NAME: _________________________________ CLASS: _____________ DATE: _________________________
The Young Gandhi
As a child, Gandhi was brought up in a loving family and taught to respect all living things. In this
story, as a child, Gandhi (Mohan) goes to market with his mother, Ba. He learns that in his religion
cows are holy animals.
All Living Things
Mohan sat tall, breathing in the tropical scent blowing off the Arabian Sea nearby and the rich
smells of spicy cooking. Men and women thronged the dusty road, their great shirts and flowing
saris a shifting rainbow of colour, their chatter a mix of Bengali and Hindi languages.
Other rich people in rickshaws whisked past, weaving between the people. Soon the Gandhi family
driver was sprinting too...
Suddenly the rickshaw stopped. Mohan tumbled out of his seat onto the road. He stared up at the
old cow that had tottered in front of them. She froze in place while traffic swerved around her.
“Sorry, so sorry!” the driver was saying to the cow, and, “Sorry, Mrs. Gandhi.”
“Take your time, dear old one,” she called to the cow. “The Lord Vishnu is with you.” The animal
turned bleary eyes in Mrs. Gandhi’s direction.
Mohan rubbed a scraped elbow. “Ba, you care more about the cow than you do about me!”
Her lips pressed together. “I revere all living things.” She pointed to the cow. “You help her,” she
said, “for dear Vishnu.” Mohan looked at his mother for a moment, then at the cow. Her bony
shoulder stood higher than his head and flies swarmed around her eyes. “Help her off the road,”
Mrs. Gandhi prompted.
Mohan took a breath and waved the flies from the old cow’s face. Big as she was, the cow flinched.
“Easy, old girl,” Mohan said. He did not know how to move a cow. He picked up a twig to swat her.
“Think ahimsa, Mohan,” Ba scolded. “The ancient Hindu teaching. Ahimsa: Nonviolence in all things.”
Reference: Oxford International English Book 5 Pages 68 – 69; Oxford University Press.
Reading task: Spend 20 minutes on this section.
Answer all questions.
1. Give three phrases the writer uses to describe the scene in lines 1 to 6.
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2. Find and copy a word that tells us that a large crowd of people moved along the road.
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3. What imagery is used to describe the people’s clothes?
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4. Why is the word ‘Suddenly’ and a very short sentence used in line 7?
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5. How does the writer show that Mohan got hurt and felt cross in lines 13 and 14?
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6. Ba is described as having ‘lips pressed together’ in line 15. This means: (Circle one.)
a) She didn’t like the smell around her.
b) She was smiling happily.
c) She was upset and was thinking carefully.
7. Look at the whole text. Which summary of the extract is correct? (Underline one.)
a) Mohan and his mother had a traffic accident at the market.
b) Mohan learned that all creatures are important and should be treated gently.
c) Mohan hit the cow to move it away from the traffic.
Reference: Oxford International English Book 5 Pages 68 – 69; Oxford University Press.
Writing task: Spend 30 minutes on this section.
What happens next? Continue the story.
You must include the following:
• Connectives, complex and compound sentences
• Powerful adjectives, adverbs and verbs
• Figurative language and vivid expressions.
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Reference: Oxford International English Book 5 Pages 68 – 69; Oxford University Press.
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Reference: Oxford International English Book 5 Pages 68 – 69; Oxford University Press.
