Blaze Solutions | English Notes & Kerala SCERT Study Materials

                GOOSEBERRIES                                            - Anton Checkov 1. What purpose does the first sentence serve? The first sentence serves as a suitable introduction to a story which itself talks about a sad and gloomy situation. It looks like rain but it does not come. Happiness is like the rain here. It looks like happiness but it is not there! 2. Can you guess what story Ivan was about to tell Bourkin? The story is of two brothers who pursue happiness in their own ways. 3. How do you feel when it rains? I feel sad and gloomy when it rains. I prefer sunshine to rain. 4. Describe Aliokhin’s appearance. Aliokhin was about 40, tall and stout. He had long hair. He looked more like a professor or a painter than a farmer. At the time we see him first he was wearing a grimy white short and rope belt, and pants instead of t...

            CRIME AND PUNISHMENT                                         - R K Narayan Read And Respond 1. Why did the boy try to fool the teacher by repeating his mistake?         The boy tried to fool the teacher by repeating his mistake because he did not want to continue with his studies. He was interested in playing and not studying. 2. Why did the parents give the boy intensive coaching in Mathematics?        The parents gave the boy intensive coaching in Mathematics because they wanted him to score 50 in Mathematics and thus get a double promotion to the first form. 3. How does the teacher react when the boy repeated the mistake several times?        The teacher slapped the boy hard on his cheek when he repeated the mistake several times. 4. What is the boy’s response when the teacher slapped ...

              THE TRIP OF LE HORLA Textual Questions and Answers 1. What is special about the sentences in the telegram?            The sentences are not grammatical. The message is conveyed through short phrases.   2. What does the author compare the balloon to?            The balloon is compared to a cake made of yellow cloth. 3. What is the other thought that occurs to every mind?            The other thought that occurs to every mind is a baby in the womb that is nourished through the umbilical cord until its birth. 4. Express the attitude of the spectators and passengers towards the sport of ballooning.             Some spectators think that the balloon will come down before reaching its destination. They also criticise several other things about the balloon. But the passengers are happy and excited about what they are going...

              SUNRISE ON THE HILLS                                    - H W Longfellow Activity -1 (Read and Respond) 1. Look at the expressions ‘heaven’s wide arch and ‘returning march’. What does the poet describe here? What else does it remind you of?              The poet describes here the sky and the return of the sun in the morning. It reminds me of a king returning after a long absence or even my own returning to life in the morning after the night’s sleep. 2. Comment on the expression of ‘soft gales’ .               This is the poetic way of describing the early morning breeze. 3. What makes the glory of the clouds fade?                The rising sun makes the glory of the clouds fade. The mist melts away and the glory fades. 4. What are the cloud...

      A THREE WHEELED REVOLUTION Read And Respond 1. Which incident shows that Irfan had a problem solving skill?            Once Irfan was travelling in a rickshaw and in the middle of the journey he was very thirsty. He asked the rickshaw puller if he had any water. He said he did not have because it was expensive to get bottles of water and stack them. Immediately he thought there was a market for selling water bottles in the rickshaws. This incident shows Irfan had a problem-solving skill. 2. Why does Irfan think that entrepreneurship is in his blood?            Irfan thinks that entrepreneurship is in his blood because he had an interest in business from a very early age. He was enterprising since his childhood. During the stock market scam on 1992, his father and his friends lost a lot of money. Irfan helped them to recover their losses and even make profits. 3. What encouraged Irfan to open his own portfol...

            THE HOUR OF TRUTH                                        - Percival Wilde 1. Why was Mr Gresham arrested?           Mr Gresham was arrested because he misappropriated the money of the bank. 2. Why didn ’t Baldwin explain his position to the papers?           Baldwin did not explain His position to the papers because he did not think it necessary to tell them. 3. What was the change in the attitude of the members of the family when they came to know the amount of the bribe?                          The amount of the bribe was huge, 100,000 dollars. When the family members came to know the amount was such a huge one, they were all looking for excuses to make Baldwin do as Gresham wanted him to do. So far they were all honest people. But...

                  AMIGO BROTHERS                                                   - Piri Thomas THINK AND WRITE 1. There are lots of similarities and differences between Antonio and Felix. List them. Similarities : They both are young boys of 17. They both are Puerto Ricans. They both want to become a light weight champion of the world. They both work out hard. They both run in the mornings. They both live in the same building on the Lower East side of Manhattan. They love each other very much. Neither of them wants the other to be hurt, although they both want to win. Differences : Antonio was fair, lean and lanky. Felix was dark, short and husky. Antonio’s hair was always falling over his eyes, while Felix wore his black hair in an Afro style. Felix weigtiecfl 34 pounds, but Antonio weighed 133 pounds. 2. What is the...