1A
A.1: What do children say about school life?
Work with your partner. Write down what you like or dislike about your school life.
I like my school because I have good friends and caring teachers.
I enjoy games, drawing classes, and field trips.
I dislike too much homework and when we have tested every week.
I get bored when classes are too long.
Sometimes, I feel pressure to get good marks.
But I love school functions and competitions.
Overall, school is fun but can be stressful too!
A.3. Tick (✔) the appropriate answer.
(i) Tom Sawyer did not want to get up on Monday mornings because—
it meant going back to school.
he wanted to work at home.
he did not like Mondays.
none of these.
Answer – it meant going back to school.
(ii) Tom began to groan loudly because—
his tooth was loose.
his toe was sore.
his feet hurt.
none of these.
Answer – his toe was sore.
(iii) Aunt Polly was angry with Tom because—
she did not like Tom.
she knew he was telling a lie.
she was being unkind to him.
none of these.
Answer – she knew he was telling a lie.
(iv) Aunt Polly asked for a silk thread because—
she wanted to sew a torn shirt.
she wanted to tie it around Tom’s toe.
she wanted to take out Tom’s tooth.
none of these.
Answer – she wanted to take out Tom’s tooth.
A.4. Mark the following statements with a (✔) if true and a (X) if false.
(i) Tom held up his toe for inspection because he wanted to make sure that he could use it as an excuse for not going to school.
Answer – ✔
(ii) Tom was groaning loudly because he wanted to tell everyone that he was enjoying himself.
Answer – X
(iii) The dental instruments that Aunt Polly used were a silk thread and a chunk of fire.
Answer – ✔
(iv) Aunt Polly loved Tom a lot.
Answer – ✔
(v) Tom felt foolish because his act was caught.
Answer – ✔
A.5. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.
(i) ‘Well, one of them’s loose and it aches awfully.’
(a) Who is the speaker?
Answer – Tom Sawyer
(b) What is loose?
Answer – One of Tom’s teeth
(ii) ‘It makes my flesh crawl to hear you. What is the matter?’
(a) Who is the speaker?
Answer – Sid
(b) ‘makes my flesh crawl’—what does it mean?
Answer – It means “it made me feel very scared or uncomfortable.”
(c) What is the matter?
Answer – Tom was pretending to be very sick.
A.6. Life Skills
Why do you think Tom did not like going to school? If you were Tom’s friend, how would you counsel/convince him to attend the school regularly?
Answer – Tom did not like school because it felt like a punishment. He found it boring and wanted to enjoy his time fishing or playing. I would tell Tom that school helps us learn and grow. If he works hard now, he can enjoy a better future. I would encourage him to enjoy the fun parts of school—friends, games, and activities—and promise to help him with subjects he finds hard.
A.7. Work with your partner. Find words from the story whose synonyms are given below.
(i) crying in pain
Answer – moaning
(ii) pretend
Answer – fake
(iii) terrible
Answer – awful
(iv) excitedly
Answer – eagerly
(v) efforts
Answer – attempts
A.8. Aunt Polly told Tom, ‘You always break my heart’. The word ‘break’ can be used in many ways when it is succeeded by words like up, down, into, out, etc.
Discuss with your partner (or look up a dictionary) and try to understand what the expressions in the Aid Box mean. Then fill in the blanks in the sentences given on the next page. You will have to alter the expressions slightly.
AID BOX
break down
break into
break out
break up
break open
(i) On his way to the office, Mr Pal’s car ____________________. There was no one to help him.
(ii) The robbers ____________________ the safe and escaped with a lot of money.
(iii) ‘Let’s ____________________ for lunch. We’ll meet again after an hour at the same place,’ the Principal announced.
(iv) The thieves ____________________ the house at night when everyone was fast asleep.
(v) The Municipal Corporation swung into action when they heard that malaria had ____________________ in the city.
Answer – (i) broke down
(ii) broke open
(iii) break up
(iv) broke into
(v) broke out
A.9. Some pairs of words look so similar that they get confused with each other. Four such pairs are given below.
lay, laid
farther, further
lose, loose
heel, heal
Discuss the meanings of these words with your partner and fill in the blanks appropriately.
(i) The wound took a long time to _____________.
(ii) I think this point needs _____________ discussion.
(iii) The mother gently _____________ the baby on the grass.
(iv) Where did you _____________ that beautiful pen of yours?
Answer – (i) heal
(ii) further
(iii) laid
(iv) lose
A.10. Imagine Tom could not attend the school because he had to go to the dentist to get his tooth extracted. He needed to send an application to the Principal to get a leave. Help Tom write an application for leave.
The Principal
Sabath-Sunday School
St. Petersburg
15 April 20__ __
Subject: Application for leave
Sir
I am unable to attend school today as I have to visit the dentist for a tooth extraction. Kindly grant me one day’s leave.
Yours obediently
Tom Sawyer
A.11. Have you ever been to a dentist? Read what some of the children have to say about their experiences.
Now write down in the space below how you feel when you have to go to a dentist. Do you look forward to it? Give a reason for your answer.
I feel nervous whenever I have to visit the dentist. I don’t look forward to it because the sound of the drill scares me. But I know it’s important for my health. Once, I had a toothache and the dentist helped me feel better, so I try to be brave now.