ENRICHMENT READER

CH. 2 I KEEP SIX HONEST SERVING MEN

SUMMARY
The speaker in the poem is an adult who has retained the curiosity that is an essential feature of
childhood. He still has the six faithful serving men - What, Why, When, How, Where and Who - of his
childhood. They help him to learn about new things from all over the world even at present.
However, they get some rest from nine to five which are his working hours. During this time, he
humorously allows them time to have their breakfast, lunch and tea. The speaker then tells his
readers of a child he knows who allows no rest at all to her serving men who number in millions. She
sends them on her errands to different places from the moment she opens her eyes. Thus, the poet
brings out the difference between adults and children through this simple poem.
A1. Answer these questions.
1. How do What, Why, When, How, Where and Who succeed in teaching the speaker?
Ans: What, Why, When, How, Where and Who help the speaker to know about things that are
unknown to him. They teach the speaker the meaning or nature of a particular thing, the reason for
something happening, the time of occurrence, the manner in which something takes place, the place
of the event and the person or people or animals involved in the event.
2. When does the speaker give them rest?
Ans: The speaker gives them rest from nine to five.
3. Does the speaker let them rest from nine to five in the morning or at night? What is the reason?
Ans: The speaker lets them rest from nine to five in the morning because those are his working hours.
He cannot fulfill his personal curiosity during these hours.
4. Who is 'the person small' who doesn't let her servants rest at all?
Ans: 'The person small' is probably the speaker's daughter who asks a million questions from the time
she wakes up till she goes to sleep.

A2. Choose the correct answer:

1. b) The speaker reads and adds to his knowledge, so that his questions can be answered.
2. b) rest

A3. Think and answer:

1. Who do you think the speaker is referring to when he says that a small person has 'ten million
serving-men who get no rest at all'? What might this person be doing?
Ans: The speaker may be referring to his own daughter or a niece. The child must be constantly
asking questions to fulfil her curiosity about all the new things she sees, the new people she meets,
the new places she goes to etc. during her waking hours.
2. Which of the six serving-men do you use the most?
Ans: Open ended question answers will vary so students will think and write on their own.
3. Take any chapter from your History book and frame questions using the six serving-men.
Ans: Open ended question answers will vary so students will think and write on their own.
 PRACTICE WORKSHEET 2 (GRAMMAR)
Q.1. Identify transitive verbs and intransitive verbs in these sentences:
a. The baby is smiling. _______________________________________
b. Quinine tastes bitter. _______________________________________
c. The player kicked the ball hard. _______________________________________
d. We have breakfast at 7 am. _______________________________________
e. We went to the market for shopping. _______________________________________
f. She is smelling a rose flower. _______________________________________
g. Just taste this delicious pudding. _______________________________________
h. The peon is ringing the bell. _______________________________________
i. The last bell rings at 4 pm. _______________________________________

Q.2. Fill in the blanks with suitable articles:

a. Our class is going for picnic ___________to Badkhal Lake. We will go by ___________ school bus.
b. ___________ apple a day keeps ___________ doctor away.
C. ___________ honest person will not tell ___________ lie and cheat anyone.
d. When it rains so heavily ___________ umbrella is definitely needed.

Q.3. Read these sentences and write the nouns in the space provided against each sentence. There
may be more than one noun in each sentence:
a. Polly has put the kettle on. _______________________________________
b. A swarm of bees is flying all over the place. _______________________________________
c. Honesty is the best policy. _______________________________________
d. Mona Lisa is famous for her beautiful smile. _______________________________________

Q.4. Choose the correct verb in each of the sentences below:

a. Your friend talk/talks too much.

b. The man with the rose look/looks like your brother.
c. The women in the pool swim/swims well.
d. Bill drive/drives a cab.
e. The football players run/runs five miles every day.
f. That red-haired lady in the fur hat live/lives across the street.
g. He cook/cooks dinner for his family.
h. The boys walk/walks to school every day.
i. The weather on the coast appear/appears to be good this weekend.
j. The center on the basketball team bounce/bounces the ball too high.
 ENRICHMENT READER
CH.5. SCROOGE CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS

SUMMARY
It was Christmas Eve but Scrooge was still in his counting house. His clerk, Cratchit was busy and
Scrooge was making sure he did not leave early. Suddenly, his nephew Fred entered and invited
Scrooge to his house to celebrate Christmas. Scrooge flatly refused. Fred did not become angry
because it was Christmas time and before leaving, wished Cratchit a merry Christmas. Cratchit
returned the greeting cordially. Then two portly gentlemen entered and requested Scrooge to donate
something for the poor on Christmas. Scrooge again refused saying he did not want to make the idle
poor happy. Marley, Scrooge's dead partner, visited Scrooge that evening at home as a ghost. He
warned that Scrooge may suffer a fate even worse than his and told Scrooge that on each of the
following three nights, three spirits would visit Scrooge. The first night the Ghost of Christmas Past
took Scrooge on a journey into the past. Scrooge remembered the happiness of his childhood
Christmases. He also recalled his sister whom he had left and the girl he had wished to marry but
deserted because she had been poor. The second night the Ghost of Christmas Present took Scrooge
to visit the homes of his nephew and clerk. He saw everybody happy and gay and felt sorry at the
sight of Tiny Tim, his clerk's crippled son. On the third night the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
showed Scrooge his own funeral. Scrooge was shaken by the fact that no one mourned his death and
all his possessions went to strangers. He pledged to change himself if that would change his future.
The Ghost accepted the pledge and returned Scrooge to Christmas Day. Filled with the spirit of
generosity and goodness, Scrooge promised to donate a big amount for the poor, visited his
nephew's house and requested permission to join and finally, gave Bob Cratchit a much-deserved
salary raise after pretending to be his usual mean self.

A1. Fill in the blanks.

1. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is busy in his counting house.
2. The face of Scrooge's nephew glows because he has walked fast in the fog and frost.
3. Christmas is a time of kindness, forgiveness, charity and pleasure.
4. Scrooge does not donate to poor because he has no wish to make either himself or others merry.
5. Mr Cratchit gets a holiday on Christmas on the condition that he would come earlier than his usual
time the next day.
6. The punishment for Marley's miserliness is to wander the Earth weighed down in chains forever.
7. Tiny Tim is Bob Cratchit's crippled son.
8. Mr Cratchit thinks he should call for help and a strait jacket when Scrooge unexpectedly gives him a
salary raise the day after Christmas.
A2. Explain these lines with reference to the context.
1. A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!
a. Who is the speaker, and what tone did he use?
Ans: The speaker is Fred, Scrooge's nephew, and he spoke in a cheerful tone of voice.

b. How did the 'uncle' respond to the speaker's greeting?

Ans: Scrooge dismissed the greeting and called Fred a humbug.

2. What do you mean by coming here at this time of day?

a. Who said these words and to whom?
Ans: Scrooge said these words to his clerk, Bob Cratchit.

b. What did the speaker do after this dialogue?

Ans: After this dialogue, Scrooge got up from his chair and poked so hard at Cratchit's wa staggered
back. Then Scrooge offered him a raise in salary.

A3. Think and answer:

1. Which ghost caused the most change in Scrooge's behaviour?
Ans: The last Ghost, that is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come has the most effect on Scrooge. This
Ghost shows Scrooge his own funeral where there is no one to weep for him and all his clothes and
money are being taken away or stolen by strangers. He even sees a couple heaving a sigh of relief at
his death because he had been a merciless creditor.

2. Write a character sketch of Bob Cratchit.

Ans: Bob Cratchit was a hardworking man. He was mindful of his employer Scrooge's temper but not
really afraid of him because he applauded when Fred explained the meaning of Christmas to Scrooge.
He was a caring husband and father for his lack of money did not stop them from celebrating
Christmas cheerfully with his family.

PRACTICE WORKSHEET 3 (To be done in rough)

Q. 1. Holy Faith Society, Udaipur is organising a camp for Blood Donation. Draft a poster to invite
donors for this cause.

Q. 2. Prepare a poster to motivate the people for Eye-Donation.

Q. 3. Write a letter to your younger brother advising him to be kind to animals.

Q.4. Write a letter to your friend inviting him to spend summer vacation with you.