Class 7th - English : Short Stories - Lesson 4 –
A Shadow
| Story 4 |English 7th | Tulip Series |
(R. K. Narayan)
Working with the Text
(A) Answer the following questions:
Q 1 . Sambu was eager but his mother reluctant to see the film. Why?
Ans. Sambu was eager to see his father back to life in the film but his mother was reluctant because she could not bear to see her six-month dead husband moving, talking, and singing in the film. Her husband was very dear to her.
Q2. Who wrote the story, and how much was he, paid for it?
Ans. Sambu’s father wrote the story and he was, paid ten thousand rupees for writing and acting.
Q3. What was the story about?
Ans. The story was about a young girl, named Kumari, who refused to marry at fourteen but wanted to, study in a university and earn an independent living, and was cast, away by her stern father and forgiven at the end.
Q4. When the film ended the first day, what did Sambu realize?
Ans. When the film ended the first day, Sambu turned about and gazed at the aperture in the projection room as if his father has vanished into it.
Q5. When Sambu’s mother asked him if he would like to go and see the picture again the next day, what was Sambu’s response?
Ans. Sambu was delighted and told his mother that he would like to see the picture as long as, it was shown, in the theatre.
Q6. How long did Sambu live in his father’s company?
Ans. Sambu lived in his father’s company for a week or more and felt depressed at the end of every show.
Q7. When did Sambu's mother agree to see the picture?
Ans. Sambu persuaded his mother and she agreed to see the picture on the last day for the night show. They were changing the picture the next day.
Q8. What was the unbearable scene for Sambu’s mother?
Ans. The scene, in which Sambu’s father reclined in a chair while reading a newspaper, was unbearable to Sambu’s mother. This was the actual scene that recalled her memory of married life when her husband used to sit in his canvas chair and how she lost her temper on the day of his death.
Q9. How did Sambu help his mother go home and what did he feel?
Ans. Sambu fetched a jutka and helped his mother into it. His heart became heavy and he burst into tears because he was, affected both by his mother’s breakdown and by the feeling that that was the final parting from his father, as they were changing the picture the next day.
(B) Write True or False in the box provided against each statement:
(I). Sambu’s father, a writer, and actor was dead. True
(ii). Sambu’s friend hated Tamil pictures but still saw the picture. False
(iii). Kumari was Sambu’s sister. False
(iv). Sambu lived in his father’s company three hours a day as long as the picture was on screen. True
(v). Sambu’s mother was reluctant in the beginning to see the picture but Sambu persuaded her to see the last show. True
(vi). The newspaper scene was unbearable for Sambu’s mother. True
(vii). The lights were put on in a women’s class when Sambu’s mother fainted there during the show. True
(viii). Sambu’s mother did not see the picture after she fainted and was taken home by Sambu. True
(ix). Sambu was affected both by his mother’s breakdown and by the parting from his father in the end. True
Language Work
Match the phrases from ‘A’ with their meanings in ‘B’:
Ans.
A B
Grammar Work
Change the narration of the following:
1. Direct: She said, “Where are you going?”
Indirect: She asked where I was going.
2. Direct: I said to Brijis, “When will your college reopen?”
Indirect: I asked Brijis when his college would reopen.
3. Direct: The teacher said to us, “Can you tell me why girls outshine boys?”
Indirect: The teacher asked us if we could tell him why girls outshine boys.
4. Direct: The teacher said to Aslam, “Why were you not present at this place yesterday?”
Indirect: The teacher asked/enquired Aslam why he was not present at that place the previous day.
5. Direct: The teacher said, “ Why are you making a noise?”
Indirect: The teacher asked why we were making a noise.
6. Indirect: I asked him where he was going.
Direct: I said to him, “Where are you going?”
7. Indirect: The teacher asked the newcomer which school he had attended last.
Direct: The teacher said to the newcomer, “Which school have you attended last?”
8. Indirect: You asked her if she could play carrom.
Direct: You said to her, “Can you play carrom?”
9. Indirect: I asked them if they knew him.
Direct: I said to them, “Do you know him?”
10. Indirect: She asked you why you were late.
Direct: She said, “Why are you late?”