DescriptiveParagra ph

a) Taking clues from the following visual, together with the verbal ones,
write a descriptive paragraph on Varanasi, in about I 00 - 120 words.

Verbal Clues:

Varanasi also known as Benaras or Kashi- city on the banks of river

Ganga in U;P. - a major religious hub in India - holiest of the seven sacred
cities - famous for its ghats and silk fabrics - city of Hindu devotion,
pilgrimage and cultural importance - 23000 temples - kasha Vishwanath,
SankatMochan, Hanuman, Durga temples - an educational and musical
centre - Hindustani classical music developed here - ghats an integral
complement to the Hindu concept of divinity - many ghats built by the
Holka rs, Bhonsles, Peshwas - DashashwamedhGhat oldest ....... .

Ans:

Varanasi
Varanasi also known as Benaras or khashi is one of 72 dis tricks in Uttar
Pradesh. It is the city located on the banks of river Ganga. It is a major
religious hub in India. It is the holiest of the seven sacred cities. It is famous
 for its ghats and silk fabrics. Varanasi is the city of Hindu devotion, pilgrimage
and cultural importance. It has 23000 temples like KashiVishwanath,
SankatMochan, Hanwnan and Durga temples. It is an educational and musical
centre. Hindustani classical music developed here. Ghats are an integral
complement to the Hindu concept of divinity. They command a scenic beauty
with boats rowing on the water of the Ganga. Many ghats were built by the
Holkars, Bhonsles and Peshwas. DashaswamedhGhat is the oldest one. The
holy waters of the Ganga inspired Bismillah Khan to create raagas on his
shehnai. Tulsi Das wrote his Ram CharitManas here.

b) Write a descriptive paragraph on the following visual using the verbal

stimulus in about I 00 - 120 words.

Hints:
The TajMahal meaning 'Crown of the Palace', an ivory-whilte marble
mausoleum in Agra - Commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan - in memory of his favourite wife MurntazMahal -Mughal architecture -
cost 32 million rupees - 20,000 artizens - UNESCO world heritage - dome
onion shaped topped with a lotus design - four minarets with balconies - garden
uses raised pathways with flower beds - trees add to the glory ... ..

Ans:

What is widely considered as the most beautiful building in the world,

Taj Mahal is located in the historical city of Agra. lt was built by the Mughal
Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third wife, MumtazMahal.
Constructed entirely out of white marble in the 17th century, it is among the
finest edifices ofMughal architecture. Recognised by the UNESCO as a world
heritage site, this monument is also considered to be one of the seven wonders
of the modem world. Every year visitors numbering more than the entire
population of Agra pass through the magni ficent gates to catch a glimpse of this
breathtaking monument, and only a few leave disappointed. Shah Jahan said
about the Taj that it made "the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes
.......
Diary Entry
GUIDELINES FOR DIARY WRITING

A good diary entry does contain the following features:

1. A good diary writing contains the place, the date, the day and even the time of
writing. For example:
Ag ra
20th July, 20XX
Friday, 8:00 p.m.
2. A diary doesn't need any formal heading. However, it is optional. If you want,
you can give a suitable heading.
3. The style and tone is generally informal and personal. However, it depends on
the subject. Sometimes the tone can be philosophical and reflective too. You
can freely express your viewpoints and feelings.
4. As the diary is writer's personal document, the diary entry doesn't need any
signature. It is totally optional.
5. You can evolve your own suitable style depending on the topic of your writing.

Indian weddings are matchless in grandeur, glamour and luxury. They

are matchless in wastage, extravagance and vulgar display of money
and wealth. Record your experience of such marriages in your diary.

Answe r:
New Delhi
20th June, 20XX
Sunday, 7:00 pm

Dear Diary,
They say that Indian weddings are matchless in glory, grandeur and glamour.
In comparison , weddings in Europe and America pale into insignificance. The
other sid13 of the story is that Indian marriages are matchless in wastage,
extravagance and vulgar display of money and wealth. Recently I happened
 to attend one such big marriage. About five thousand guests were invited to
the 'barat ' or the wedding party. A township of stalls serving hundreds of
dishes, drinks and sweets had come up on the sprawling lawns of a five star
hotel. The ceremony lasted till midnight. Even by a conservative estimate it
was a show worth in crores. Surely this amount would have been sufficient to
feed all the beggars and orphans of the city for months.It speaks volumes of
disparity that has become the main feature of Indian society. A small minority
grabs all the riches and wealth of the nation. The extravagance and vulgar
display in Indian marriages are at the cost of the starving millions.

*******

Taking help from the information given below, make a diary entry describing
how you caught a thief red-handed one night,
Hints: • A beautiful evening • the family had a nice dinner• watched TV• went
to sleep • sleep was disturbed • heard some commotion • got suspicious •
switched on the light • parents also got up • found things in a mess • someone
had come there • the search began • no one was found at last • my eyes fell
on the shoes behind a curtain • he was the thief• all pounced on him caught •
handed over to the police.

An swer:
New Delhi
14th August, 20XX
Tuesday, 9:30 pm

Dear Diary,
It was a pleasant August evening. Generally, the whole family dine together. We
enjoyed a nice dinner and then watched , a TV serial for an hour. Then, I retired to
my bedroom and soon fell. Asleep. Around midnight, my sleep was disturbed. I
heard some movement and commotion.Who could be at this odd hour? I stood
up and switched on the light. My movements woke up my parents, too. We were
surprised to see the cupboards open and things lying on the floor in a mess. My
parents were worried. But there was one consolation. The cash and jewellery
were safe. The search for the thief began. My uncles and cousins also joined us.
All that toil and trouble didn't bring any result. Suddenly, I noticed some
movement behind a curtain in the living room. And Lo! The thief was hiding there.
All of us pounced on him. Before he could react, he was tied down. The police
was informed and he was arrested on the spot. Good luck indeed! Thank God,
everybody was safe and sound. There was no loss except for a few hours of our
sweet sleep.

Story writing
A story writing is an art that requires a lot of communication skills. First of all it requires the
art of narrating things in an interesting way. You will be given either the introductory lines or
some hints given in the input or both . You have to develop the story basing it on the
information given in the input or the introductory lines. You have to develop it on the same
theme as intended by the introductory lines or by the input. You can 't go against the stated
theme.

SALIENT FEATURES OF A GOOD STORY

1. Basically, developing and writing a good story needs the art of narration. You
have to narrate th~ incidents in a sequential order leading to the final
conclusion .
2. Students should follow the basic theme as expounded by the input or by the
introductory lines. They are not supposed to invent new and different themes.
3. Within the given limits, students are left with enough space where they can
give expression to their creative talents.
4 . The beginning and the concluding lines must support the main part or the
events described in the story.

*Asper the CBSE syllabus, you are required to write a story in about 150-200
words.

Question 1:
Mahesh wrote only a few lines and couldn't complete the story he wanted to
write. Taking help from the given input, and basing it on the beginning Mahesh
made, write a complete story.
A woodcutter was chopping down trees on the bank of a river. His hands were so
much wet with his sweat that he lost his grip ..... ..... .
Outline: Axe fell down into river ........ couldn't swim ... .. unhappy at his misfortune
and wept. ... .. God of Forests appeared .. ... .. ... . promised to get back his axe .... .. .
dived .. ...... . came out with an axe of gold ... "not mine" ... ... ... dived again ..... . .. .
came out with silver axe ... .. ... "not mine" said woodcutter ...... dived again .... .... .
came out with woodcutter's axe ....... . "this is my axe" ....... truly honest. ...... .
rewarded all three axes to the woodcutter.
Answ er:

Honesty Pays in the Long Run

A woodcutter was chopping down trees on the bank of a river. His hands were so
much wet with his sweat that he lost his grip over the axe. It slipped away from his
hands and fell down ; into the river. The poor man couldn't even swim. He thought
that his axe was lost forever. He was very sad at his misfortune and started sobbing
and weeping. Suddenly there was a flash of light. The god of the Forests appeared
before him. The woodcutter explained what had happened. The god consoled him,
"Don't you worry. I'll get back your axe for you ." Having said these words, he dived
into the river. After a few moments he came out with an axe. It was made of gold. "Is
this yours?" he asked. The woodcutter only said "No! " A few seconds later he came
out of the river with another axe. It was made of silver. "No, no, sir, this is not mine,"
said the woodcutter. He dived again and came out with the third axe. The woodcutter
cried loudly looking at the axe "Yes, yes, it's mine-the woodcutter's axe with an iron
blade." The god of Forests was impressed with the woodcutter's honesty. "Keep all
three of these axes as a present from me.· The gog uttered these words and
disappeared .
Question 2:
..
Taking help from the information given below and inventing your own ideas,
write a short story on 'God Sees the Truth, but Waits'.
Outline: In Vladimir lived a young merchant Aksyonof ....... going to Nizhny
Fair ... ...... met a merchant at the inn ...... stayed in the adjoining rooms .... .... .. next
morning he was arrested .. .. .. .. blood stained dagger found ....... remained in prison
for 26 years in Siberia ....... one day a new prisoner Makar came .... ... from his talks
and movements Aksyonof was sure that Makar killed the merchant. ... ..... Makar dug
a tunnel .. ..... asked Aksyonof to go.,out. ... ... the tunnel discovered .......... Aksyonof
didn 't tell anything about Makar's conspiracy ........ Makar came.to Aksyonof at
'night' .. ...... wept. ...... . confessed his guilt to the police Aksyonof died before he
could be released .
Answer:

God Sees the Truth, but Waits

There lived ih Vladimir, a young merchant Aksyonof. One summer he was going to
the Nizhny Fair. When he had travelled half-way, he met a merchant whom he knew
qu ite well. They stayed at the same inn and went to bed in an adjoining room . The
next morning , Aksyonof continued his journey. Two soldiers and an officer stopped
him on the way. Aksyonof was searched and a blood-stained knife was recovered
from his bag . He was arrested for killing and looting his fellow merchant in the inn.
Aksyonof pleaded innocence. He was charged with the murder and robbing the
merchant of 20 ,000 roubles. For twenty six-years Aksyonof lived as a convict in
Siberia . His hair turned white and his beard grew long, thin and grey. No news
reached from his home' and Aksyonof didn't know if his wife and children were alive
or not. One of the new convicts was from Aksyonofs town Vladimir. He was Makar.
He told that Aksyonofs were rich but their mother was dead and father was in
Siberi a. Aksyonof asked Makar if he had heard who killed the merchant. He replied
that the man in whose bag the knife was found must be the murderer. He asked,
"How could anyone put a knife into your bag while it was under your head"?
Aksyonof felt sure that Makar was the man who had killed the merchant. One night
Makar came to Aksyonofs room and told him that he had dug a tunnel under the wall
and Aksyonof could go out of the prison. The next day, the soldiers found the tunnel.
They asked Aksyonof who dug the tunnel . "It is not God's will that I should tell! " told
Aksyonof.
That night Makar came to Aksyonof and confessed that it was he who had killed the
mer°'1ant and hid the knife in his bag . He wept bitterly and asked for forgiveness. He
would confess and Aksyonof could be released . "Where could I go now? ....... My
wife is dead, and my children have forgotten me. I have nowhere to go." Makar
confessed his guilt. But when the order for Aksyonofs release came, he was already
dead.