WINTER HOLIDAY HOMEWORK

READ THE LESSON KATMANDU (BEEHIVE). COMPREHEND THE TEXT WELL AND COMPLETE
THE TASKS GIVEN BELOW. YOU CAN ALSO WATCH THE VIDEO UPLOADED ON PHOENIX
FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING.
1. I get a cheap room in the centre of town and sleep for hours. The next morning, with
Mr. Shah’s son and nephew, I visited the two temples in Kathmandu that are most
sacred to Hindus and Buddhists.
2. At Pashupatinath (outside which a sign proclaims, ‘Entrance for the Hindus only’)
there is an atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’. Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists,
cows, monkeys, pigeons, and dogs roam through the grounds. We offer a few flowers.
There are so many worshippers that some people trying to get the priest’s attention
are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front. A princess of the Nepalese
royal house appears; everyone bows and makes way. By the main gate, a party of
saffron-clad Westerners struggled for permission to enter. The policeman is not
convinced that they are ‘the Hindus’ (only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple). A
fight breaks out between two monkeys. One chases the other, who jumps onto a
Shivalinga, then runs screaming around the temples and down to the river, the holy
Bagmati. A corpse is being cremated on its banks; washerwomen are at their work
and children bathe. From a balcony a basket of flowers and leaves, old offerings now
wilted, is dropped into the river. A small shrine half protrudes from the stone platform
on the riverbank. When it emerges fully, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil
period of the Kaliyuga will end on earth.

a) What is the text structure of the 2nd paragraph?

i) It is chronologically arranged
ii) It is sequential
iii) The passage is a description
iv) The passage speaks about a problem and a solution.

b) What is the main idea of the passage?

i) the diverse and lively happenings at the Pashupatinath temple.
ii) description about the Pasupathi Nath temple
iii) The confusion that seems to hinder the author’s purpose of visit.
iv) The practices that make the Pashupati Nath temple a place of admiration.

c) Find the meaning of the word ‘febrile confusion’ from the sentences given below.
i) The atmosphere of the school was ruined due to a disturbing speech.
ii) The visitors experienced serene contemplation amidst the fights.
iii) The surroundings were peaceful and orderly during the religious ceremony.
iv) The parade ground was in a state of complete unrest due to unexpected rainfall.

d) Identify an idiom that best suits the situation mentioned in the 2nd paragraph.
i) dog and pony show
ii) barrel of monkeys
iii) like herding cats
iv) in limbo
3. At the Baudhnath stupa, the Buddhist shrine of Kathmandu, there is, in contrast, a sense
of stillness. Its immense white dome is ringed by a road. Small shops stand on its outer
edge: many of these are owned by Tibetan immigrants; felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver
jewellery can be bought here. There are no crowds: this is a haven of quietness in the busy
streetsaround.

4. Kathmandu is vivid, mercenary, religious, with small shrines to flower-adorned deities

along the narrowest and busiest streets; with fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards;
shops selling Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate; or copper utensils and Nepalese
antiques. Film songs blare out from the radios, car horns sound, bicycle bells ring, stray
cows low questioningly at motorcycles, vendors shout out their wares. I indulge haven:
myself mindlessly: buy a bar of marzipan, a corn-on-the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on
the pavement (rubbed with salt, chilli powder and lemon); a couple of love story comics, and
even a Reader’s Digest. All this I wash down with Coca Cola and a nauseating orange drink
and feel much the better for it.

a) Read paragraphs 2 and 3 together and identify the text structure.

i) It tells us about the cause and effect of visiting Katmandu.
ii) The paragraphs are comparing and contrasting two places of worship.
iii) The 2nd paragraph has problems, and the 3rd paragraph has solutions.
iv) They just describe the place in sequence.

b) Identify the main idea of the 3rd paragraph.

i) It is comparing and glorifying the Buddhist temple
ii) This passage draws a contrast in the atmosphere of the temples.
iii) The passage describes the Buddhist temple.
iv) It is speaking about the richness of the Buddhist temple.

c) The following can be the right interpretation of the 4th passage.

i) Vibrancy and diversity

ii) Commercialism and consumerism
iii) personal experience
iv) sensory overload

a) Only i , ii, and iii

b) Only i
c) Only i, ii, iv
d) all of the above
IDENTIFY THE LITERARY DEVICE USED IN THE SENTENCE/PHRASE GIVEN BELOW.

1. “Stray cows low questioningly at motorcycles”. -----------------------------------

2. "car horns sound, bicycle bells ring" -------------------------------------------------

3. "All this I wash down with Coca Cola and a nauseating orange drink and feel much
better for it." ------------------------------------------------

4 "a bar of marzipan, a corn on-the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the pavement
(rubbed with salt, chili powder and lemon)" -------------------------------------

5. I consider what route I should take back home. If I were propelled by enthusiasm for travel
per se, I would go by bus and train to Patna, then sail up the Ganges past Banaras to
Allahabad, then up the Yamuna, past Agra to Delhi. But I am too exhausted and homesick;
today is the last day of August. Go home, I tell myself: move directly towards home. I enter
a Nepal Airlines office and buy a ticket for tomorrow’s flight.

6. I look at the flute seller standing in a corner of the square near the hotel. In his hand is a
pole with an attachment at the top from which fifty or sixty bansuris protrude in all directions,
like the quills of a porcupine. They are made of bamboo: there are cross- flutes and recorders.
From time to time, he stands on the pole on the ground, selects a flute and plays for a few
minutes. The sound rises clearly above the noise of the traffic and the hawkers’ cries. He
plays slowly, meditatively, without excessive display. He does not shout out his wares.
Occasionally he makes a sale, but in a curiously offhanded way as if this were incidental to
his enterprise. Sometimes he breaks off playing to talk to the fruit seller. I imagine that this
has been the pattern of his life for years.

a) The 5th passage is an example of ________________________________________

i) chronological order
ii) Sequencing
iii) Problem solving
iv) Cause and Effect

b) Identify the antonym of ‘propelled’ as used in paragraph 5.

i) He approached the project dampened by apathy.

ii) She embarked on the new venture with renewed zeal.
iii) Boosted by fervor, the team worked tirelessly to meet their goals and exceed
expectations.
iv) He enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to learn and grow in his career.

c) The purpose of the 6th paragraph is to ________________________ (choose all the

correct options)
i) offer a glimpse into the simplicity and continuity of the flute seller's existence.
ii) to capture the atmosphere and routine of the fruit seller's life
iii) to provide details about the unique method of selling flutes
iv) reflect on the way of life that has likely been sustained over a long period.

d) Find the correct answer from the 6th passage

If the synonym of hastily is promptly, then pensively is _____________________________
i) slowly
ii) meditatively
iii) occasionally
iv) curiously

7. I find it difficult to tear myself away from the square. Flute music always does this to me:
it is at once the most universal and most particular of sounds. There is no culture that does
not have its flute— the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri
of Hindustani classical music, the clear or breathy flutes of South America, the high-pitched
Chinese flutes. Each has its specific fingering and compass. It weaves its own associations.
Yet to hear any flute is, it seems to me, to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind, to
be moved by music closest in its phrases and sentences to the human voice. Its motive force
too is living breath: it too needs to pause and breathe before it can go on.

8. That I can be so affected by a few familiar phrases on the bansuri, surprises me at first,
for on the previous occasions that I have returned home after a long absence abroad, I have
hardly noticed such details, and certainly have not invested them with the significance I now
do.

a) The meaning of the phrase ‘to tear myself away’__________________________

i) move away from something or someone

ii) to be carried away by something
iii) to drift away from someone
iv) to tear away from responsibilities

b) The main idea of the 7th passage is __________________________ (choose all the
correct options)
i) The passage reflects on the universal and unique nature of flute music, emphasizing its
presence in various cultures and the distinct characteristics of different types of flutes.
ii) The passage reflects on the commonality of musical instruments, emphasizing their
presence in various countries and the distinct characteristics of different types of
instruments.
iii) The passage draws attention to all aspects of music and musical instruments.
iv) The speaker expresses a sense of connection to the commonality of humanity through
the music of the flute, highlighting its similarity to the human voice.

c) Which of the following is the correct explanation of the writer’s purpose?

i) to express his deep interest and share his knowledge about music.
ii) to convey the universal and transcendent qualities of every musical form.
iii) to suggest a deep emotional and aesthetic connection to the flute player’s music.
iv) reflects on the flute's unique ability to evoke a sense of commonality among all
mankind.

d) ‘I have hardly noticed such details, and certainly have not invested them with the
significance I now do.’ This line states that_________________________________

i) he did not find it worthwhile to notice the importance of music

ii) he had not attributed much importance to music before.
iii) he will never think of investing his time in understanding music.
iv) The details of music are not significant to invest my time for it.

II. Compare and contrast both the religious places at Katmandu.

Pashupatinath Temple Baudhnath Temple
1

III. Write a paragraph about a place in India that you have visited. Describe and bring out
the beauty of the place in 100 to 120 words. Read the lesson Katmandu and take inspiration
from the text. Use the hints given below to do your work.
• Name-
• The state it belongs to-
• What is the place famous for-
• What all did you see-
• Your opinion of that place etc-