8th Standard English SL Prose 1
UNIT–1 EDUCATION FOR LIFE
A DAY IN THE ASHRAM
ILA Your teacher reads a passage. Listen to it. Then answer these questions.
1. Why did Sangappa feel sad?
Answer: Sangappa seen some students were reading books and trying to get by heart some questions and answers. But Sangappa feel sad because his son had been sitting on a tree watching the birds singing instead of studying.
2. What was his son doing?
Answer: His son had been sitting on a tree watching the birds singing. Also, he was trying to draw the birds in a book.
3. What did the headmaster say about learning?
Answer: The headmaster says that learning does not mean only reading books. Kids also have to study other things like son of Sangappa, He also felt sad about other kids and said that Sangappa’s son is studying nature and he’s learning, but other kids are not.
4. Does learning mean only reading books and preparing for the examination? Share your views with your partners in the class.
Answer: No, learning does not mean only reading books and preparing for the examination. Apart from the books students have to learn other things like general knowledge, nature, sports, external activities etc.
IRA Some statements are given below. If you agree tick [Yes]. If not tick [No].
1. I love to get answers to all the questions by heart. Yes No
Answer: No
2. We should play in the evening. Yes/ No
Answer: Yes
3. I learn a lot while I am outside the classroom. Yes/No
Answer: Yes
4. Learning must be an enjoyable experience. Yes/No
Answer: Yes
5. Singing, praying, practising yoga and drawing are also some of the ways of learning. Yes/No
Answer: Yes
Do you want to know that there exists a school where children learn with joy and freedom? If so, read the text silently.
C1 Answer the following questions and share your responses with your partner.
1. Who named the school ‘Shantiniketan’?
Answer: Rabindranath Tagore named the school ‘Shantiniketan’
2. When does the day in Shantiniketan begin?
Answer: The day in Shantiniketan begins in long before sunrise, like the birds in our own amloki groves, our boys are awake.
3. What is termed by Gurudeva as, ‘the darling of our hearts’?
Answer: Shanthinikethan termed by Gurudeva as, ‘the darling of our hearts’.
4. Which phrase used in paragraph 1 means ‘both the old and the young people’?
Answer: The phrase ‘old and young alike’ used in paragraph 1 means ‘both the old and the young people.
5. The boys in Shantiniketan get up early in the morning. Who else are the early risers?
Answer: The birds in own amloki groves are get up early in the morning with boys in Shanthinikethan.
C2 Work in pairs. Answer the following questions and share your responses with your partners.
1. What kind of work do the boys practise in the afternoon?
Answer: The boys practise the work like carpentry, mechanical work, spinning, weaving, drafting, painting and music in the afternoon.
2. What are Shantinikethan boys famous for?
Answer: Shantiniketan boys are famous everywhere for their sports and games.
3. How do the boys spend their evenings before they go to bed?
Answer: The boys spend their evenings before they go to bed by telling fairy tales, recitation of short dramas. There are also Gurudeva’s songs are sung by the boys and different school gatherings are held.
4. Read the second paragraph carefully. What it describes is:
a) the greatness of the teacher
b) the song of the choristers
c) the lessons taught in the Ashram
d) the silent meditation of the inmates
[Choose the right answer]
Answer: d) the silent meditation of the inmates.
Glossary and Notes :
Gurudeva : Rabindranath Tagore
choristers : members who sing in the choir of a church
choir : a group of singers singing hymns
hymn : a song of praise to God
amloki : a tree, like a mango tree
reverence : respect
meditate : to pray silently
draftsman : a designer or one who makes plans
recite : sing [a poem or a story] from memory
Read and write :
C3 Read and discuss your responses with your partner. Then write.
1. What is the effect of the song of the choristers on the listeners?
Answer: The choristers are the first to rise, and they go round the Ashram, singing their morning hymn. We can hear the voices in the distance, drawing nearer and nearer; and then the sound dies away, as the choir passes on to another part of the Ashram, and then again it comes nearer and nearer. The beauty of the sound in the silent morning air and the sense of joy and reverence which it brings, give peace to the soul.
2. How are the classes held in the afternoon in Shantiniketan?
Answer: About two o’ clock in the afternoon the classes begin again; but at this time the work is chiefly with the hands as well as with the mind. Handiwork is practised, and the boys’ own natural tastes are very soon discovered. Some prefer carpentry; others prefer mechanical work; others enjoy spinning and weaving; others become skilled draftsmen or painters; others are musicians.
3. How do the boys spend their evenings in Shantiniketan?
Answer: In the evening, at sunset, they return from the fields and sit down once more, for a short time, to meditate in silence. As night comes, fairy tales are told, short dramas are recited, Gurudeva’s songs are sung, and different school gatherings are held.
4. How are the classes at Shantiniketan different from the classes in other schools?
Answer: Shantiniketan’s classes different significantly from other schools by prioritizing holistic education, fostering creativity, and integrating nature into the learning experience. Shantiniketan often conducts classes outdoors, under trees, creating a natural and inspiring learning environment, unlike the enclosed classrooms of traditional schools. The school’s environment encourages students to live in harmony with nature, promoting a deep connection with the natural world. They are encouraging combining arts, music, literature, and traditional subjects with a focus on holistic development. The school encourages self-expression, critical thinking, and emotional development. Teachers at Shantiniketan encourage students to explore their creativity and develop critical thinking skills. Shantiniketan places a strong emphasis on Indian art, music, dance, and literature, fostering a love for the arts.
5. How does Shantiniketan prepare the boys for life?
Answer: Shantiniketan prepares boys for life by learning through experience, personal growth, and a connection with nature. Instead of memorization, students engage in activities tailored to their interests, develop expertise in their chosen fields, and cultivate a sense of peace and well-being. Classes extend to the natural environment, encouraging students to learn from nature. The classes of afternoons for handicrafts like carpentry, spinning, weaving, and music, helping students develop practical skills and explore their talents. Education is tailored to each student’s tastes and preferences, allowing them to become experts in their areas of interest. The school’s environment and emphasis on meditation contribute to a sense of peace and tranquillity, preparing students for life’s challenges.
C4. The writer has used the phrase ‘living education’ to describe the experience in Shantiniketan. Some features of education are given below. Classify them into the categories of ‘living education’ and ‘unimaginative instruction’. Discuss in groups.
Living Education Unimaginative instruction.
Memorizing, meditating, punishing learners, learning outside in nature, dictating notes, open discussion, students asking questions to teachers, students passively listening, experimenting, creative thinking, identifying students’ natural taste, bookish learning.
Answer:
Living education – open discussion, students asking questions to teachers, experimenting, creative thinking, identifying students’ natural taste, meditating, learning outside in nature,
Unimaginative instruction – punishing learners, dictating notes, Memorizing, students passively listening, bookish learning.
C5 Write a paragraph describing your idea of a good school.
Answer: The main aim of the school is teaching. Teachers are the pillars of the School. Therefore, Teachers must be friendly and teaches good values to the students. The Teachers must be educated, kind, learned, disciplined and have lot of patience and must love their profession and children. Schools have good administration, authorities, rules, and regulations. Schools have good library for the studies and reading books and have a big playground. Schools must give prefer for discipline and health of the students. Every School should be very far from the industrial area.
C6 Write a few lines about your school using the following clues:
Name of the School
Location
School building
Facilities – about teachers, laboratory, library, sports etc.
Answer: For Student
My School is located in ________ city. Name of my school is ________. There are _____ buildings in our school. Our school building is near to ________. My School is famous in ______ district. Our school is providing many facilities for our students. There are more than ___well educated and trained teachers guiding us in our school. School administration providing good laboratory for us. Library of our school is very vast and neat. There are thousands of books to study for students. School is encouraging sports to every student.
Vocabulary :
V1 Observe the use of nearer and nearer in the following example.
e.g. You can hear the voices in the distance, drawing nearer and nearer [near].
Fill in the blanks in each of the following sentence with the help of the clues given in brackets.
1. When you blow air into a balloon it becomes bigger and bigger [big]
2. As the train approaches the station, the sound of its whistle becomes louder and louder. [loud]
3. If you practise harder and harder, you will feel more and more
[much] confident to solve the problems.
4. Man has been constructing taller and taller [tall] buildings in the cities.
5. As you move away from a tree it looks smaller and smaller [small]
V2 Fill in the blanks using some and others.
e.g. Some prefer carpentry, others prefer mechanical work.
1. You can see shining objects in the sky at night. Some of them are planets, others are stars.
2. There are many fruits in the basket. some of them are mangoes,
others are bananas.
3. After the bell, some boys went out to play, others went home.
4. There are a few books on the table. some of them are text
books, others are not.
5. Some of the apples in the basket are good. others are bad.
V3 Fill in the blanks choosing the appropriate words from the words
given in brackets.
Last week [week, weak] I went to a shop to buy [by, buy] a pair of trousers. I bought one and returned home. When I tried to wear [wear, ware] it, I found that it was rather loose [loose, lose]. So I went to the shop in fury. But the shopkeeper was out. So I had to wait [wait, weight] for half an hour. When he returned. I shouted at him, “See, how big it is. It fits an elephant”. He replied coolly looking at my pot belly, “Therefore we offered it to you, Sir”.
V4 Fill in the blanks using the antonyms of the words underlined.
1. Krishna was a rich king, while his friend was a poor man.
2. Madanika is tall but her brother is short.
3. Radhika is strong but her sister is weak.
4. Silk is soft; iron is hard.
5. I can remember stories but forget lessons.
V5 Classify the following into prefixes and suffixes:
re, less, ful, mis, non, anti, ment, able, ish, in, ex, ion, ship, multi, sub, ive. One example for each is given.
Answer:
Prefixes – re, mis, non, anti, in, ex, multi, sub
Suffixes – less, ful, ment, able, ish, ion, ship, ive
V6 Fill in the blanks with the appropriate prefixes choosing from the ones given above [V5] :
1. The school re opens on June 1.
2. Manish eats meat. He is a non-vegetarian.
3. Terrorists are anti-social.
4. Bakra Nangal is a multipurpose project.
5. Plastic chairs are in expensive.
V7 Fill in the blanks with appropriate suffixes choosing from the
ones given above [V5]:
1. He was comfortable in his seat on the train.
2. He was acting in a very childish way.
3. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
4. India has won the Championship at Sharjah.
5. The rate of employment in India has been rising steadily.
