Vocab
Meaning of PADDY FIELD.
Rice field.
What is the past tense of SEE?
Saw.
How old was Kondiba when he became blind?
Kondiba became blind at the age of eight.
Why did Kondiba initially go to Mumbai?
Kondiba went to Mumbai in search of food due to the famine in Maharashtra in 1972-73.
How did the grandfather react differently to the snake and the bee incidents?
Grandfather threw away the coconut shell with the snake but rushed the narrator to get medical help for the bee sting.
Synonym of RECITING.
Chanting, repeating, speaking, uttering.
What is the past tense of CRAWL?
What was Kondiba’s initial profession before he started begging?
Kondiba initially tried selling brooms.
Why did Grandfather run with the narrator to the old man's house after the bee sting?
He believed the bee sting was a snake bite and sought treatment.
What were the challenges Kondiba faced when trying to save Arvind from the well?
Kondiba faced the challenge of diving and searching in the muddy, slippery well without the ability to see, relying solely on his sense of touch. His weak and starved body also made it difficult for him to hold his breath and navigate underwater.
Antonym of GRADUALLY.
Create a sentence using the past tense of "to take".
I took the shell and ran to Grandmother
What did Grandfather do when he thought the narrator had been bitten by a snake?
He took the narrator in his arms and ran across the garden and through the paddy fields to a small house where an old man who knew the cure for snake bites lived.
What kind of a person was Kondiba?
Keep in mind - his willingness to dive into the well despite his blindness and physical weakness.
He is courageous, selfless, and determined to help others even at great personal risk.
Why do you think the narrator's grandmother mistook the bee sting for a snake bite?
Grandmother saw a blue mark on the narrator's finger and assumed it was from a snake.
What is the meaning of panting - "After coming out of the well, Kondiba was panting hard"?
Breathe with short quick breaths.
In the sentence "When he learnt that I had a snake in the shell, he snatched the shell and threw it away," identify the two irregular verbs.
Learnt & threw (learn & throw).
Why did Kondiba dive into the well?
Kondiba dived into the well to rescue a boy named Arvind who had fallen in.
How might the story have been different if the narrator had immediately clarified that it was a bee sting?
The reaction and actions of the characters, particularly Grandfather and the old man, would have been different, possibly avoiding unnecessary panic and treatment.
How did Kondiba's childhood experiences contribute to his ability to save Arvind despite being blind?
Kondiba's childhood experiences of swimming and diving in village wells helped him develop the necessary skills to navigate underwater. His familiarity with the sensation of feeling his way around underwater allowed him to effectively search for and rescue Arvind despite his blindness.
Use MEDDLE in a sentence.
Prisha doesn't like it when her little brother tries to meddle with her electronics without asking.
In the sentences "Grandfather came running," "He looked at my finger," and "They looked sad and silently watched me," identify all the irregular verbs.
Came (Come).
What happened to Kondiba after he rescued Arvind and became a hero?
Kondiba was praised by officials, received rewards totaling Rs. 12,970, lived in a Home for the Blind where he learned some skills, and eventually moved to Jalna, where he married and ran a small business.
Kondiba’s actions during the rescue influenced his life afterward in a positive way.
What does this suggest about societal values?
This suggests that society highly values bravery and selflessness, rewarding those who demonstrate such qualities with opportunities for a better life.
How does the author use and show fear and misunderstanding in the story?
The story highlights how fear and misunderstanding led to dramatic reactions to perceived threats like the snake and bee.