Employability Skills

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English. Foot prints without feet

 Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. How did Griffin first become visible?

Griffin first became visible after he slipped into a big London store for keeping warm and overslept there while wearing some clothes taken from the store. The clothes made him visible to the shop assistants when the shop opened in the morning. To escape from them, he had to shed all his clothes to become invisible again.

2. Why was Griffin wandering the streets?

Though Griffin was a brilliant scientist, he was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and wanted to evict him. In revenge, he set fire to the house. To escape, he removed his clothes, becoming invisible. Thus, he became homeless and was wandering the streets of London.

3. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?

Mrs Hall found the scientist eccentric because of his strange appearance and also, when she tried to be friendly with him, he rebuffed her by saying that he had come there for solitude and did not wish to be disturbed in his work.

4. What extraordinary things happened at the inn?

At the inn, Mrs Hall and her husband went into the scientist’s room on finding its door open. However, he was not seen in the room, but Mrs. Hall heard a sniff and the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed into her face. Then, the bedroom chair sprang into the air and pushed them both out of the room. This made Mrs Hall think that her furniture was haunted.

5. Why was Mrs Hall angry with Griffin, the strange scientist?

Griffin had attacked Mr. and Mrs. Hall and even threw her mother’s chair at her. Moreover, Griffin had not paid the rent for a long time. This made Mrs. Hall angry.

6. Why did Griffin set the landlord’s house on fire?                                              

Griffin was not liked by his landlord. He decided to take revenge on him, so one day he set his house on fire. Moreover, he did not want anyone to know about his secret discovery.

7. How did Griffin escape from the London store?                                                       

When two attendants of the store discovered Griffin, they chased him. Hence, in order to protect himself, he threw away his clothes and became invisible and escaped from the London store.

8. What did Griffin do to hide the empty space above his shoulders?

Griffin went into a shop in Drury Lane, the heart of the theatre world, with the aim of finding something to wear, and becoming visible. He emerged from the shop wearing bandages around his forehead, dark glasses, a false nose, bushy sideburns and a large hat.

9. Why was Mrs Hall hysterical and why did she fall down the stairs?                        

When Mrs Hall went to see the invisible man in his room, she found the bedroom chair became alive, sprung into the air and charged straight into her. Then the chair pushed both husband and wife out of the room. She felt that spirits had entered into her furniture and she became hysterical.

10. What happened to the constable?

The policeman tried to catch Griffin. But he looked like a headless man. Griffin hit the constable and took off his clothes, becoming totally invisible. The constable was hit by unseen blows. Griffin knocked him unconscious.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

1. What was the curious episode that took place in the clergyman’s study?

One day, early in the morning some sounds came from the study. The clergyman and his wife were awakened. They came downstairs and heard the chink of money from the study. It was clear that someone was robbing money from the clergyman’s desk. The clergyman took a poker in his hand. He carefully opened the door. He expected to find a thief in the room. So, he shouted and asked the man to give in. But he found the room empty. They were surprised. He and his wife looked under the desk and behind the curtains. They even checked the chimney. But they did not find anybody. However, the desk had been opened. They found that money was missing from the desk. This was really a curious episode.

2. Describe Griffin’s adventures in a London store.

Griffin set fire to his landlord’s house. Then he took a drug and became invisible by removing his clothes. It was the middle of winter. The air was very cold. He reached a London store. Before the closing time, he entered the store. After some time, the store was closed. Now he was free. He broke open boxes and wrappers. He took out some clothes and wore them. He was feeling hungry. So, he went into the kitchen. He ate cold meat and drank coffee. Then he lay on a pile of quilts. The next morning, he did not get up in time. The shop assistants found Griffin sleeping on quilts. He woke up and tried to run away. The servants ran after him. Griffin again took off his clothes one by one. He became invisible once again. Thus, he was able to save himself.

3. Why was the arrival of the stranger in a village an unusual event? Give two reasons.

Griffin was a scientist. He reached the village inn in winter. He was a stranger in that village. It was not a proper time to visit the village as people did not come here in winter. Secondly, Griffin looked very strange. He was wearing dark glasses, a false nose and a big hat. His forehead was covered with bandages. He did not talk to anyone in the village. He said that he wanted to live alone. He asked Mrs. Hall not to disturb him. The people of the village were attracted towards his strange appearance and habits. Thus, his coming to the village was an unusual event.

Think About It 

1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.

Griffin was not bothered if he had harmed anybody in the fulfillment of what he wanted. He set his landlord’s house on fire because the landlord tried to make him leave. Then his robberies at shops and later in the village indicate that he was a lawless person. When he encountered the landlady of the inn, he threw a chair at her and her husband. Lawless persons like Griffin never think about the safety and well-being of others. They are only concerned about themselves.

2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?

Griffin is a brilliant scientist, as he discovered how to make himself invisible. But he seems to enjoy the feeling of power which he gets out of his invisibility. The power to hurt anybody without getting noticed can give sadistic pleasure to some people. A true scientist should make discoveries for the larger benefit of society, not just for his own benefit.

English Animals

 Questions from the textbook. 

Thinking about the poem

1. Notice the use of the word ‘turn’ in the first line, “I think I could turn and live with animals…” What is the poet turning from?

The poet is turning away from living with other humans as he finds them complicated and false. He would rather live with animals that are self-contained and non-complaining.

2. Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.

The poet has drawn three comparisons between humans and animals.

-Humans sweat and work to make a living and later whine and sulk about the amount of work they have to do to survive. Animals, on the other hand, do not whine about their condition.

-Humans lie awake at night and cry for the wrongs they have done. Animals do not weep for anything they do and sleep peacefully.

-Finally, humans make each other sick by discussing their duties to God. However, animals do not a God to whom they pray or serve.

3. Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago? Discuss this in groups. (possible response)

Yes, humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago. They worship their ancestors and pray by kneeling in front of their portraits. They hold religious sermons and ceremonies in their memory.

4. What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him? Discuss this in class. (Hint: Whitman belongs to the Romantic tradition that includes Rousseau and Wordsworth, which holds that civilisation has made humans false to their own true nature. What could be the basic aspects of our nature as living beings that humans choose to ignore or deny? (possible response)

The token that the poet says he might have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him, is his true nature as a human. While humans came close to civilisation, they gradually moved away from their true nature. The natural instincts that humans had and the innocence with which they lived and helped each other have been left behind somewhere. As they got near civilisation, they chose to leave behind the virtues of kindness, sincerity, unselfishness, joy, satisfaction, respectability, and sharing. They took to vices such as greed, selfishness, desire to capture everything, and other such inhuman characteristics. Animals have carried forward the real instincts and characteristics, which the poet looks at and tries to remember where heh negligently lost his true nature.

English. Amanda

 

Questions from the textbook. 

Thinking about the poem

1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?

Amanda is a 9-10-year-old school going girl who is soon going to become a teenager. We know this because she is being asked to finish, tidy her room and clean her shoes. Her parents stop her from eating chocolates since she is developing acne. She imagines herself as Rapunzel, mermaid or an orphan. These hints point to the fact that she is a very young girl.

2. Who do you think is speaking to her?

One of her parents is speaking to her. Most probably it is her mother. In traditional households, the mother is held responsible for the conduct of a child. In this case also, the range of instructions suggests that the speaker is Amanda’s mother.

3. Why are stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are given in parenthesis because they reflect the inner thoughts of Amanda. They can be taken as the reaction of the child for the instructions given in stanzas 1, 3 and 5. Here, there is an alternate sequence of scolding of the mother, and corresponding reaction to it given by the child. 

4. Who is the speaker in stanzas 2, 4 and 6? Do you think this speaker is listening to the speaker in stanzas 1, 3, 5 and 7?

The speaker in stanzas 2, 4 and 6 is the child, Amanda. No, she is not paying any attention to the speaker of stanzas 1, 3 and 5 as she is lost in a world of her own. Her imagination provides her an escape from her sorry reality.

5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

Amanda wishes to be a mermaid so she could carelessly move along on a languid, emerald sea. She just wishes to be carried away by the green sea waves slowly and gradually. Amanda longs for a place where she is all by herself as her happiness is not dependant on any other human being. Hence, she desires to be a mermaid because for a child, a mermaid is a symbol of freedom and wonder.

6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

No, Amanda is not an orphan, though she wishes to be one. She is so stressed with the continuous nagging of her parents that she imagines herself to be better without them. The mere presence of her parents around her depresses her. Amanda is a little girl who seeks ‘golden’ silence and ‘sweet’ freedom. She wishes to roam around the streets and draw patterns with her bare feet. Indeed, it is depressing that Amanda wishes to be an orphan.

7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?

Rapunzel’s story revolves around her life in a tower. Rapunzel was made to live in a high tower by a witch. She eventually got used to living there. She was happy and satisfied with her life. Rapunzel had very long golden hair, the witch would climb up it to pay her a visit. The fate of Rapunzel took a turn when one day a prince came to meet her by climbing up her hair. The witch had punished both of them by separating them. Finally, they met after a couple of years only to be united forever this time. Amanda wishes to live like Rapunzel in a high tower away from everyone. She seeks peace and harmony. That is the reason Amanda wishes to be like Rapunzel. However, she also makes a point that in order to avoid being disturbed she would never let her hair down for anyone to climb to her. She needs no one to make her life happy.

8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?

A girl like Amanda yearns for freedom and space for herself. She is incapable to fulfil the expectations of her parents. Amanda is no less than a symbol for all the children who face similar fate irrespective of class, colour or nationality. Traditional societies demand a certain type of behaviour from the individuals and the training to produce such behaviour begins at a very young age. Parents ignore the innocence and understanding level of their children, thus killing their imagination and thoughts.

9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?

No, Amanda is neither sulking nor moody. She is simply not interested enough in her nagging parents. Amanda cares more about her imagination and thought process over the manners her parents are trying to inculcate into her.

French lesson 7 notes

 

                                 7. En Pleine Forme

Grammaire – Les pronoms possessifs

	Masc.sing.	Fem.sing.	Masc.plural	Fem.plural
Mine	Le mien	La mienne	Les miens	Les miennes
Yours	Le tien	La tienne	Les tiens	Les tiennes
His/hers	Le sien	La sienne	Les siens	Les siennes
Ours	Le nôtre	La nôtre	Les nôtres	Les nôtres
Yours	Le vôtre	La vôtre	Les vôtres	Les vôtres
theirs	Le leur	La leur	Les leurs	Les leurs

 

e.g. C’est ma maison. C’est la sienne. (It is my house. It is his)

Culture & civilization

·       Qu’est-ce qu’il faut faire pour être en pleine forme?

1.     Ne pas manger de fastfood comme des burgers,des chips et du coca

2.     Faire du yoga

3.     Faire de méditation

4.     Faire une promenade

5.     Faire du joging

6.      Manger de la salade, des fruits et des crudités

7.     Boire beaucoup d’eau régulièrement

8.     Faire du sport comme le foot ou le tennis

9.     Faire de l’aérobic

10.             Prendre l’escalier

11.            Bien dormir

·       Etre malade ça veut dire :avoir de la fièvre – to have fever

                                               Avoir des problèmes de respiration – to have problems in breathing

                                                Attraper un rhume – to catch cold

                                                Avoir une crise cardiaque – to have a heart attack

                                                Avoir un vertige – to have a vertigo

                                                Avoir une insomnie – to have insomnia

                                                Passer une nuit blanche – to keep awake at night/ to spend sleepless night

Avoir mal au dos/dents/à la tête – to have pain in back,teeth, head

·       Qu’est-ce que fait le médecin ?

Asculter – to examine

Poser des questions

Prescrire des médicaments – to prescribe medicines

Donner l’ordonnance – to give prescription

Remplir les formulaires de la sécurité sociale – to fill the forms of social security

·       La carte d’assurance maladie/la securité sociale – C’est pour assurer la sécurité matérielle des travailleurs et de leur famille en cas d’accident de travail, de maladie, de maternité etc et à leur garantir une retraite