EnglishTypeset in Minion Pro. Printed in India by. Cover illustration by Bit Blits Digital Workstation Published in India by . Sarvesh Shrivastava, Managing Director ... Graphic Stories

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Dr S. Reshma Praveen

An Integrated-Skills Course

EnglishEnglish

Head Office: A-12, 2nd Floor, Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate, Main Mathura Road, New Delhi-110044

Registered Office: 99, DSIDC Complex, Okhla Industrial Area Phase–I, New Delhi-110019, India

© Proficiency Learning Solutions Private Limited 2019

First Edition published in 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or by any information storage

and retrieval system without prior permission in writing from Eupheus Learning. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the address above. You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same

condition on any acquirer.

ISBN: 978-81-938842-3-2

Typeset in Minion Pro

Printed in India byCover illustration by Bit Blits Digital Workstation

Published in India by Sarvesh Shrivastava, Managing Director

Proficiency Learning Solutions Private Limited

Eupheus TeamDirector Learning Solutions: Sutapa BasuAssociate Vice President: Arani BanerjeeSenior Editor: Divya ChandhokEditor: Anubha VermaDesigners: Bit Blits Digital Workstation, Trinankur Banerjee

Eupheus Learning is the registered trademark of Proficiency Learning Solutions Private Limited.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For permission to use copyright materials, the publishers wish to thank:

Penguin India for ‘Tree Witness’ from Akbar and Birbal by Amita Sarin; ‘James and the Giant Peach’ published by Jonathan Cape Ltd and Penguin Books Ltd. “© The Roald Dahl Story Company

Limited” reprinted with permission from David Higham Associates Ltd.The publisher has applied for permission to the following:

David Higham for ‘The Wind’ from Complete Poems for Children by James Reeves; The Permissions Company for ‘Turn Off the TV’ from My Dog Ate My Homework by Bruce Lansky.

Image creditsThe publisher would like to thank Shutterstock for their kind permission to reproduce certain

images in this book.

Learning a language has a singular aim—the ability to use the language on one’s own, in other words, comprehension must lead to spontaneous use. English Vibes —An Integrated Course in English Language published by Eupheus Learning uses a rich selection of level-appropriate texts to initiate the learner into a journey where they interweave all language skills and processes. This leads to the acquisition of a range of twenty-first century skills that include solving problems, reasoning critically, communicating efficiently, building scientific temper, learning to behave ethically, and acting in a socially responsible manner. English Vibes prepares learners for better communication and, therefore, for better living.The course package and designEnglish Vibes is a series of eight coursebooks and eight practice books ably supported by technology-driven teacher resource packs for each level. Every coursebook at each level has a comprehensive but easy-to-transact curriculum. In addition to covering the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the units also focus on building active vocabulary and a practical knowledge of grammar. The learning of phonics is emphasized in each learning unit from levels 1 through 5. Each practice book is linked unit-wise with the related coursebook. It enhances the already-acquired reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary skills. iterating the rules of grammar, vocabulary, and guidelines for writing wherever necessary. The practice books also include activities for study skills like looking up a dictionary and researching the Internet.Teachers Resource Packs are designed to help teachers complete the course in a 180-day schedule with success guaranteed for learners. They are available in print as well as digital versions. They include lesson plans, answer keys, e-book, animations, audio-plays, digital worksheets, and test generator.Extending learning to homeEupheus Learning believes that every learning solution must have, apart from pedagogical uniqueness, learning tools that provide seamless expansion into self-learning extending from classroom to home. English Vibes is supported by a state-of-the-art learning application called AVOCADO® that will help learners practice tasks at home and simultaneously enable parents and teachers to gather performance analytics providing critical, performance-enhancing feedback to the learner.Features of the series

• Learning language through literary tools—the course comprises an eclectic literary selection that includes classic and contemporary, Indian as well as western writings of renowned authors.

• Graphic stories and plays at every level to make learning fun as well as interactive• Reading comprehension tasks focus on local comprehension, critical understanding, and literary

analysis. • Listening skills tasks focus on top-down as well as bottom-up listening and are based on literary as well

as authentic inputs• Speaking skills are imparted through a variety of tasks that include whole-class presentations, pair-work,

group-discussions, speeches, and debates. • Writing tasks exhaustively scaffolded through tips, graphic organizers, and writing models are functional

as well creative in nature, with a tight focus on examination needs• Vocabulary is contextually taught for active use in real life. • Grammar topics focus on acquiring both meaning as well as the form of language structures through

learner-friendly tasks. Well-graded concepts are periodically recycled for recall and reinforcement.Tailored for different learning styles, and aided by easy-to-use technology, English Vibes, authored by seasoned teachers, is one of the most practicable English language learning solutions for Indian learners.

Preface

Key features

One comic strip in each book to visually depict texts, engage

students in emotionally enriching learning

experiences

Graphic Stories

Read and Answer deals with comprehension for skimming and scanning

the texts, while �ink and Answer focuses on

inferential and extrapolative reading.

Comprehension Questions

�e grammar section explains structures from the reading texts with lucid rules

and follows them up with structural drills as well as

functional activities. �e goal is to help learners use

structures on their own in speech and writing.

reading texts with lucid rules

functional activities. �e goal

Go Grammar

�e Poem Appreciation section helps learners

understand and appreciate poetry and its many

techniques and devices such as rhetoric device, meter,

imagery, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia,

and soon.

understand and appreciate


imagery, simile, metaphor,

Poem Appreciation

One play in every coursebook to

introduce learners to literature as

performance

Play

Each chapter begins with a pre-reading

Warm Up which helps learners overcome their cognitive and a�ective

barriers to reading texts in their second

language.

Warm Up

A variety of grade-appropriate reading texts, both

literary and authentic, to arouse cultural and social

awareness

grade-appropriate reading texts, both

authentic, to arouse cultural and social

Selections

A variety of

�e listening section includes tasks based on

authentic situations. In the Speak Now section, the

learners are introduced to task-based and functional language learning. �ey speak as individuals, in

pairs and in groups.

Listen Live and Speak Nowand Speak Now

�ese o�er de�nitions of important

grammar rules and concepts that require

explanation.

�ese o�er de�nitions


De�nition Boxes

�e writing section comprises guided tasks for both functional and

creative writing. It focuses on the process as well as the product

of writing tasks.

Write It

Sound Sense helps learners better

their phonic skills at the lower

primary level.

Sound SenseSound Sense helps

learners better their phonic skills

primary level.

Vocabulary exercises focus on teaching ‘active

vocabulary,’ that is, words in a real-world context. Various task

types have been included to make

learning productive and exciting.

Word Work

critical thinkingcreativitycommunicationcollaborationethics

Key features

One comic strip in each book to visually depict texts, engage

students in emotionally enriching learning

experiences

Graphic Stories

Read and Answer deals with comprehension for skimming and scanning

the texts, while �ink and Answer focuses on

inferential and extrapolative reading.

Comprehension Questions

�e grammar section explains structures from the reading texts with lucid rules

and follows them up with structural drills as well as

functional activities. �e goal is to help learners use

structures on their own in speech and writing.

reading texts with lucid rules

functional activities. �e goal

Go Grammar

�e Poem Appreciation section helps learners

understand and appreciate poetry and its many


imagery, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia,

and soon.

understand and appreciate


imagery, simile, metaphor,

Poem Appreciation

One play in every coursebook to

introduce learners to literature as

performance

Play

Each chapter begins with a pre-reading

Warm Up which helps learners overcome their cognitive and a�ective

barriers to reading texts in their second

language.

Warm Up

A variety of grade-appropriate reading texts, both

literary and authentic, to arouse cultural and social

awareness

grade-appropriate reading texts, both

authentic, to arouse cultural and social

Selections

A variety of

�e listening section includes tasks based on

authentic situations. In the Speak Now section, the

learners are introduced to task-based and functional language learning. �ey speak as individuals, in

pairs and in groups.

Listen Live and Speak Nowand Speak Now

�ese o�er de�nitions of important


explanation.

�ese o�er de�nitions


De�nition Boxes

�e writing section comprises guided tasks for both functional and

creative writing. It focuses on the process as well as the product

of writing tasks.

Write It

Sound Sense helps learners better

their phonic skills at the lower

primary level.

Sound SenseSound Sense helps

learners better their phonic skills

primary level.

Vocabulary exercises focus on teaching ‘active

vocabulary,’ that is, words in a real-world context. Various task

types have been included to make

learning productive and exciting.

Word Work

critical thinkingcreativitycommunicationcollaborationethics

Ms Gulati is a learning evangelist with over 27 years of experience. She has a Masters in English Literature from Delhi University, a Diploma in Journalism and a certificate in Pedagogy of Play by Fairydust Teaching, USA. She is the recipient of Indian Achievers Award for Education Excellence. She is also on the advisory board of Primary Plus.

Her association with The Blue Bells Group of Schools spans the last 16 years, during which she initiated the in-house curriculum centre where she leads a team of educators. She is also a resource person for the CBSE, an ideator, trainer, content developer and author. Her extensive experience has made her a highly sought after Thought Leader, and she is frequently invited to speak at various prominent conclaves.

CONSULTANT EDITORSOUMYA GULATIDeputy Director – Academic Development and Innovation

1. Friends Forever 1

2. Jack and the Beanstalk 13

The City Train 26

3. James and the Giant Peach 28

4. Tree Witness 37

There isn’t Time 48

5. The Peddler’s Dream 50

6. The Cat on the Dovrefell 61

Hopping Frog 71

7. Androcles and the Lion 73

8. Saving the Farm 88

The Wind 101

9. Tom Whitewashes the Fence 103

10. Bismu and the Panther 113

Turn Off the TV! 124

Contents

Det

aile

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Uni

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eadi

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Infe

rent

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eadi

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rasa

l ver

bs

List

enin

g fo

r de

tails

Lette

rs ir

in

fair,

thei

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akin

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Type

s of

sent

ence

sG

uide

d pa

ragr

aph

writ

ing

2Ja

ck a

nd th

e Be

anst

alk

1. R

eadi

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orm

atio

n 2.

Rea

ding

for d

etai

ls 3.

Ext

rapo

lativ

e an

d in

fere

ntia

l re

adin

g

1. C

ompo

und

wor

ds

2. M

ovem

ent

wor

ds

List

enin

g fo

r de

tails

Lette

rs o

u in

ho

use,

coun

tTa

lkin

g ab

out

an e

xper

ienc

e Si

ngul

ar a

nd

plur

al n

ouns

Com

plet

ing

a st

ory

Th

e City

Tra

in (P

oem

): Re

adin

g fo

r enj

oym

ent a

nd p

oem

appr

ecia

tion

3Ja

mes

and

the

Gia

nt

Peac

h 1.

Rea

ding

for i

nfor

mat

ion

2. R

eadi

ng fo

r det

ails

3. E

xtra

pola

tive

and

infe

rent

ial

read

ing

Suffi

xes

List

enin

g fo

r de

tails

Long

e a

nd a

so

und

in e

a w

ords

Spea

king

on

the

topi

c pr

ovid

ed

Pron

ouns

Writ

ing

a pa

ragr

aph

4Tr

ee W

itnes

s1.

Rea

ding

for i

nfor

mat

ion

2. R

eadi

ng fo

r det

ails

3. In

fere

ntia

l rea

ding

Wor

ds in

co

ntex

tLi

sten

ing

for

deta

ils a

nd

mai

n id

ea

er so

und

in

wor

dsSp

eaki

ng

on th

e to

pic

prov

ided

Sim

ple

past

fo

rms

Writ

ing

a de

scrip

tion

usin

g co

njun

ctio

ns

Th

ere i

sn't

Tim

e (Po

em):

Read

ing

for e

njoy

men

t and

poe

m ap

prec

iatio

n

5Th

e Pe

ddle

r's D

ream

1. R

eadi

ng fo

r inf

orm

atio

n 2.

Rea

ding

for d

etai

ls 3.

Ext

rapo

lativ

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d in

fere

ntia

l re

adin

g

Adj

ectiv

es

from

nou

nsLi

sten

ing

for

deta

ils a

nd

info

rmat

ion

oy so

und

in

wor

dsRo

le p

lay

in

pairs

1. S

impl

e pr

esen

t ten

se

2. W

ill fo

r fu

ture

Writ

ing

a th

ank-

you

note

U

nit

Read

ing

Wor

d W

ork

List

en L

ive

Soun

d Se

nse

Spea

k N

owG

o G

ram

mar

Writ

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6Th

e C

at o

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ovre

fell

1. R

eadi

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orm

atio

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Rea

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for d

etai

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Infe

rent

ial r

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ng

1. C

olle

ctiv

e no

uns

2. -i

ng w

ords

List

enin

g fo

r de

tails

and

in

form

atio

n

or so

und

in

wor

dsD

iscus

sion

and

role

pla

y on

the

topi

c pr

ovid

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Com

para

tive

adje

ctiv

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ompl

etin

g a

lette

r

H

oppi

ng F

rog (

Poem

): Re

adin

g fo

r enj

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ent a

nd p

oem

appr

ecia

tion

7A

ndro

cles

and

the

Lion

1. R

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r inf

orm

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Rea

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for d

etai

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Ext

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Opp

osite

sLi

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for

deta

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nd

info

rmat

ion

Long

o so

und

and

ow so

und

in w

ords

Role

pla

y:

offer

ing

help

Adv

erbs

Com

plet

ing

a st

ory

in

the

form

of

conv

ersa

tions

8Sa

ving

the

Farm

1. R

eadi

ng fo

r inf

orm

atio

n 2.

Rea

ding

for d

etai

ls 3.

Ext

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d in

fere

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Nam

es o

f pr

ofes

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List

enin

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r de

tails

Si

lent

r an

d r

pron

ounc

edRo

le p

lay:

in

terv

iew

1. A

skin

g qu

estio

ns

2. S

ubje

ct a

nd

pred

icat

e

Writ

ing

a pa

ragr

aph

Th

e Win

d (P

oem

): Re

adin

g fo

r enj

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ent a

nd p

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appr

ecia

tion

9To

m W

hite

was

hes t

he

Fenc

e1.

Rea

ding

for i

nfor

mat

ion

2. R

eadi

ng fo

r det

ails

3. In

fere

ntia

l rea

ding

1. P

refix

es

2. C

ollo

catio

ns

List

enin

g fo

r de

tails

ai

soun

d as

in

pain

, a so

und

as in

tam

e, e

soun

d as

in

pen

Role

pla

y in

pa

irsPr

epos

ition

sD

escr

ibin

g a

situa

tion

base

d on

dat

a an

d pi

ctur

es

10Bi

smu

and

the

Pant

her

1. R

eadi

ng fo

r inf

orm

atio

n 2.

Rea

ding

for d

etai

ls 3.

Ext

rapo

lativ

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d in

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adin

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Col

loca

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List

enin

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r de

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Sile

nt l

and

pron

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ed l

Spea

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ab

out a

pi

ctur

e us

ing

the

give

n cl

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1. C

onju

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2. A

post

roph

eW

ritin

g a

stor

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sed

on p

ictu

res

and

clue

s

Tu

rn O

ff th

e TV

! (Po

em):

Read

ing

for e

njoy

men

t and

poe

m ap

prec

iatio

n

Friends Forever ¦ 1

Warm UpWrite down the words that come to your mind when you think of the word ‘friendship’.

ForeverFriends1

Friendship

ReadingTrishul put on his coat and backpack and walked out of school to catch his bus to go home. His backpack weighed him down with all the materials he needed to finish his Science Fair project this weekend.

“Hey, Trishul!” Sudesh yelled, running up to him. “We are going to do the park clean-up this weekend. Can you help out?”

“Um…” Trishul knew he didn’t have time to help, but he didn’t want to disappoint Sudesh. “I guess I can.”

2 ¦ Friends Forever

“Thanks, that is so great!” Sudesh said, waving goodbye.

Trishul stepped onto the bus and took his seat. He was going to have to stay up late tonight to work on his project so he could help Sudesh in the morning.

“Trishul,” Fareen said, sitting down next to him, “I’ve been looking for you. I have to walk our dogs this weekend. My sister is going to Indore. Do you think you could help me?”

“Um…” Trishul knew their dogs had to be walked three times a day. How would he be able to fit that in on top of everything else? “I guess I can.”

“Great!” Fareen waved goodbye as the bus pulled up to their stop.

Trishul’s backpack felt even heavier as he walked into the house and flopped down on the couch. “Sounds like you agreed to too many things this weekend,” his mother said.

“I know, but Sudesh and Fareen are my friends. I couldn’t say ‘no’ to them. I didn’t want to let them down.” Trishul stared at his mum. “What should I do?”

“I’m glad you want to help your friends, but you need to have time for your own things, too.”

Trishul knew she was right. “Maybe I can tell Sudesh I can only help for two hours in the morning. And I can probably help Fareen walk their dogs early in


the morning but not at lunch or in the evening.” Trishul’s stomach turned. “Mum, do you think they’ll get mad?”

“They’re your friends. Tell them you need time to finish your Science Fair project. They’ll understand.”Trishul nodded and called his friends on the phone. He told Sudesh and Fareen the truth. As soon as he hung up, he turned to his mum. “They’re fine with it, and they both offered to help with my project, too.”“I knew it would work out,” Mum said.Trishul smiled. “Yeah, because friends help each other out.”

Glossarybackpack: a bag that you take on your back to school or work weighed him down: a burden that made it difficult for him to move fast yelled: shouted loudlydisappoint: fail to satisfy someone’s hopes flopped down: sat down heavily

sounds like: it seems that let them down: to not do something that others thought you would do stomach turned: felt nervousget mad: (here) angrynodded: lowered and raised head slightly and briefly

Read and Answer 1. Answer the following questions. a) What help did Sudesh want from Trishul? b) What help did Fareen want from Trishul?


c) How did Trishul feel when he arrived home from school? i) excited ii) hurt iii) angry iv) felt he had too much to do

d) Why was Trishul nervous about calling his friends? i) He was afraid they would be upset with him for not helping enough. ii) He was afraid they would ask him to do even more. iii) He was worried that they would not help him with his

Science Fair project. iv) He was worried that his friends would not answer the phone.

2. Match the words on the left to their meanings on the right.

a) weekend i) sofa

b) probably ii) Saturday and Sunday

c) offered iii) looked at with eyes wide open

d) couch iv) likely

e) stared v) showed a willingness to help someone

Think and Answer

Phrasal verbs Read the following sentences and note the words in colour.• Can you help out? • He was going to have to stay up late tonight to work on his project so he could

help Sudesh in the morning.

Word Work W O R D

W O R K

Were Sudesh and Fareen good friends of Trishul? Tell why or why not.


These words are formed with a verb along with a position word or a word that describes a verb. They are called phrasal verbs.Examples: break in, fall apart, catch up, drop out, get along, etc.

Here are some commonly used verbs that are part of a phrase.

Phrasal verb Meaning

call off to stop doing or cancel something

wipe off to clean something with a cloth or tissue

turn off to switch off the electricity in a machine

show off to boast to impress somebody

tear off to remove something by ripping it

get off to leave a vehicle (bus, train, car, etc.)

take off to remove something, especially a piece of clothing or shoes; also used to talk about vehicles starting to move

put off to push forward to a later time; to be made to feel badly about something

1. Complete the sentences. Use the phrasal verbs you just learnt. a) He wanted to his new car to his friends.

b) She had to the secret message after she had read it.

c) your shoes before you enter the temple.

d) The children had to the picnic because it was raining.

• Trishul’s backpack felt even heavier as he walked into the house and flopped down on the couch.

• As soon as he hung up, he turned to his mum.

What do the highlighted words mean?


e) I will at the next bus stop.

f) Don’t forget to the air conditioner when you leave the room.

g) Rohan had to the dust that had collected on his computer.

h) She was by the boring movie, so she slept through it.

Read these sentences.

•Fareenwavedgoodbyeasthebuspulled up to their stop.

If a vehicle pulls up, it stops.

Pull in, pull out, and pull over also refer to movement of vehicles.

• ThetrainfromGuwahatiispulling in at platform no. 1. (slowing down to stop)

• ThetrainboundforAgrapulled out of the station. (moved out)

• Wepulled over near the park and got off. (moved to side of the road and stopped).

2. Choose a suitable expression from the box and use it to fill in the blanks.

pull in pull out pull over pull up

a) Asha was speaking to her friend, when a car near her.

b) The train at the right time.

c) The van at the police station with a group of policemen.

d) We to check for any fault in the car, as we felt something was wrong.


Listen to the story and complete the exercises. Before you listen, take a look at the exercises.

1. Choose the correct option.

a) The sense of sharing made their work easier. The students of Class 3 were in the school garden

i) to learn about plants. ii) to water the plants. iii) to prepare the ground for planting. iv) to play games.

b) Mrs Anitha advised the students to leave enough space for each tree so that

i) each tree may spread out well and grow big. ii) each tree would get enough sunlight and water. iii) there would be enough space under each tree for

the children to play. iv) they could grow small plants in between them.

c) The team that was quick had in it

i) Reena, Lia, and Virat. ii) Reena, Michael, and Manish. iii) Reena, Manish, and Lia. iv) Reena, Virat, and Michael.

d) Lia’s team could not plant many trees because i) they were tired. ii) they did not bring enough saplings. iii) the other team had used up the space. iv) the teacher did not allow them.

Listen Live


Look and listen.

e) Lia and Virat were i) disappointed. ii) angry. iii) helpless. iv) all of the above. 2. Given below is a list of words describing the two teams. Write the words that

best describe each team.

quick and smart slow and steady unmindful of others rude and selfish did not work as a team did not plan ahead

Lia and team

Reena and team

3. What do you understand about working in a group from the story that you listened to? Discuss.

In the story, we came across words that have the letters ir. For example, fair, their, etc.1. Now look at the pictures and repeat the words with the ir sound.

thirsty

stairs

I need to climb stairs to go up to my room.

I need some water because I am thirsty.

Sound Sense


shirt

hair

dirt

Do you like my new shirt?

Kaira has long hair.

I have dirt on my face.

2. Now think of three more words that have the letters ir in them.

Speak NowIn the story, Trishul offers to help his friends during the weekend, but he doesn’t have the time.How do we make offers?Read these sentences.• Would you like something to drink?• Could I help you with your homework?• MaybeIcan help you out.• Can I be of any help?• May I help you?

Could is more polite than can.

Remember


Go Grammar

Work in pairs. Offer help to your partner who has a problem. Use the expressions you learnt above.

Some problems could bea) your partner is not well and has missed important classes before the examsb) your partner has come to school leaving his or her lunch at homec) your partner has hurt his or her arm and can’t take notes in the class

Of course, I do!

• Do you ever need to make a request or give a command? Certainly! • Do you ever need to show how you feel? Surely! • Do you ever need to share information? Without a doubt.

There are four types of sentences.1. Declarative sentence (statements)2. Imperative sentence (commands and requests)3. Interrogative sentence (questions)4. Exclamatory sentence (expressing strong feelings)

A declarative sentence simply makes a statement or expresses an opinion. In other words, it makes a declaration.

Types of sentences

Do you ever need to ask questions?


Examples of this sentence type:• “Ididn’twanttoletthemdown.”• “MysisterisgoingtoIndore.”

An imperative sentence gives a command or makes an appeal.

Example of this sentence type:• “TellthemyouneedtimetofinishyourScienceFairproject.”

An interrogative sentence asks a question. This type of sentence often begins with who, what, where, when, why, how, or do, and it ends with a question mark.

Examples of this sentence type:• ‘‘Canyouhelpout?’’• ‘‘Doyouthinkyoucouldhelpme?’’

An exclamatory sentence is a sentence that expresses great emotion such as excitement, surprise, happiness, and anger, and it ends with an exclamation mark.

Example of this sentence type:• “Thanks,thatissogreat!”

Raju loves to dream. Here are some sentences that tell us his thoughts. Write the type of sentence each one is in the blanks below.

How can I make mum let me play in the rain?

Leave this room at once.

Summer holidays are exciting because there are no classes to attend.

Doesn’t that sound funny?

The principal will declare a holiday tomorrow.

What a lovely dress the fairy is wearing!

Please come and watch me play.


Write ItWho is a true friend? What are the qualities of a good friend? Write a paragraph on the topic ‘True friendship’. Given below is a writing checklist. Once you finish your paragraph, exchange it with your partner. Both of you will check the work of the other with the help of the checklist given below.

Paragraphs need to have topic sentences. They are a way of organizing and expressing the main idea of the paragraph. Here’s an example of a topic sentence.

• Therearemanypossiblereasonswehavesomuchpollution.The topic is ‘‘pollution’’ and the main idea is ‘‘reasons we have so much pollution.’’How to write a paragraph:

• Answerquestionlikewhy, how, or where. • Writesupportingsentencesorusefuldetailsaboutyourtopic. • Explainordescribesomething.

Writing checklist

Self-check Friend check Checklist

Is there a topic sentence?

Do the sentences begin with capital letters?

Do all the sentences have correct punctuation marks at the end?

Are all the words spelt correctly? Mention the misspelt words.

How many sentences are there?

Is the handwriting neat?

Jack and the Beanstalk ¦ 13

Warm Up

the BeanstalkJack2

Sit in groups of four and answer these questions within your group. One member from the group can repeat one answer to the class.

a) Name three daily chores (household work) that you enjoy doing and three chores that you do not enjoy doing.

b) Name three ways in which you help your mother, father, brother, or sister.

c) If someone were to grant you a boon, what would you ask for?

and

Reading

Once upon a time, Jack lived on a small farm with his mother. Every day, Jack would help his mother. He would chop the wood, weed the garden, and milk the cow. Both Jack and his mother worked very hard. But still they were very poor.

One day Jack’s mother said to him, “We don’t have enough money to buy seeds for the farm this year! We must sell our cow, Old Bess. Please take our cow. Sell her. Come back with the money.”

“All right, Mother,” said Jack, “It’s market-day today. I’ll go into town and sell Bessy.”

14 ¦ Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack walked across the fields to the river. He had to just cross the river to reach the town. He met a funny-looking old man who said to him, “Good morning, Jack. Where are you off to this fine morning?”

“Good morning to you,” said Jack. He wondered how the little old man knew his name. He said, “I’m going to the market to sell our cow, Bessy.”

“Well, what a helpful son you are!” exclaimed the man. “I have a special deal for such a good boy like you.”

The little old man opened his hand to show Jack what he held.

“Beans?” asked Jack, looking a little confused.

“Six magical bean seeds to be exact, young man. If you plant them overnight, by morning they will grow right up to the sky,” promised the funny little man. “Now take these beans and give your cow to me.”

“They’re very pretty colours. Please take this cow and give me these beans,” said Jack.

Jack handed over Bessy’s noose, took the beans, and headed back home to show them to his mother.

“Back already, Jack?” asked his mother, “I see you haven’t got Old Bess – you’ve sold her so quickly. How much did you get for her?”

Jack smiled and reached into his pocket, “Just look at these beans, Mother. They’re magical. Plant them overnight and…”

Jack’s mother was very cross. She pushed the beans out of Jack’s hand. They went straight out through the window. “Jack! Go to bed now.”

Jack ran upstairs to his small room in the attic. He went to bed but he was sad.


When he woke up the next morning, his room looked strange. He looked out of the window. A huge beanstalk was next to his house. The top of the beanstalk was above the clouds.

Jack used the leaves and twisty vines like the steps of a ladder. He climbed and climbed until at last, he reached the sky.

At the top was a tall, square castle. Jack counted six, tall gold towers. He opened a large door and went quietly inside. An ugly giant lived in the huge castle. He was sleeping near a huge kitchen. Next to the enormous giant was a tiny white hen in a small gold cage. It was looking sickly.

The hen looked sadly at Jack. ‘‘Please help me. I cannot walk. I cannot open my wings to fly. I have not seen the sky for a long time. I always live in this cage.’’

Jack went near the cage. He opened it and picked up the little hen. He walked quickly to the beanstalks and climbed down.

Just then the giant opened his eyes. ‘‘Where is my hen? I’m so hungry I could eat three cows. Ah, what’s this I smell?

‘‘Fee-fi-fo-fum,I smell the blood of an Englishman,Be he alive, or be he deadI'll grind his bones to make my bread.’’

The giant came running after Jack. When he got to the beanstalk, suddenly he saw Jack disappear. Confused, the giant peered through the clouds and saw Jack


underneath climbing down for dear life. The giant stomped his foot and roared angrily.

“Fee-fi-fo-fum,I smell the blood of an Englishman,I can see you. I’m coming to grind your bones and make my bread.”

The giant tried to climb down the beanstalk. Jack climbed down very fast.

As he neared the bottom, Jack called out, “Mother! Please! Hurry, bring me an axe, bring me an axe.” And his mother came rushing out with Jack’s wood chopping axe in her hand. But when she came to the enormous beanstalk, she stood stock-still with fright.

Jack jumped down on the ground. He picked up the axe and chopped down the beanstalk. The giant could not climb down.

With his mother’s help, Jack got the sickly hen back in good health. The grateful hen clucked happily and laid a golden egg on the ground. Both Jack and his mother were surprised. It was a special hen.

Jack sold the egg. Now he could purchase seeds for the spring crop. He also could buy his milking cow, Old Bess, after some time. He also invited all his friends for a nice meal.

And so, Jack, his mother, Old Bess, and the white hen lived happily ever after.


Read and Answer 1. Number the sentences in the order they happen in the story. a) Jack took the hen and ran to climb down the beanstalk. b) Jack led his milking cow to the market to sell it to buy seeds for the farm. c) His mother was very cross that he had sold the cow for six special beans. d) Jack climbed the beanstalk and saw a tall, square castle with towers. e) An old man gave Jack six magical beans in exchange for the cow. f) His mother threw the beans out of the window angrily, and the next

morning, Jack saw giant beanstalks reaching to the sky. g) Jack lived happily with his mother. The white hen gave them a golden egg. h) Jack entered the castle and saw the giant sleeping. The sickly hen

asked him for help. i) Jack asked his mother to get his axe. As soon as he got down, he cut the

beanstalk with the axe. The giant could not climb down.

2. Read the sentences. Who said them? Circle the correct answer. a) ‘‘Come back with the money.’’ i) The old man ii) Jack’s mother b) ‘‘Six magical bean seeds to be exact.’’ i) Jack ii) The old man c) ‘‘They’re very pretty colours.’’ i) The old man ii) Jack d) ‘‘Go to bed.’’ i) Jack’s mother ii) Jack

Glossarynoose: a loop that tightens as the rope is pulled; used to trap animals cross: upset attic: a small, storage room on top of the stairsvines: the twisted branches of a climbing plant that grow upwards

castle: fortenormous: huge, massivestock-still: frozen, surprised fright: in fear


Think and Answer

e) ‘‘I cannot walk.’’ i) The giant ii) The hen f) ‘‘Where is my hen?’’ i) Jack ii) The giant g) ‘‘I can see you.’’ i) The giant ii) Jack’s mother

3. Complete the graphic organizer for the story you just read.

1. Would you call the giant wicked and selfish? Give reasons.

2. Is Jack a brave and a clever boy? How do you know?

Write three words to describe these characters.

Beginning Middle End


Two words in one In the story, we come across the word beanstalk. It is made up of two words: bean and stalk.There are many such words in the English language that are made up of two nouns.Read the examples given below.• butter and fly = butterfly • key and hole = keyhole • air and plane = airplane • book and shelf = bookshelf • light and house = lighthouse1. Read the clues and solve the crossword to find two words in one.

Word Work W O R D

W O R K

1

2

5

6

7

3

4


1. Listen to yet another story, look at the pictures, and number them in the order you hear about them.

Across1. one of the words is ‘book’ and you write in it3. one of the words is ‘see’ and you will find this in a park5. one of the words is ‘black’ and your teacher writes on it6. one of the words is ‘cup’ and you use it to store things 7. one of the words is ‘room’ and you find this place inside a school

Down1. one of the words is ‘paper’ and it tells us what is happening everywhere2. one of the words is ‘foot’ and you score goals with it 4. one of the words is ‘brush’ and you clean your teeth with it

Movement words2. Find five movement words from the lesson and fill them in the boxes given

below. One has been done for you.

walked

Listen Live


2. Read the sentences. Write T for true and F for false statements.

a) The cat had a problem with the mice.

b) The mice were scared of the cat.

c) The cat caught the relatives of the mice and ate them up.

d) The Minister mouse wanted to find an answer to the problem.

e) An old mouse thought of tying a bell round the cat’s neck.

f) The young mouse had an excellent idea, but he was not ready to go near the cat.

The letters o and u come together to make a sound ou as in ‘house’ and ‘counted’.

1. Look at the ou words given in the box and read them aloud with your friend. After you finish reading, add three more words to the list.

proud mountain cloud south bounce sound shout

The three words are , , and .

2. Now read aloud these sentences in groups of four.

a) The round moon is shining above the house.

b) The mouse climbed the tree and bounced on the brown branch.

c) The sound came from the mountain. We could hear someone shouting.

d) The cow ran round and round the garden.

e) The south wind roared and howled round the giant’s house.

Sound Sense


Go Grammar

Read these sentences and note the use of the nouns for one or more than one person, place, animal, or thing.

• Jack used the leaves and twisty vines like the steps of a ladder. He climbed and climbed until at last, he reached the sky.

Jack, ladder, and sky are singular nouns as they name one person, thing, and place, respectively. Leaves, vines, and steps name more than one thing and are called plural (more than one) nouns.

Speak NowRemember that in the story, Jack lived on a small farm with his mother. When was the last time you visited a farm? Speak to your class about your visit to the farm using the following clues. I visited a farm in .

We went for a ride on the tractor. It was .

We fed the big and small animals. We fed the hens, , the sheep, , etc.

We collected .

I had a wonderful time. I .

Nouns that name a common person place or thing are called common nouns. For example, leaves, vines, steps, ladder, sky.Nouns that name a particular person, place, animal, or thing are called proper nouns. For example, Jack.

Remember

Singular and plural nouns


Look at these pictures.

Plural nouns can be formed in many ways. Read the rules below to change singular nouns to plural nouns.

1. Complete the table with the plural form of the nouns.

Singular Plural

apple

class

doctor

brush

2. Write S for singular nouns and P for plural nouns. a) crocodile b) desks c) friend d) cousins e) boxes f) pencil g) matches h) skirts

When a noun names only one person, place, animal, or thing, it is known as a singular noun.

When a noun names more than one person, place, animal, or thing, it is known as a plural noun.

Rule 1: We add an -s to singular nouns to make them plural.

one book two books one hand two hands

Rule 2: We add -es to singular nouns that end with s, ss, sh, ch, x, and o to make them plural.


Read the following sentences from the story. Note the use of a, an, and the.• Atthe top was a tall, square castle. Jack counted six, tall gold towers. He opened

a large door and went quietly inside. • An ugly giant lived in the huge castle. He was sleeping near a huge kitchen. Next

to the enormous giant was a tiny white hen in a small gold cage.By now you know the difference between vowels and consonants. The letters a, e, i, o, u are vowels. The rest of the letters of the alphabet are consonants.

A, an, and the are called articles. 1. We use a and an when we talk about things in general or for the first time.2. We use a before words that begin with a consonant sound. 3. We use an before words that begin with a vowel sound. 4. We use the before words when we mention them the second time. 5. We also use the when we mention something that is one of its kind. For example: ‘‘I smell the blood of an Englishman.’’ 6. We write a and an with singular words only. We write the with both singular and plural words. Examples: a boy the boy an apple the apples

3. Complete these sentences using a, an, or the. a) I saw eagle flying. Soon eagle landed to catch

mouse. But mouse ran fast enough to escape eagle.

b) Tina has white dog, brown dog, and parrot as pets. dogs are always quiet, but parrot is very noisy.

c) Yesterday my father bought umbrella for me. umbrella is bright and colourful. I like umbrella

very much.

Now let us look at the uses of the.

1. We use the to talk about a particular person or thing or about something which is known to the people who are talking to each other.

Example: The book you gave me is interesting.

Articles


Write ItWrite the story of the mice wanting to bell the cat in your own words. The words in the box will help you. You can write five to ten sentences in your notebook.

meeting problem enemy caught eaten relatives suggest think worried scared idea

excellent warn wonderful forward tie replied

2. We use the for things that are special and only one in number. Examples: The Sun The Moon The Taj Mahal

3. We usually do not use the before the names of persons and places. But we use the before the names of rivers and mountain ranges. We also use the before the names of countries whose name has a special meaning.

Examples: The Tony 7 The Ganges 3

The India 7 The Himalayas 3

The Nepal 7 The United States of America 3

4. Fill in the blanks with the where necessary. Put a 7 where we do not need an article. One has been done for you.

a) Mary is not feeling well. b) moon is surrounded by stars. c) New Delhi is the capital of India. d) Where did you put flowers I gave you? e) man in green shirt is my father. f) When I went to Agra, I saw Taj Mahal. g) Rocky Mountains are in United States of America.

7

26 ¦ The City Train

City TrainThe

We’re rushing through the station,We’ve tickets for the train.We’re visiting the city,Then we’re home again.

The train is at the platformAnd it’s ready to goWe must hurry, hurry, hurryI can hear the whistle blow.

The red and silver engineIs noisy, big and strongAnd faster, faster, fasterIt’s pulling us along.

Now trees and fields are flying byFlying by the trainWe’re visiting the cityThen we’re coming home again.

Anonymous

Reading

Glossaryflying by: moving past the window quickly

The City Train ¦ 27

Let's Enjoy1. Answer the questions. Write short answers. The first one has been done for you. Verse 1: a) Where are the children? At the station b) What are they visiting? Verse 2: c) Where is the train? Verse 3: d) What are the colours of the engine? Verse 4: e) Which things are flying by the train?

2. Write the words under the correct pictures.

station ticket platform engine whistle field

N.O: 0123456789

TICKET

1. Identify the rhyming words from the poem. a) train – b) go – c) strong –

2. Why do you think the following words are repeated? a) hurry (verse 2) b) faster (verse 3)

Activity

28 ¦ James and the Giant Peach

Warm Up

Giant PeachJames3

Discuss in groups of four.

a) Are you fond of trees?

b) What does a tree mean to you?

c) Why is it important to look after trees?

d) How do trees make your life better?

and the

Reading

Here is James Henry Trotter when he was about four years old.

Up until this time, he had had a happy life, living peacefully with his mother and father in a beautiful house beside the sea. There were always plenty of other children for him to play with, and there was the sandy beach for him to run about on and the ocean to paddle in. It was the perfect life for a small boy.

Then, one day, James’s mother and father went to London to do some shopping, and there a terrible thing happened. Both of them suddenly got eaten up (in full daylight, mind you, and on a crowded street) by an enormous angry rhinoceros which had escaped from the London Zoo.

James and the Giant Peach ¦ 29

Now this, as you can well imagine, was a rather nasty experience for two such gentle parents. But in the long run, it was far nastier for James than it was for them. Their troubles were all over in a jiffy.

They were dead and gone in thirty-five seconds flat. Poor James, on the other hand, was still very much alive, and all at once he found himself alone and frightened in a vast, unfriendly world. The lovely house by the seaside had to be sold immediately, and the little boy, carrying nothing but a small suitcase containing a pair of pyjamas and a toothbrush, was sent away to live with his two aunts.

Their names were Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, and I am sorry to say that they were both really horrible people. They were selfish and lazy and cruel, and right from the beginning they started beating poor James for almost no reason at all. They never called him by his real name, but always referred to him as “you miserable creature”, and they certainly never gave him any toys to play with or any picture books to look at. His room was as bare as a prison cell.

They lived – Aunt Sponge, Aunt Spiker, and now James as well – in a queer ramshackle house on the top of a high hill in the south of England. The hill was so high that from almost anywhere in the garden James could look down and see for miles and miles across a marvellous landscape of woods and fields, and on a very clear day, if he looked in the right direction, he could see a tiny grey dot far away on the horizon, which was the house that he used to live in with his beloved mother and father. And just beyond that, he could see the ocean itself – a long thin streak of blackish-blue, like a line of ink, beneath the rim of the sky.

But James was never allowed to go down off the top of that hill. Neither Aunt Sponge nor Aunt Spiker could ever be bothered to take him out herself, not even for a small walk or a picnic, and he certainly wasn’t permitted to go alone. “The


nasty little beast will only get into mischief if he goes out of the garden,” Aunt Spiker had said. And terrible punishments were promised him, such as being locked up in the cellar with the rats for a week, if he even so much as dared to climb over the fence.

The garden, which covered the whole of the top of the hill, was large and desolate, and the only tree in the entire place (apart from a clump of dirty old laurel bushes at the far end) was an ancient peach tree that never gave any peaches. There was no swing, no seesaw, no sandpit, and no other children were ever invited to come up the hill to play with poor James. There wasn’t so much as a dog or a cat around to keep him company.

And as time went on, he became sadder and sadder, and more and more lonely, and he used to spend hours every day standing at the bottom of the garden, gazing wistfully at the lovely but forbidden world of woods and fields and ocean that was spread out below him like a magic carpet.

Roald Dahl

Glossarypeacefully: without disturbance enormous: very large nasty: very bad or unpleasant experience: an event or occurrence that creates an impression on people jiffy: very quicklyimmediately: without delayreferred: mentioned or talked about miserable: very unhappyqueer: strangeramshackle: a house that is badly made and likely to break or fall downmarvellous: amazing and beautiful

horizon: point where the earth and the sky seem to meet streak: a line or long mark on something that is a different colour from the colour surrounding it rim: the upper or outer edge of an objectpermitted: allowedcellar: a room under a building, below the level of the ground, usually used for storing thingsdared: had the courage to do something that is not safe desolate: empty and deserted laurel: a small tree with shiny dark green leaves that do not fall off in winterancient: very oldwistfully: sadly, with regretforbidden: a place where you are not allowed to enter


Read and Answer 1. Answer the following questions. a) Where did James live when we first meet him? b) Why did he move in with his aunts? c) Where was he not allowed to go? d) What happened to James’s parents? e) What were James’s aunts called? f) What was in the backyard of James’s house? g) What did James’s cruel aunts call him? h) What did James do as he became sadder and sadder?

2. Describe each of the following and complete the table.

Think and Answer 1. Describe James’s aunts. Talk about their characteristics as well as their

appearance.

2. Why do you think the woods and fields looked like a ‘magic carpet’ from the hill where James was?

James’s parents’ house James’s aunts’ house

James’s life in his parents’ house James’s life in his aunts’ house


Read this sentence. • Up until this time, he had had a happy life, living peacefully with his

mother and father in a beautiful house beside the sea.Note the word peaceful is made by adding the ending -ful to the word peace.There are many similar words in the English language that use the endings -ful or -less. These are called suffixes.Example: • pain+less = painless• forget+ful = forgetful• meaning+less = meaningless

1. Read the words below and make new words using -ful or -less. Some words can use both.

a) care + = .

b) dread + = .

c) hope + = .

d) cheer + = .

e) harm + = .

f) heart + = .

g) sleep + = .

h) doubt + = .

Word Work W O R D

W O R K

The suffix ‘ful’ means full of.

The suffix ‘less’ means without.

3. Read the last two paragraphs. What do they tell us about James?

4. What do you think will happen to the peach tree in the story and why?

5. Imagine how the peach tree looks like. Write two lines about it.

Suffixes


2. Write a single word with -ful or -less to complete each sentence. Use the clues given.

home care thank harm colour

a) I am to God for having wonderful parents. b) people are provided with shelters. c) Some snakes are , but others are dangerous. d) Holi is a festival. e) Ram is a driver. He hit a tree last week.

Number the things in the order you hear about them.

Listen Live


Talk briefly to your class about one of the following.

How James’s life changed after his parents’ deathOr

James’s aunts and their treatment of himOr

The ancient peach tree in James’s backyard

Notice the spelling of the word peach from the story.Although peach is spelt with an ea, it is pronounced as ee. It takes the long e sound.Similar words in the English language are each, reach, heat, beat, teach. Note that not all ea words are pronounced with a long e sound.Many take the a sound. Example: tear, wear, bear.

Fill in the blanks with words that have a long ee sound. Then read the sentences aloud.

a) May I have my dinner, . (p _ _ _ _ _)

b) It is time to dinner. (e _ _)

c) Frogs like to in the pond. (l _ _ _)

d) I don’t eat . I am a vegetarian. (m _ _ _)

e) My mother likes me to keep my bedroom nice and . (c _ _ _ _)

f) I would like to have a cup of . (t _ _ )

Speak Now

Sound Sense


Go Grammar PronounsRead the following sentences from the story and note the words in colour.• Upuntilthistime,he had had a happy life, living peacefully with his mother

and father.• TheirnameswereAuntSpongeandAuntSpiker,andIamsorrytosaythatthey

were both really horrible people.The words in colour replace the naming words James, and Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. That way, their names do not have to be repeated. These words are called pronouns.

Pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns so that the nouns are not repeated in a sentence.

Now let us look at the pronouns used for different people. Notice how a pronoun changes if it is put after the doing word in a sentence.

a girl or a woman She is my sister. I like her a lot.

a boy or a man He is a doctor. You can meet him.

our own self I am hungry. Give me something to eat.

person or persons we are speaking to You are late. The teacher wants to meet you.

a group of people Tim and Ann are singers. They sing very well. People love to hear them sing.

a group which includes us David and I are friends. We are in the same school. Father drops us there every morning.

an animal or thing I saw a green frog. It jumped into the pond. A big fish caught it.


1. Underline the pronouns in these sentences. a) It is my parents’ anniversary today. I bought flowers

for them. b) Max is sitting in the car. He is going to office. c) Grandma gave some chocolates to Annie and me.

She gave us some wafers too. d) My name is Rudy. I am nine years old. e) That is Alice’s dog. It is very fond of me. f) Mini and Soni are going to the park. They are going

to play.

2. Choose the correct pronouns and fill in the blanks.

a) We are going to watch a movie and Dia is coming with . (us/them)

b) These flowers are for Alice. Please pass them to . (her/she)

c) The milk has gone bad. is not fit for drinking now. (It/He)

d) Mary and Jon are in the library. are reading storybooks. (We/They)

e) I don’t want to go to the mall alone. Tina, will come with me? (you/she)

f) Dan and I are going to the circus. are meeting at 4 o’clock. (Us/We)

Write ItWhat do you think will happen as the story unfolds? Write a paragraph based on what you think will happen to James, James’s mean aunts, and the peach tree as the story moves forward.

Tree Witness ¦ 37

Warm Up

Witness Tree4Kings in older times had ministers or advisers who were very wise and who helped them take the right decisions. Sometimes they solved very tricky problems, too.

Here is a riddle for you. See if you can solve it.What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?

ReadingOne day, an old man came weeping and wailing to Emperor Akbar. “Justice, Jahanpanah! I have been robbed in my old age! Only you can help me.” Emperor Akbar looked at the man’s grey hair and wrinkled face.

He was bent over and weak and leaned on a staff. His tattered garments showed that he was quite poor. “Tell me your troubles, Babaji,” the emperor said kindly. “Birbal and I will try to help you.”“Last year, before leaving on a long pilgrimage, I had left a bag of gold coins – all the money that I had – with my neighbour for safekeeping. When I returned, he refused to give my money back. He claimed I had never given him any money at all. I am ruined! Who will take care of me in my old age, Jahanpanah?” The poor fellow began sobbing and crying all over again. If the king could not help him, he would have to beg for a living! “Bring your neighbour to court tomorrow morning and Birbal will help me know the truth,” the emperor said.

38 ¦ Tree Witness

Next morning, the old man came to court with his neighbour, a strong young man with a big moustache. “The old baba is mistaken, Your Majesty,” said the young man stroking his moustache. “He is becoming forgetful in his old age. I am a rich man and an honest one. Why would I want to rob a poor old fellow, old enough to be my grandfather?”

Somehow, Birbal didn’t quite trust the young neighbour. He turned to the old man, “Did anyone see you giving the bag of gold to your neighbour?” “No, Huzoor,” the old man said shaking his head sadly. “I trusted this young man as a son. Now I see I was mistaken.” His shoulders slumped in hopelessness. “Umm... let me think,” said Birbal. “Can you remember where you were, Babaji, when you gave him this bag of coins?” “Ah, that I do remember, Huzoor,” the old man said, brightening up. “We were standing under a mango tree, in a mango grove outside our village. It was summer. The mangoes were ripe, and the air was filled with their delicious smell.”

“A mango tree!” said Birbal, delighted. “I thought you said you had no witness. The mango tree is your witness. Baba, go immediately to the tree in the mango grove and ask the tree to come to court.” A titter broke out among the nobles and other spectators. Everyone thought Birbal was joking. How could a mango tree come to

Tree Witness ¦ 39

court and give witness? A tree cannot walk or talk. The old man, too, was shocked, but he was afraid to talk back to the king’s minister. So, he bowed low and left immediately for the mango grove. An hour passed and the king and nobles were becoming restless. “Be patient,” said Birbal. “The old gentleman will be back any minute.” “Oh no!” said the young neighbour, jumping up, “He is not going to be back for several hours.” Birbal looked at the young man. “Tell me, how far the mango grove is from here.” “More than three miles away, Huzoor. But that old fellow walks so slowly, it will take him at least three hours to get there and back!” “Very well, we shall wait,” said Birbal and proceeded with other business in the court.

Several hours later, the old man returned. He was dusty and weary, and, of course, there was no tree with him. “Three times I repeated your order to the tree, but it would not budge. Now I am truly lost for I have no witness.” His face crumpled and his whole body shook with sobs. “Don’t worry, Babaji,” said Birbal kindly. “That mango tree has already given its witness for you.” He turned to the neighbour with an angry frown. “You, young man, are a liar and a thief! You did take the old man’s money under a mango tree. How else would you know which mango tree he had gone to and how far away it was?” The emperor and his courtiers clapped and cheered Birbal. Birbal had solved yet another case! The neighbour was ordered to give the old man two bags of gold coins and was then led away to prison. The old man went away singing the praises of Akbar and Birbal.

Amita Sarin

40 ¦ Tree Witness

Read and Answer

1. Say whether the following are true (T) or false (F).

a) The old man, who came to Akbar’s court to seek justice, lived under a mango tree.

b) The old man’s neighbour was called Ramu. c) The old man was not rich. d) Akbar asked the old man to produce the mango

tree as a witness for his claim. e) The neighbour knew that it would take the old man

several hours before he returned to court. f) The mango tree was more than fifteen miles from

the Emperor’s court. g) Birbal found out that the neighbour had cheated

the old man because he knew how far the court was from the mango tree.

h) The old man was sad as he had no money left after his neighbour had cheated him.

GlossaryJahanpanah: old Persian word for ‘Emperor’staff: a thick walking sticktattered: torngarments: clothessobbing: crying softlystroking: gently rubbing one’s hand over something or someoneslumped: bent downbrightening up: showing happiness on one’s facewitness: someone who can be trusted to describe honestly the things he or she has seentitter: laughter that shows disrespect

restless: not willing or able to keep still because you are nervous or boredpatient: to calmly wait for something to happenmiles: a mile is almost one and a half kilometresproceeded: went aheadbusiness: workweary: tired budge: move from a placecrumpled: lost shapefrown: to move your eyebrows down and closer together because you are angry, worried, or thinking hardcourtiers: members of a king’s court

Tree Witness ¦ 41

2. Answer with reference to the context. a) “Tell me your troubles, Babaji,” the emperor said kindly. “Birbal and I will

try to help you.” i) Who was the emperor talking to? ii) What were this person’s ‘troubles’?

iii) What does this conversation tell us about the emperor?

b) “Oh no!”… “He is not going to be back for several hours.” i) Who said these words to whom? ii) Who would not be back for several hours and why? iii) What did these words prove?

Think and Answer 1. Read this sentence. ‘‘A mango tree!’’ said Birbal, delighted.

Why do you think Birbal was delighted?

2. How do we know that the old man was not forgetful as the neighbour had claimed?

3. Do you think Birbal had always known the truth? How did he get to know the truth? Explain.

Word Work W O R D

W O R K

Words in context 1. Find words from the story which mean the same as these expressions. a) to let out a mournful cry as in grief or suffering b) to shift one’s body weight towards one side

42 ¦ Tree Witness

c) to go on a religious visit or journey d) to hand over to keep in a place where something is secure e) people who watch at an event f) a group of mango trees that grow close together

2. Use the words from the exercise above to complete the sentences. One has been done for you.

a) We went on a to Amarnath. b) The old man upon his walking stick. c) I gave my school badge to my mother for . d) The at the cricket match were very excited. e) I visited a shady . I plucked a lot of

mangoes. f) The injured man was in pain by the side of the road.

1. Listen to the first part of the story The Mango Tree and answer the questions.

a) Why does the young man’s wife complain to him? i) She doesn’t like the mango tree. ii) She feels that his sister spends too much time looking

after the mango tree and neglects the housework. iii) She doesn’t like her husband.

b) What does she suggest the sister should do? i) get married and go away from the house ii) do all the housework iii) go to college

c) What do you think will happen in Part 2? i) The mango tree will be cut down. ii) The mango tree will die. iii) The brother will fall sick.

pilgrimage

Listen Live

Tree Witness ¦ 43

2. Now listen to the second part of The Mango Tree and answer the questions.

a) Why do you think the young man’s wife neglected the mango tree?

i) She wanted to plant flowers instead of a mango tree.

ii) She was angry that her sister-in-law missed only the mango tree and not them.

iii) She did not eat mangoes.

b) What does the sister mean by “The tree and my brother share a common soul”?

i) It means that the tree and her brother were somehow connected.

ii) It means her brother was also a tree.

iii) It means her brother liked mangoes.

1. Look and read aloud the words from the story.

summer minister

These words have an er sound at the end.

2. Now look at the pictures and name the people. Read their names aloud.

a) b) c) d)

Sound Sense

44 ¦ Tree Witness

Now, listen and repeat.

First came the builder,

Then came the carpenter,

Next came the plumber,

And last came the painter.

Look! It’s our new house!

In the story we read, we see how justice is done. What do you think are the qualities of a good judge?

Speak Now

Go Grammar

Take turns in speaking about the qualities of a good judge. You may use the clues given above.

honest fair just sympathetic

Simple past forms Read these sentences. Notice the words in colour.

It was summer. The mangoes were ripe and the air was filled with their delicious smell’’.

The simple past forms of the verb be are was and were. We use was with he/she/it/I.We use were with you/we/they.Was is a singular verb used with nouns or pronouns that are singular.Were is a plural verb used with nouns or pronouns that are plural.

Tree Witness ¦ 45

Now read these sentences.• Theoldmanhad no witness.

Had is used to talk about what we have already done. It is used in place of both have and has. Therefore, it can be used with both singular and plural nouns or pronouns.

• The emperor and his courtiers clapped and cheered Birbal.

Some verbs, which we call regular verbs, show past action by adding -d/-ed at the end.A past tense verb helps us talk about completed or finished past actions or events which regularly took place in the past.

• Birbal saved the old man’s life with a simple trick.

• Birbal attended Akbar’s court every day.

If a verb ends in -e, you add -d.

agree → agreed like → liked escape → escaped

If a verb ends in a vowel and a consonant, the consonant is usually doubled before -ed.

stop → stopped plan → planned

If a verb ends in consonant and -y, you remove the y and add -ied.

try → tried carry → carried

But if the word ends in a vowel and -y, you add -ed.

play → played enjoy → enjoyed

46 ¦ Tree Witness

1. Circle the verbs that double the last consonant in their past forms. Write the past forms in your notebook.

skip play jump open drop walk shop spot watch travel

2. Read and circle the correct option.

Amit and Lalit was/had a family concert. The concert were/was at their home in Kolkata. The children and their parents were/played their instruments. Everyone in the audience listened to/was the music and enjoyed/had it. It was/were a really special day.

3. Write any five things you did during your last vacation. Follow the example.

Ivisitedmycousins.

Write It1. What do you think life in Akbar’s time was like for a common man? Which

of these things did people have then? Tick the correct answers.

• cinema • printedbooks • ships • airplanes

• concerts • TV

• telephones

Tree Witness ¦ 47

Ron studies in a school in Ooty. Read this description where he is talking about his grandfather’s time.

This is my grandpa’s village in 1952. There wasn’t a cinema or a theatre in the village. It was too small. There were no air conditioners, but the weather was always nice. There weren’t too many cars even in the town next to it, but people had bicycles. There wasn’t an airport and there weren’t any planes in the sky.

People didn’t have computers or email. They listened to music on the radio and there were village concerts during Ram Leela or Ratha Yatra. Only a few houses had electric lights, but almost all of them had candles. People had coal ovens at home and they didn’t have gas cylinders. There were no TV sets, but most people read newspapers. Grandpa had a lot of friends there and it was a really nice place.

2. Now, write about a town in Akbar’s time. Use these words and phrases along with joining words like and, or, and but. Write in your notebook.

• Therewasn’t… • Peoplehad…

• Somehouseshad… • Thereweren’tany…

• Theydidn’thave…

You may begin like this: Thisisabout (name of the town)in(year) ...

48 ¦ There isn’t Time

isn’t Time There

There isn’t time, there isn’t time

To do the things I want to do,

With all the mountain-tops to climb,

And all the woods to wander through,

And all the seas to sail upon,

And everywhere there is to go,

And all the people, everyone

Who lives upon the earth, to know.

To know a few, and do a few,

And then sit down and make a rhyme

About the rest I want to do.

Eleanor Farjeon

Let's EnjoyAnswer the questions. a) Write four things the poet wants to do.b) What will the poet do about the things that she cannot do?

Reading

There isn’t Time ¦ 49

c) Pick out the word from the poem which means ‘forest’.d) Why does the poet feel that she will not have time for all the things she wants

to do?e) Complete the actions as described in the poem.

i) climb

ii) wander through

iii) sail upon

iv) know

Activity1. Pick out two rhyming pairs of words at the end of the lines. Is there a

pattern to how the words rhyme?

2. Which words are repeated through the lines of the poem? Why do you think they are repeated?

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