Question 1:
What is the secret that Meena shares with Mridu in the backyard?
Solution:
Meena shares the secret of the kitten that they have found in front of their house and have kept in their backyard.

Question 2:
How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?
Solution:
Ravi brings milk from the kitchen saying that he was feeling hungry. He even drinks most of it to prove Paati that he was indeed hungry.
He then brings the tumbler in the backyard and empties it in the coconut shell.

Question 3:
Who does he say the kitten’s ancestors are? Do you believe him?
Solution:
Ravi said that the kitten’s ancestors were the lion of the Pallava kings, the Mahabalipuram Rishi-Cat which has the emblem of the Pallava dynasty. No I don’t believe his story.

Question 4:
Ravi has a lot to say about MP Poonai. This shows that

1. he is merely trying to impress Mridu.
2. his knowledge of history is sound.
3. he has a rich imagination.
4. he is an intelligent child.

Which of these statements do you agree/ disagree to?
Solution:
Ravi has a lot to say about MP Poonai.
This shows that his knowledge of history is sound, he has a rich imagination and he is an intelligent child.

Question 5:
What was the noise that startled Mridu and frightened Mahendran?
Solution:
It was the sound coming out of Lalli’s violin that startled Mridu and frightened Mahendran.

Check

Question 1:
The music master is making lovely music.
Read aloud the sentence in the text that expresses the idea.
Solution:
The music-master’s notes seemed to float up and settle perfectly into the visible tracks of the melody.

Question 2:
Had the beggar come to Rukku Manni’s house for the first time? Give reasons for your answer.
Solution:
No, the beggar has been coming to Rukku Manni’s house for last one week. The beggar himself confirms this saying that he has survived for a week because of Rukku Manni’s kindness.

Question 3:
“A sharp V-shaped line had formed between her eyebrows.” What does it suggests to you about Rukku Manni’s mood?
Solution:
The V-shaped line suggests that Rukku Manni was very angry and was about to lose her temper on the children.

Working with the Text

Question 1:
Complete the following sentences.

1. Ravi compares Lalli’s playing the violin to …………….
2. Trying to hide beneath the tray of chillies, Mahendran ………………..
3. The teacher played a few notes on his violin and Lalli ………………
4. The beggar said that the kind ladies of the household ………………
5. After the lesson was over, the music teacher asked Lalli if ………………….

Solution:

1. derailing of a train going off track
2. tipped a few chillies over himself
3. stumbled behind him on her violin
4. have been very generous and helped him survive for a week
5. she had seen his chappals

Question 2:
Describe the music teacher, as seen from the window.
Solution:
The music teacher was a bony figure. He was sitting in front of Lalli with his back towards the window. He was a bald headed man with fringe of oiled hair falling around his ears. He had an old fashioned tuft.
He had a shinning gold chain in his neck and a diamond ring in his hand. He was wearing a golden-bordered dhoti. His large foot was stuck on the floor and he was beating the floor with his scrawny toe.

Question 3:

1. What makes Mridu conclude that the beggar has no money to buy chappals?
2. What does she suggest to show her concern?

Solution:

1. The beggar showed his feet to the children. There were pink blisters on his bare feet which made Mridu conclude that he didn’t have the money to buy chappals.
2. Mridu was concerned about the beggar. She suggested giving an old pair of chappals to the beggar.

Question 4:
“Have you children….” She began and then, seeing they were curiously quiet, went on more slowly, “seen anyone lurking around the verandah?”

1. What do you think Rukku Manni really wanted to ask?
2. Why did she change her question?
3. What did she think had happened?

Solution:

1. Rukku Manni wanted to ask the children what they have done with the chappals.
2. She changed the question finding the children serious and quiet. She became sure that the children had something to do with the chappals.
3. She thought that the children would have hidden the chappals somewhere.

Question 5:
On getting Gopu Mama’s chappals, the music teacher tried not to look too happy. Why?
Solution:
Music teacher’s chappals were old, but he lied to Lalli saying that they were brand new. Gopu Mama had hardly used his new chappals.
The music teacher was happy getting them, but was trying to hide those feelings. He tried to show that he was upset with the children and with his loss.

Question 6:
On getting a gift of chappals, the beggar vanished in a minute. Why was he in such a hurry to leave?
Solution:
The beggar was in a hurry to leave after getting the chappals because he knew that the children have got them for him without seeking the permission of the elders. He feared they might be taken back from him, so he left in a hurry.

Question 7:
Walking towards the kitchen with Mridu and Meena, Rukku Manni began to laugh. What made her laugh?
Solution:
Rukku Manni was laughing imagining Gopu Mama without his chappals. He had the habit of taking out his shoes immediately after coming home and putting on those chappals.
She laughed wondering what excuse would she give to him and what would be his reaction.

Working with Language

Question 1:
Read the following sentences.
(a) If she knows we have a cat, Paati will leave the house.
(b) She won’t be so upset if she knows about the poor beggar with sores on his feet.
(c) If the chappals do fit, will you really not mind?
Notice that each sentence consists of two parts. The first part begins with ‘if’. It is known
as if-clause.
Rewrite each of the following pairs of sentences as a single sentence. Use ‘if at the beginning of the sentence.
(a) Walk fast. You’ll catch the bus.
If you walk fast, you’ll catch the bus.
(b) Don’t spit on the road. You’ll be fined.
If you spit on the road, you’ll be fined.

1. Don’t tire yourself now. You won’t be able to work in the evening.
2. Study regularly. You’ll do well in the examination.
3. Work hard. You’ll pass the examination in first division.
4. Be polite to people. They’ll also be polite to you.
5. Don’t tease the dog. It’ll bite you.

Solution:

1. If you tire yourself now, you won’t be able to work in the evening.
2. If you study regularly, you’ll do well in the examination.
3. If you work hard, you’ll pass the examination in first division.
4. If you are polite to people, they’ll be polite to you.
5. If you tease the dog, it’ll bite you.

Question 2:
Fill in the blanks in the following paragraph.
Today is Sunday. I’m wondering whether I should stay at home or go out. If I ………….. (go) out. I …………… (miss) the lovely Sunday lunch at home. If I ……………..(stay) for lunch, I ………………(miss) the Sunday film showing at Archana Theatre. I think I’ll go out and see the film, only to avoid getting too fat.
Solution:
Today is Sunday. I’m wondering whether I should stay at home or go out. If I go out, I will miss the lovely Sunday lunch at home. If I stay for lunch, I will miss the Sunday film showing at Archana Theatre. I think I’ll go out and see the film, only to avoid getting too fat.

Question 3:
Complete each sentence below by appropriately using any one of the following:
if you want to / if you don’t want to / if you want him to

1. Don’t go to the theatre …………………..
2. He’ll post your letter …………………….
3. Please use my pen …………………………..
4. He’ll lend his umbrella …………………….
5. My neighbour, Ramesh, will take you to the doctor ……………………….
6. Don’t eat it …………………………..

Solution:

1. if you don’t want to
2. if you want him to
3. if you want to
4. if you want him to
5. will take you to the doctor if you want him to
6. if you don’t want to

Speaking and Writing

Question 1:
Discuss in small groups
• If you want to give away something of your own to the needy, would it be better to ask your elders first?
Solution:
(a) If there is something that belongs to us we can give it to anyone without seeking the advice of the elders.
(b) Yes, we should ask the permission of our elders before doing anything. Everything we have has been given to us by our parents.
(c) It depends on the purpose and the value of the item that we are giving away to someone. We should decide it based on the situation we are in.
• Is there someone of your age in the family who is very talkative? Do you find/her/him interesting and impressive or otherwise?
Share your ideas with others in the group.
Solution:
(a) I have a cousin sister of 10 years of age. She talks a lot.
(b) I don’t have anyone in my family who talks a lot.
(c) My mami ji talks a lot. But I like the way she  talks and I am very fond of her.
Solution:
(a) I also like my cousin sister the most. She gets close to everyone very easily and it is fun to be with her.
(b) I don’t like people who talk a lot.
(c) My mamiji talks a lot.
• Has Rukku Manni done exactly the same as the children? In your opinion, then, is it right for one party to blame the other?
Solution:
(a) Rukku Manni was wrong, she must have been more strict with the children. She should not have scolded Ravi when she herself was laughing at the incident after a while.
(b) Rukku Manni had been put in an embarrassing situation by the children. The music teacher’s chappals have gone missing from their home. She had to compensate for their act by giving the Gopu Mama’s chappals to the teacher. It was right on her part to be upset.
(c) Children and Rukku Manni were both doing the same so it was not right for either of them to blame each other.

Question 2:
Read the following.

• A group of children in your class are going to live in a hostel.
• They have been asked to choose a person in the group to share a room with.
• They are asking each other questions to decide who they would like to share a room with.

Ask one another questions about likes/ dislikes/preferences/hobbies/personal characteristics. Use the following questions and sentence openings.

1. What do you enjoy doing after school?
   I enjoy ………………
2. What do you like in general?
   I like ……………..
3. Do you play any game?
   I don’t like ………………
4. Would you mind if I listened to music after dinner?
   I wouldn’t ………………..
5. Will it be all right if I  ……………….?
   It’s fine with me …………….
6. Is there anything you dislike, particularly?
   Well, I can’t share ………………
7. Do you like to attend parties?
   Oh, I ……………….
8. Would you say you are ……………….?
   I think ………………

Solution:

1. watching TV
2. playing video games in general
3. playing outdoor games. I play indoor games like ludo and carom.
4. because I love music
5. switch on the light, you can switch on the light whenever you want
6. my pillow with anyone
7. love going to parties
8. a creative person, yes, I am creative

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
Who is Mridu and with whom Mridu went to Rukku Manni’s place?
Solution:
Mridu is a young girl Mridu went to Rukku Manni’s place alongwith her Tapi.

Question 2:
Why was Ravi dragging Mridu towards the backyard?
Solution:
Ravi was dragging Mridu to the backyard to show her the newly found cat.

Question 3:
Why were the red chilli kept in the backyard?
Solution:
Kama from Mahabharata used to give away everything he had which even included his gold earnings

Question 4:
The beggar was leaning against what in Ravi’s garden?
Solution:
The beggar was leaning against the trunk of the neem tree in Ravi’s garden.

Question 5:
Mridu had noticed in front of Meena’s house a pair of chappals. Whom did they belong to?
Solution:
The pair of chappals that Mridu had seen in front of Ravi’s house belonged to the music teacher.

Question 6:
Who used to give away everything he had, which even included his gold earrings?
Solution:
Red chillies were kept in the backyard for drying.

Question 7:
With whom did the music teacher compared Ravi with?
Solution:
The music teacher compared Ravi with the lord Hanuman and called him a Hanuman incarnate.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
What was in the cat’s name that pleased Mridu?
Solution:
Ravi had named the kitten Mahendravarma Pallava Poonai, MP Poonai in short. They were calling him Mahendran. Mridu liked the name because it sounded real to her and was different from the usual cute names kept for cats in general.

Question 2:
How did Ravi link his cat with the Pallava kings?
Solution:
Ravi felt that his cat was a descendant of the Rishi Cat of Mahabalipuram. He claimed that during his class trip to Mahabalipuram, he had seen statue of a cat there which he believed was an ancestor of this cat. He felt that the lion in the emblem of the Pallava king was a close relative of his cat.

Question 3:
What made Ravi feel that Lalli will never learn to play the violin?
Solution:
Ravi felt that Lalli will never learn to play violin. The music teacher used to play the perfect notes, but she kept on going off tracks.
It was like her train getting derailed again and again while the teacher’s was running smoothly on the track.

Question 4:
Why Rukku Manni asked Ravi to send away the-beggar?
Solution:
Rukku Manni was fed up with the beggar coming to her place daily for over a week now. She was tired giving him food and other items. She wanted him to find another house and stop coming to their place. So she asked Ravi to send him away.

Question 5:
What did the beggar feel about the ladies of the household?
Solution:
The beggar felt that the ladies of the household were very kind. They have enabled him survive for a week by giving him food to eat. He called them generous and found it hard to believe that they wanted to send him away.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
Describe Ravi’s character in the story.
Solution:
Ravi was an intelligent child. He had good observation skills and possessed sound knowledge of history. He was playful, but had a good sense of humour. He managed to get milk for the kitten in front of Paati’s eyes. He also applied his intelligence and gave music teacher’s chappals to the beggar. He was kind and generous and remembered the story of Kama which Rukku Manni had told him.

Question 2:
Compare how the music teacher played the violin with that of Lalli’s.
Solution:
The music teacher played the violin smoothly. His notes seemed to float up and then settled down perfectly into the invisible tracks of the melody. His hand moved the violin’s stem effortlessly and produced a melodious music. Lalli on the other hand seemed to struggle with the violin. The instrument appeared unhappy and helpless in her hands. She kept on missing the tracks and produced a kind of noise which even scared Mahendran.

Question 3:
Why was Ravi upset with the elders?
Solution:
Ravi was upset with the elders because he had always been told by them to be kind towards animals, but whenever he had tried to do so he had received screaming in return.
He had found the same elders calling these animals’ dirty creatures. Rukku Manni had told her about Kama who would give away everything he had to help others. Ravi had tried to help the beggar by giving away the music teacher’s chappals to him, but still Rukku Manni was angry with him.

Value Based Questions

Question 1:
What is the moral of the story, elaborate it.
Solution:
The moral of this story is to help people in need. The beggar was in need of the slippers. He had blisters in his feet. They did the right thing Gopu Mama can buy another pair of slippers but the beggar didn’t have the money to buy them. We should help people in need. There is no harm in giving away a bit of those things that are surplus to us. We should give food, dresses and sweaters ‘ to poor. For us that might not have much value, but it can save someone else’s life.