11th English Guide Lesson 6 Prose The Accidental Tourist

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11th English Guide Lesson 6 Prose The Accidental Tourist

11th English Solutions Prose Chapter 6 The Accidental Tourist

11th English Guide Lesson 6 Prose The Accidental Tourist Book Back Answers. 11th Standard Samacheer kalvi guide English All Unit Book Back Question and answers. 11th TN Text Book Download PDF All Subject. Class 11 English Book Back and additional question and answers. 11th Free Online Test.

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Warm up

Question 1.

Often on formal occasions, we admire friends and strangers who appear elegant, who are pleasant to converse with and who conduct themselves gracefully. At times, we also see people who are awkward, nervous and doubtful about their next move.

Recall a few examples of awkward actions that can cause discomfort or disturbance to others like spilling a cup of hot drink on someone nearby.

Answer:

Mr. X has travelling sickness. Once he was in a city bus, his wife advised him to take a polythene bag so that he can vomit inside it if he felt like it. But he forgot her advice. As the bus moved on, he had a feeling that he wasn’t fine. He craned his neck out of the window of the bus and vomited his undigested breakfast.
As the bus was moving fast, people seated behind him had their shirts and sarees sprinkled with the undigested breakfast and dinner. The conductor and driver got upset. The whole day, passengers refused to sit on those three seats.

11th English The Accidental Tourist Textual Questions

A. Based on your understanding of the lesson, answer the following questions in one or two sentences each:

1. Give a few instances of Bryson’s confused acts.

Answer:

He would end up standing in an alley on the wrong side of a self-locking door trying to locate a restroom in a cinema theatre. He would often go to the hotel desk, atleast two to three times a day asking what was his room number. The author had a serious problem of orientation in any new place:

2. What were the contents of the bag?

Answer:

The contents of the bag were frequent flyercard, newspaper cuttings, loose papers, tobacco pipe, magazines, passport, English money and film.

3. Describe the Buttery cascade of things tumbling from the bag.

Answer:

The side of the bag flew open and everything within was extravagantly ejected over an area about the size of a tennis court. The carefully stored documents came raining down in a fluttery cascade. Coins bounced to a variety of noisy oblivions. Lidless tobacco tin rolled crazily across the concourse disgorging its content as it went.

4. Why did the author’s concern over tobacco shift to his finger?

Answer:

When the author saw the racing tobacco box disgorging its content, he worried about the need to buy expensive tobacco in England. But when he saw his own bleeding finger that he had gashed while forcefully opening the jammed zip, he shifted his cry to his finger.

5. What happened to Bryson when he leaned to tie his shoelace?

Answer:

When Bryson leaned to tie a shoe lace inside the air-craft, some one in the seat ahead of him threw his seat back into full recline. The author found himself pinned helplessly in a crash position.

6. How did Bryson free himself from the crash position?

Answer:

Bryson was able to disentangle himself only by clawing the leg of the man sitting next to him.

7. Give a brief account of the embarrassing situation of Bryson when he knocked down the drink.

Answer:

Bryson rose from the dinner table looking as if he had just experienced a localized seismic event. While opening the lid, he used to spill the contents on his family and fellow passengers and thus embarrassing them. To avoid such anxious moments, his wife used to give directions to the children. “Take the lids off the food for daddy”.

8. What was Bryson’s worst accident on a plane?

Answer:

During one of the flights, the author was jotting down his thoughts on a notebook. The important thoughts reflected how well he behaves in public places. His recorded thoughts were, “buy socks”, “clutch drinks carefully”. He was sucking the pen thoughtfully. He was oblivious of the fact that the pen was leaking. The leaked ink had left scrub-resistant navy blue on his mouth, gum, chin, tongue and teeth for several days.

9. What did Bryson wish to avoid in his life?

Answer:

Bryson wished to avoid air travel especially with his family members.

10. How would staying away from liquid mischief benefit Bryson?

Answer:

Staying away from liquid mischief would naturally reduce the expense on laundry bills.

B. Answer the following questions in about three to four sentences each:

1. Why doesn’t Bryson seem to be able to do easily what others seem to? Give a few reasons.

Answer:

Bryson lacks orientation. He has. great capacity in forgetting hotel rooms, the location of rest rooms in a cinema hall and the number of his room in a hotel. He goes atleast three times a day to the reception desk to ask which room is allotted to him.

2. What was the reaction of Bryson’s wife to his antics?

Answer:

Mrs. Bryson saw the quixotic behaviour of her husband. She was neither angry nor exasperated. But she just expressed her deep sense of wonder. She said, ‘I can’t believe you do this for a living”.

3. Briefly describe the ‘accidents’ encountered on the flight by Bryson.

Answer:

Once the author was trying to tie a shoe lace. He bent to tie it. Just that moment, the passenger in the front seat reclined in full swing. The author was pinned down in a crash position. On another occasion, he engaged an attractive woman in a witty conversation. While talking to her, he sucked his pen. The pen left a scrub-resistant navy blue on his gum, mouth, teeth and his chin for several days.

C. Based on your understanding of the text, answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 100 – 150 words:

1. ‘To this day, I don’t know how I did it’ – What does ‘it’ refer to?

Answer:

Once, the author knocked a soft drink onto the lap of a sweet little lady sitting beside him. The flight attendant came and cleaned her up and brought him a replacement drink. Instantly he knocked ‘it’ onto the woman again. To this day, the author does not remember how he spilled the drink twice on the same lady passenger seated next to him in the aeroplane.
He just remembers reaching out for the new drink and watch helplessly as his arm, like some cheap prop in one of those 1950 horror movies with a name swept the drink from its perch and on to her lap. The sweet lady was a mm. She looked at him with a stupefied expression. She uttered an oath that started with oh! and ended with sake. In between she used some words the author had never heard before in public.
“I don’t know what is more messy, my room or my life. ”

2. But, when it’s my own – well, I think hysterics are fully justified’ – How?

Answer:

The author had planned to go to England with all his family members. He arrived at the Logan airport at Boston. When they were checking in, he suddenly remembered that he forgot to use his frequent flier card (British Airways). He also remembered how he had left it in a bag. He tried to open the bag. The zip was jammed. He tried to open it by force. After several attempts, it gave away spilling all the contents in a sprawling corridor in the airport. He ignored the flying documents, silver coins and even passport.
He worried about the tobacco box which was rolling away crazily disgorging its content on the way. He cried “My Tobacco” remembering how expensive it would be to buy tobacco for his pipe in England. Just then he realized that he was bleeding profusely. He had made a gash on his finger while trying to open the zip of his bag by force. He cried hysterically on seeing his own blood, “My finger” My finger”. In general, he was not comfortable flowing other’s blood. But when it came to spilling his own blood “hysterics” was really justified.
“Relived stress through hysterical screaming.”

3. Bring out the pun in the title ‘The Accidental Tourist’ (one who happens to travel by accident or one who meets with accidents often on his or her trips!).

Answer:

The title “accidental tourist” implies that a man travels a lot and is always confused. He gets into trouble because of his unintentional acts and clumsiness. He does not happen to travel by accident because he should buy a ticket, go to the airport and board the aircraft . wit(i careful plan. But during his travel he does meet with numerable accidents.
The later interpretation is very apt for the author. The story depicts many humorous travel experiences like being pinned in a crash position in his own seat by a fellow passenger, spilling drink on a co-passenger, making his own teeth, gum, chin and tongue scrub-resistant navy blue by his unwise mannerism of sucking the pen, while thinking. The author accidentally gets into trouble often. Hence the pun in the use of “accidental” is pertinent.
“Fill your life with adventures, not things Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”

4. Can a clumsy person train himself/herself to overcome short comings? How could this be done?

Answer:

Yes, a clumsy person can train himself to overcome his short comings. People with severe Parkinsons’s disease too learn to hold a spoon and eat with great difficulties. Children with multiple disabilities and nervous problems learn to button up their shirts, tie the shoe laces and even assist friends with similar ailments. There is no difficulty in the world that is insurmountable. Practice makes one perfect. The author’s wife, without rebuking him publicly for his callous clumsiness, trains her children to be supportive of their father Mr. Bryson who always spills drinks or bumps on something or even sits on chewing gum or spilled oil.
As clumsiness is not a welcome behaviour pattern among adults, one must learn how to mend oneself and try to overcome one eccentricity per day with deliberate effort. The author does admit to restrain himself to reduce the laundry bill. But if he extends his efforts even during the presence of his family on long distance air-travels, it would be nice. Cultivating an acceptable behaviour in public places is not an impossible task for any sensible man.

‘‘I am not clumsy. It s just the floor that hates me.

The tables and chairs are bullies

And the wall gets in the way.”

5. As a fellow passenger of Bill Bryson on the flight, make a diary entry describing his clumsy behaviour during the trip and the inconveniences caused to others as a result of his nervousness.

Answer:

On that fatefulday, I was standing infront of the check in counter just behind a crazyman. He was making odd movement with his hands. It appeared that he was trying to open something. He had yanked the zip of his bag open. It spilled ejecting all the important contents. The funny thing was, the funny man was running behind a tin of tobacco which had already disgorged its content. Then he suddenly cried, “My finger”. May be he had hurt his finger. The funniest side of the whole episode was that he ignored passport, currency, coins and other fluttering travel documents. I had my sincere sympathy with the man but I couldn’t help laughing noiselessly because the fellow was really eccentric.
He did not have a sense of proportion. He gave importance to trifles and ignored the major things lying down fluttering in the corridor of the airport. During his flight he disgorged/spilled the contents of his drink and profusely tendered his apology to the lady next to him. He appeared as real as a buffoon when he appeared sheepish with navy blue ink smeared on his gum, teeth, chin and tongue. It reminded me of a lion faced monkey.

‘‘I have always had a reputation as a Bufoon.”

Additional Questions

6. Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Was he successful in his mission? List his “unsuave ways.

Answer:

Bill Bryson expresses his genuine desire to be “suave”. He would love just once in his life time to rise from the dinner table as if he had experienced an “extremely localized seismic event, get into a car without leaving 14 inch coat outride, wear light-coloured trousers without ever discovering at the end of the day that he had at various times and places sat on chewing gum, ice-cream cough syrup and motor oil. No, Bill Bryson was not successful in his mission. Twice he spilled his drinks on a sweet nun who happened to sit next to him. He tried to show off his wisdom to another attractive lady. As usual, he was sucking his pen.
His shirt, teeth and gum carried the unscrubbable navy blue stain for many days. He always did “liquid mischief’. His clumsy behaviour in the aeroplane made the saintly mm use abusive language. To avoid unsuave ways, he gave up air-travel with his family members. His wife and children supported him yet failed to be refined in manners.

‘‘Heroes, well, they don’t live so long.

But they ’re too suave, and we all admire them.”

Vocabulary

A. Foreign words and phrases .

You have come across the French phrases ‘en famille’ an <famille> and ‘bons mots’ ,ban ma:ts in the lesson. Now look at the following phrases and their meanings.

(a) viva voce – /vaivo vausi /- a spoken examination
(b) sine die -/sina’dAii:/- without a date being fixed
(c) resume -/rezju:mei/- a brief summary
(d) rapport -/rae’pa:(r)/- close relationship with good understanding
(e) bonafide – /bauna faidi/- genuine

B. Refer to the dictionary and find out the meanings of the following foreign words /phrases. Use them in sentences of your own:

bon voyage
in toto
liaison
ex gratia
en masse
en route
ad hoc
faux pas

Bon voyage – Express good wishes to some on leaving for a long journey.Hemalatha went to the airport and said “Bon voyage” to Keerthi who was about to leave for UK.

In toto- as a wholeThey accepted the business plan of Murali in toto.
Liaison – a close working relationship between people and organization. .The bank clerk regretted his liaison with the watchman who robbed the bank and vanished.
Ex gratia-compensation paid by the Government to the victim of an accident.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister gave each of the eight survivors of the Road accident an ex gratia of . two lakh rupees.

En masse – in a group all together

The striking workers ran en masse to the gate when the boss arrived.

Enroute – on the way

He stopped in Mumbai enroute to Kolkatta.

Adhoc – created for a particular

An adhoc committee was set up to probe the scam in the universities.

Faux pas – an embarrassing or tactless act, blunder

I did not disclose his fauxpas till he joined a college. .

Here is a list of some words borrowed from Indian languages and have been included in the Dictionary of English. Add more words to the table.

WORD	ORIGIN	MEANING
veranda	Hindi	a roofed platform along the outside of a house
bungalow	Hindi	a house in the Bengal style
chutney	Hindi	a ground or mashed relish
cheetah	Sanskrit	uniquely marked
coir	Malayalam	rope
bamboo	Kannada	wood
bandicoot	Telugu	kind of rat
catamaran	Tamil	multi-hulled watercraft
guru	Sanskrit	master

C. Idioms

Look at the list of idioms given below. Find their meanings from a dictionary. Read the sentences that follow and replace the words in italics with the appropriate idioms, making suitable changes wherever necessary.

(a) right up one’s alley –

(b) drive one up the wall –

(d) take (one) for a ride –

(e) in panic mode-

(a) The old man got irritated at the loud noise outside.

(b) We were driving, when it started raining heavily. After stopping for an hour, we began the journey again.

(d) At the interview when questions were fired at me rapidly, I forgot every thing and grew irritated.

(e) I love thrillers and this book appeals to me strongly.

Answers

(a) driven up the wall

(b) hit the road

(d) got into a panic mode

(e) is right up to my alley

listening Activity

Bala : Hello, Mahesh; where did you spend your holidays?

Mahesh : Well Bala, I had been to a place of ethereal beauty, Kerala.

Bala : Did you spend the three day holiday at Kerala?

Mahesh : Yes Bala. I visited Trivandrum, Quilon and Cochin.

Bala : What are the important tourist spots you visited there?

Mahesh : I shall just mention a few – The Art Museum called Chitralayam at Trivandrum, the King’s palace and the Kovalam Beach.

Bala : What did you see in Quilon?

Mahesh : The lovely scenery at Varkala, the oldest port of Quilon and the Periyar Lake Wild Life Sanctuary.

Bala : Tell me something about Cochin.

Mahesh : Cochin has earned the title ‘Venice of the East’. It is famous for coir and there are many historical monuments there. .

Bala : Oh, I see! I think you should take me to these spots next time you visit Kerala.

Mahesh : Of course! We shall explore its beauties and learn more about our motherland.

Listen to the dialogue read out by the teacher or to the recorded version and answer the questions that follow:

Question (i)

______ was one of the places visited by Mahesh.

(a) Srilanka

(b) Goa

(d) Cochin

Answer:(d) Cochin

Question (ii)

The Art Museum at Trivandrum is called ________

(a) Swamalayam

(b) Gitalayam

(d) Saranalayam

Answer:(c) Chitralayam

Question (iii)

Varkala is the oldest port of ________

(a) Quilon

(b) Andhra

(d) the Andamans

Answer:(a) Quilon

Question (iv)

Mahesh had been to the ________ Lake Wild Life Sanctuary.

(a) Chidambaram

(b) Pulicat

(d) Periyar

Answer:(d) Periyar

Question (v)

Cochin is called the ________ of the East.

(a) Granary

(b) Cuba

(d) Pearl

Answer:(c) Venice

Speaking Activity

(a) Build a dialogue of 8-10 exchanges between your friend and yourself, on the following situation:

You were to board a train to Delhi. By mistake you got into the wrong train and fought for your seat there. On realising your mistake, you left the train shamefaced, after creating a commotion there. Role-play this situation before the class.

James : Last Friday I was caught in an embarrasing situation.

Rahim: Where? How?

James : All the passengers were waiting at the Chennai central station.

Rahim : Where were you heading to? .

James : Well, I was heading to New Delhi.

Rahim: What was the cause of your embarrassment?

James : I did not know about the last minute change of platform. I had got an open ticket to Delhi. Along with many other passengers, I rushed to the unreserved compartment and I boarded it in platform 6. But the platform was changed to 11. I got a comer seat and had a sense of pride.

Rahim : Then when did you realize your mistake?

James : A well-dressed boy asked me if I was going to Mysore. I was surprised and said that I was going to Delhi. He laughed aloud and said to the fellow passengers look, this young man is going to Delhi by Cauvery express. The train had started moving. I rushed out with my luggage and jumped out.

Rahim : Did you catch Tamil Nadu express or not?

James : Of course I did, but I had to travel standing for one night.

Rahim : I’m really sorry to hear it. Be careful in future.

(b) Speak to the class for a minute, as to how one should conduct oneself on formal occasions. (You could talk about table-manners especially while eating, general appearance, manner of speaking, etc.)

Manners maketh a man. While talking, one must look into the eyes of the person spoken to.

When someone else is talking, one should have the decency to pay attention and restate what was gathered to confirm one has understood the essence of the talk. When someone is asking something or enquiring something, one should not be meddling with other things. Such a behaviour amounts to an insult to the speaker. While eating along with friends, when you finish, never get up and leave the table to wash the hands. While eating, one must eat without making much noise. Care must be taken not to spill curry, drinks on the fellow diners.

While attending an interview or going to the college, one must wear neat dress and greet others with a cheerful face. While talking to elders one must always use “Sir” or Madam. While requesting use “please”. When receiving a help, remember to say ‘thank you’. When someone is hurt by an un wise remark, be quick to apologise or say “sorry”.

Reading

Caesar, the Hero of Mumbai on 26/11

Mumbai Caesar, the last surviving hero of his kind, died after the attack on one Thursday. Caesar, a Labrador retriever, was covered with tri-colour and given an emotional farewell from the city Police Force. The Mumbai Police Commissioner too marked the passing of the hero with a tweet.
Caesar, who was 11 years old was the sole survivor among the dogs of Mumbai Police who took part in bomb detection operations during the terrorist attack on Mumbai that began on November 26, .2008. He died of heart attack at a farm in Virar where he and his three canine buddies had been sent after retirement. During the terror attack in Mumbai, Caesar saved several lives when he sniffed out the hand grenades left by the terrorists at the busy CST railway station.
Caesar was also a part of the search team at Nariman house, where terrorists were held up for three days. Earlier he was also pressed into service for bomb search operation after the 2006 serial train blasts and July 2017 blast in Mumbai. The Mumbai police officials also tweeted their grief saying, “Services of retired members of Dog Squad during 26/11 will be unforgettable. We will remember our heroes forever.”

Answer the following questions.

1. Labrador retriever was covered with tri-colour. What does this signify?

The use of tri colour flag on the body of Labrador retriever signifies that it has served the nation like a soldier and deserves our homage.

2. How did Caesar save several lives at the CST railway station?

Answer:

During the terror attack at Mumbai, Caesar saved several lives when he sniffed out the hand grenades left by the terrorists at the busy CST railway station.

3. Which word in the passage (paragraph 3) means the same as ‘forced’.

Answer:

Pressed into means “forced”.

4. “Services of retired members of Dog Squad during 26/11 will be unforgettable”. Mention three services rendered by Caesar.

Answer:

Caesar had taken part in the bomb detection operations during the terrorist attack on Mumbai that began on Novmeber 26, 2008. Caeser saved several lives when he sniffed out the hand grenades left by the terrorists at the busy CST railway station. Caesar was also a part of bomb search operation after 2006 serial train blasts and July 2017 blast in Mumbai.

5. Caesar is a Labrador breed of dogs. Name a few other native breeds that are used by the Police force.

Answer:

The Blood hound, The German short haired pointer, The Boxer, The Doberman, The Dutch German Shepherd and The Giant Schnauzer are some of the famous breeds used by police force.

6. Try to rewrite the news item in your mother tongue without losing the spirit and flavour of the text. Give a suitable title to your translated version.

Answer:

வீரமரணம்

மும்பை 26\11 தாக்குதலில் குண்டு கண்டுபிடிக்கும் வீரநாய் சீசர் மரணம்.

மும்பை சீசர், அவரது சகாக்களில் கடைசியாக எஞ்சியிந்த மும்பை தாக்குதலுக்குப் பின் ஓர் வியாழக்கிழமை மரணமடைந்தது மீட்புப் பணியில் ஈடுபட்ட அந்த லப்ராடர் இனநாய் மூவ்வண்ணக் கொடியால் போர்த்தப்பட்டு ஓர் உணர்ச்சி மயமான பிரிவு உபச்சாரம் நகர காவல்துறையால் வழங்கப்பட்டது. சீசரின் வீரமரணத்தைப் பற்றி மும்பை காவல் ஆணையர் ட்வீட் செய்துள்ளார்.
பதினோறு வயது நிரம்பிய சீசர் மும்பை காவல்துறையில் பணியில் இருந்தது. தீவிரவாதத் தாக்குதலின் போது குண்டு கண்டுபிடிக்கும் பணியில் நவம்பர் 26, 2008 முதல் ஈடுபடுத்தப்பட்டு பயிற்சி பெற்ற பல நாய்களில் உயிர்தப்பிய ஒரே ஒரு நாயாகும். விரார் அருகே உள்ள பண்ணை வீட்டில் அது மாரடைப்பால் மரணமடைந்தது. அங்குதான் அதுவும் அதன் மூன்று தோழர்களும் பணி ஓய்வுக்குப் பின் அனுப்பப் பட்டிருந்தனர். மும்பை தீவிரவாதத் தாக்குதலின் போது, சீசர் தீவிரவாதிகள் விட்டுச் சென்ற பல கையெறிகுண்டுகளை மோப்பம் பிடித்து கண்டுபிடித்து மிகவும் பரப்பரப்பாக இயங்கிக் கொண்டிருந்த சத்ரபதிசிவாஜி இரயில் நிறுத்தத்தில் (CST) பல உயிர்களைக் காப்பாற்றியது.
மூன்று நாட்களாக தீவிரவாதிகள் பதுங்கியிருந்த நரிமன் பாயின்டில் தேடும் குழுவின் ஓர் அங்கமாக சீசரும் இருந்தது. 2006 ஆம் ஆண்டு தொடர்வண்டி குண்டுவெடிப்புச் சம்பவத்தின் போதும், ஜுலை 2017 மும்பை குண்டுவெடிப்புக்கு முன்னரும் பல முறை குண்டு தேடும் பணியில் அது ஈடுபடுத்தப்பட்டது. மும்பை காவல் அதிகாரிகளும் தமது துயரத்தை ட்விட்டர் வலை தளத்தில் “26/11 நாய் படையிலிருந்து ஓய்வுபெற்றவர்களது சேவை மறக்க இயலாதது. எங்களது வீரர்களை நாங்கள் என்றும் நினைவில் வைத்துப் போற்றுவோம்” எனப் பதிவு செய்தனர்.

Grammar

Now complete the following.

(a) Do as directed.

Question 1.

Dinesh and Prabhu wanted to meet Varsha at the bus stop. They went to the bus stop. (Change into a compound sentence)

Answer:

Dinesh and Prabhu wanted to meet Varsha at the bus stop and so they went to the bus stop.

Question 2.

Varsha reached the railw ay station. She was waiting for them there.(Change into a compound sentence)

Answer:

Varsha reached the railway station and she was waiting for them there.

Question 3.

While she waited at the train station, Varsha realized that the train was late. (Change into a simple sentence)

Answer:

Waiting at the railway station, Varsha realized that her train was late.

Question 4.

Dinesh and Prabhu left the bus stop. Varsha rang them. (Change into a complex sentence)

Answer:

After /When Dinesh and Prabhu left the bus stop, Varsha rang them.

Question 5.

The trio met at the station. Varsha left for Madurai. (Change into a complex sentence)

Answer:

After the trio met at the railway station, Varsha left for Madurai.

Question (b)

This paragraph has only simple sentences. Combine them into compound and complex sentences. The first one is done for you.

Answer:

One day Ajay and Tijo went to the canal. They wanted to catch some fish. Some people were playing nearby. They chose a better place. They took out the fishing rods. Suddenly there was a loud splash. They also heard a loud scream. Both Ajay and Tijo looked up. They saw something moving in the water. Then they saw a hand waving. Someone had fallen in the water. It was Yusuf. He had jumped into the water. He wanted to swim.

One day Ajay and Tijo went to the canal to catch some fish

One day Ajay and Tijo wanted to catch some fish and so they went to the canal. As some people were playing nearby, they chose a better place. When they took out the fishing rods, there was a loud splash and scream. As they looked up, they saw something like a hand waving, in the water. It was obvious that someone had fallen into the water. It was Yusuf who had jumped into the water to swim.

Question (c)

Here is one long sentence. Split them into smaller sentences.

Like all living things, human beings also need food in order to live as every part of the body must get a steady supply of food so that it can work properly, but first the food eaten has to be broken down through a process called digestion so that it can dissolve in the blood and carried to all parts of the body.

Answer:

Like all living things, human beings need food to live. Every part of the body must get a steady ‘ supply of food. Only then it can work properly. First the eaten food has to be broken down through digestion. The digested food dissolves into the blood. It is then carried to all parts of the body.

Writing

Now write a short story to explain these proverbs.

Question 1.

Actions speak louder than words.

Answer:

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man.. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As Project Manager, he had so many things to do!!

He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.

‘Are you from the software industry sir?’ the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.

‘You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized.’ ‘Thanks,’ smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free travelling pass.

‘You people always amaze me,’ the man continued, ‘You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside.’ Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. ‘It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it.’ For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement.

‘It is complex, very complex.’ ‘It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid,’ came the reply. This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone. ‘Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept pf hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle;

‘we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing.’

He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.

‘Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centers across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?’ The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination.

‘You design and code such things?’ ‘I used to,’ Vivek paused for effect, ‘but now I am the Project Manager.’ ‘Oh! ’ sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, ‘so your life is easy now.’ This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, ‘Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is i the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more

stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality. To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, .always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it i yesterday.’ Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realization. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth. ‘My friend,’ he concluded triumphantly, ‘you don’t know what it is to be in the Line of Fire’. The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek. ‘I know sir, I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire ’He was staring blankly, as if no passenger,no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.

‘There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tri-colour at the top only four of us were alive.’ ‘You are a…?’ ‘I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me 1 have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier? On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker.

It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself. He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded his own personal safety came last, always and every time.’

‘He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me . I know sir….I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire.’ Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valour and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes. The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.

‘It was nice meeting you sir.’ Vivek fumbled with the handshake.

This hand… had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tri-colour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up in attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute,… It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation’s highest military award. Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn! Action speaks louder than words

Question 2.

Despair gives courage to a coward.

Answer:

Most of the time, we do not realize the talent that is within us. Certain situations help to bring out these special qualities to the fore. Just as a drowning man tries to hold on to anything that comes his way to save his life, we too come up with remedies beyond our imagination in desperate situations. We find the courage to do extraordinary things when we are in despair. Even a coward can be turned into a brave warrior in a life-threatening situation. Once there was an ant that lived in a tree by the side of a pond. He was very timid and was scared of even the slightest disturbance in the tree. One day a heavy wind blew across the tree and the ant fell into the pond and was struggling to swim and stay afloat. A pigeon that lived in the same tree broke a twig of the tree and threw it to the ant. The ant got on to the twig and the pigeon swooped down picked up the twig and placed it back on the tree. The ant thanked the pigeon profusely for saving his life.
As the days went by the ant and the pigeon became good friends. The pigeon always told the ant that he should learn to be a bit braver and face life boldly. But the ant remained the same. One day a hunter came to the pond to quench his thirst. As he was drinking water from the pond he noticed the pigeon sitting on the tree. The hunter wanted to shoot the pigeon and got his bow and arrow ready. The ant noticed this and wanted to desperately save his friend. The pigeon was fast asleep and there was no way to warn him since he was sitting a long way the ant jumped down from the tree and crawled as fast as he could and bit the toe of the hunter hard as he could. The hunter cried out in pain and missed his aim.
The pigeon woke up hearing the noise and noticed the hunter with his bow and arrow. It flew away to safety. The ant was very happy that it could save his friend and felt elated for having acted bravely for once in his life.
The story clearly illustrates that when placed in a desperate situation the ant could rise above its limitations and act bravely in order to save the pigeon’s life. So when the situation demands even a coward can turn into a courageous person.

Develop the following hints into a paragraph

As is the King, So are the Subjects

Once upon a time two kings ruled neighbouring kingdoms. King Arya was a great warrior. He looked after his subjects very well. People loved him. He was always looking for ways to increase their safety and welfare. All his subjects were happy. On the other hand, king Vaishal was a very lazy man. He spent his time entertaining himself. There was always singing, dancing and merry making. His subjects were very angry with him as he never came out of the palace to listen to their woes.

A powerful Sultan attacked both the kingdoms. King Arya’s army, being well-prepared was

Very alert. The enemy forces were really powerful. But men, women and even children i joined the hands of army to protect their king. King Vaishal’s subject soon after sensing the

impending war, started fleeing the kingdom. King was left all alone. People were not interested in protecting him as he was not interested in their welfare and safety.

King Vaishal realized his foolishness but it was too late. He was defeated in war and fled his country in disgrace to save his own life. King Arya defeated Sultan. This happened because King Arya always kept the welfare of his people in his heart all the time. His subjects reciprocated his love. They were loyal and supportive during testing times.

Writing A Curriculum Vitae

Vijayraj Joseph

Task: Write a CV for the post of a DTP operator at ABC Publishing House and send it to P.O. Box No. 2345 or E-mail it to abcph@nomail.com

Curriculum Vitae

Name : Vijay

Mobile No : 8765412385

email : vijayl975@gmail.com

Address : 17/2 Beach road,

Neelangarai Chennai

Career objective:

Looking for a challenging job in the field of Desk top publishing-which requires the optimum use of my skills in typing and designing and provides me opportunities for vertical growth.

Synopsis:

A graduate with a degree in computer science from Loyola college, Madras

Profile

Good working knowledge of computers.
Good at typing .
Excellent at wrapper designing and editing
Profound knowledge in Corel draw and photoshop
Expertise in MS word and Excel file handling.

Educational Qualification

Sc Computer Science with a second class
12th with aggregate of 67% from GHSS, Koovathur
10th with aggregate of 55% from GHSS, pudhupattinam, Kalpakkam

Previous Experience

Two years experience in student Xerox as a DTP operator

Projects done

Typed about 50 PhD dissertation and 20 M. Phil thesis

Extra-curricular Activities

NSS volunteer in college
Volleyball District player Strength:
A team player
Devoted and smart in work
Optimistic

Personal Details:

Date of birth : 06.09.1993

Sex : Male

Marital status : Single

Languages known : Tamil and English

Declaration

I hereby declare that the above furnished information is true to the best of my knowledge. If I am offered an opportunity, I shall prove my mettle and be worthy of your choice

S/d

Vijay

Task 1:

You see an advertisement in the newspaper. A publishing house in Chennai has brought out a paperback edition of the complete works of Khushwant Singh. You want to buy it. You are asked to send a Demand Draft for Rs.1000/- Fill in the following DD challan in favour of ‘X publishing house, New Delhi’, payable at Chennai. The surcharge for Rs.1000/- is Rs.25/-

Answer:

Task 2:

Fill in the following forms with imaginary details.

Question (a)

Answer:

The Accidental Tourist About the Author

Bill Bryson is an Anglo-American author of books on travel, English language, science and non-fiction topics. He stayed in Great Britain during his adult years. He served as the Chancellor of Durham University from 2005 to 2011. ’Neither here not there’, ‘Notes from a small island’, ‘A Walk in the woods’

‘A Short history of nearly everything’, ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’, and Icons of England are some his famous

The Accidental Tourist Summary

The whole story revolves around the author’s inability to do ordinary things that other people do in public places like a cinema theatre or a plane. He has problems of orientation. He would try to reach a rest room but find himself behind a self-locking door. The author recounts how his anxiety ruined the happiness of people at the airport and how he himself suffered. For fear of such life-time incompatibility, the author refrained from making frequent trips and could never use his frequent flier miles for a trip to Bali island. The author had a flash of memory that he had joined British Airways frequent flier programme. His entire family arrived at Logan Airport in Boston. Unfortunately, he had placed the card in a carry-on-bag hanging around his neck.

The zip on’ the bag was jammed. He tried pulling it hard. He used force instead of commonsense, the zip gave way spilling the contents over an area as large as tennis court.

To the great embarrassment of all fellow passengers waiting at the airport, 14 ounce tin pipe, coins and other important documents flew helter-skelter. He was annoyed to see the snuff box rolling and emptying its content. Instead of trying to collect coins, documerit and important papers, he went behind the tobacco box crazily shouting, “My tobacco”. When he sensed oozing of blood from his finger that he had gashed while opening the bag’s jammed zip he shifted his attention immediately to his finger. The author’s wife, wondering at his hysterics said, “I can’t believe you do this for a living”.

Once in an aeroplane, the author leaned to tie his shoe lace. Just then some one in the front seat leaned back into full recline. The author found himself pinned helplessly in a crash position. Once the author spilled drinks on a fellow passenger too. He did it twice. He did not know how he did it.

The author was recording his important thoughts in a note book. They were as silly as he was “Buy socks, clutch drinks carefully”. He had fallen into a deep conversation with an attractive young lady in the next seat. Having lost his head, he amused her for about twenty minutes exchanging witty remarks to impress her. When he went to a rest room, he realized that the pen head leaked. His mouth, teeth and gum appeared in striking, scrub-resistent navy blue. To his disgust, it remained blue for many days.

The author wanted to be polished and sophisticated in his manners; But as serendipity would have it, he never left a dinner without making fellow diners realize that he had just experienced a local seismic event. Whenever he entered a car, he closed the door when his coat was still 14 inches outside the door. His trousers always brought evidence of his having sat on chewing gum, ice-cream, cough syrup or motor oil.

The author had clear prediction of the catastrophe he intended to venture into unconsciously. So, his wife would give directions to children like,

“Take the lid off the food for daddy” or put your hoods up children, Daddy’s going to cut his meat”. The author does all such cranky things only during his flight with his family.

While staying alone the author sat on his own down turned palms to prevent himself from doing some “liquid mischief ”. When alone, he never does things which would land him in some sure catastrophe.

The author admits his peculiar inability of earning flyer miles. He has a habitual forgetting of his “Frequent flyer mile card” while collecting his Boarding pass. Though he deserves to have earned 100,000 miles a year, and visited Bali on a free air ticket, he had earned only 212 air miles. While on a flight to Australia, the airline agency refused to grant air miles because the flyer mile card read as W. Bryson where as the name in the ticket read as B. Bryson.

He admits that he would never go to Bali because he has a peculiar habit of spilling the contents of food on board. People who have clumsy habits do overcome their awkwardness in public places with careful practice. As we live in a society, we should leam to conform to the norms of the society including table manners.

Textual:

alley – a narrow passage-way between or behind buildings
Bill – William (the letter W is changed to B and William is called Bill)
bons mots – (French) witty remarks
cascade – waterfall
catastrophe – a terrible disaster
concourse – the open central area in a
large public building (here‘airport’) /hall
consternation – worry
disgorging -discharging
en famille – (French) as a family
exasperation – irritation
extravagantly – excessively
gashed – cut deeply
hysterics – a fit of uncontrollable laughing or crying
suave – polite and sophisticated
venerable – valued
yanked – pulled with a jerk

Additional:

abruptly – suddenly
accumulated – collected
annoyed – angry and irritated
anxiety – worry
confused – disoriented
constantly – all the time
dumbstruck – shocked and speechless
entitled – deserving special treatment
evident – obvious
frequent – often
frustration – vexation
hysteries – uncontrolled emotion
jammed – packed tightly
oblivions – forgetfulness
panic – intense fear
specialty – particular skill

The Accidental Tourist Synonyms

Choose the most appropriate synonyms for the underlined words,

Question 1.

I am constantly filled with wonder.

(a) hardly

(b) regularly

(d) sparsely

Answer:(b) regularly

Question 2.

I yanked at the zip of the bag.

(a) pushed

(b) dragged

(d) closed

Answer:(c) jerked

Question 3.

He had always ended up in standing in an alley.

(a) maze

(b) road

(d) hospital

Answer:(c) pathway

Question 4.

He tried pulling it with great consternation.

(a) anger

(b) hatred

(d) worry

Answer:(d) worry

Question 5.

All the contents of the bag were extravagantly ejected.

(a) frugally

(b) judiciously

(d) lavishly

Answer:(d) lavishly

Question 6.

The tin of tobacco rolled crazily across the concourse,

(a) closure

(b) locked up

(d) strait

Answer:(c) hall

Question 7.

I had gashed my finger.

(a) bandaged

(b) plastered

(d) healed

Answer:(c) cut

Question 8.

The tobacco tin went disgorging its content.

(a) attacking

(b) discharging

(d) dusting

Answer:(b) discharging

Question 9.

I always have catastrophies when I travel.

(a) condy

(b) disasters

(d) joy

Answer:(b) disasters

Question 10.

The author’s wife did not show anger or exasperation.

(a) pleasure

(b) irritation

(d) hatred

Answer:(b) irritation

Question 11.

He amused her with urbane bons mots.

(a) news

(b) puzzles

(d) joked

Answer:(c) witticism/repartee jokes

Question 12.

He explained the venerable relationship between Bill and William but in vain.

(a) loathsome

(b) valued

(d) howled

Answer:(b) valued

Question 13.

I ache to be suave.

(a) rude

(b) indecent

(d) polite / sophisticated

Answer:(d) polite / sophisticated

Question 14.

When it’s my own blood, I think hysterics is justified.

(a) frenzied

(b) whisper

(d) hustle

Answer:(a) frenzied

Question 15.

My hair went into panic mode.

(a) courage

(b) fear

(d) pleasure

Answer:(b) fear

The Accidental Tourist Antonyms

Choose the most appropriate antonyms for the underlined words.

Question 1.

I was shedding blood in a lavish manner.

(a) Extravagant

(b) frugal

(d) tough

Answer:(b) frugal

Question 2.

I am constantly filled with wonder.

(a) inconstantly/rarely

(b) incorrectly

(d) incessantly

Answer:(a) inconstantly/rarely

Question 3.

I pulled it with a frown.

(a) Scowl

(b) grimace

(d) smile

Answer:(d) smile

Question 4.

I managed to get myself freed.

(a) cleared

(b) disentagled

(d) discharged

Answer:(c) imprisoned trapped

Question 5.

I watched dumbstruck as the carefully sorted documents came down in a cascade.

(a) ruffled

(b) excited

(d) petrified

Answer:(c) expected

Question 6.

I was talking to an attractive lady.

(a) charming

(b) captivating

(d) ravishing

Answer:(c) unattractive / ugly

Question 7.

I cried in horror.

(a) alarm

(b) antipathy

(d) pleasure

Answer:(d) pleasure

Question 8.

The author amused the lady with some witty remarks.

(a) bored

(b) doted

(d) entertained

Answer:(a) bored

Question 9.

Coins bounced to variety of noisy oblivions.

(a) Nuisance

(b) awareness

(d) unconscious

Answer:(b) awareness

Question 10.

This had become a real frustration.

(a) Disappointment

(b) cramp

(d) fulfilment

Answer:(d) fulfilment

Tags: 11th English Book Back Answers, 11th English Guide