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Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 2 Chapter 3 Death the Leveller Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Death the Leveller Questions and Answers Unit 2 Chapter 3 (Poem)

Death the Leveller (Poem) Textual Questions and Answer

Activity -1 (Read and respond)

Question 1.
Why does the poet think that the glories of our blood and state are shadows?
Answer:
The poet thinks that the glories of our blood and state are shadows because they are not substantial or concrete things. They don’t last.

Question 2.
What do ‘sceptre and crown’ and ‘scythe and spade’ stand for and what do they symbolize?
Answer:
Sceptre and crown stand forthe royal glory, splendour and power of rulers. Scythe and spade stand forthe tools of workers. Sceptre and crown symbolizes kings (authority) whereas scythe and spade symbolize ordinary people (the masses).

Question 3.
Why does the poet say that ‘there is no armour against fate’?
Answer:
The poet says that ‘there is no armour against fate’ because death comes to everyone. Nobody can resist it. No armour will protect you against death.

Question 4.
‘Some men with swords may reap the field’- What does this mean?
Answer:
It means some powerful conquerors might attack other lands and occupy them. Alexander the Great, Napoleon and Hitler are good examples of such mighty men.

Question 5.
What is the fate of the men with swords who hope to reap the field?
Answer:
They also die, as they have to bend before fate. All are captives of the mighty Death.

Question 6.
What does ‘Death’s purple altar’ refer to?
Answer:
It refers to the inevitable death. It also refers to the battle grounds where blood flows and the ground are made purple with the colour of blood. Thus it means bloodshed.

Question 7.
What does the phrase ‘victor-victim’ mean?
Answer:
It is means the conqueror and the conquered, the triumphant and the defeated, the master and the slave.

Question 8.
What can survive death ? What are the things that blossom in the dust? Why?
Answer:
The actions of the just, the good deeds of the righteous people, can survive death. The good actions blossom in the dust because people will remember them and the aroma of the good actions will continue to waft in the air.

Question 9.
Why death is called the Leveller?
Answer:
Death is called the Leveller because Death shows no distinction and he carries off everybody alike – high and low, rich and poor, strong and weak – reducing them all to dust. He is an equalizer in whose eyes everybody is equal. He levels everybody to one size!

Activity – II (Read the reflect)

Question 10.
Elaborate the ideas in the following lines:
Answer:
i) Only the actions of the just Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.
All people have to die. Kings and clowns, scholars and illiterates, rich and poor, high and low – all will die and become dust. But the actions of the good people will be remembered as they continue to waft their aroma even from the dust.

ii) The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against Fate.
The glory or our birth and our condition are simply like shadows, not substantial, not concrete, not things that will last for long. There is no way we can escape from death. Whether we are born high or low, whether we are powerful or not death will come to us and no shield of any kind will protect us from death.

Question 11.
The following words are taken from the poem. Parse (Describe the grammatical function) them.
Answer:

• Armour – noun
• wither – verb
• But – Conjunction
• tame – verb
• Murmuring – adjective
• stoop – verb
• Boast – verb
• tumble – verb
• Where – adverb
• reap – verb
• Cold – adjective
• boast – verb
• Sweet – adverb
• bleeds – verb

Activity – III (Analysis)

Question 12.
Examine the rhyme scheme of the poem. What effect does it produce?
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the poem is: ababccdd It give the poem a highly musical quality.

Couplet: A couplet consists of two lines of poetry that rhyme with each other and are of the same length: e.g. “Sceptre and crown Must tumble down,”

Question 13.
Can you identify more couplets from the poem?
a) “Early or late ,
They stoop to fate”
b) “ murmuring breath
creep to death”
c) “actions of the just
blossom on their dust”

Figures Of Speech : Study the notes given on page 69.
Identify the figure of speech in ‘Death lays icy hands on kings’ – Personification Pick out example of metaphor, metonymy and oxymoron in the poem.
Answer:
Metaphor:
i) glories are shadows. It shows the transient and insubstantial nature of glory.
ii) Actions of the just smell sweet: The actions of the just are flowers.

Metonymy :
i) sceptre and crown means kings, rulers or people with high authority.
ii) scythe and spade = ordinary people

Oxymoron : victor-victim bleeds. Normally it is only the victims that bleed.

Activity – IV (Appreciation)

Question 14.
Men are mortal. Triumph and failures are part and parcel of life. However, we have to think of the consequences of our action before we do something. The effect of our mistaken deeds cannot often be rectified.

Think and add your views : Life is a mixture of pleasure and pain. There are ups and downs in everybody’s life. We should not be overjoyed in our success. In the same way we must feel too dejected in our failures. We have opportunities to do good and bad. If we do good things, posterity will remember us as good people. But if we do bad things, people will curse us even after our death. So our aim should be to live exemplary lives and help others to live their lives in a good way.
Answer:
Now attempt and appreciation of the poem : The poem ‘Death the Leveller’ by James Shirley is a fine poem that teaches us a god lesson. It says that our earthly glories are mere shadows. There is no shield against Fate. Death comes to all. Even the mightiest will be levelled with the poorest by Death, who is a leveller. Some men may make big conquests but their strong nerves finally become weak. Finally they also die as poor, pale prisoners of fate. So do not boast about your great actions. On the altar of death victor and the vanquished bleed alike. However great you are, your head must come to the cold tomb. Only the good actions of the just people will be remembered by posterity.

The poem has fine imagery. The poet has used many figures of speech like simile, metaphor, metonymy and oxymoron. These figures make the poem very interesting. The poem is in rhyme with the scheme ababccdd. It has a fine rhythm and it is very melodious.

The poem has a fine message: Death levels everyone. He treats all alike. All, kings and clowns, scholars and the illiterate, the rich and the poor, end up in dust. So we should not boast about our capabilities and achievements. We should remember that all of us are children of God and we all go back to the same dust. Death is a great leveller.

Activity – V

Question 15.
Preparing a Class Magazine (To be done by the students).

Death the Leveller (Poem) About the Author

– James Shirley

James Shirley (1596-1666) is known as the last of Elizabethans. He wrote a lot for the stage. He published four small volumes of poems and plays.

‘Death the Leveller’ is a funeral song. It asks the readerto think about human actions. The subject-matter of the poem is vanity and the impermanence of earthly glory and power. Death shows no distinction and he carries off everybody alike – high and low, rich and poor, strong and weak – reducing them all to dust. It is only the memories of the good deeds during our lifetime that will last forever.

Death The Leveller Summary

Stanza 1 : The glories of our blood and state are shadows. They are not concrete things. There is no armour against Fate. Death lays his cold hands even on kings. Sceptre and Crown, the symbols of a king, will fall down and they will be made equal with the sickle and spade, the tools and symbol of poor people.

Stanza 2: Some men may reap the fields with sword and plant fresh victories where they kill. But their strong nerves finally become weak. Early or late they have bend low before their fate and must give up their breath. Finally they also die, as poor, pale prisoners of fate.

Stanza 3 : The garlands on your brow dry up. So do not boast about your great actions. Upon the purple altar of death the victor and the vanquished bleed alike. However great you are, your head must come to the cold tomb. Only the good actions of the just people will flower in the dust and smell sweet.

Message: Death levels everyone. He treats all alike. All, kings and clowns, scholars and the illiterate, the rich and the poor, end up in dust.

Death The Leveller Glossary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 2 Chapter 2 The Price of Flowers Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook The Price of Flowers Questions and Answers Unit 2 Chapter 2 (Short Story)

The Price of Flowers Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why was the narrator’s attention drawn to the English girl?
Answer:
The narrator’s attention was drawn to the English girl because she had been watching him with interested surprise. But she turned her eyes away as soon as he looked at her. She was 13 or 14 years old. From her clothes one could guess she was a poor girl. She had large eyes which had a sad expression.

Question 2.
What is your impression of the girl?
Answer:
She is a teenager from a poor family. She had large eyes with a sorrowful expression. When she saw the narrator, some ideas came to her mind and that is why she watches him so closely. Then she tries to find out if he is an Indian and if he comes to that particular restaurant all the time. Something about Indians has got into her mind and she is trying to clarify her doubts. She is a polite girl who thanks people even when some small service is given to her.

Question 3.
How do you know that the girl was interested in knowing the identity of the narrator?
Answer:
I know that the girl was interested in knowing the identity of the narrator from the fact that she watched him with interested surprise. Later she asks the cashier whether the narrator was an Indian and whether he comes to the restaurant every day.

Question 4.
What do you understand about the probable financial condition of the girl?
Answer:
The girl is from a poor family and that we can guess from the dress she is wearing. She has large eyes which have a sad expression. The waitress says that she comes to the restaurant only on Saturdays for her lunch because Saturday is the pay day. On the other days she does not take lunch because she has no money. She is working in a nearby shop, maybe for a very small pay. As she is a teenager nobody would hire her for a big salary.

Question 5.
Why was the narrator curious about the girl? What did he do to meet her?
Answer:
The narrator was curious about the girl because he found she was curious about him. She asked the cashier if he was an Indian and if he came to the restaurant every day. From the waitress he had come to know that the girl works in a nearby shop. So to meet her he looked into the shops on the streets near St. Martin’s Lane and the shops on the Strand. But he could not trace her. Then he met her in the restaurant again on the next Saturday during lunch time.

Question 6.
Why did the narrator go to the restaurant again ?
Answer:
The narrator went to the restaurant again in the hope of meeting the young English girl. He was told by the waitress that the girl came to the restaurant on Saturdays for lunch.

Question 7.
What impression did the girl have about India?
Answer:
The girl thought that India was a dangerous country full of tigers, snake and fevers. This is the impression she got from people.

Question 8.
Was Maggie satisfied with her job? If not why?
Answer:
Maggie was not satisfied with her job. It was a mechanical job. She wanted to have job to make use of her head, her brain. She would like to be a secretary.

Question 9.
What do you understand by brain work’?
Answer:
By ‘brain work’ I understand those types of work which need some thinking. We in India often call ‘brain work’ as white collar jobs.

Question 10.
Why did Maggie ask the narrator whether he was a vegetarian?
Answer:
Maggie asked the jjarrator whether the narrator was a vegetarian to fifid out if he was a yogi. She had heard that yogis do not eat meat and they have occult (magical) powers.

Question 11.
Why did Mr Gupta go to Maggie’s house?
Answer:
Mr Gupta went to Maggie’s house because she invited him. She wanted to introduce him to her mother, who wanted to meet an Indian to find out the truth about the stories she had heard about India. Moreover, Mr. Gupta had developed some liking and sympathy towards Maggie and was willing to help her in any way possible.

Question 12.
What do you understand about the living conditions of Maggie and her mother?
Answer:
The living conditions of Maggie and her mother were very poor. They lived in a small house in the Lambeth area where poor peopled lived. Here the streets are above the ground. Kitchens are often below street level. They had very cheap furniture and that too was very little. The carpet was very old and torn in many places. Maggie’s mother baked cakes and sold them for a living.

Question 13.
Why is Saturday special to Maggie and her mother?
Answer:
Saturday is special to Maggie and her mother for two reasons. It is Maggie’s pay day, on which she can enjoy a meal in a restaurant. Saturday night is a time of festivity in poor neighbourhoods like Lambeth. It is a day when the poor are able to spend a little as they receive their wages. Maggie’s mother bakes cakes and sells them on Saturdays and that is how they make a living. So Saturday is special to both of them.

Question 14.
How did Mr. Gupta describe India to Mrs. Clifford?
Answer:
Mr. Gupta said that India was a beautiful country. It is not cold like England, but is somewhat hot. Of course there are tigers and snakes in India but they live in the jungles. If they came into the places where people live they get killed. There are fevers in some places in India. But they differ with the places and seasons.

Question 15.
Who is Francis? What do you know about him?
Answer:
Francis or Frank is the brother of Maggie and son of Mrs. Clifford. They both love him dearly. He is in the Punjab, in the regiment fighting on the Northwest Frontier. He loves his mother and sister. He has sent her sister a book of pictures of Simla and the surrounding mountain country. He is superstitious. He also sent her a crystal ring saying that it was given to him by a yogi. The yogi had told him it was a magical ring. If somebody looked into the crystal, thinking of a person who is far away, he can see the person and what he is doing. Maggie and Mrs. Clifford often looked into the crystal ring but they never saw Francis. Finally we come to know that Francis was killed in war and was buried at Fort Monroe, near Dera- Ghazi-Khan. Maggie wants the narratorto place some flowers on her brother’s grave when he goes to India and she pays him a shilling for that. It is from this sacrificial act of hers that the story gets its title.

Question 16.
What is your opinion about superstitions? Do you believe in any?
Answer:
Superstitions are bad. But they are rampant in the society. Superstitions are often connected with religious beliefs and some unscrupulous people exploit the believers by feeding them with superstitions. Some people believe that if a black cat crosses your way, the work for which you are going will not be done. It is stupid to believe in superstitions. I don’t believe in any. I believe in God but not in the superstitions traded in his name.

Question 17.
Describe the incident that touched the narrator deeply.
Answer:
Maggie had a violin and she learned to play some songs with her own efforts. She could not go to any teacher to learn violin because of the lack of money. Her mother knows that Maggie has talent for playing violin. She tells the narrator that if ever their circumstances improved she would send Maggie to have violin lessons. This incident deeply touched the narrator’s heart.

Question 18.
Why was Maggie unable to go to work?
Answer:
Maggie was unable to go to work because her mother was seriously sick. Since there was nobody in the house to look after her sick mother, she could not go for work.

Question 19.
Why did Mr. Gupta take some money with him when he went to see Mrs. Clifford?
Answer:
Mr Gupta took some money with him when he went to see Mrs. Clifford because his hostess told him that since Maggie had not gone for work for a week and had not received any pay, it was possible they were in financial trouble. In the letter Maggie wrote to him she had mentioned that her mother was very ill and she was not able to go to work for a week. She had not asked for any financial help but the hostess to whom the gprrator spoke about the letter thought that Maggie1 and her mother might need financial assistance.

Question 20.
Why did Mr. Gupta and Maggie tiptoe into the sitting room?
Answer:
Mr Gupta and Maggie tiptoed into the sitting room because Maggie wanted to talk to him in private. They did not want to disturb the sick woman with their talk.

Question 21.
What request did Maggie make to Mr. Gupta?
Answer:
Maggie wanted Mr. Gupta to gaze into the crystal and tell her mother that Franks was alive and well even if he did not see anything in the crystal. Her mother was seriously sick and her sickness is aggravated by her worries about Frank from whom she hasn’t heard for long. If Mr.’ Gupta tells her that Frank is alive and well, it will help her to recover.

Question 22.
Why was the crystal ring so special to Mrs. Clifford?
Answer:
The crystal ring was so special to Mrs. Clifford becaqse it was sent by her son Frank from India. Frank had written that the crystal ring was given to him by a yogi. The yogi had told him that the crystal ring was a magical one. If somebody looked into the crystal thinking of a person who was even far away, he could see the person and what he was doing. Mrs Clifford believed her son’s words.

Question 23.
What made Mrs. Clifford recover?
Answer:
Mrs. Clifford’s illness was aggravated because of her worries about her son Frank from whom she had not heard for long. She did not know if he was alive and well. Maggie requested Mr. Gupta to look into the crystal ring and tell her mother that Frank was alive and well even if he saw nothing in the crystal ring. Gupta did accordingly and this made Mrs. Clifford recover from her illness.

Question 24.
Why was Mr Gupta ashamed to face Mrs. Clifford?
Answer:
Mr. Gupta was ashamed to face Mrs. Clifford because Frank had been dead some days when he told her that he was alive and well. Since he had told her a lie, he was ashamed to face her.

Question 25.
What was the promise given to Maggie?
Answer:
The promise given to Maggie was that the narrator (Mr. Gupta) would visit the grave of her brother at Mort Monroe, near Dera-Ghazi-Khan when he goes to India.

Question 26.
Why did Maggie give a shilling to Mr.Gupta?
Answer:
Maggie gave a shilling to Mr. Gupta to buy flowers and place them on her brother’s grave at Mort Monroe, near Dera-Ghazi-Khan when he goes to India.

Question 27.
Explain the reason why Mr. Gupta accepted the shilling?
Answer:
Initially Mr. Gupta wanted to give back the Shilling to Maggie telling her that there were plenty of flowers in India and he could get some flowers free to place them on her brother’s grave. But this would deprive the girl of the joy of sacrifice she was making for her dead brother. So Mr. Gupta accepted the shilling. The grief in her heart would lessen with the sacrifice she was making. To earn a shilling she had to do a lot of work.

Activity -1 (Read and respond)

Question 1.
’It is neither the same everywhere nor the same all the year round in India. ’ Why?
Answer:
India is a vast country with different climate zones and it is not the same everywhere nor is it the same all the year-round.

Question 2.
Why did the narrator decide to take the shilling given by Maggie?
Answer:
The narrator decided to take the shilling from Maggie just to make her happy. She has sacrificed a lot to give him the shilling to buy flowers for her brother’s grave. She will feel consoled when she has done something nice for her brother.

Question 3
What is the role of faith in the story?
Answer:
Faith plays an important role in the story. Mrs Clifford believes that Indians can see things in a crystal. When the narrator tells her that he can see her son alive and well in the crystal she recovers from her illness.

Activity – II (Discussion)

Question 4.
Discuss the significance of the title ‘The Price of Flowers’.
Answer:
The story has aptly titled the price of flowers. A young girl impoverished and miserable sacrifices a shilling for flowers to place on her brother’s grave. The narrator does not want to destroy the kind gesture that the girl makes for he knows it brings her a lot of consolation.

Activity – III (Character Sketch)

Question 5.
Pick out the words used by the author to describe the character of Maggie.
Full name Alice Margaret Clifford, a young English girl, 13 or 14 years old, poor clothes, hair bung in a heavy stream down her back. Large eyes with a sad expression, works in nearby shop, comes onl^on Saturday for lunch, believes India is full ofligers, snakes and fevers; her knowledge about yogis, her believes in the stories of magic, lives in a small house, loves her mother and brother dearly, her sacrifice. Establish the above points with the help of related evidence from the text and sketch the character of Maggie.
Answer:
Maggie’s full name is Full name Alice Margaret Clifford. She is a young English girl. She is 13 or 14 years of age. When we see her first she is wearing poor clothes showing she is very poor. Her hair hung in a heavy stream down her back. She had large eyes with a sad expression. She works in a shop close the restaurant where she met the writer. She goes to the restaurant only on Saturdays because Saturday is pay day. Maggie is a hardworking girl. She lives with her old mother in a small house. Her only brother Francis is in the army and he is in India. She loves her brother very much and he too loves her.

She loves her mother. She nurses her when she is sick. She is superstitious. That is why she believes in the story told by her brother that by looking into the crystal ring one could see people who are far and what they are doing, if one thinks of them and looks into the ring carefully. She is very disciplined. She has polite manners and this is clearly shown in her behaviour.

Maggie is ambitious and she is not happy with her work in the shop. She says it is a mechanical job. She wants to do a job where her brain can be used. When she gets a better job she will rent o a better house and take her motherthere. It shows much she cares for her mother. When her mother is in a critical condition she even asks Mr. Gupta to tell her mother a lie about her brother so that the mother feels better by hearing that her son is alive and well in India. Maggie is a very fine girl.

She wants Mr. Gupta to go to the grave of her brother who is buried in India and gives one shilling to him. A shilling is a lot of money for a poor girl like her. To get that, she has to work hard for many days. Her action shows how much she loved her brother. Her sacrifice brings tears to the eyes of Mr. Gupta and we too are moved to tears when we see such selfless love of a teenage girl for her dead brother. I can easily say that Maggie is a model for girls of her age.

Activity – IV (Web diagram)

Question 6.
See the diagram on below:

There are two empty place in it. The words that can go in can be: LORE and PARABLE.

Question Now match the following:
Answer:
1. Story – c – an imaginative story, especially one that is full of action and adventure.
2. Anecdote – g – an interesting or amusing story about a real person or event.
3. Tale – b – a story from ancient times ….
4. Folk tale – a – a very old traditional story from a particular place
5. Fable – f – a traditional short story that teaches a moral lesson ….
6. Fairy tale – e – a story about magic or fairy tales ….
7. Fiction – h – a type of literature ….
8. Myth – d – a description of events and people ….

Question 7.
Which category does the story ‘The Price of Flowers’ belong to? Discuss.
Answer:
The story The Price of Flowers’ belongs to the category of ‘Anecdote’. It is an interesting story about a real event.

Activity – V (Write-up)

Question 8.
‘I won’t work that will make me use my head, brain work.’
How far can you relate this statement to your life? What kind of profession do you like? Why? Prepare a write-up.
Answer:
I also want work that will make me use my head. I want to do work that needs my brain, my thinking powers.

I like to be a teacher as teaching is supposed to be the noblest profession. A teacher always makes impressions on the minds of hundreds of students. He/ She has to be intelligent and understanding so as to help the students learn. As students have different abilities the teacher uses a variety of skills to constantly invent and make the classroom an interesting place so as to encourage learning. Teachers are role models and many of them make a lasting impression on the lives of students.

Teachers have to be smart as well as intuitive so as to understand the needs of their students. Teachers mould the minds of the students. Therefore nation-building is ultimately in the hands of the teachers. Dr. Abdul Kalam said that no nation can rise above its teachers. The quality of a nation depends on the quality of its teachers. So I want to be a teacher and use my brain to develop the brains of my students.

Activity – VI (Letter)

Question 9.
“When I go to that part of the country, I shall visit your brother’s grave and write to you. ’ A few weeks after the narrator’s departure, Maggie receives a letter from him. What might be the content of the letter? Draft the letter, assuming that you are the narrator?
Answer:
Fort Monroe
Dera-Ghazi-Khan
Noth-west Frontier
India, PIN 600-002
2 January 1946

Dear Maggie,
I’m sorry that I could not write to you earlier because I was busy with the £Anl Service training and the formalities connected with it. I hope you and your mother are fine. I am okay here. I am trying to cope with my new responsibilities.

I went to Fort Monroe, near Dera-Ghazi-Khan to visit your brother’s grave. As desired by you, I placed some beautiful rose flowers on his grave. When I was standing there I thought of you and your mother and imagined how you must have felt when you heard about Franks’ untimely death. I met two soldiers from the Regiment to which Frank belonged and they told me what a fine lad Frank was. They also told me that he often talked to them about you and your mother. In fact he had bought some Indian clothes to give both of you when he returned home.

But destiny sometimes plays cruel jokes. I feel extremely sorry that you lost such a fine brother and your mother such a marvelous son. I pray for his soul. May his soul rest in peace!

Please greet your mother on my behalf. The cake she gave me was delicious.

I keep remembering you and I speak about you to my friends. When I visit England next time, I will definitely come and see you people.

With lots of love,
Yours lovingly, (Gupta Narain)

Activity – VII (Role Play)

Question 10.
Maggie reads the letter. She cannot sleep for many days. Imagine that one day Mr. Gupta receives a call from her. What would she say? Discuss with your friend, and prepare a likely conversation between them. Enact the scene by taking up different roles.
Answer:
Maggie: Hello! Is that Mr. Gupta there? This is Maggie from England.
Mr. Gupta: Hello Maggie! How nice to hear from you!
Maggie: I got your letter, Mr. Gupta. Thank you very much for taking the trouble of placing flowers on my brother’s grave. My mother also wants to thank you. She said it was so good of you to do such a thing.
Mr. Gupta: It was nothing. I realized how much you loved Frank. Sorry, Maggie that you lost such a fine brother.
Maggie: What can we do? Fate has been very cruel to us. My father dies and now my brother, leaving my poor mother and me to fend for ourselves.
Mr. Gupta: Maggie, don’t grieve. Life is like that. Remember, there are more miserable people than you in this world.
Maggie: I understand that. That is how I console myself. Mother has become better and I am now regularly going to work.
Mr. Gupta: Good to hear that. Be cheerful and optimistic. By the way, do you play the violin often?
Maggie: Yes, I do. I am practicing a new number. When you come next time, I will play it for you.
Mr. Gupta: Very happy to hear that. Say Hi to your mother. And take care!
Maggie: You too Mr. Gupta. Bye for now!

Activity – VIII (Review)

Question 11.
Read the story again and discuss the following with your friends: the theme, style of narration, language, the impact of words and expression, location, characterization, dialogue, the opening and the ending of the story.
Now, attempt a critical review of the story.
Answer:
The Price of Flowers’ is an excellent story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay. The main theme of the story is the love of a girl for her dead brother. There are also other themes like the hardships of the poor people, the dangers of war, unfulfilled desires and dreams of ordinary people and superstitions.

The style of narration has been very simple. The story is moved forward through the dialogues among the three main characters of the story – Maggie, her mother and Mr. Gupta. The language used is lucid and easy to understand. The words and expressions used make a fine impact on our minds. The story takes place in London but in the end we see the narrator placing some flowers at the grave of Frank, the brother of Maggie, at Fort Monroe. Characterization has been superb.

The character of Maggie is drawn in an exemplary manner, The poor girl of 13 or 14 with her large, sad eyes, her hair streaming .down her neck, wearing shabby clothes, living in an uncomfortable house with her old mother and working in a shop for small wages is portrayed exquisitely. She is so poor that she eats her lunch only on Saturday, the payday.

Her inquisitive nature, her ideas about India, her superstition, her love for her brother and mother, etc. are powerfully pictured. The dialogues are short and sweet. There are no lengthy and boring dialogues. The story is moved forward through apt dialogues. There s fine imagery in the story. No person with a compassionate heart can end reading the story without shedding a tear. Mukhopadhyay through his ‘Price of Flowers’ has proved that he is a fine storyteller.

Activity – IX : (Reporting)

Question 12.
Read the material given on
The following sentences are from the story ‘The Price of Flowers’. Read them.

She asked, ‘Are you an Indian?’
‘Yes.’
‘Excuse me, are you a vegetarian?’
‘Why do you ask that? ‘
‘I have heard that most Indians are vegetarians.’
‘How is it that you know anything about India?’
‘My elder brother is in India. He is a soldier.’

The very next day the narrator told his friend about the girl and their conversation.
Read and find out how he presented it.

The girl asked me whether I was an Indian.
I answered in the affirmative.
Then she asked me politely if I was a vegetarian.
I enquired why she asked that.
She said (that) she had heard that most Indians were vegetarians.
I further asked her how it was that she knew anything about India.
She replied that her elder brother was in India and added that he was a soldier.

see the difference between direct speech and reported speech. Study the notes given there. Rewrite the following sentences in reported speech: “Shall I call you work of a secretary.”
Answer:
The narrator asked the girl if he should call her Miss Clifford or Alice. She replied saying that she was not grown up and he might call her what he liked. She laughingly added that she was usually called Maggie. The narrator then wanted to know if she was anx¬ious to grow up. Her answer was yes. He then wanted to know why she wanted to grow up. He said that when she would be grown she would be paid more for her work and her mother was old. The narrator wanted to know if the work she was doing was to her liking. She said she did not like the work as it was very mechanical. She wanted some work that needed the use of her brain. She wanted to be a secretary.

Read and Enjoy
Question 1.
Deeds speak louder than words. Good deeds will be remembered forever. The following poem tells us about the glory of deeds.

The Price of Flowers (Short Story) About the Author:

– Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay

Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay (1873-1932) was one of the best short-story writers in Bengali literature. He was also a novelist. His short stories are mainly based on real-life situations and his characters belong to middle-class families. Their hopes and aspirations, their joys and sorrows are nicely woven into his tales.

The Price of Flowers (Short Story) Summary

It was nearly 1 o’clock and I was feeling very hungry.

I went to a nearby vegetarian restaurant, in St. Martin’s Lane. Lunch hours in London were not so crowded those days. I found 3 or 4 people sitting in the room. I sat at a table, and opened the newspaper.

A waitress came and waited for my order. I looked up from the paper, glanced at the menu and told her what I wanted. She said, Thank you’ and went quickly away without making any noise.

At that time my attention turned to a table not far from mine. A young English girl was sitting there. She had been watching me with interested surprise. But when I looked at her, she turned her eyes away. The girl was 13 or 14. From her clothes, I could see that she was poor. Her hair hung in a heavy stream down her neck. She had large eyes. They had a sad expression. I watched her when she was not looking and so she did not notice my watching her. My lunch was brought as she was finishing hers. The waitress brought the bill. Bills are paid at the desk as one goes out. The desk is near the door.

The girl stood up. I again watched her. As she paid the bill, she asked the cashier in a low voice whether I was an Indian. The cashier said she thought so. Then the girl wanted to know if I went there all the time. The cashier said she did not remember me going there before. The girl thanked the cashier, looked at me once more with some kind of surprise and went out.

I was also surprised. Here interest in me aroused my interest in her. When I finished my lunch I asked the waitress if she knew the girl who just finished her lunch and went away. The waitress said she did not know her. But she came to take her lunch there on Saturdays. I wanted to know if she did not come on other days. The waitress said she had never seen her on other days. I wanted to know who she was. The waitress said that she might be a worker in a nearby shop. I wanted to know how she knew that. The waitress then said that Saturday is payday. It is then the girl comes. On other days she couldn’t afford lunch. She does not earn much.

I felt sorry for the poor girl.

My curiosity about the girl persisted. Who was she? Why had she asked about me? Was some mystery the cause of her interest? I continued thinking of her. On Sundays, all London shops are closed. So I would go out to look for her after breakfast on Monday morning.

S I looked into the shops on the streets near St. Martin’s Lane and the shops on the Strand. But I did not see her.

The week passed. Saturday came again. I went to the vegetarian restaurant once more. As I entered I saw her sitting at the same table as before. She was eating.

I took a chair opposite hers and said ‘Good afternoon!’ She greeted me back. Slowly I started a conversation. Finally, she asked me if I was an Indian. I said ‘Yes’. Then she wanted to know if I was a vegetarian. I asked her why she wanted to know that. She said she had heard that most Indians are vegetarians. I wanted to know how she knew things about India. She said her elder brother, a soldier, was in India. I told her that I was not a vegetarian but I enjoyed a vegetarian meal now and then. The girl seemed disappointed by my reply.

I came to know that her only guardian was her elder brother. She lived with her old widowed mother. I asked her if she often heard from her brother. She said they did not have a letter from her brother for a long time. Her mother was worried. People have told her that India was full of tigers, snakes, and fevers. She thinks something has happened to him. The girl wanted to know from me if India was full of tigers, snakes, and fevers.

I told her ‘No’. How^ould people live there if it were full of these things? the girl was happy. She said her mother wanted to ask an Indian to know the truth. From her look, I knew she wanted me to talk with her mother. But she did not have the courage to ask me to go with her to her home. I wanted to see this mother. I had no opportunity to visit a poor English home. I wanted to know how the poor lived there and what they thought.

I told her of my plan to visit her home someday. She was thankful to me. She asked me if I could go with her right there and then. I readily agreed. She wanted to know if such a visit would interfere with my work. I told her I was free, The girl was happy. We finished our lunch and got up together.

On our way to her home I asked her name. She gave her full name: Alice Margaret Clifford. She asked me if it would be difficult for me to walk. I said ‘No’. She said she walked home every day. I wanted to know if she came that way often. She said she did as she works as typist in the Civil Service stores. Every afternoon she goes home that way. Today being Saturday she is going home early.

I asked her if I should call her Miss Clifford or Alice. She said she was not grown up and so I could call her whatever I liked. She laughingly said she was usually called Maggie. I asked her if she was eager to grow up. She said ‘Yes’. I wanted to know why she wanted to grow up fast. She said if she was grown up she would be paid more and her mother was getting old. I wanted to know if she liked her work. She said ‘No’. It is mechanical work. She wanted to have some work that needed her brain. She wanted to be a secretary.

We arrived at Lambeth, an area where poor people lived. She told me that if she became a secretary she would take her mother away from that place. I asked her if her father called her Maggie or Mugsy. She said that when he was very affectionate he called her Magsy. She wanted to know how I knew that. I jokingly told her that Indians know about the future and all kinds of magic. She said she had heard such things said about Indians.

I wanted to know what she had heard. She said she has heard that many Indians have occult (magic) powers and they are called yogis. She thought I was not a yogi.

I asked her the reason for thinking like that. She said yogis don’t eat meat. Then I asked her whether that was the reason for her asking me if I was a vegetarian or not. She did not answer but just smiled.

We reached a narrow doorway. Maggie opened the door with a small key. She invited me in. When I entered, she closed the door. Then she called her mother asking her where she was. The mother said she was in the kitchen below. She asked her to go down into the kitchen. London streets are above ground. Kitchens are often below street level. Maggie asked me if I could go with her. I agreed, and together we went down to the kitchen. She told her mother that an Indian gentleman was there to see her. Maggie introduced me to her mother telling her, “This is Mr. Gupta, mother” and her mother to me.

I said ‘How do you do?’ and held out my hand. The mother said, “Excuse me” and held out her hands for me to see. They were covered with flour. She said that it being Saturday she was making cakes. People would come in the evening to buy them and sell them on the streets. That was the way they made their living. It was a hard life.

Saturday night is the celebration time in the areas where poor people lived. All kinds of things are sold from pushcarts. The streets are more crowded then than on any other day. It is on Saturday the workers receive their pay and so they can spend a little.

All the ingredients for making the cake – flour, sugar, fat, raisins, eggs – were ready on the kitchen table. There were several freshly baked cakes in tins. Mrs. Clifford told me that sitting in such a poor kitchen won’t be pleasant for me. She has almost finished her work. She asked Maggie to take me to the sitting room. She would come soon. I said it was okay with me sitting there. I congratulated her for making such excellent cakes. Mrs. Clifford thanked me.

She asked me what kind of a country India was. I told her it was a beautiful country. She wanted to know if was safe to live there. I said it was. India was not cold like England, but hot. She asked me if India had too many snakes and tigers that killed people. I told her not to believe such things. Snakes and tigers are in the jungles. They get killed if they come to places where people live. Then she wanted to know about fevers. I told her that in some places in India there were more fevers than in other places. It is not the same everywhere and in every season.

She said her son was in Punjab. He is a soldier. She wanted to know what kind of place Punjab was. I told her Punjab was a fine place. There is no fever there. It is a healthy place. Mrs. Clifford was happy. When she finished her baking, she asked Maggie to take me upstairs. She would join me after washing her hands. She also would bring some tea.

Maggie showed me to their sitting room. The furniture was cheap and it was not much. The carpet was torn in places. But everything was clean. Maggie drew the curtains back and opened the windows. There was a glass bookcase and I stood in front of it.

Mrs. Clifford came bringing the tea tray. All traces of the kitchen had gone from her person. As we drank tea, we spoke about India. Mrs. Clifford showed me a photograph of her son. It was taken before he left. His name was Francis or Frank. Maggie brought out a book of pictures that he had sent her on her birthday. There were many pictures of Simla and the mountainous places around it. Mrs. Clifford asked Maggie to show me the ring. I wanted her to shgIN me the ring to find out what kind of a ring it was. itfaggie said it was a magic ring which a yogi had given to Frank. She wanted to know if I could see the past and the future in it. I had heard about crystal gazing. A crystal was set on the ring. I examined it.

Mrs. Clifford said that when he sent the ring Frank wrote that if you concentrated on a distant person when you look into the crystal, you could see him and what he was doing. This is what the yogi had told Frank. Maggie and she had been looking at it, again and again, but they have not been able to see anything. She wanted me to try. Since I was a Hindu I could see something, she thought!

I realized that superstition was not limited to India. I did not want to tell them that the ring was nothing much, a piece of brass with an ordinary piece of glass stuck into it. They believed that Frank had sent them a magical thing from dream India. I did not want to shatter their faith. Urged by them I took the ring and looked into it for a long time. I told them I could not see anything. They were disappointed. There was a violin there. To change the subject I asked her if it was Maggie’s. Mrs. Clifford said it was Maggie’s and Maggie played it well. She asked her daughter to play something for me. Maggie was shy and she protested. Then I pleaded with Maggie saying that I liked the violin very much. I told her that my sister who has of her age used to play for me at home. Maggie said she was not a good player.

Finally, she agreed to play and asked me what I wanted to hear. I told her she could play what she chose. She brought out an old music book bound in black leather. I opened it. It contained many simple songs. Some were good but old-fashioned. There were several Scotch songs. I selected The Blue Bells of Scotland’ and returned the book to her. Maggie played it and I hummed the tune. When she finished playing I thanked her very much. Mrs. Clifford said that Maggie did not have the opportunity to learn the violin. She learned to play the violin herself. She added that if their circumstances improved she would arrange for some music lessons for Maggie. As I was returning home, the incident touched my heart deeply.

Three months passed. I visited Maggie and her mother many times and once I took Maggie to see the Zoo. She rode the elephant and she was very happy.

No news came from her brother. Urged by Mrs. Clifford I went to India House and made enquiries. I was told the regiment to which Frank belonged was fighting in the Northwest Frontier. Mrs. Clifford was very worried. One day I got a postcard from Maggie saying that her mother was very ill. She has not been able to go to work for a week. She wanted me to go and see them. I had spoken to the family with whom I lived about Maggie and her mother. At breakfast, I spoke of the letter. My hostess told me that when I went to see Maggie I should take some money with me. Since the girl has not gone to work, they will be in problems. I took some money and went to their house. Maggie opened the door.

She was looking weak. Her eyes were hollow and ringed. She thanked me. I asked about her mother. Maggie said that her condition was serious. She was sleeping. The doctor said that her condition was aggravated because of her worry about Frank. There was no news from him. She may not live. I tried to console Maggie. Maggie controlled herself with an effort and told me she had a request to make. I asked her to tell me what she wanted. She asked me to go into the sitting room where she would tell me about her request.

We went into the sitting room quietly. I asked Maggie what she wanted. She looked into my eyes. Then as I was waiting for her answer, she covered her face and started crying. I was in a fix. What could I say to comfort her? Her brother was on the war front. Nobody knew if he was dead or alive. Her mother was her only support on earth. If she lost her, where would this young girl of 13 or 14, go?

I pulled her hands away from her face. I asked her what she wanted me to do for her. She was hesitant to come out with her request and asked me to forgive her if the request was wrong. I asked her to tell me what she wanted. She then said that the whole day yesterday her mother was telling her that if I went to her house and looked into the crystal, I might be able to know something about her son, as I am a Hindu. But she thought I may not go to their house. That is why she wrote to me. I told her if she wanted me to try once more she should fetch me the ring. She then was worried what would happen if I did not see anything. I could not give her any proper answer.

She further told me that she had read in books that Hindus are extremely truth loving. After looking into the crystal, she wanted me to tell her mother that Frank was alright and he was alive. Would that be too much of a lie? Would that be wrong? As she spoke she was crying.

I thought it over. I am not a saint. I decided to do it. It would not be a big offence. I told Maggie to get the ring.

I told her I would look very carefully this time. Even if I didn’t see anything I would tell the mother as she had told me. God would forgive if it was wrong. Maggie brought the ring. I asked her to check if her mother was awake. She came back after 15 minutes and told me she was awake. She had told her mother that I was there.

Maggie took me to her mother’s bedside. The ring was in my hand. I told Mrs. Clifford that her son was alive and well. She wanted to know if I saw him in the crystal. Without hesitation, I told her I did see him there. Tears of happiness filled her eyes. She wished me God’s blessings.

Mrs. Clifford recovered.
It was time for me to return to India. I wanted to go to Lambeth to say goodb^ to Maggie and her mother. But the family was in mourning. Frank had been killed in the fighting. A month ago, Maggie had sent me a card with a black border. I calculated from the date and found that Frank had been dead some days when I told him he was alive and well. I felt ashamed to face Maggie’s mother. So I wrote them a letter, informing them of my going away and bidding them good-bye.

It was the morning of my last day in London. I was to leave before night. I was breakfasting with the host family. There was a knock at the door. The maid came and said that Miss Clifford has come to see me. I had not finished my breakfast. Maggie had come to say good¬bye. I got up from the table. Maggie was standing in the hall. She was wearing black. I took her to the library and made her sit down.

She asked me if I was leaving that day. I said ‘Yes.’ She wanted to know how long I would take to reach my country. I said a little more than 2 weeks. She asked me where I lived. I then told her that I had entered the Punjab Civil Service. I would not know when exactly I would reach there after my posting. She wanted to know if the Frontier was far from there. I told her it was not far. She told me that Frank was buried at Fort Monroe, near Dera-Ghazi- Khan. Her eyes were filled with tears. I told her that I would visit her brother’s grave and write to her. When I assured her that I would visit the place, her face filled with gratitude. She took a shilling out of her pocket and put it down on the table in front of me. With that money I was to buy flowers and place them on her brother’s grave.

In my emotion, I lowered my eyes. She had earned that shilling with so much hard work. I wanted to return the money to her saying that in India a lot of wildflowers grew and one does not have to pay money to get some. But I thought again. I would deprive her of the joy of sacrifice if I did not take the money. The grief of her heart would lessen by the sacrifice she was making. I took the shilling. I assured her that I would buy flowers with it and put them on her brother’s grave.

She said she did not know how to thank me. She would be late for work and so she wanted to go. She reminded me to write to her. I took her hand and pressed it to my lips. Maggie left. I wiped a tear or two from my eyes. I went upstairs to pack my bags.

– (Translated from Bengali by Lila Ray)

The Price of Flowers (Short Story) Glossary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 2 Chapter 1 And then Gandhi Came Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook And then Gandhi Came Questions and Answers Unit 2 Chapter 1 (Essay)

And then Gandhi Came Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is referred to as the ‘ail powerful monster’?
Answer:
The anger, humiliation and hopelessness felt by the Indian people after World War I was the ‘all powerful monster’ and they could not escape from its grip.

Question 2.
What was the impact of the First World War?
Answer:
The First World War had a terrible impact on the Indian people as they were cut off from the land and could not do any kind of manual or technical work. This resulted in growing unemployment and poverty and the people felt helpless and hopeless.

Question 3.
What does Nehru mean by ‘And then Gandhi came…’?
Answer:
The Indians were in a state of darkness because of their hopelessness and they had no one to guide them. It was at this point that Gandhi came into their lives and gave them hope and showed them a way out of the darkness.

Question 4.
What was the essence of Gandhi’s teaching?
Answer:
The essence of his teaching was fearlessness and truth. He wanted all actions to be controlled by these values so as to help the common people. He also said that people should not be exploited, especially the peasants and the workers, as this resulted in poverty and misery.

Question 5.
What does the word ‘abhaya’ mean?
Answer:
‘Abhaya’ means fearlessness. It does not mean just physical courage but the absence of fear from the mind.

Question 6.
What did Gandhiji exhort the people to do?
Answer:
Gandhiji exhorted the people not to be afraid. The British ruled India through putting fear into people – fear of the army, the police, the secret service, the official class, laws, prison, landlord’s agent, moneylender, unemployment and starvation. Gandhi wanted to remove this fear.

Question 7.
What did Gandhiji do to remove fear from the minds of the people?
Answer:
He told the people not to be afraid. Fear builds its ghosts which are more fearsome than reality itself. When reality is calmly analysed and its consequences willing accepted, fear goes away. Suddenly the black film of fear was removed from the people’s minds. The need for falsehood and secretive behaviour was lessened.

Question 8.
Why was Gandhiji compared to a psychologist?
Answer:
Gandhiji was compared to a psychologist because he brought a psychological change in people. A psychologist probes deep into the patient’s past to find out the origins of his complexes. Gandhiji did the same. He probed deep into the minds of Indians and exposed the needlessness of fear. They were made to feel ashamed for accepting an alien rule that had degraded and humiliated them. They were now filled with a desire not to submit to the repressive rule any longer.

Question 10.
What, according to Gandhiji, is the truth?
Answer:
Truths are relative and absolute truth is beyond us. Different persons take different views of truth and each person is powerfully influenced by his own background, training, and impulses. Gandhi believed that truth is what an individual himself feels and knows to be true.

Question 11.
How did Gandhiji influence the people of India?
Answer:
Gandhi influenced the people of India in different degrees. Some people changed completely. Some changed only partly. Different people reacted differently. But everyone was influenced one way or the other.

Question 12.
What was the two-fold action involved in Gandhiji’s exhortation?
Answer:
One action involved challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other action involved fighting against our own social evils like untouchability and differentiation of social classes.

Question 13.
What was the visible change in the value system of the country?
Answer:
Gandhi wanted people to give up their titles given by the British. Although not many people gave up their titles, the prestige associated with the titles lessened. The pomp and splendour associated with the viceroy’s court was seen as foolish. Rich men were now not anxious to show off their riches any more. They adopted simpler ways of dressing and became almost indistinguishable from the common people.

Question 14.
What was the influence of Gandhiji in the villages?
Answer:
Gandhiji sent leaders to the villages to awaken the peasants. The peasants were shaken up and began to come out of their shell.

Question 15.
What was the India of Gandhi’s dream?
Answer:
He wanted an India where the poorest should feel that it was their country. They should have an effective voice in the ruling. He wanted India not to have class distinctions. He wanted India to be a place whew people lived in perfect harmony. There was no room for untouchability, intoxicating drinks and drugs. Women were to have equal rights with men.

Question 16.
What, according to Gandhiji, was the essential culture of India?
Answer:
Indian culture, according to Gandhiji, is neither Hindu nor Islamic but a fusion of all. Although proud of his Hindu inheritance, Gandhiji tried to give Hinduism a kind of universal attire that included all religions within the fold of truth. He refused to narrow his cultural inheritance.

Question 17.
What was the psychological revolution that Gandhiji brought about?
Answer:
Gandhiji was an astonishingly vital man full of self-confidence and unusual kind of power. He fascinated the masses of India as he stood for equality and freedom of each individual. He attracted them like a magnet. To them he seemed to link up the past with the future and make the bad present appear as a stepping stone for a future of life and hope.

Activity -1 (Note making)

Question 1.
Make a note of the above passage. Read the passage again and complete the following:

Answer:

The uncertain condition of India	Humiliation Unemployment Poverty Desperation
The arrival of Gandhiji	Saw political freedom taking a new shape. Removed the black pall of fear. Truth followed fearlessness. People wanted freedom. Villagers were made aware of the exploitation.
His teachings and methods	Fearlessness Truth Giving up British given titles Non-violence Non-cooperation
His two fold action	Challenging and resisting foreign rule. Fighting against our own social evils: Minority problem. Raising Depressed classes. Removing Untouchability.
The molding of India	Even the poorest shall feel that it is their own country.
According to Gandhi’s	All communities shall live in perfect harmony.
Wishes and ideas	There will be no class distinctions. No untouchability, no intoxicating drinks and drugs.
The amazing qualities of Gandhiji	Full of confidence Unusual kind of power Astonishingly vital Exemplary leadership

Activity – II (Think and Write)

Question 2.
How did Gandhi enlighten the freedom fighters? What kind of a leadership did Gandhiji take? What was the effect of his leadership? (Answer in a paragraph of 100 words.)
Answer:
When Gandhi came India was in a bad shape. Humiliation, unemployment, poverty and desperation were everywhere. When Gandhiji came things changed. Through his confidence, unusual power, astonishing vitality and exemplary leadership, Gandhi influenced millions of people in India in varying degrees. Some changed completely; others were affected only partly. His call for action was two-fold. One involved in challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other was fighting against our own social evils. His principal aims were freedom through peaceful means, national unity, solution of minority problems, improvement of the depressed classes and the ending of untouchability. The effect of his leadership was electrifying. People were no more willing to suffer under foreign domination. They wanted freedom and they were willing to make any sacrifice for it.

Activity – III: (Speech)

Question 3.
In connection with Gandhi Jayanthi, your school is organizing a programme to propagate the relevance of Gandhian values in the present day. Prepare and deliver a speech before the class. (Hints: peace, fearlessness, truthfulness, influence.)
Answer:
My dear friends,

As you all know, today we are celebrating Gandhi Jayanthi. We are proud that a man like Gandhiji was born in India and he is our Father of the Nation. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar in Gujarat on October 2, 1869. He was educated in law at University College, London. In 1891, after having been admitted to the British bar, Gandhi returned to India and attempted to establish a law practice in Bombay. Two years later he went to Durban, South Africa, as a legal advisor. Arriving in Durban, Gandhi found himself treated as a member of an inferior race. He was appalled at the widespread denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants to South Africa. He threw himself into the struggle for elementary rights for Indians. Later he returned to India and fought for India’s freedom which finally came on 15 August 1947.

Gandhi is man of peace. He always advocated non-violence. He was known for his fearlessness. That is why he could fight with a mighty power like the British. He was always guided by truthfulness. He influenced millions of people in India in varying degrees. Some changed completely; others were affected only partly. Different people reacted differently and each one had his own answer about the change. His call for action was two-fold. One involved in challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other was fighting against our own social evils. His principal aims were freedom through peaceful means, national unity, solution of minority problems, improvement of the depressed classes and the ending of untouchability.

Gandhi was not just a national figure but an international one. In 1948 he was killed by a fanatic named Nathuram Godse. When he died, Nehru said that The light has gone away from India’. On the 70th birthday of Gandhiji, in 1939, this is what Albert Einstein said about him: “Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this earth.

As we celebrate Gandhi Jayanthi, we us pledge that we will follow the path of peace, fearlessness, truthfulness and tolerance which guided Ganhiji all his life. That is the greatest tribute we can pay him. Jai Hind!

Activity – IV (Group Discussion)

Question 4.
‘Women will enjoy the same rights as men … This is the India of my dreams’, Gandhi said. Conduct a group discussion on the topic.
Answer:
Today we are going to have a discussion on equal rights for men am&vomen. Neha, you can start.

Neha : Gandhiji has rightly said that women should enjoy the same rights as men. This is still a dream in India after 68 years of independence. Women form 50 % of the population and by denying them their rights we are obstructing the development of the country. Women should have equal rights as men.

Riya : I agree with Neha that women need equal rights and opportunities for growth .Only when women are treated at par with men the country develop. You can see that all the developed nations in the world treat their citizens equally whether they are male or female. It shows that the a country’s progress depends on all its citizens.

John : I would like to disagree with the view. Men and women have not been created the same. So they do not have to be treated equally. Men are physically stronger than yvomen. They can do strenuous work which women cannot do. So as they are more powerful physically they should not be treated the same as women.

Abraham : Though I agree with John that men are physically stronger than women, I do not think that women are inferior to men. God has given different faculties to each person. Women are adept in certain areas like nursing, education, childcare as they are more sensitive. So men and women may be different but they have skills and mental faculties unique to each gender so all people in a country should have equal rights.

Neha : I would fully agree with Abraham. Women should enjoy the same rights as men. This was Ganhiji’s dream and we ought to do whatever we can to realise his dream.

Activity – V (Letter to the Editor)

Question 5.
Read the sample letter on below:

Refer to three national dailies of a week and analyse how the issues related to women are presented.

Question 6.
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, about the way in which women’s issues are presented.
Answer:
From
Riya Binoy
Thekkudan House
Irinjalakuda, Thrissur Dt.
Pin 680125
31st July 2014

To
The Editor
The Dawn
Kochi

Sir,
I would like to use your esteemed paperto shed some light on the way women’s issues are presented in our national dailies. Each Newspaper has its own style of presenting news. Some newspapers like to sensationalise things. They blow up every minute detail of the sordid stories related to women trying to increase readership and sales by playing to the fantasies of their readers. There are other papers who project the women as the cause for the trouble and treat the issue in a heartless manner causing undue pain and humiliation to the victims of abuse. Instead of sensitizing the public to the issues faced by women and ways to combat them, newspapers seem to thrive like parasites on the unhappiness and misery of women. It is high time that issues related to women are treated in a sensitive way. Newspapers should ensure that a woman’s dignity and reputation is not hurt in any manner and they should be agents of change, educating the public in treating women with the respect they deserve.

Yours truly,
(Sd /-)
Riya Binoy

Activity – VI (Concord)

Concord means agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence. A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. Study the language tips.

• When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by either…or, neither…nor, etc., the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.
  e.g. Ram or his brothers go home every month.
• When two subjects are joined by ‘as well as,’ ‘more than,’ and ‘as much as,’ the verb agrees with the first subject.
  e.g. The girls, as well as their teacher, have left.
• When two subjects are joined by ‘with,’ ‘along with,’ ‘together with,’ ‘in the company of,’ ‘in addition to,’ ‘besides,’ ‘accompanied by,’ etc., the verb agrees with the first subject.
  e.g. My friend, with all his students, has arrived.
• One of/each of/every one of/either/neither of + plural noun (pronoun) carries a singular verb.
  e.g. One of the players was selected for the national team.
• When every or each is used with two singular subjects connected by and, we use a singular verb.
  e.g. Every school and college has a playground.
• A (good/great) deal (of) + singular noun + singular verb.
  e.g. A good deal of time was wasted on this case.
• When ‘one’ means ‘anyone’, ‘everyone’, it is called the ‘indefinite one.’ The indefinite one is not usually replaced by any
  other pronoun.
  e.g. One should do one’s duty for one’s country.
• Expressions like ‘five pounds’, ‘ten rupees’, ‘two weeks’, ‘three miles’, etc. are singular when they are thought of as indicating a single amount, period or distance.
  e.g. Five rupees is not a big sum.
  Three weeks is not a long time.
• ‘A lot (of)’ takes a singular verb when it denotes amount, and a plural verb when it denotes number.
  e.g. A lot of money is spent on construction.
  A lot of petitions have been received.
• Nouns like ‘furniture, machinery, equipment, traffic, luggage, crockery, cutlery, clothing’, etc. are called class collectives. Though plural in meaning, they are singular in form, and are followed by singular verbs.
  e.g. The furniture was bought from Italy.
• Plural words and phrases used as the titles of books take singular verbs.
  e.g. Great Expectations is one of Dickens’ great novels.
• The determiners ‘this’ and ‘that’ go with singular nouns, and ‘these’ and ‘those’ with plural nouns.
  e.g. This girl speaks English better than these boys.

Question 7.
Choose the correct alternative.
Answer:
1. Either Rajesh or his friends have come, (has, have)
2. Neither of us likes coffee, (likes, like)
3. The boy, along with the tourists, has gone, (has, have)
4. Five miles is not a short distance, (are, is)
5. Everyone of you has to attend the meeting, (have, has)

Question 8.
Correct the following sentences.
Answer:
1. Each of the employees is working hard.
2. One of the students is absent today.
3. Neither Lai nor his relatives have arrived.
4. One of us has bought a globe.
5. Neither the man nor his wife is very careful.
6. The books placed on the table need binding.
7. There are a lot of people waiting outside.
8. The police is closely watching all his movements.
9. The price of vegetables is going up.
10. Keep all the luggage in the cloak room, (note: Luggage is a class collective and so does not take ‘s’.)

Activity – VII ( Word finder)

Question 9.
Let’s see how the meaning of the word ‘ pierce’ is given in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.
What are the items given in this entry?

• Spelling
• Pronunciation /………./
• ……………………..
• ……………………..
• ……………………..

Answer:

• Spelling
• Pronunciation /pjbs/
• Meaning and word class or part of speech
• An example to show the usage
• Other meanings, examples and parts of speech.

Question 10.
The words given below are taken from the passage.
Refer to a dictionary and find out the meaning and the parts of speech of the following words and make your own sentences.

Word	Part of speech	Meaning	Sentences
convince pervasive attires dismal vicious

Answer:

Word	Part of speech	Meaning	Sentence
convince	verb	Make somebody feel certain	My brother was convinced by Ram’s story.
Pervasive	adjective	Spread through every part	Corruption is pervasive in the world today.
Attires	noun	dress	The girls went to hotel in their party attires.
Dismal	adjective	Sad; gloomy; miserable	The movie was a dismal one.
Vicious	adjective	Evil and corrupt	Drugs are vicious and they finally lead people to death.

Read and Reflect
The ties of human relationships are very strong. They are so complex that we can’t explain them. Words and deeds have a comforting effect and they strengthen relationships. The following story shows the power of words.

And Then Gandhi Came About the Author:

– Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was the first Prime Minister of India. He promoted democracy, socialism, secularism and unity. He adapted modern values to the Indian situation. He was a great writer and he wrote world-famous books like The Discovery of India’, ‘Glimpses of World History’ and ‘An Autobiography’. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.

And Then Gandhi Came Summary

World War I finally ended. But the peace, instead of bringing us relief and progress, brought us repressive legislation and martial law in Punjab. People felt humiliated and were angry. Yet what could we do to change this vicious process? We seemed to be in the grip of some powerful monster. Our minds and our limbs were paralysed. There were many people without any employment and there was extreme poverty. They did not know where to look for help. Neither the old leaders nor the new ones gave them any hope.

The big question was how to pull India out of this bad situation. For many years our people have been offering their ‘blood and toil, tears and sweat’. Now the body and soul of India were in bad shape. Every aspect of our life was poisoned.

And then Gandhi came. He was like a powerful current of fresh air. He was like a beam of light that pierced the darkness de was like a whirlwind that upset many things, especially the minds of the working-class people. He did not come from top. He emerged from the millions of India. He spoke their language.

He asked the exploiters to get off the backs of the peasants and workers. He asked them to remove the system that produces poverty and misery. Political freedom took a new meaning. Many of the things Gandhiji said were not accepted by all people. The essence of his teaching was fearlessness and truth. He always kept the welfare of the masses in view. Our great ancient books tell us that fearlessness is the greatest gift for an individual or a nation. Fearlessness does not mean just bodily courage but absence of fear from the mind. The British ruled India through putting fear into us – fear of the army, the police, the secret service, the official class, laws, prison, landlord’s agent, moneylender, unemployment and starvation. Gandhi wanted to remove this fear. He told the people not to be afraid. It was not easy to free the people from fear.

However, Gandhiji was able remove the fear from the mind of the people to a great extent. Fear is a close companion to falsehood. But truth follows fearlessness. It is not that all the Indians became truthful overnight, but there was visible change in their behaviour. It was a psychological change and people did not need the support of falsehood any more.

There was also a psychological reaction among the people. They were ashamed they were ruled by foreigners who degraded and humiliated them. They had a desire to free themselves from this shameful situation, whatever might be the consequences. Gandhi was always there as a symbol of uncompromising truth.

What is Truth? Truth seems to differ from person to person. My truth may not be your truth. Absolute truth is beyond any one of us. Different people take different views about truth and each person is influenced by his background, training and feelings. We can however say that for an individual truth is what he himself feels and knows to be true. I do not know of any person who holds to the truth as Gandhi does.

Gandhi influenced millions of people in India in varying degrees. Some changed completely; others were affected only partly. Different people reacted differently and each one had his own answer about the change.

His call for action was two-fold. One involved in challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other was fighting against our own social evils. The principal aims of the Congress were freedom through peaceful means, national unity, solution of minority problems, improvement of the depressed classes and the ending of untouchability.

The main supports of the British rule were fear, prestige, the co-operation of the people and certain classes that benefited from the British rule. Gandhi attacked these. He asked the title-holders to give up theirtitles. Only a few responded. But the popular respect for the British-given titles disappeared. New standards and values were set up. Suddenly the luxury and the glory of the viceroy’s court looked very ridiculous. Rich men became reluctant to show off their riches. Many adopted simplerways and in their dress they were almost undistinguishable from the ordinary people.

He sent us to the villages and countryside with many new messages of action. The peasants began to come out of their shells. The effect on us was also great. For the first time we saw the villager in his mud-hut, with poverty always following him. We learnt Indian economics more from these visits than from books. The emotional experience was great and there was no going back to our old life and our old standards.

What kind of India did Gandhiji want? He said he would work for an India where the poorest shall feel that it is their country. In its making they will have an effective voice. There will be no high classes and no low classes here. All communities should live in harmony. There will be no untouchability. There will be no intoxicating drinks and drugs. Women will enjoy the same rights as men. Although he was proud of his Hindu inheritance, he tried to make it universal which would include all religions within its fold. He said Indian culture is neither Hindu, Islamic nor any other, completely. It is a mixture of all. He wanted the culture of all lands to be blown about his house as freely as possible. But he refused to be blown off his feet by any. He said he refused to live in other people’s houses as an intruder, a beggar or a slave. Although he was influenced by modern thoughts, he never let go his roots.

Gandhiji was full of vitality and self-confidence. He had an unusual kind of power. He stood for equality and freedom for each individual. He fascinated the masses of India and attracted them like a magnet. Forthe people, he seemed to be a link between the past and the future making the bad present a stepping stone for a future life of hope. He brought about a psychological revolution not only in his friends but also in his enemies and even the neutrals who would not decide what to think and what to do.

And Then Gandhi Came Glossary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 6 Chapter 3 Conceptual Fruit Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Conceptual Fruit Questions and Answers Unit 6 Chapter 3 (Short Story)

Conceptual Fruit (Short Story) Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How does the wife, and the son, react to the man’s excitement? What does this tell us about their character?
Answer:
The wife and the son react to the man’s excitement in a negative way. They are uninterested in the whole thing. This tells that they are not much concerned with the happiness of Greta who is a differently-abled child.

Question 2.
Why are the son and the wife uninterested? Do you approve of their attitude?
Answer:
The son is not interested because he wants to devote all his life to karate. The wife says she has been sitting in front of the computer and she wants to spend her evenings in the garden. Both of them are not bothered in the welfare or happiness of Greta. I don’t approve of their attitude.

Question 3.
Greta is a special child. How do you know that? Have you ever visited a special school?
Answer:
I know that Greta is a special child because she had worked hard to tie her shoes by age ten. Although she was 16, she is in the 5th grade-level. Her younger brother who is 11 is in a higher grade. She went to a special school.
I have visited a special school and I have seen how differently-abled children are taught various skills.

Question 4.
What is the father’s expectation of his daughter’s future prospects?
Answer:
Greta could type very slowly. Her father expected that by the time she left her school, she might be able to type fast enough to get a job at some word processing centre. But he was not sure about it as Greta was a differently-abled child.

Question 5.
Who is Sam? Why he is mentioned here? Do yo have any friend who has done interesting things in the field of computers?
Answer:
Sam is the person who set up the whole library of classics on the Internet. He is mentioned here to show that people can do wonderful things if they worked with the computer diligently. I have a friend who has done interesting things in the field of computers. He works on cryptology – a secret language.

Question 6.
How is Greta described in these lines? What does this convey about the character of Greta?
Answer:
Greta is a young girl of 16. She is a differently-abled child. She is doing 5th grade-level. Her younger brother is in a higher level. She goes to a special school. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and she wears a sweater. She has the habit of repeating things * she hears. She picks at the sweater when she knows she has got something right. She makes a furtive smile when she pretends that she understood something that made no sense to her. She likes a big house with 11 windows. She wants sheer white curtains for all of them. She wants bowls of different fruits everywhere.

She loves peaches very much. She wants her bowls to be blue. She can type a bit. People hope when she leaves school she can work at word processing job. She is a helpful girl. When her mother is cutting blackberries she goes to help her.

Question 7.
What made Greta disappointed? How did her father try to console her? Was his explanation convincing?
Answer:
When she clicked bowl, the word peaches appeared. She thought she would get real peaches to eat and when they did not come she was disappointed. Her father says to get real peaches one has to go to the store. Her father further adds that when people see words like peaches or apples on the screen they are reminded of them and people like it. His explanation was convincing.

Question 8.
Why doesn’t Greta intend to have a bathroom in her house?
Answer:
Greta does not intend to have a bathroom in her house because it is not a real house and so people would not use it.

Question 9.
Why does she give a furtive smile when she saw the word ‘peaches’ on the computer screen? What does it indicate?
Answer:
Greta clicked and the word peaches appeared on the computer screen and then she smiled. It was a furtive smile -the smile she got when she pretended to have understood something which made no sense to her. It indicates the appearance of the word without the actual thing has no meaning for her.

Question 10.
Can you identify the words that tell you that she is disinterested?
Answer:
When her father says there could be other fruit – apples, pears and there could be flowers, she responds by saying, “Sure, there could be anything.” These words of hers tell us that she is disinterested.

Question 11.
What are the thoughts of the father? Do you think that they are touching? Why?
Answer:
The father knows that Greta would never have a house of her own. She would live in a group house with other people like her. He only hopes the house would be large and have sheer white curtains in all the rooms. He hopes it would have an orchard with fruit in real blue bowls: apples, pears, peaches – whatever Greta wanted.

His thoughts are touching as they are the sincere wishes of a loving father who knows her daughter is differently-abled and can’t have what she wants. He represents all fathers with differently-abled children.

Activity – I (Read and respond)

Question 1.
A story can be analysed based on its characters, setting, plot, mood, structure and its language. In the light of your reading of the story discuss these elements in groups and complete the table. The table gives you a few details about these elements.

Answer:
Characters: Greta, her father, her brother, her mother and Sam
Settings: The dining room in the home of Greta.
Plot: Greta’s father trying to make her, a differently abled girl, happy by making her a house of her choice in the cyberspace.
Mood: It is one of hope and joy. Greta gets what he wanted and she is happy.
Structure & Language: The writer has used simple, everyday language. The story is taken forward through dialogues. It has good characterization. It shows a loving father taking pains to make his differently-abled child happy.

Question 2.
Read the notes on characters on page 178. Classify the characters as primary secondary and tertiary.

Answer:

Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
Geetha and her father	Her mother	Sam and her brother

Question 3.
Can we call this a technology story?
Answer:
Yes, we can call this a technology story.

Question 4.
Why do you think so?
Answer:
I think so because here technology is used to make a differently-abled girl happy. Technology fulfils her dream.

Question 5.
Do you have any evidence to cite?
Answer:
Yes, I have. “Greta clicked and this time smiled.”

Question 6.
Write a short paragraph about this.
Answer:
Greta is a differently-abled girl. Differently-abled people have some physical or mental handicaps. Because of that they are not able to enjoy the normal charms of daily life. In such cases technology plays a big role. It gives the differently-abled people also to enjoy certain things. In the story, Greta wants to have a house of her own. She can’t get a real house of her choice. But technology comes to her rescue and gives an imaginary house.

She wants a blue bowl in every room. She wants peaches in the kitchen and living room and all the bedrooms. She wanted
11 windows covered with sheer white curtains. She wanted a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a bedroom for a cat. She gets all that in the cyberspace and she is happy.

Activity – II (Think and respond)

Read the excerpt given on p. 178 and answer the following questions.

‘When he told his family about the site on the Internet where you could create whole streets, his wife and son went on eating their pasta and artichokes. Only his daughter Greta looked up.’

Question 1.
What is interesting about this family?
Answer:
It is a small family and they eat their meals together.

Question 2.
Is it a middle class or upper class family?
Answer:
It is a middle class family.

Question 3.
How do you understand the characters of this story?
Answer:
Greta is differently-abled girl. She goes to a special school. She is 16, but is at a much lower class than her younger brother. She could tie her shoes only by the age of 10. Still she has some desires. She wants to have a big house. She loves peaches. She also loves cats and that is why she specifies that she needs a bedroom for her cat. Her father is quite a loving father. He tries hard to make his daughter happy by trying to give her what she wants on the cyberspace. Greta’s mother and her brother are not so affectionate or considerate. We see them making eyes when Greta asks her father to show her the place on the cyberspace.

Activity – III (Analysis)

Note down the words, phrases or passage that create a picture of the character in your mind in the column to left of the table. Now note your analysis of the characters on the column to the right.

Answer:

Textual information	Reader’s Response
Greta often repeated whatever she heard.	She is not normal.
She could tie her shoes only when she was 10.	She is not normal.
She was in a lower class than her younger brother.	She is not normal.
His wife and son made eyes.	Greta’s mother and her brother were not loving.
Greta say she wants peaches, pears and artichokes.	She loves fruits and vegetables.
She wants white curtains and blue bowls.	Greta loves white and blue things.
I could buy a house on Pomanger street.	Greta’s father wants to give her what she wants.

Activity – IV (Writing)

Question 1.
Read the last paragraph. If you were the author of the story, how would you end the story? Write an alternative ending of the story.
Answer:
Greta and her father continued the conversation. Her father told her that she was doing well with her typing. If she practiced a little more she could soon become art adept at it. Once she has the necessary speed, she could easily get a word processing job.

He further told her that the government has schemes to employ differently abled people in good positions with high salaries. The government also will give housing loans for such people on very easy terms. Once she has a job, she can buy a house of her choice and fulfil her dreams.

“Please bring my laptop, Dad,” Greta said. “I’m going to practice for more time from today.”
“I wish you all the luck in the world, beautiful girl,” her father said. As he was bringing her laptop to her his eyes were brimmed with tears.

Activity – V

Read the notes on page 179.

Question 1.
An email to a relative (telling him about the story)
Answer:
antonvmundakkal@qmail.com
Today I want to tell you about a story I read. There is this girl named Greta. She is a differently-abled girl. She goes to a special school. She is 16, but is at a much lower class than her younger brother. She could tie her shoes only by the age of 10. Still she has some desires. She wants to have a big house. She loves peaches. She also loves cats. Her father is quite a loving father. He tries hard to make his daughter happy. He can’t buy her a real house. Instead he makes her a house on the cyberspace.

Greta wants a blue bowl in every room. She wants peaches in the kitchen and living room and all the bedrooms. She wants 11 windows covered with sheer white curtains. She has a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a bedroom for a cat. Her mother and brother are not so understanding and compassionate liker her father. As the girl and the father make their plans for the house they make eyes to mean that he is just wasting his time. Greta is happy with her imaginary house. The father hopes and prays that one day Greta may live in a house of her dreams! I felt moved by the emotions of the loving father.

Hope you are keeping well. Write back to me at your earliest.

Lovingly,
job

Activity – VI (Word Power)

Read the notes on page 180.

Question 1.
Write down as many Internet related words as possible.
Answer:
Web, world wide web, cyberspace, cyber crime, cyber law, digital, on-line, download, upload, email, post, chat, access, tag, software, blocking, data stream, spam, virus, anti-virus, info superhighway, networking.

Extended Activities

Activity – I : (Application Letter and CV)

Read the advertisement given on page 180 of the Text.

Question 1.
Type an application Letter and a CV on your desktop or laptop.
Answer:

Application Letter

Jobhaven
Azad Road
Irinjalakuda
Kerala, India
PIN-680 125
17 October 2014

The Manager
Lee Shipping Co. Ltd.
4545 Changi Boulevard
Singapore

Dear Sir,

Application for the post Receptionist/Booking Clerk

This is in response to your advertisement appearing in the “Malaysia Manorama” dated 15 October 2014. I am a B.Com Graduate with 80% marks in the aggregate. I speak and write three languages fluently – English, Hindi and Malayalam. I have completed a course in Microsoft Word and Excel for which I hold a certificate. I have some experience in office work as I worked as a clerk in the KSE Ltd. Irinjalakuda, Kerala, for 2 months during the summer vacation. My detailed C.V. and my recent photograph are enclosed.

I am prepared to come for the interview on any day in the month of October at any place of your choice in India, preferably Kochi. You are assured of full satisfaction if you give me a chance to work under you. Hoping to hear from you soon,

Yours faithfully,
Shweta Raj

Encl: 2

Curriculum Vitate Of Shweta Raj

Name: SHWETA RAJ
Address: Jobhaven, Azad Road, Irinjalakuda,
Kerala, India, PIN 680125
Phone No.: 8547028805
E-mail : shwetaraj@6gmail.com
Career Objective: To associate myself with a prestigious organization that provides a challenging job and an opportunity to prove innovative and diligent work.
Education

Exam	Institution	Year	% obtained
B.Sc	Christ College, Irinjalakuda	2014	85
+2	St. Mary’s H.S.S. Irinjalakuda	2012	83
S.S.L.C.	St. Mary’s H.S.S. Irinjalakuda	2010	80

Achievements
Member – College Handball Team
Secretary – Commerce Club
Stood second in an Inter-Collegiate Debate
Experience – Worked for2 months as a clerk in KSE Irinjalakuda.
Languages known – English, Hindi and Malayalam (fluent in all of them.)
computer training- Microsoft Word, Excel, Tally, Unix

Personal Details
Date of birth – 20 August 1994
Sex – Female
Nationality-Indian
Marital status – single
References-Available on demand

(Shweta Raj)

Activity – II (Telephone Interview)

Question 1.
Imagine that the company accepted your application and asked you to give a telephone interview. Prepare the script of the telephone interview.
Answer:
Shweta: Good morning! May I know whom I am speaking to?
Manager: Good morning! I am Lee, the Manager of Lee Shipping Co. We got your application and we want to have an interview with you over the phone.
Shweta: That’s great. You may go ahead.
Manager: Shweta, you said in your application that you can speak and write 3 languages fluently. How good are you in English?
Shweta: I feel I am quite good. Ours was an English medium school and so I can speak English quite fluently. I can also write it well.
Manager: You said you have some certificates in computer courses. How good are you with Microsoft Word and Excel?
Shweta: I can’t say that I’m a great expert. But I am quite okay in them and I can do all the normal tasks.
Manager: What salary do you expect, Ms Shweta?
Shweta: I understand that you have offices in India and Singapore. If I have to work in Singapore, I expect a salary of US $ 4000 p.m. If I am posted in India, I can accept a lesser salary, the equivalent of US $2000.
Manager: You will be working in our Indian office. But we can’t pay you US$2000. Will you accept the job if we pay the equivalent of US $ 1500 p.m.?
Shweta: I will accept the offer for the time being.
Manager: When can you join us?
Shweta: Currently I am working with a local firm. So I will need one month’s time.
Manager: Agreed. We expect you to join us on the 1st of October.
Shweta: It’s fine.
Manager: Is there anything you would like to ask?
Shweta: Will I get a chance to come to Singapore anytime?
Manager: Yes, we usually have get-together of all the employees during X-mas time. Then you can come and we will pay you all the expenses of coming, provided you have proved yourself an asset to the company.
Shweta: I assure you I will prove that.
Manager: Okay then! I will send you the necessary papers to sign. Goodbye for now.
Shweta: Goodbye, and have a nice day!

Activity – III (Write-up)

Question 1.
The interview board asked you to prepare a write-up on ‘Why you want this job.’ Prepare a write-up on this in about one-and-a half pages.
Answer:
I want this job because of different reasons. First of all, I am an ambitious person who wants to make use of the talents God has given me. I don’t believe in doing the minimum and getting the maximum. I believe in doing the maximum and getting the maximum. This way I will benefit myself and also my employer.

I want this job because I know that Lee shipping Co. is one of the most prestigious in the world. I have heard that the company appreciates talented people and does its best to promote them to do their best. I understand that the Company gives incentives to those who prove themselves to be competitive and sincere in their work.

I want this job for another reason. I learnt that all the employees of the Company are called for a get- together in Singapore at the time of Christmas. I have heard a lot about Singapore and its achievements. I have heard that Singapore is the cleanest city in the world. I want to visit Singapore and experience myself some the marvels Singapore has.

I want this job for yet another reason. I am told that Lee Shipping Company encourages hardworking and intelligent people by giving them special training to do more responsible jobs where they will have a lot of benefits. I feel that I am intelligent and hardworking and I will also be noticed by the authorities and they give me a chance to grow to the greatest potential I am capable of.

Last but not the least I want this job because of the good salary I am offered. With my qualification and experience I feel this is the best I can get. With encouragement and assistance from the authorities I am sure I will be able to go higher in my life and achieve my aims. I have dreams of a good life and I am sure this job will help me to realize my dreams.

Conceptual Fruit (Short Story) About the Author

Thaisa Frank is a famous short- story writer. She worked as a psychotherapist before becoming a full time writer. She also teaches at the University of San Francisco. This short story is about the Internet.

Conceptual Fruit (Short Story) Summary in English

Page 174: When he told his family about the site on the Internet where you could create whole streets, his wife and son went on eating pasta and artichokes (edible flower buds). Only his daughter Greta looked up. He said he could buy a house on Pomanger Street. He could put as many rooms in it as he wanted and fill them with fruit. He could also make his own library.

His son, who was eleven, agreed with him. His son knew how to programme computers. But he was not interested. He wanted to give away his books and devote his life to karate.

His wife ate the heart of the artichoke carefully. He wanted to know her opinion. She said that she was in front of the computer the whole day and she wanted to spend the evenings in the garden. He knew that she was not interested.

Greta looked up from her artichoke leaves. She was arranging them in a circular pattern in her bowl. She said: “You said that there were streets. You said there could be fruit.” Greta often repeated what she heard. She had worked hard to tie her shoes by age ten and could read at fifth grade level, five grades below Joel, even though she was sixteen. She went to a special school. She said she wanted to see the place. Her father said he would show her. His wife and his son made eyes indicating their displeasure. They thought: “He is at it again. He’s getting Greta into it, too.”

Page 175: He said he would show her where she can make up streets and bowls of fruit. Greta sat in his chair and he sat next to her. Greta could type very slowly. By the time she left her school, she might be able to type fast enough to get a word processing job. But nobody was certain.

The man said that there was this guy named Sam who set up that whole library of classics. He lived in Illinois, but he made this wonderful place. He wanted her to watch. He clicked into the programme and was about to show Greta the collection of books when he saw her staring into space. He asked her if she wanted something of her own.

She said she wanted peaches and pears and artichokes. He asked her if she wanted them with bowls in a kitchen of a house or in a garden. He was typing, creating a street called Greta’s Street, a house called Greta’s house. Greta wanted to know why he was writing all that down. He said he was writing them down because they all were hers. Greta looked at the screen. Her blond hair blended with her sweater. Her blue eyes were the only colour in her face.

She said she wanted a bowl in every room. She wanted peaches in the kitchen and living room and all the bedrooms. He asked her if she did not want artichokes. Greta picked at her sweater. This is something she did when she knew she had got it right. She had forgotten about the artichokes and he was sorry that he had reminded her. He said he would put peaches everywhere. He wanted to know if the bowls should be of the same colour. She said they all should be blue colour. He then asked her how many windows she wanted and whether there should be a fireplace and if there should be curtains. Greta wanted 11 windows covered with sheer white curtains as the ones she had in her bedroom.

Page 176: He said he would start with the fruit in the kitchen. He wrote Greta’s kitchen and asked her to walk around and take fruits from the bowl and eat them. She asked where the peaches were. He said they would come in a minute. She should click under bowl and see what happens. He covered the screen for a moment and wrote peaches. He asked to try it by clicking bowl. Greta clicked bowl and the word peaches appeared. She told him that it was just a word. He said that was the idea and she can see a picture of the fruit.

She said she thought she would make real peaches. He said she had to go to the store to get them. She said here she just saw only words and wanted to know why people liked them. He said that they reminded people of the things the words stand for as she saw in her books.

He created other rooms as wanted by Greta: a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a bedroom, a room fora cat and one bathroom. Then she said there was no need for a bathroom as it is not a real house and so people would not use it. He agreed. He programmed bowls of peaches in every room. He asked Greta to click.

Greta clicked and smiled when the word peaches appeared. It was a shifty smile – the smile she got when she pretended to have understood something which made no sense to her. He said there could be other fruit like apples, and pears and there could be flowers. Greta agreed and said there could be anything.

His wife was cutting blackberries in the garden. Greta was getting up from her chair to help her. Greta would never have a house of her own. She would live in a group house with other people like her. He hoped the house would be large and have sheer white curtains in all the rooms. He hoped it would have an orchard with fruit in real blue bowls: apples, pears, peaches-whatever Greta wanted.

Conceptual Fruit (Short Story) Vocabulary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 6 Chapter 2 Is Society Dead? Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Is Society Dead? Questions and Answers Unit 6 Chapter 2 (Article)

Is Society Dead? Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What aspect of New York did the author notice?
Answer:
The aspect of New York that the author noticed was that its nightlife was very much dead.

Question 2.
The day life in New York is powerfully presented in these lines. Suppose you describe the same in your own city, what points will you note?
Answer:
I will note the noise of people talking and rushing, the vehicles hooting, the haste and hurry both by people and vehicles, the vendors of various fancy items trying to make a buck, and the worried faces of people.

Question 3.
Have you noticed i-Pod people in your town too? Is there any difference between toe i-Pod generation in New York and those in your own town?
Answer:
Yes, I have noticed them in my town also. There is some difference between the i-Pod generation in New York and those in my town. Here the i-Pod people do not emit strange tuneless squawks and snap their fingers. Their arms don’t twitch here, as in New York.

Question 4.
What, according to the author, are the markers to identify the i-Pod generation?
Answer:
According to the author, they walk down the street in their own MP3 cocoon, bumping into others, deaf to small social cues, shutting out anyone not in their bubble. Every now and then, some start emitting some strange tuneless sounds and their fingers snap or their twitch some soundless rhythm. When people tell them, ‘Excuse me’ or ‘Hello’, there is no response. They hear so little.

Question 5.
This article is replete with powerful anti-technology words for presenting the arguments of the author. Try to list down those expressions, e.g., anesthetized technology.
Answer:
In their own MP3 cocoon, i-Pod generation emitting strange tuneless squawks, their fingers snap and their arms twitch, glazed pupils, white box worshipers, compulsive obsession, atomization by little white boxes and cell phones, hermit crabs, addictive cults, white wires hanging from their ears, i-Pod generation.

Question 6.
Why does the author say that technology has given us a universe entirely for ourselves?
Answer:
The people today are cut off from the affairs of the world by their technological devices. They do not see or hear anything as they are immersed in a world of their own choice where nothing happens by chance. All technological devices like the satellite radio, cable TV and Cell phone support this world of exclusion so the author says that technology has given us a universe entirely for ourselves.

Question 7.
The author has described the experiences of music in the past and the present to drive home his point. Compare the experience of music in the past with the experience of music in the present.
Answer:
In the past music was a communal experience, shared by people. You had it in the living room or concert hall so that it was a shared experience. It brought people with the same interest together. In the present, music is a secret and each person listens to it individually and we never know what the other person is listening to and so we will never get to know him.

Question 8.
What were the nicer aspects of life that the author noticed when he forgot to take his i-pod on a trip?
Answer:
The author noticed many of the nicer aspects of life when he forgot to take his iPod. He noticed the rhythms of others, the sound of the airplane, the opinions of the taxi driver, and small social cues that he would not notice if he had his iPod.

Question 9.
How did the author enjoy the new experience?
Answer:
He enjoyed the new experience as he felt connected to others as he became more aware of the world around him.

Question 10.
Do you notice anything special about the ending of the essay?
Answer:
Yes. The author has enjoyed the experience of not being a slave to devices the like i-Pod and he seems to be surprised and happy. He realises that the world has a special and interesting rhythm or sound-track of its own and he encourages everyone to listen to it and experience it.

Activity – I (writing)

When you read any article you will realize that some of the statements made are facts and some others are mere opinions. A good reader must be able to distinguish between the facts and opinions presented in any article.
Now, sit in pairs and identify examples of facts and opinions from the article ‘Is Society Dead’? You may write them in two columns:

Answer:

FACT	OPINION
a) I was visiting New York last week. b) When people say excuse me’ there is no response. c) You get your news from your favourite blogs. d) Technology has given us a world entirely for ourselves. e) Human beings have never lived like this before. f) We have always had homes, retreats or place where we went to relax, unwind or shut out the world.	a) Each was in his/her own musical world. b) I witnessed the glazed New York look. c) Don’t ask, don’t tell, do not over hear don’t observe. Just tune in and tune out. d) The serendipity of meeting a new stranger, hearing a piece of music we would never choose ourselves, etc. e) External stimulation can crowd out the interior mind.

Activity – II (Short essay)

Question 1.
This article you have read discusses how technology, especially the MP3, kills social interaction, in the lives of people. Being a member of technology-friendly generation, you intend to argue for the benefits of technology in enhancing social interaction.
What are the points that you will bring in, other than the ones listed below? Sit in groups and find a few more points.
Answer:
Technology makes communication faster. Technology affords diverse formats of interaction. Technology brings people of different places closer. We have such a variety now. Now the whole world is a global village. Face Book and WhatsApp connect people in much a bigger way than before. Technology brings relaxation and a relaxed mind is a more competent mind.

Question 2.
Prepare a short essay on the topic: Technology: Making Society Alive to be published in TECH-WATCH, the school magazine tracking the latest developments in the technology field.
Answer:
Technology: Making Society Alive
In the modern world, technology has made society very much alive. The extensive use of computers, mobiles phones, i-Pods and i-Pads, MP3 and a host of other gadgets has transformed the world into a tiny village. What happens in one part of the world is beamed instantly so that people everywhere in the world come to know about it even as it is happening. Technology has unified the world, at least in the world of sports and entertainment. Programmes of one country are enjoyed by others also.

The world has become a richer place because we have so much to choose from. At the click of a button things far away will be transported to you for your enjoyment. You can see your friends and relatives who are and chat with them when you like. Even if they are in another country, we feel they are next door and ready to meet us when we want them.

Face Book and What’s App have revolutionized the society. You can send out all the news and photographs of yourselves, your friends and family to all those who are interested in your affair. You can also get news and pictures of those you love. This way society has become much alive.

Because of this boredom has been taken away from the lives of people. In the past people sitting at home, especially women and children, did not know how to spend their leisure time, especially when the weather was bad. But now they have their Face Book and What’s App to keep them busy all the time. A society that is alive is a healthy society. Thanks to technology, we now live livelier and fuller lives.

III. Read And Reflect

Differently-abled children are an important part of our society. The daily charms of a regular life are denied to them. Technology extends a helping hand and acts as a leveller in such cases. This story reveals the human face of technology in helping a young girl shape the world around her.

Is Society Dead? (Article) About the Author

Andrew Michael Sullivan is a British author, editor and blogger. He is an influential commentator and a renowned lecturer. His writings are well-known for their imagery.

Is Society Dead? Summary in English

I was visiting New York last week and noticed something that I could not believe about the city. Nightlife was very much dead and I’m not the first one to notice it. Today life, that mad mixture of yells, chatter, hustle and rudeness, was quieter.

Lower Manhattan is now a Disney-like string of malls, riverside parks and pretty upper middle class villages. There was something else. When I looked at the throngs on the pavements, I saw the reason.

There were little white wires hanging down from their ears or tucked into their pockets, purses or jackets. The eyes were a little vacant. Each was in his or her musical world, almost oblivious to the world around them. These are the i-Pod people.

Even without the white wires you can tell who they are. They walk down the street in their own MP3 cocoon, bumping into others, deaf to small social cues, shutting out anyone not in their bubble.

Every now and then, some start emitting some strange tuneless sounds and their fingers snap or their arms twitch with some soundless rhythm. When people tell them, ‘Excuse me’ or ‘Hello’, there is no response. You are among so many people and hear so little. But each one is hearing so much.

Page 170: I am one of them. I also have white wires peeping out of my ears. I joined the group a few years ago, the group of the little white box worshippers.

Others began as I did with a Walkman and then an MP3 player. But this sleekness of the i-Pod won me over. Unlike other models, it gave me my entire music collection to rearrange as I saw it. Once it was a musical diversion. Now it is a compulsive obsession.

Like all addictive cults, it is spreading. Walk through any airport in the US these days and you will see many of them. You will see them on a subway. Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t overhear, don’t observe. Just tune in and tune out.

The worrying fact is that it is part of something bigger. You get your news from your favourite blogs, the ones that won’t challenge your view of the world. You tune into a satellite radio service for your modern rock or liberal talk. Television is cable. Your mobile phones get email feeds from your favourite bloggers or get sports scores for your team. Technology has given us a universe entirely for ourselves. The chance of meeting a new stranger, hearing a piece of music we would never choose for ourselves, or an opinion that might change our mind about something is removed.

This is atomization by little white boxes and mobile phones. It is a society without the social. We choose what we want and not meet at random. People never lived like this before. Of course we had homes, retreats or places where we went to relax, unwind or shut out the world. But we did not walk around like hermit crabs.

Page 171: Music was limited to the living room or the concert hall. Sometimes it was solitary but primarily it was a shared experience that brought people together. But now it has become a personal affair. It is now a secret. You never know what the other person next to you is listening to. You will never see him. By his white wires he is showing that he doesn’t want to know you.

What do we get from this? We get the chance to slip away from everydayness, to give our lives its own sound tracks, to get away from the monotony of commute and to listen more closely and carefully to music that can lift you and keep you going. We become masters of our own interests. We keep connected to people like us over the Internet. We get in touch with anything we want or think we want.

We miss many things. The funny piece of an overheard conversation that stays with you; the talk of the child on the pavement that will take you back to your childhood; birdsong; weather; accents; the laughter of others. We also miss those thoughts that come to our mind when we allow it to wander aimlessly through the background noise of human and mechanical life.

External stimulation can crowd out the interior mind. Even boredom has its uses. We are forced to find our own methods to overcome it.

Recently, I was on a trip and I realized I had left my i-Pod behind. But then I noticed the rhythms of others again, the sound of the airplane, the opinions of the taxi- driver, the small social cues that had been left out before. I noticed how others related to each other. I felt more connected and more aware.

Try it. There is world out there. It has a soundtrack of its own.

Is Society Dead? Vocabulary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 6 Chapter 1 The Cyber Space Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook The Cyber Space Questions and Answers Unit 6 Chapter 1 (Essay)

The Cyber Space (Essay) Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is special about the ‘modern psyche’?
Answer:
The modern psyche loves new frontiers. We love wide-open spaces; we like to explore; we like to make rules instead of following them.

Question 2.
What is cyberspace? How has it evolved over the years?
Answer:
Cyberspace is the community of networked computers. It is the imagined place where electronic data goes. Before J#was a playground for computer nerds and techies. But now it embraces all kinds of people, including children.

Question 3.
What type of metaphor is used by the author to describe cyberspace?
Answer:
To describe cyberspace the author has used the metaphor of real estate. Real estate is an intellectual, legal, artificial environment constructed on top of land. It recognizes the difference between parkland and shopping mall, between red-light zone and school district, between church, state and drug store. In the same way we can think of cyberspace as a giant and unlimited world of virtual real estate.

Question 4.
Mention some of the traditional metaphors used to denote cyberspace.
Answer:
Some of the traditional metaphors used to denote cyberspace are highways and frontiers.

Question 5.
Why does the author maintain that censorship will not work in the case of cyberspace?
Answer:
The author maintains that censorship will not work in the case of cyberspace because it is not a frontier where bad people can grab unsuspecting children. It is also not a giant television that telecast offensive messages at unwilling viewers. In cyberspace users choose where they visit, what they see and what they do. It is optional.

Question 6.
Why is cyberspace described as a voluntary destination? Do you agree with the author here?
Answer:
Cyberspace is a voluntary destination because you have to go someplace in particular. People can choose where to go and what to see. I fully agree with the author.

Question 7.
Who, according to the author, are the right people to set the standards?
Answer:
According to the author, the right people to set the standards are the cyberspace communities themselves.

Question 8.
What are the three major areas of services available in cyberspace?
Answer:
The three major areas of services available in cyberspace are: First, the private email conversations similar to the talks you have on the telephone or voice mail. Second, information and entertainment services. Here people can download anything. These places are like book stores, malls, and movie-houses. Third, there are ‘real communities’- groups of people who communicate among themselves. They are like shops or restaurants or playgrounds. Each participant contributes to a general conversation, generally through posted messages. Other participants may simply listen or watch.

Question 9.
What is in store for cyber communities in the future?
Answer:
Cyber communities will have to have a moderator because anyone is free to post anything. Because of that there will be unwanted advertising, discussions that are. not healthy and rude participants. Then the cyberspace will become too noisy. To keep these negative elements in check a moderator would be needed.

Question 10.
What are the comparisons made by the author between cyberspace and terrestrial communities?
Answer:
What is special about cyberspace is that it frees us from the tyranny of power structures of the terrestrial communities. Cyberspace allows communities of any size and kind to flourish. In cyberspace communities are chosen by the users, not forced on them by accidents of geography. This freedom gives the rules in cyberspace a moral authority that rules in terrestrial environments don’t have. Most people are forced to stay in the country of their birth. But if you don’t like the rules of the cyberspace community, you can quit. It loves it or leave it, which is not possible in terrestrial communities.

Activity -1 (Writing)

Question 1.
A group of students are asked to prepare a list of Dos and Dont’s of using cyberspace. They list the points as given on p. 167 of the Text. Classify the ideas generated under the following heads. Write the corresponding number.
Parents: …………
Teachers: …………
Students: …………
Counselor: …………
Answer:
Parents : 2, 4,7
Teachers: 5, 8
Students: 1
Counsellor: 3, 6, 9

Question 2.
Now, write an article on the use and misuse of cyberspace for your School Magazine using the hints given in the text.
Answer:
Use of computers has become widespread and accordingly the uses and misuses of cyberspace have also multiplied. Cyberspace is an excellent way of getting information, giving information, and also for entertainment. But it has potential dangers. These days we hear a lot about cybercrimes. The culprits are mostly young people, including students. Even as we acknowledge the importance of cyberspace in the modem world, should be aware of its potential dangers and how to avoid them.

Cyberspace is full of sites that give vulgar and explicit sex material. Young children are naturally curious about these things. So to prevent them from watching these things privately in their own rooms, computers should be kept in open view in a common hall. This way, children will be discouraged from visiting bad sites. There should be a specific time schedule for browsing the net. Late-night browsing should b discouraged. When students are given assignments and projects they rush to cyberspace for the material. The download material from it and copy it in their assignments. Teachers should check the authenticity of the sources used in the papers given by the students. Many schools and colleges now have computers and the Internet, including Wi-Fi. Teachers must ensure that students do not misuse these facilities.

Counsellors have also a big role to play in the right use of cyberspace. They should conduct awareness programmes on the various cybersecurity measures. The net addicted children should be given counselling in the school.

Students should be aware of the risks involved in the use of cyberspace. It is easy to fall into the mire of bad habits. It would be difficult to get out. Ultimately they are responsible for their acts and they are the masters of their destiny. They should not reveal their e-mail address to everyone and should use cyberspace sensibly. Cyberspace is a double-edged tool. It is like a knife and it can be used to cure (like a surgeon) or to kill.

Activity – II (email)

Read the email given on page 168.

Question 1.
What is this mail about?
Answer:
It is an application for a job.

Question 2.
How is it different from surface mails?
Answer:
It is different from surface mails in different ways:

• It has no address of the receiver (except the email address),
• It has no date
• It has no signature of the sender
• The sender’s name and address are given at the bottom with the mobile number and email address.

In the surface mail these appear on the top part of the letter.

Question 3.
Analyze the language structure, style and format of the email.
Answer:
The language is simple and straight. Block style is used with all the paragraphs aligned to the left.

Question 4.
Imagine that you organize a seminar on Technology and English language Teaching in your school. In order to ensure the presence of the distinguished scholars invited, you draft a detailed email about the seminar.
Draft the email to be sent to the visiting dignitaries.
Answer:
To: iobma6@hotmail.com
Subject: Seminar on Technology and English language Teaching

Dear Prof. Job
Our school is organizing a seminar on Technology and English language Teaching. As a person renowned in this realm, we would very much like to have your presence during the Seminar. The seminar will begin at 9.00 in the morning and it will end by 1.00 p.m. Please make it a point to come. Your expertise and experience will be of great use to our students as well as staff.
We look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,
Simi Hyder

Simi Hyder
Secretary, Students’ Welfare Association
AlAzharHSS
Mala
PIN – 679342
Mobile: 8547028805
Email – simihyder@gmail. Com

II. Read And Reflect

Are you familiar with the i-pod generation? You see them everywhere, at railway stations, busy places in the city, or even in remote villages. You may be one of them. What is so special about them and how do you distinguish them? Read on to know about the ultramodern representatives of today’s youth.

The Cyber Space (Essay) About the Author

Esther Dyson is an American technology analyst. She is a leading commentator on digital technology, biotechnology and space. The present article is a discussion on the possibilities and challenges involved in the use of cyberspace.

The Cyber Space (Essay) Summary in English

Page 164: Something in the modern psyche loves new frontiers. We love wide-open spaces; we like to explore; we like to make rules instead of following them. Is there a place you can go and be yourself without worrying about the neighbours?

Yes, there is such a place: cyberspace. Before, it was a playground for computer nerds and techies. But now it embraces all kinds of people, including children. Can they all get along in a friendly way in the cyber world? Or will our fear of kids misusing cyberspace provoke a crackdown?

First of all, we ought to know what cyberspace is. For this, we have to leave behind metaphors of highways and frontiers and think instead of real estate. Real estate is an intellectual, legal, artificial environment constructed on top of the land. It recognizes the difference between parkland and shopping mall, between red-light zone and school district, between church, state and drug store.

You can think of cyberspace as a giant and unlimited world of virtual real estate. Some property is privately owned and rented out; another property is common land; some places are suitable for children; others should be avoided by all but the strangest citizens. Unfortunately, it is those places that are now capturing the popular imagination. They make cyberspace sound like a bad place. Good citizens, therefore, say: Regulate it.

Page 165: Using censorship to silence cyberspace misinterprets the nature of cyberspace. It is not a frontier where bad people can grab unsuspecting children. It is also not a giant television that telecast offensive messages at unwilling viewers. In this kind of real estate, users choose where they visit, what they see and what they do. It is optional. It is easier to bypass a place on the net than it is to avoid a block of bad stores on the way home.

Cyberspace is a voluntary destination or many destinations. You choose a site. That means you can where to go and what to see. Community Course Book standards should be enforced but those standards must be set by cyberspace communities themselves. We don’t want control from outside; we need self-rule.

Cyberspace is so interesting because it is different from shopping malls, television, highways, and other terrestrial jurisdiction. So, let us define its territory:

First, there are private email conversations similar to the talks you have on the telephone or voice mail. These are private and done with the consent of both parties. So they require no regulation.

Second, there are information and entertainment services. Here people can download anything. These places are like book stores, malls, and movie-houses. The customer needs to request an item. Some of these services are free, for some you have to pay.

Third, there are ‘real communities’-groups of people who communicate among themselves. They are like shops or restaurants or playgrounds. Each participant contributes to a general conversation, generally through posted messages. Other participants may simply listen or watch. Many of these services started out un¬moderated. But now some rules are imposed because of unwanted advertising, outside discussions, and increasingly rude participants. Without a moderator, the decibel level often gets too high.

Page 166: What is special about cyberspace is that it frees us from the tyranny of power structures. In a democracy, minority groups and minority preferences get squeezed out. Cyberspace allows communities of any size and kind to flourish. In cyberspace communities are chosen by the users, not forced on them by accidents of geography. This freedom gives the rules in cyberspace a moral authority that rules in terrestrial environments don’t have. Most people are forced to stay in the country of their birth. But if you don’t like the rules of the cyberspace community, you can quit. Love it or leave it.

What is likely to happen in cyberspace is the formation of new communities. Instead of a global village, we will have another world of self-contained communities that will cater to the wishes of their members without interfering with anyone else’s. We will be able to test and evolve rules regarding what should be governed. These may include content and access control, rules about privacy, and free speech.

Our society needs to grow up. It means understanding that there are no perfect answers and solutions. We don’t have a perfect society on earth and so we won’t have perfect cyberspace. What we can have is an individual choice and individual responsibility.

The Cyber Space (Essay) Vocabulary