Fuel of the Future
My Grandmother's House
A Case of Suspicion
My Son will Not a Beggar Be
100

Name some sources of clean renewable energy.

The sources of clean renewable energy are biogas, sun, tides,  wind, and water.

100

Read the stanza:

There is a house not far away from where once

 I received love…That woman died,

 The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved

 Among books, I was then too young 

To read, and my blood turned cold like the moon.


Q. Why could the poet not read the books?         

The poet could not read the books because she was too young to read them.

100

Why did Dr. Benson take the watch out of his pocket?

Dr. Benson took the watch out of his pocket because he wanted to know what time Ott Sorley’s baby was born.

100

What ailment did the writer suffer for a long time?

When he was three, the writer suffered from a prolonged sickness of meningitis.  

200

What unique place does India have in relation to wind energy?

 India is the world’s fifth-largest producer of wind energy.

200

What happened in the house when the grandmother died?        

When the grandmother passed away, the house was abandoned and there were snakes moving among the books. There was also silence in the house.

200

What two pieces of information did the inscription give about Evans?

What two pieces of information did the inscription give about Evans?

200

What did the writer’s father not like about the routine type of education for his son?

The father felt the routine type of education was limited and schools became semi-asylums with all ages grouped in classes without any gradation system.  

300

Name the first Indian state that used wind energy. Can it be used elsewhere? If so, where?

The first state to use wind energy is Tamil Nadu. Yes, it can also be used in parts of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra.

300

What is the importance of the house in the poet’s life?    

The importance of the house in the poet’s life is that she was living in that house for many years, where she received lots of love from her grandmother who is no more there.

300

How did Dr. Benson realize that his suspicions about Evans were baseless?

Dr. Benson found out that his suspicion was baseless when he read the inscription behind the watch. He found out that the watch belonged to T. Evans, who served in World War II in 1943.

300

Why did the writer’s father study literature related to the education of the blind?

The writer’s father wanted to try everything he could to help Ved become an independent person.  He did not want his son to resort to begging or selling paan or making beedi to earn a livelihood like all the other blind people in India.

400

Q1 What two reasons are given by the public for their preference for wind energy over conventional sources of generation?    


Q2. Name the first Indian state that used wind energy. Can it be used elsewhere? If so, where?

A1.The public prefers wind energy over conventional sources of generation as it is free and renewable.  Also, it will be available in the future.


A2. The first state to use wind energy is Tamil Nadu. Yes, it can also be used in parts of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra.

400

How often I think of going there,

 to peer through blind eyes of windows or

 Just listen to the frozen air,

 Or in wild despair, pick an armful of 

Darkness to bring it here to lie

 Behind my bedroom door like a brooding 

Dog…


Q1. What does she mean by ‘small change’?

Q2.‘Cold-like moon’ is a simile. Can you pick out another simile from the poem?

A1. By small change, she means that she wants love, at least in small quantities. 


A2. Another simile from the poem is an armful of darkness to lie behind my bedroom door like a brooding dog.

400

What information did the inscription give about Evans?

The inscription behind the watch said that the watch belonged to Evans, who served in World War II in 1943. He was brave and saved many lives.    

400

Ved’s mother had her own methods of treating his illness.  What were they?  Did they do him any good?

She called the family pundit for advice.  She tried all religious prescribed methods that included intensive prayers and doing penance for her sins.  She visited various hakims who prescribed all sorts of drops for the eyes.  None of these methods worked for Ved

500

State the advantages and disadvantages of wind energy

The advantages of wind energy are:

  • Clean energy

  • No pollutants

  • Free

  • Renewable


The disadvantages of wind energy are:

  • Threat to Birds

  • Noisy

  • Not good to look at

  • Intermittent supply


500

Q1 The poet thinks of her past. How is her present different from the past?


Q2 What is she begging for? 

A1 The poet remembers her grandmother’s house when she was loved. She has a deep sense of sadness or sorrow in the present because no one loves her now.  She has to beg for love.


A2.  She is begging for love. 

500

Would you call Dr. Benson a kind and gentle doctor?  Would Evans think of him in the same way?  Why or Why not?

I think Dr. Benson is a kind and gentle doctor. He had offered the stranger a ride on the cold, dreary night. In addition, he offered him cigarettes. Also, we know that he is gentle because he helps deliver babies. 

Evans would not think of Dr. Benson in the same way. Dr. Benson had pointed his pistol at Evans and asked him to get out of the car. 

500

What steps did Ved’s father take to ensure he avoided his son from ending up being a beggar?

 Ved’s father read all the available information on blindness. He learned the blind were beggars. Also, many of them ended up owning paan and beedi shops. Many of them also spent their days rolling nuts and condiments in a betel leaf or tobacco in a cigarette paper. He also found out that prominent educational institutions for the blind were semi-asylum with all ages grouped together in classes. There was no gradation system for them. These facts made Ved’s father decide that he would never allow his son to be a beggar but a skilled person. So Ved was admitted to the Dadar School for the Blind in Bombay.