy on the mainland showed Claude how to make kites.
(ii) On the kite Claude and the narrator pasted gold tinsel stars.
(iii) Claude was standing with a bit of cord in his hand, looking foolish.

6. Fill in the chart with information from the text :
(a) The narrator’s elbow went through the kite.
(b) Claude and the narrator hurried to fix the kite.
(c) The kite soared.
(a) The narrator had tripped and fallen over the rocks.
(b) They wanted to send it up before the wind fell.
(c) The wind was glorious.

7. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences :
(a) A letter came for father after a
(i) day (ii) week (iii) fortnight (iv) month
Ans: (iv) month
(b) Father left home after quarrelling with his
(i) brother (ii) sister (iii) aunt (iv) uncle
Ans: (i) brother
(c) Dick and Mimi discovered the kite on the top of a
(i) roof (ii) tree (iii) lighthouse (iv) light post

8. Fill in the chart with information from the text :
(a) person who sent the letter: Aunt Esther
(b) name of Aunt Esther’s mother: Philippa
(c) total number of family members in the narrator’s family at present: six

9. Answer the following questions :
(a) What did Father find when he went back home years afterward ?
Ans: Father found that his brother had died and his sister was missing.
(b) Where did Aunt Esther live ?
Ans: Aunt Esther lived hundreds of miles inland.
(c) Why did Aunt Esther turn pale ?
Ans: Aunt Esther turned pale seeing the letter stuck on the kite. It was the same letter she had once written to her brother, and the names Claude and Philippa were those of her parents.

10. Change the following sentences into questions, as directed:
(a) Shankha lives in Alipurduar. (Information question using ‘where’)
Ans: Where does Shankha live?
(b) They have gone to a picnic. (Interrogative sentence using ‘where’)
Ans: Where have they gone?
(c) I went to school yesterday. (Simple question using ‘did’)
Ans: Didn’t I go to school yesterday?
(d) Tia studies in class X. (Information question using ‘which’)
Ans: Which class does Tia study in?

11. Suppose your bicycle has a sudden tyre puncture on your way to school. You have taken the cycle to a repair shop. Write an imaginary dialogue (within 100 words) between the shopkeeper and you.
Me: Hello, will you please listen to me?
Shopkeeper: Yes, how can I help you?
Me: The tyre of the front wheel of my bicycle has been punctured on the way. I am in trouble. Me: Will you please repair it?
Shopkeeper: Yes, that’s my work. Let me see the tyre.
Me: Thank you. How much will it cost?
Shopkeeper: It will cost you Rs. 10.
Me: Fine. I am waiting. You may start your repair work.
Shopkeeper: I shall try to mend it right now so that you can attend your school in time.

The Clever Crow and the Fox
One day a crow found a piece of meat. It sat on the branch of a tree. The piece of meat was in its beak. At that time a fox was passing under the tree. The fox noticed the piece of meat in the crow’s beak. The fox was really greedy. He wanted to get the piece. So the sly fox requested the crow to sing a song. The fox expected that as the crow would start singing the piece of meat would fall from its beak. But the crow had enough wit. It understood the fox’s cunning. So keeping the meat under its feet, the crow started to sing. The crow was able to fool the fox successfully. Disheartened, the fox departed.

Sea Fever

I must go down to the sea again To the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheels kick and the winds sing And the white sails shake,
And a gray mist on the sea face, And a gray dawn breaking.
I must go down to the sea again, For the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call That may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day With the white clouds flying,
And the flying spray and the blown spit, And the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the sea again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gals’ way and the whales’ way where the wind’s like a whittled knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long tricks are over.

আমি আবার অবশ্যই সমুদ্রে যাব, নিঃসঙ্গ সমুদ্র ও আকাশের পথে
আর আমার শুধু চাই একটা বড়ো জাহাজ, ও সেটিকে চালনা করার জন্য একটি তারা;
চাকার ধাক্কা, হাওয়ার গান আর সাদা পালের কাঁপন
সমুদ্রের মুখে লেগে থাকবে ধূসর কুয়াশা, সূচনা হবে ধূসর ভোরের।
আমি আবার অবশ্যই সমুদ্রে যাব, ছুটতে থাকা স্রোতের ডাকে
এ এক পাগল করা পরিষ্কার ডাক যা অস্বীকার করা যাবে না।
আমি চাই, সঙ্গী নাবিকের বলা মজার গল্প শুনতে,
যাত্রা শেষে একটু মিষ্টি স্বপ্ন আর একটি শান্তির নিদ্রা।

(a) The poet asks for a sail the colour of which would be
(i) blue (ii) grey (iii) black (iv) white
Ans: (iv) white
(b) While going down to the sea, the poet wants to hear the crying of
(i) seagulls (ii) cuckoos (iii) eagles (iv) swallows
Ans: (i) seagulls
(c) The wind on the sea is like a whetted-
(i) sword (ii) axe (iii) knife (iv) spear
Ans: (iii) knife

2. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/ phrases/words in support of your answer:
(a) To steer the ship the poet needs the moon.
Supporting Statement:- And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.
(b) The call of the running tide is wild and clear.
Supporting Statement:- for the call of the running tide is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied.
(c) The poet is going out to the sea for the first time.
Supporting Statement:- I must go down to the seas again.

(a) During what time of the day does the poet wish to go down to the seas?
Ans:- The poet wishes to go down to the seas at the time when the dawn is breaking.
(b) What kind of day does the poet prefer for sailing?
Ans:- The poet prefers a windy day with the white clouds moving about the sky.
(c) What does the poet prefer to hear from a fellow rover?
Ans:- The poet prefers to hear a merry yarn from a fellow rover.

4. Do as Directed:

All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. (Complex/ Negative)
Ans:- No sooner had I ask all is a tall ship than a star to steer her by.
I must go down to the seas again. I want to pursue the vagrant gypsy life. (Simple)
Ans:- I must go down to the seas again to pursue the vagrant gypsy life.
I must go down to the seas again. I desire to go to the lonely sea and the sky. (Join using infinitive/ Simple)
Ans:- I must go down to the seas again to go to the lonely sea and the sky.
The call of the running tide is a wild and clear call. It may not be denied. (Complex)
Ans:- It may not be denied that the call of the running tide is a wild and clear call.
All I ask is a merry yarn from a hanging fellow-rover. (Negative)
Ans: All I ask is not a sad yarn from a hanging fellow-rover.
Where does the poet wish to go and why?
Answer: The poet wishes to go to a lonely sea with the open sky above because he wanted to be close to the sea, watch sea creatures and feel the excitement of the sea voyage.
During what time of the day does the poet wish to go down to the seas?
Answer: At dawn the poet wishes to go down to the seas.
What kind of day does the poet prefer for sailing?
Answer: A windy day with flying white clouds across the sky for sailing is the day a poet prefers.
What does the poet prefer to hear from a fellow rover?
Answer: The poet prefers to hear a merry yarn from a fellow rover.
How has the poet described the call of the sea?
Answer: The poet yearns for an adventurous and free life. Hence, he desires for the wandering life of a gypsy.
What does the poet want to take for the voyage?
Answer: The poet wants to take a tall ship and a star for the voyage.
What role would the star play in the ship’s journey on the sea?
Answer: A star always have a fixed position hence by looking at bit a voyager may know in which direction he is travelling. In the same way the poet also be guided in the directions he is moving by the stars.
What does the poet ask for when he is at sea?
Answer: The poet asks for a tall ship and a star to steer by. He asks for a merry yarn and a good sleep after his long trip.
What message does the poet convey through the poem?
Answer: Through the poem, the poet wants to convey the message that the sea could be a relief for him which he can use to take rest from his busy life. Also, he has various things which comfort him during the sea voyage.
What will steer the ship and how?
Answer: The star will steer the ship by showing the proper direction in the vast and unknown seas. It will act as the ship’s guide.
What does the word ‘wheel’s kick’ refer to?
Answer: The word ‘wheel’s kick’ refers to the ship’s steering wheel spinning out of control. It also suggests that the ship is sailing on a turbulent sea.
How is the sea personified in the poem?
Answer: The poet has personified the sea by using the word ‘lonely’ and the phrases – ‘sea’s face and ‘the call of the running tide’.
What does ‘blown spume’ signify?
Answer: The phrase ‘blown spume’ signifies the rising waves breaking into foam.
Why does the poet desire for the life of a gypsy?
What does the poet mean by the phrase ‘a clear call’?
Answer: By the phrase ‘a clear call’, the poet means that it is not an option that whether he may or may not go to sea but it has to be done and he cannot run away from it.
During what time of the day does the poet wish to go down to the seas?
Answer: The poet wish to go down to the seas when the dawn is breaking.
What kind of day does the poet prefer for sailing?
Answer: The poet prefers for sailing a windy day with the white clouds sailing in the sky.
What does the poet prefer to hear from a fellow traveller.
Answer: The poet prefers to hear a merry yarn from a fellow traveller.
Where must the poet go down to?
Answer: The poet must go down to the seas.
How does the poet want his ship to be?
Answer: The poet wants his ship to be tall.
What does the poet want to see on the sea’s face?
Answer: The poet want to see a grey mist on the sea’s face.
What may not be denied?
Answer: The wild and clear call of the sea may not be denied.
What is the name of the bird mentioned in the poem?
Answer: The name of the bird mentioned in the poem is seagull.
Whose life does the poet wish for?
Answer: The poet wants the vagrant life of a gypsy.
What does the poet want to do after the long trick?
Answer: The poet wants to sleep and dream after the long trick.

Ans: (i) The robbers escaped with the ornaments.
Ans. kept away
(ii) The old man died in his sleep.
Ans. passed away
(iii) You must not hide anything from the police. Ans. hold back

[pass away, keep away, hold back, make off]

Given below are the meanings of four words which you will find in the passage in Question No. 3. Find out the words and write them in the appropriate boxes on the right-hand side : 2×4=8
(i) risk or hazard
Ans. Thread
(ii) a sudden forceful flow
Ans. Spate
(iii) flooding
Ans. Inundation
(iv) removal of sediment from the bottom of a river
Ans. Drainage

SECTION-C WRITING

Write a letter (within 100 words) to your friend who stays far away, describing your most favourite festival in West-Bengal : 10
Ans.
UPTC 0246 2nd floor,
Kolkata, West Bengal
700094

Dear Pradip,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to share my excitement about my favorite festival here in West Bengal – Durga Puja. It is celebrated with immense joy and enthusiasm across the state. The city is beautifully decorated with pandals, and the atmosphere is filled with the sound of drums and the aroma of delicious food. People come together to worship Goddess Durga and celebrate with family and friends. The grand processions and cultural programs make it an unforgettable experience. I wish you could join us this year!
Best wishes,
Tanmoy

Cause : Error in signal
Casualties : 285 death and 1000 injured. Relief work by locals and NDRF along with army. Compensation : Announced by Government.
Train Accident in Balasore: 285 Dead, Over 1000 Injured
Balasore, 2nd June 2023 — A tragic train accident occurred at Bahanaga near Balasore at around 7:15 p.m. when the Koromondal Express rammed into a stationary goods train. The collision, caused by a signal error, resulted in the death of at least 285 people and over 1000 injuries. The incident caused widespread panic, with passengers trapped in the wreckage. Local residents, along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the army, swiftly carried out relief operations, rescuing the injured and providing immediate medical aid. The government has announced compensation for the victims’ families.

Write a newspaper report (in about 100 words) about a train accident that took place in Balasore, Orissa, when Koromondal Express rammed into a goods train on 2nd June, 2023. You may use the following points to write your report : 10
Date : 2nd June, Time-7.15 p.m.
Place : Bahanaga near Balasore
Your school is going to organise a sit-and-draw competition for students of Class VII-X. As the Secretary of the Student Council, write a notice (in about 100 words) informing students about this competition. Your notice must mention date and time of the competition, the last date to register students’ name and the theme of the drawing. 10
Date: 12th January 2025
Sit-and-Draw Competition
This is to inform all students of Class VII-X that a Sit-and-Draw competition will be held on 20th January 2025 at 10:00 AM in the school auditorium. The theme for the competition is “Nature and Environment”.
All interested students must register their names with the undersigned by 17th January 2025.
Please ensure your participation and showcase your artistic skills. For further details, contact the Student Council Office.
Secretary
Student Council
Gaurav Deshmukh

Father’s Help Madhyamik 2026 English Suggestion PDF

Sea Fever

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