A Snake in the Grass-std 7 scert-activities and answers
A Snake in the Grass-std 7 scert-activities and answers
Textual questions and answers
1. Identify the references to
time, locale (scene) and the
character, in the first part of
the story.
answer:afternoon, road, a cyclist
2. Why did the cyclist ring the
bell and shout?
answer:He saw a snake cross his wheel and enter the compound of the house.
3. What did the members of
the family accuse the
gardener of?
answer:The family accused Dasa of being lazy.
4. What do you mean by
‘snake menace’? Have you
heard of any other such
menaces?
answer:The harm caused by snakes is snake menace.
5. Why did the mother give a
coin to the beggar?
answer:The beggar woman said that the mother was fortunate since God had come to visit her. She requested the mother not to kill the snake. In
gratitude, the mother gave her a coin.
6. What did the old man
declare?
answer:The old man declared that he was a snake charmer.
7. Why did the snake charmer
say that he was helpless?
answer:The snake charmer said he could catch the snake only if it was shown to him.
8. How did Dasa become the
hero of the day?
answer:Dasa claimed that he had caught the snake. He also dwelt at length on the strategies he had employed to catch the snake.
A Snake in the Grass-std 7 scert-activities and answers
Activity 1
1. The major events of the story ‘A Snake in the Grass’ are given in
jumbled order.
|
Dasa’s negligence of the garden and the lawns was responsible for all the dreadful things coming in. |
They watched him in admiration and decided to reward him. |
|
The family was greatly agitated to hear the news. |
The youngest son saw the snake coming out of the hole, and cried aloud. |
|
A big cobra entered the compound. |
The snakecharmer came, gave his name and departed. |
|
An old beggar promised to send a snakecharmer. |
When they recovered from the shock, they asked, ’Does it mean there are two snakes here?’ |
|
Neighbours assembled and started searching for the snake. |
Dasa appeared before them carrying a water-pot and declared that he had caught the snake. |
Now, sequence the events in the flow chart given below.
Answer
- A big cobra entered the compound.
- The family was greatly agitated to hear the news.
- Dasa’s negligence of the garden and the lawns was responsible for all the dreadful things coming in.
- • Neighbours assembled and started searching for the snake.
- • An old beggar promised to send a snake charmer.
- • He gave his name and departed. • Dasa appeared before them carrying
- a water-pot and declared that he had caught the snake.
- • They watched him in admiration and decided to reward him.
- • The youngest son saw the snake coming out of the hole, and cried aloud.
- • When they recovered from the shock, they asked, ‘Does it mean there are two snakes here?’
Activity 2
Imagine that the mother in the story 'A Snake in the Grass' happens
to see the snake again. She rings up the snake charmer. But
unfortunately, he is not there. She gets his wife on the phone.
Read the telephonic conversation.
Mother : Hello! Could I speak to Mr Sankar, the snake
charmer?
Wife : Sorry he's not here. I'm his wife. May
I know who is speaking?
Mother : I'm Sudha from Malgudi North. When will he be back?
Wife : After an hour. Would you like to leave a message?
Mother : Yes, please. We are in a fearful situation. A snake has
entered our premises, and we are urgently in need of
some help. Please ask him to call me back. It's very
urgent. He knows my number.
Wife : Sure. I’ll try to contact him. If not, I'll tell him as soon
as he is back.
Mother : Thank you.
The wife could not contact Sankar, the snake charmer. The moment he
reaches the house, his wife conveys the message. He rings the mother
immediately. Prepare the likely conversation between them.
Snake charmer : ..............................................................
Mother : ..............................................................
Snake charmer : ..............................................................
Mother : ..............................................................
Snake charmer : ..............................................................
Mother : ..............................................................
Snake charmer : ..............................................................
Answer
Snake Charmer : Hello, this is Sankar. My wife asked me to call you. What's the matter, madam?
Mother: We urgently need your service. A snake has entered our compound.
Snake Charmer : Are you sure it's still there?
Mother: Yes, it's still there. My sons and neighbours are searching for it.
Snake Charmer : Okay. Can you please tell me your address?
Mother: Sure. Please note down. Sudha, House No. 28, Malgudi North.
Snake Charmer : Fine. Don't worry. I'll reach there soon.
Activity 3
1.A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who
could cook cookies.
2. Black bug bit a big black bear. But where is the big black bear
that the big black bug bit?
3. The sixth sick sikh's sixth sheep is sick.
Now, collect a few other tongue twisters and say them aloud in the class.
Answer
1.She sells seashells by the seashore.
2. Six slippery snails, slid slowly seaward.
3. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers would Peter Piper pick?
Activity 4
4. The English Club in your school has decided to stage a play based on
the story ‘A Snake in the Grass.’ You are asked to prepare a script
based on the story. Can you complete it?
A Snake in the Grass
Characters : Mother
Four Sons
Neighbours
Old Beggar
Old Man
Setting : The courtyard of a house
Curtain rises
(The courtyard of the house. The mother, her four sons,
and servant Dasa are obviously frightened and are
searching for a snake. An old beggar enters....)
Old beggar: ......................................................................
answer
(The courtyard of a house. An old beggar woman is seen at the gate.)
Old beggar : Mother, give me some alms.
Mother : Not now, we are searching for a snake in our compound.
Old beggar (smiling) : You are fortunate. God has come to visit you. Please
don’t kill the snake.
Mother : You are right. I almost forgot about the abhishekam, you reminded
me of it. Thank you.
Scene: 2
(The courtyard of a house. An old man at the gate.)
Old man : It is difficult to find a snake among the bushes.
The eldest son : Who are you?
Old man : I’m a snake charmer. (The people gather around him)
The eldest son : How do you catch snakes? Old Man : Like this..
(He pounces upon an imaginary snake on the ground and lifts something which was on the ground and
cheerfully looks at every one.)
The eldest son : Can you catch the snake for us?
Old man : If you show me the snake, I will help you.
(He points to the direction the snake has gone to and slowly walks away.)
Activity 5
Given below is a Crossword Puzzle. Fill in the blank space with suitable
letters to get the names of implements. Find out what these are used
for, and fill in the blanks below
answer
1. Grass cutter
2. Spade
3. Scythe
4. Crowbar
5. Mower
6. Rake
7. Knife
Down
2. a tool used for digging soil
4. a heavy iron bar with a bent used tolift heavy objects off the ground
5. a machine for cutting, especially grass
6. a garden tool with a long handle and long pointed metal parts sticking out in a row at the bottom, used for levelling the earth
Across
1. an equipment for cutting grass
7. a tool with a metal blade and a handle used for cutting
Up
3. a tool with a long sharp curved blade and a long handle used especially to cut long grass.
Activity 7
Now, identify the idiomatic expressions from the conversation given
above.
You can find a list of idioms in column A. Match them with their meanings in column B. You may refer to a dictionary.
1. When the thief was questioned, he .............................. .
2. Our school has won the first prize in the State level Hockey
competition. It is .........
3. Before we take a decision on an issue, we must examine the .........
of it.
4. Give promises only if one can.........
answer
- Stop beating about the bush.
- Hit the nail on the head.
|
A |
B |
|
the
pros and cons |
the arguments for and
against |
|
a
feather in one’s cap |
an achievement of which one can be proud of |
|
keep
one’s word |
do
as one promises |
|
let
the cat out of the the bag |
the
secret is no longer
a secret |
1. When the thief was questioned, he let the cat out of the bag.
2. Our school has won the first prize in the State level Hockey competition. It is a feather in our cap.
3. Before we take a decision on an issue, we must examine its pros and cons.
4. Give promises only if one can keep one’s word.
Activity 8
8. Read the following sentence from 'A Snake in the Grass.'
The college boy murmured, ‘I wish I had taken the risk, and
knocked the water-pot from Dasa’s hand.’
Look at the people below. What do they wish for?
Complete the following sentences.
1. I wish I had .......……………………………………………...
2. I wish I ..........………………………………………..............
3. I wish ………………………………………….......................
4. …………………………………………….…….….................
5. …………………………………………….…….….................
6. …………………………………………….…….….................
answer
1. I wish I had a bicycle.
2. I wish I were a butterfly.
3. I wish I could fly to the moon.
4. I wish I were a millionaire.
5. I wish I were a robot.
6. I wish I were a spider man.
Activity 9
9. Read the following sentences and notice the words given in
italics.
1. The family which consisted of the mother and her four
sons were greatly agitated.
2. She gave a coin to the beggar, who promised to send a
snake charmer soon.
The words given in italics are termed relative pronouns.
A relative pronoun
relates one part of
a sentence to
another and also
stands in for a
noun or pronoun.
Join the pairs of sentences using a relative pronoun from
the box given below.
1. This is the house. I purchased it from Peter.
2. He said something. It surprised me.
3. I saw a girl. She was carrying a basket on her head.
(which that who)
answer
1. This is the house which I purchased from Peter.
2. He said something that surprised me.
3. I saw a girl who was carrying a basket on her head.
Activity 10
Read the passage given below. Certain words are missing in it.
Rewrite the passage choosing the correct words from the circle.
A doctor had the habit of talking / the trees by the roadside,
as he took his walk in the evening. He would bend to kiss
/ trees lovingly, and whisper kind words to them. This was
an odd but / sight. It was indeed a noble act in this wicked
world. One day, he / very upset to see one of the trees cut
down. The nature lover was so upset / he started weeping,
surprising the passers-by.
(that to lovely the was)
answer:to, the, lovely, was, that
Activity 11
Read the following sentences from the story 'A Snake in the
Grass.' Take note of the words in bold.
a. The members of the family were greatly agitated to hear
the news.
b. A heated debate followed.
c. They ordered him not to make demands.
Match words in column 'A' with those in column 'B' and make
suitable expressions.
|
A |
B |
|
deeply |
journey |
|
tiring |
decisions |
|
hasty |
opinion |
|
strong |
ashamed |
answer:
A B
deeply ashamed
tiring journey
hasty decisions
strong opinion
