List of practice Questions

Mention three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.

Mention the odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.

Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.

The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?

Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?

Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.

Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?

Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?

What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face with death?

Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved?

How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?

What difference did you notice between the reaction of the adults and the children when faced with danger?

We have come across words like ‘gale’ and ‘storm’ in the account. Here are two more words for ‘storm’: typhoon, cyclone. How many words does your language have for ‘storm’?

Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of the text. Give a subtitle to each section.

Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.

List the steps taken by the captain
(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began.
(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship.

The word ‘hobble’ means to walk with difficulty because the legs and feet are in bad condition. Tick the words in the box below that also refer to a manner of walking. haggle shuffle stride ride waddle wriggle paddle swagger trudge slog

Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’.
1. to take to something: to begin to do something as a habit
2. to take ill: to suddenly become ill Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.

Given below are four different senses of the word ‘tell’. Match the meanings to the uses listed above.
1. make something known to someone in spoken or written words
2. count while reciting
3. be sure
4. give information to somebody

Notice the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text.
1. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
2. I would tell her English words and little things of Western science and learning.
3. At her age one could never tell.
4. She told us that her end was near.

How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language?

Here are the terms for different kinds of vessels: yacht, boat, canoe, ship, steamer, schooner. Think of similar terms in your language.

‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is derived from? Check the dictionary.

Have you heard any boatmen’s songs? What kind of emotions do these songs usually express?

The following words used in the text as ship terminology are also commonly used in another sense. In what contexts would you use the other meaning?

knot     stern     boom     hatch     anchor