5th Standard, English Second Language, Unit – 7, Prose
A Great Coachman
Words to Know:
coach : horse-drawn carriage
desire : wish
scholar : a learned person
wandering : moving from place to place
monk : a holy man
social evils : evils that affect the society,
¸ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಪಿಡುಗುಗಳು
caste system : different groups in the society
superstitions : blind faith, ಮೂಢನಂಬಿಕೆಗಳು
religions : systems of faith and worship
brotherhood : a feeling that all belong to a family and
are brothers and sisters, ¸ಸೋದರಭಾವ
motto : That expresses the aims and beliefs of
a person, ಸೂಕ್ತಿ, ಧ್ಯೇಯವಾಕ್ಯ
achievements : great works
Vocabulary
V1 Make as many words as possible from each of the words below.
UNDERSTAND
Answer: under, stand, duster, dare, are, red, run, tune, stun, ran, nude, nurse, rat, set, sat, end, rest, ant, aunt, dust
EXPERIENCE
Answer: rice, pen, ice, pin, per, prince, expire
Fill in the blanks with suitable words, choosing them from the box below.
with to under for on
A mouse ran to the wall and hid under the table. I poked it with a stick. It jumped on the stool and was there for sometime. Later it ran out and disappeared.
Comprehension
C1 Answer the following questions in two to three sentences each.
1. What did Naren tell his mother one day?
Answer: Naren told his mother one day that he wants to be a coachman, because it is nice to drive a coach for him.
2. What picture did the mother show him?
Answer: His mother showed him a picture of Krishna (Gitopadesham) when he wanted to be a coachman, symbolizing a guide for others.
3. When was Naren born?
Answer: Narendra was born on 12th of January 1863.
4. Who was Narendranath’s guru?
Answer: Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was the guru of Narendranath.
5. What is the motto of Ramakrishna Mission?
Answer: The main motto of Ramakrishna Mission is “Work is Worship”.
C2 Discuss in groups and answer the following questions in five to six sentences each.
1. “…you should be a coachman like Krishna.” What did Naren’s mother mean?
Answer: Naren’s mother means that he should be a coachman like Krishna who guided Arjuna and showed the path to the innocent people of the universe. Little Naren could not understand his mother’s words quite clearly. Later on he became what his mother wished for. Narendra became famous as Swami Vivekananda.
2. What did Vivekananda tell in the Parliament of World Religions at Chicago?
Answer: Vivekananda made a great speech in the Parliament of Religions at Chicago. He said that all religions in the world preached the same truth. Therefore everyone in the world should develop a sense of brotherhood and love each other. He came back to India and began to teach tolerance and love.
3. Collect pictures of Swami Vivekananda and write about Swami Vivekananda’s life.
Answer: Narendra was born on 12th of January 1863. His parents were Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi. They considered the child was a gift from Lord Veereshwara. So they named the child Veereshwara. Later they gave him the name Narendranath Dutta.
He was sent to school at the age of six. He read stories from Ramayana and Mahabharatha. He had a desire to study more and become a scholar. He wanted to see God. Naren excelled academically but sought spiritual truth, asking many if they had seen God. He met his guru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who confirmed God’s existence, drawing Naren to him for spiritual guidance until Ramakrishna’s passing. After Ramakrishna’s death, Naren took monastic vows, becoming Swami Vivekananda, and travelled India as a wandering monk, witnessing widespread poverty and resolving to uplift his nation. With help, he travelled to America, represented Hinduism at the Parliament of Religions, and captivated the world with his opening, “Sisters and brothers of America,” preaching universal brotherhood and Vedanta. He lectured extensively in the US and Europe, meeting figures like Ikola tesla gaining disciples (like Sister Nivedita), and establishing Vedanta societies, spreading Hindu philosophy.
He returned a hero, establishing the Ramakrishna mission to serve humanity, emphasizing that service to man is service to God. He inspired patriotism and social reform through spiritual strength, before passing away young in 1902.
Language Exercises
L1 Fill in the blanks with the correct words given in brackets.
1. I went in (in / into) the park.
2. I saw a lot of (of / off) children playing in (on / in) the playground.
3. A little girl wanted to (too / to) read a book.
4. Her parents asked her to go out (out / in) and play.
5. But she said that she would continue to (to / for) sit in her room and read a book.
L2 Complete the following dialogue.
“Hello Nayana, where are you going ?”
“I’m going to the doctor.”
“Why what happened?” “Who is with you?”
“My mother is with me. She have stomach ache.”
“Will you come to school?”
“Yes, I’ll get some medicine and then come to the school.”
L3 Speech sounds.
‘oo’ as in ‘school’.
Say this aloud.
Linda is dressed in blue
Brinda too is dressed in blue
Blue is lovely too
You know it is true
Brinda looks best in blue.
Say these words.
moon, toon, soon, spoon, glue, true.
Vocabulary
V1 Make as many words as possible from each of the words below.
1. What did Naren tell his mother one day?
2. What picture did the mother show him?
3. When was Naren born?
4. Who was Narendranath’s guru?
5. What is the motto of Ramakrishna Mission?
1. “…you should be a coachman like Krishna.” What did Naren’s mother mean?
2. What did Vivekananda tell in the Parliament of World Religions at Chicago?
3. Collect pictures of Swami Vivekananda and write about Swami Vivekananda’s life.
L1 Fill in the blanks with the correct words given in brackets.
L2 Complete the following dialogue.
L3 Speech sounds.
