UNIT 7
PROSE
KALI AND THE RAT SNAKE
New words :
tribe : a group of people living together sharing the same language, customs, religion etc.
trembling: shaking
grin : broad smile
commotion : noise, confusion
I. Tick the right answer :
1. Kali had joined the school two years ago/two months ago/two weeks ago.
2. Kali had ten/many/no friends at school.
3. The children noticed the snake during History/English/Music class.
4. The snake was on the roof/window/bench.
5. Kali was slightly/not at all afraid of the snake.
II. Answer these questions orally :
- Where have you seen a snake?
I had seen the snakes around our garden.
- How do snakes move?
Snakes moves by crawling.
- What do snakes eat?
Snakes eat rats, frogs etc
- Are all snakes poisonous?
No. Some of the snakes are not poisonous.
- How do they help the farmer?
They are moving inside the soil. So it will help the farmer.
III. A. Fill in the blanks with the correct words, choosing from the words in brackets:
1. Kali’s father was a snake-catcher (doctor, snake-catcher).
2. He was from the Irula tribe. (Irula tribe, Thoda tribe).
3. Kali’s teacher was kind (kind, harsh).
4. The snake came into the class from the roof (through the window, from the roof).
5. All the children in the class admired Kali’s courage (courage, foolishness).
B. Write down the answers to the following questions in your notebook:
1. In the beginning of the story, why was Kali not happy to go to school?
Answer: Kali not happy to go to school because, he felt lonely at school because he did not have a single friend. In fact, when he introduced himself to his classmates on the first day of school, everyone laughed at him.
2. What did Kali’s father tell him about rat snakes?
Kali’s father told him “Rat snakes come mistaking the smell of humans to be that of rats.” about rat snakes.
3. When did the children in the class scream?
Suddenly the snake fell down in the middle of the room. Everyone was very scared. Then all the children in the class scream.
4. When did they cheer Kali?
Kali did not show any fear. He quickly grabbed the snake with his hand behind the snake’s head. At that time all the children cheer Kali.
- How did the behavior of the children change after Kali caught the snake?
Answer: After Kali caught Snake, all the children started dragging Kali by the hand saying, “Kali, you are brave. You must sit next to me.”
IV. A. Match the words in Column A with their opposites in Column B.
A B
Happy unhappy
first last
kind cruel
remember forget
brave scared
B. Fill in the blanks with the opposite of the underlined adjective.
1. We must be kind to animals; we must not be _______ cruel _______.
2. Kali did not forget his father’s words; he _____ remember _____ them in time.
3. At ___ first _____ children did not want to be Kali’s friends, but at last they all wanted him to sit next to him.
4. Kali’s family was a happy one; they did not want to see him _____ unhappy ______.
V. What do you think Kali would tell his parents when he went home after the ‘‘snake incident”? Write in three or four sentences.
Before the snake incident there is no friends in school for Kali. After he caught snake, all children become his friends. So Kali was very happy and he is in cheerful mood. So Kali tell his parents about the change in children’s nature when he went home after the ‘‘snake incident”.
Let’s describe the characters in the story.
- Kali was unhappy at school in the beginning.
Kali felt lonely at school because he did not have a single friend. When he introduced himself to his classmates on the first day of school, everyone laughed at him. So Kali was unhappy at school in the beginning.
- Kali’s father was a brave snake-catcher.
His father was a famous snake-charmer of the Irula tribe. He is catching the snakes and look for different kinds of snakes.
