Astrologer's Day 2

Prose section 
Astrologer's Day
Activities with Expected answers

 Extract No  02 :

Page No 3  [ Lines, “ The astrologer …….. flowed between”.].

Read the first activity, read the extract and do all the activities that follow:

The astrologer transacted his business by the light of a flare which crackled and smoked up above the groundnut heap nearby. Half the enchantment of the place was due to the fact that it did not have the benefit of municipal lighting. The place was lit up by the shop lights.one or two had had hissing gaslights, some had naked flares stuck on poles, some were lit up old cycle lamps ,and one or two ,like the astrologer, managed without  lights of their own. It was a bewildering crisscross of light rays and moving shadows. This suited the astrologer very well, for the simple reason that he had not in the least intended to be an astrologer when he began his life; and he knew no more of what was going to happen to others than he knew what was going to happen to himself next minute. He was as much a stranger to the stars as were his innocent customers. Yet he said things which pleased and astonished everyone: that was more a matter of study, practice, and shrewd guesswork. All the same, it was as much an honest man’s labour as any  other, and he deserved the wages he carried home at the end of a day.
He had left his village without any previous thought or plan. If he had continued there he would Have carried on the work of his forefathers- namely, tilling the land, living, marrying, and ripening In his cornfield and ancestral home. But that was not to be. He had to leave home without telling Anyone and he could not rest till he left it behind a couple of hundred miles. To a villager it is a great deal, as if an ocean flowed between.

A1. Choose and Rewrite the complete sentences.         (02)

a) The place did not have the advantage of……Municipal lighting …………

b) The man never had the intention to be …an Astrologer ……………………

c) The man had left his village without any……previous thought or plan ……

d) He was a stranger to the…stars ………… as well as…his innocent customers

A2. Find out : (02)
Find out the expressions from the extract that describes the Metaphoric use of the” Element Of light” used by the writer..

The astrologer transacted his business by the light of a flare.one or two hissing gaslights. Some had naked flares stuck on poles. It was a bewildering crisscross of light rays and moving  Shadows.

A3. Give Reasons :.            (02)
a) The astrologer deserved the money which he used to earn ……...

He said things which pleased and astonished everyone. He was able to convince his Customers  because of his study, practice and shrewd guesswork. All the same it was  An honest man’s labour.

A4. Vocabulary : (02)
Find out words related to the people of earlier generation.
[Forefathers, ancestors]

A4. Vocabulary : (02)
Find out words from the extract which mean the following.
a) Surprising = astonished bewildering
b) To plan or mean to do something= intended
c) Fixed regular payment = wages
d) Great pleasure or delight =enchantment

A5. Personal Response :. (02)

“ Astrology is nothing but applying common sense, logic and pure guesswork” share your Views with suitable justification in about Fifty words.

A6. Grammar/ Language Study : (02)
i) The place was lit up by the shop lights.

(The correct Active voice of the above sentence is)
Select your answer from the options and rewrite it.
a) The shop lights are lighting the place.
b) The place helps the shop lights to light.
c) The shop lights lit up the place
d) The shop lights are light up by the place.

ii) He had left his village. (Identify the tense used in the sentence)
        Past perfect tense

iii) He could not resist. (Use,” be able to” and rewrite it.)

He was not able to resist        or                He was unable to resist.

Activities prepared by

Tushar jaisinha Bagwe
K J Somaiya college of science and commerce vidyavihar east Mumbai 77

E mail id : tushar@somaiya.edu

tushar8bagwe@gmail.com

jaisinghtushar812@gmail.com

110970.bagwe@mahaeschool.co. in

An Astrologer''s Day 1

Section 1 (Prose)

Unit 1.1  An Astrologer’s Day

ACTIVITIES WITH EXPECTED ANSWERS

Extract No. 01 :

[Lines, “Punctually………… astrologer too”]

Read the first activity, read the extract and do all the activities that follow:

A1.Web: 02                                                                           

Complete the web by writing down the Articles Astrologer carry…

Punctually at midday, he opened his bag and spread out his professional equipment, which Consisted of a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, A Notebook and a bundle of Palmyra writing. His forehead was resplendent with sacred ash and vermilion, and his eyes sparkled with a sharp abnormal gleam which was really an outcome of a continual searching look for customers, but which his simple clients took to be a prophetic light and felt comforted. The power of his eyes was considerably enhanced by their position placed as they were between the painted forehead and the dark whiskers which streamed down his cheeks, even a half-wit’s eyes would sparkle in such a setting. To crown the effect he Wound a saffron-coloured turban around his head. This colour scheme never failed. People Were attracted to him as bees are attracted to cosmos or dahilia stalks. He sat under the  Boughs  of a spreading tamarind tree. Which flanked a path running through the Town Hall Park It was a remarkable place in many ways. A surging crowd was always moving up and down this narrow road from morning till night. A variety of trades and occupations was represented all along its way, medicine sellers, sellers of stolen hardware and junk, magicians and above all, an auctioneer of cheap cloth, who created enough din all day to attract the whole town. Next to him in vociferousness came a vendor of fried groundnut, who gave his ware a fancy name each day, calling it,” Bombay Ice Cream” one day and on the next,” Delhi Almond” and on the third,” Raja’s Delicacy” and so on so forth, and people flocked to him.  A Considerable portion of this crowd dallied before the Astrologer too.

A1.Web: 02                                                                         

Complete the web writing down the tactics used by Nut vendor for his business.

A1.Web:.                                                                                                   (02)

Complete the web writing down the Traders who occupied the place.

A1.Choose :               (02)

Choose the correct alternatives and complete the sentence.

1) The astrologer used to begin his business punctually………….

a) In the evening

b) In the morning

c) At midday

d) At night

2) The astrologer’s eyes sparkled with a sharp abnormal gleam……..

a) He had spiritual powers

b) He possessed magical powers

c) He looked continuously for customers

d) He was intelligent

3) …………. gave his ware a fancy name each day

a) The medicine seller

b) The magician

c) The astrologer

d) The groundnut seller.

4) The astrologer used to sit under………….

a) The banyan tree

b) The people tree

c) The tamarind tree

d) The Neem Tree.

A1. True or False :                                                                                             (02)

State whether the following statements are true or false.

1) The simple village fellows used to get impressed with the appearance of the astrologer(T)

2) The people used to gather in large numbers nearby the fried groundnut vendor.(T)

3) The village people did not succumb to the tactics of astrologer.(F)

4) Town hall park area was the most silent place in the village.(F)

A2.Describe:                                                                                          (02)

Describe the appearance of the astrologer to impress his clients

a) The turban on his head

b) Sacred ash and vermilion on forehead

c) Eyes sparkled with sharp abnormal glean

d) Colour scheme, prophetic light

A2.Proofs/Evidences :                                                                                     (02)

Find out proofs and evidences from the extract to prove the following facts.

1) Town hall place was a remarkable place.

a) A surging crowd was always moving till night.

b) Variety of trades and occupations was represented all along its way.

c) Vendors and business people used to make a lot of noise there.

d) People used to flock to the vendor and astrologer in the park.

A2.Give reasons :                                                                                             (02)

a) People were always attracted to the fried nut vendor because………..

He always used to give his ware a fancy name each day. Instead of calling as fried groundnuts he used to call it as,’ Bombay Ice Cream”,” Delhi Almond,”’ Raja’s Delicacy” and so on.

b) People were impressed with the astrologer because………………………..

Of his appearance, his professional equipment, his physical look like his saffron coloured turban, sacred ash on his forehead with vermilion, Eyes sparkled with sharp abnormal gleam, His prophetic light and colour scheme etc.

A3.Interpret:                                                                                                (02)

Interpret the statement,” He wound a saffron coloured turban around his head. This  colour scheme never failed...” in the context  of the above text.

The simple rustic fellows of the village were succumbed to the astrologer because of his tactics. They thought that the astrologer must have divine qualities. They might be worried about their Fortune and fate. The astrologer was aware of their worries and use common sense and logic to attract them with his appearance.

A4. Personal Response.                                                                                         (02)

“The wise man always has long ears and a short tongue” do you agree with this notion. Justify your answer with suitable examples.

A4. Personal Response.                                                                                         (02)

Do you believe in Fate, Destiny or karma and Good deeds while dealing with your life? Share your views.

A5. Language Study :                                                                                                 (02)

I) He opened his bag and spread his professional equipment.

(Make a simple sentence)

Select your answer from the options and rewrite it.

a) Opening his bag he spread his professional equipment.

b) He opened his bag. He spread his professional equipment.

c) To open his bag he spread his professional equipment.

d) He opened his bag but he spread his professional equipment.

ii) He wound a saffron-coloured turban around his head.

(Frame a “wh -question” to get the underlined part as an answer)

What did he wind around his head?

iii) Identify the tense forms of the verbs of the following sentences.

a) He sat under the boughs of a spreading tamarind tree.( Simple past tense)

b) A surging crowd was always moving up and down.( Past continuous tense)

iv) It was a remarkable place.( Make it Exclamatory) 

What a remarkable place it was!

A6Grammar:                                                                                             (02)

Find out words from the extract which mean the following:

a) Not clear= obscure

b) Holy= sacred

c) Move suddenly or powerfully= surging

d) Noise or chaos = Din

A6. Grammar :                                                                                             (02)

Write down the Antonyms of the following words from the extract.

a) Normal x abnormal

b) Decreased x enhanced

c) Distracted x attracted

d) Blunt x sharp

A6. Find examples of Compound words from the extract.                                    (02)

Cowrie-shells, notebook, position-placed, half-wit’s eyes,  saffron-coloured, surging crowd, etc.

A6.Grammar :                                                                                                 (02)

Prepare a word Register for the word “Business.”

Customers, clients, trades, occupations, sellers, auctioneer, vendor, ware etc.

A6. Grammar :                                                                                                 (02)

Write down one word substitute for the following terms.

a) A person uses astrology to tell you about your fortune = Astrologer

b) A person who buy goods or services = customer

c) A person who organises the selling at an auction = Auctioneer

d) A Person who performs magic tricks to entertain people =Magician

Created by

Mr. Tushar jaisinha Bagwe.

K J. somaiya college of science and commerce

vidyavihar East Mumbai 400 077

MOBILE 9820928141 e mail id; tushar@somaiya.edu