THE SUMMER OF THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE

Q1. Who were Aram and Mourard?

Ans. Aram and Mourad were cousins. Aram was nine years old. Mourad was thirteen. Both of them were fond of horse-riding. They belonged to the garoghlanian tribe of Armenians.

Q2. How does the narrator describe the Garoghlanian family?Ans. Garoghlanian family had the reputation for honesty that has been maintained by its family members for hundreds of years. Every one trusted them. These people took pride in the fact that they were honest in spite of their poverty.

Q3. What did the narrator see when he looked out of the window? Why couldn’t he believe his eyes? Ans. The narrator heard a tap on the window of his room. When he looked out, he saw his cousin Mourad sitting on a beautiful white horse. He could not believe his eyes because Mourad belonged to a poor family. He could not afford to buy such a lovely horse. Surely, he had stolen it.

Q4. Though Aram suspected his brother of stealing, he dispelled the suspicion. Why?

Ans. Aram could not think that his cousin – a member of the honest tribe – could ever steal.

Q5. What message is conveyed through the story ‘The Summer of the Beautiful Horse’?
Ans. The primary message of the story, The Summer of the Beautiful Horse, is that despite social or economic challenges, there are some truths which are absolute and should be practised under and all conditioned. It is undeniable that the story is set within a family that is poor. Their poverty is not used as a crutch or something that limits the emotional quotient of the boys or the people in the community. The boys’ love for the horse is genuine and sincere, not motivated out of some ulterior motive of greed or economic want. Their love for the animal is quite authentic. When they return the horse, they have a genuine understanding that they need to return what is not theirs. They are not motivated by anything else other than the highly human reaction of wanting to make right what is wrongx

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INDIGO Extra questions

Q. 1. How did Shukla succeed in persuading Gandhiji to visit Champaran ?

Or

What made Gandhi to surrender to the wish of Rajkumar Shukla and board a train to Patna in Bihar ?                                                                                                 (Imp.)

Ans. Rajkumar Shukla wanted Gandhiji to visit Champaran to take up the cause of sharecroppers there. Gandhiji told Shukla that he had an appointment in Kanpur. He was also committed to go to other parts of India. Shukla followed Gandhiji to the ashram. He went to Calcutta when Gandhiji arrived there. Gandhiji was impressed by his tenacity and story. They boarded the train for Patna.

Q. 2. Why did Gandhi chide (scold)the lawyers of Muzaffarpur ?                

Ans. Muzaffarpur lawyers called on Gandhi to brief him. They had frequently represented peasants in courts. Gandhi chided them for collecting big fees from the poor sharecrop­pers. When peasants were so poor and crushed, it was inhuman to charge heavy fees from them.

Q. 3. Gandhi was involved in a 'conflict of duties'. What did he decide in the end and why? 

Ans. Gandhi was involved in a 'conflict of duties'. On the one hand, he didn't want to set a bad example. He didn't want to be a law-breaker. On the other hand, he couldn't give up the cause of the poor peasants of Champaran. Therefore, he heard the 'voice of conscience' in the end. He decided to disobey the order.

Q. 4. How could Gandhi persuade the lawyers to follow him into jail ?

Ans. Many prominent lawyers of Bihar came to confer with Gandhi. Gandhi asked what they would do if he was sentenced to prison. A senior lawyer told frankly that they would go home. Gandhi asked them about the injustice done to the sharecroppers. The lawyers felt ashamed. They finally declared that they were ready to'-follow' him into jail.

Q. 5. The settlement of 25% refund to the farmers appeared rather small. Why did Gandhi agree to it and how did events justify his position ?              

Ans. According to the settlement, the planters were to refund 25% of the compensation money to the peasants. The achievement appeared to be rather small but events justified his position. But for Gandhi the amount of refund was less important. More important was the fact that the landlords were forced to surrender part of their right. So he agreed to the settle­ment.

Q. 6. 'The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi's life’? How do you justify it ?

Ans. The Champaran episode was really a turning point in Gandhi's life. It began not as an act of defiance. It was an effort to remove the distress of poor peasants. The success of Champaran justified Gandhi's ways and means. It gave a message. The Britishers were dreaded and unquestioned but now they could be challenged by the Indians. The success of Champaran was the success of peaceful Civil Disobedience in modern India.

INDIGO BY- LOUIS FISHER

Please, Note down the questions in your class work copy with proper indexing

Q. 1. How did Gandhi help the poor in Champaran to achieve freedom from fear ? What made indigo share-cropping disappear ? (A. I. CBSE 2008)

Ans. Gandhiji came to Champaran to fight against the injustice of the landlord system there. First he went to Muzaffarpur to obtain complete information about the actual condi­tions there. He met Kriplani and Prof. Malkani who briefed him on the matter. Most of the land in Champaran was divided into large estates owned by Englishmen. They were worked by Indian tenants to grow indigo. The landlords compelled all tenants to plant 15 per cent of their holding with indigo. They surrendered the entire harvest as rent. When synthetic indigo was developed in Germany indigo plantation no longer remained profitable. The landlords released the tenants from 15 per cent agreement. Thus, indigo sharecropping disappeared. They obtained agreements from sharecroppers to pay them compensation. Many refused to sign and others wanted their money back. At this point Gandhiji arrived in Champaran.

A huge crowd welcomed Gandhiji at Champaran. The commissioner advised him to leave the place. Gandhiji didn't oblige him. He decided to disobey the order. He received a summon to appear in the court the next day. Thousands of peasants demonstrated around the court house. It was the beginning of their liberation from fear of the British. The case against Gandhiji was dropped. Civil disobedience had triumphed for the first time in India.

Q. 2. Describe the trial of Gandhi in Motihari court during the Champaran movement. When and why did Gandhi declare : "The battle of Champaran is won" ?

Ans. Gandhi came to Motihari, the capital of Champaran. He had already equipped himself with the necessary facts and information. Gandhi called on the British Commissioner. He tried to bully Gandhi and advised him to leave the place at once.

Gandhi did not leave the place. Instead he proceeded to Motihari. A huge crowd greeted him at the station. He received an official notice to quit Champaran immediately. Gandhi decided to disobey the order. As a result, he was summoned to appear in the court the next day.

Gandhi wired a full report to the Viceroy. Thousands of peasants held a spontaneous demonstration around the courthouse. The government was baffled. Gandhi was in a 'conflict of duties'. He didn't want to be a law breaker but he had a cause before him. Finally, he heard "the voice of his conscience". He was set free without the bail. Gandhi asked the prominent lawyers what they would do if he was sent to jail. They finally decided to accompany Gandhi to jail. This emboldened Gandhi. He declared: "The battle of Champaran is won". The case against Gandhi was dropped. Thus, civil disobedience had triumphed for the first time in modern India.

Q. 3. Describe the exploitation of the indigo sharecroppers by English land­lords in Champaran. Did Gandhi help them to get an honourable settlement? (V. Imp.)

Ans. Most of the arable land in Champaran was owned by English landlords. The Indian tenants worked on the land. The chief commercial crop was indigo. The English planters compelled all sharecroppers to plant 15% of their holdings with indigo. They had to surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent to the landlords. This was done by a long-term contract. Then Germany developed synthetic indigo. The plantation of natural indigo was no more a profitable business for English landlords. They decided to free the Indian sharecroppers from the 15% contract. They were to pay compensation for this freedom. The peasants saw through the trick and fraud of the landlords. Therefore, they wanted their money back.

Gandhi went to Bihar to take up the cause of poor peasants. There was a huge demonstration of thousands of peasants the very next day. The government was baffled. A commission of inquiry was constituted. Gandhi was the sole representative of the peasants. The landlords agreed to refund the money to the peasants. At last, they settled for 25%. The amount of refund was less important. The more important thing was the victory of the peasants and the victory of the Civil Disobedience in India.

How To Concentrate on Study - Tips

Study is not merely the process of reading lines of a book. It involves understanding ideas and grasping learning contained in every sentence you read. Hence, concentration is indispensable for meaningful study. Students need to pay full heed to what they study in order to learn properly. Concentrating literally means to direct all your attention to an activity and avoid thinking about any other thing. You need to be focused on your study and to be free from other thoughts which are likely to hinder the process of your learning.

Studying with full concentration leads to effective and productive study. Student may find it hard to throw off his mind all other thoughts and to concentrate purely on his studies. Here are some important tips which will help you to concentrate on your study:

  Study in such place where you can concentrate more – A Place Having No Distraction

The place, where you usually study, should be devoid of such things which may attract you attention and divert you from your study. The place of your study should not have such things, like a television, appealing colours and lights, very complex sceneries, or kids playing around. These are the major distractions which interfere your concentration. Such things are most likely to distract you from your study and you find it difficult to concentrate on your study properly. Hence, there should be no or less distractions at your study-place.

  Avoid Other Activities While You Study

Students have habit of studying as well as engaging in other activities at the same time such as texting on their cell phones, listening to music and chatting on facebook. It is not a good habit. When you carry on other activities while you study, you cannot focus on your study. Engaging in other activities steals your attention. You should close all such activities during your study in order to concentrate on your study and learn meaningfully. Similarly, studying more than one subject at a time is not advisable.

  Throw Other Thoughts Out of Your Mind While You Study

Sitting in front of book and avoiding other activities may not always be enough for effective study. Sometimes students find it hard to focus on book due to irrelevant thought haunting his mind, such as thoughts about his hobby, a movie, game, or some serious issue. It is a very common problem but you can overcome it with practice. When you sit to study, try to forget about all other activities and be focused on your study. Initially you will have difficulty in concentrating and throwing off mind all other thoughts. But after sometime you will acquire the habit of concentrating on your study. Remember, think only about study while you study because it is now the time for your study. If there is some pending task which creeps in to your mind during your study, better you do it first and then start your study; so that you can pay your full attention to study.

  Willingness for Your Study

Being willing to study is indispensable for concentrating on your study. You should have interest in your studies in order to be able to focus on it. If you are not willing to study and view study as a forced activity, you can never study with full concentration.

  Prioritize Your Tasks

Prioritizing and scheduling task is very much important. Make a list of your priorities and schedule them accordingly. You should have proper time for all your activities such as study, hobbies, games and so on. Scheduling your priorities accordingly helps you accept timings for each task – you accept it psychologically. When it is time for study, you realize that it is time only for study which helps you concentrate on your study more properly.

  Avoid Studying for Long Hours In One Sitting – Taking Short Interval For Relaxation

Studying for long hours, without any breaks, bores a student. Studying for long let student lose interest in his study. Having no or less interest in study makes it difficult to concentrate on study. Never study for long hours. Always take short breaks after an hour or two to refresh your mind for further study. It will enhance your interest in study as well as enables you continue your study with concentration.

  Have Good Bed Rest

Brain, like the other parts of the body, gets tired due to all the activities of whole day and it affects the capabilities of brain. The brain requires full relaxation for its efficient performance. Never skip or reduce your bed sleep. You should sleep for at least seven hours in the night to relax and refresh your brain for the next day.

  Physical and Mental Exercise is important

Regular physical exercise is essential to brain-health. It enhances blood flow to brain. During physical exercise certain hormones are released in body which beneficial for human performance. Having healthy life equates to having good concentration power.  Apart from physical exercise, there are also some mental exercises which are designed for improving concentration power such as concentrating on dark spot on paper, Yoga and so on.

  Have Proper Diet – Avoid Excessive Use of Tea and Tobacco

Healthy intake plays important role acquiring good concentration power. Your diet should be rich in all the necessary nutrients including the vitamins, proteins and carbohydrate in right amounts. Take a good breakfast as your brain requires healthy intake after starving for whole night. Give up excessive use of tea, coffee and tobacco. It may energize for a short time but renders you sluggish in the long run.

We are not afaid to die ...If we can all be together Class XI

1. What difference do you notice between the reactions of adults and children when face to danger?

Ans. The adults give in to stress and panic in face of danger the author took sufficient measures to protect the ship when faced with a rough weather the lifelines oil cans and waterproof jackets were in place the ship was steeled in the best manner it could and they all face the storm believingly each one of them was an embodiment of courage, determination, responsibility and resourcefulness. They understood the gravity of the situation and the realistic children on the other hand were largely unaware of the danger exposed by the storm and the difficulty it could cause for them on their part they tried to keep their father stress free by not talking about their own problems they showed great maturity in keeping their problems to their self when their parents very busy.

2. How does the story suggest optimism helps in situation of stress?

Ans. The story instills a feeling of optimism and bravery within us the way the entire family reacted in the face of death shows the courage they had even under intense stress and panic they cope with the situation as best as they could. The children showed maturity beyond their years and all of them faced adversity with determination. The spirit of optimism helped them to conquer the worst situation many a times in life we are faced with dangerous experiences and stare at death in the faces quality required to overcome dangerous situations are taught in the story. "We're Not Afraid to Die...if We Can All Be Together". 

The author and his family are portrait as best examples of bravery. Life is full of struggle and we cannot escape situations that are hazardous and dangerous. Situation is not to run away but to face them with at most courage like the narrator did determination, calmness and courage are the qualities in the phase of difficulties, Determination to fight the situation and calmness to analyse and handle the situation in a proper manner just like in the chapter children motivate their parents. Similarity in real life motivation is important.

The Enemy-Textual Questions

1. There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story you have just read.

Answer

Dr. Sadao encounters with the dilemma-to live as private individual whose moral and ethical responsibility is to save the soldier & second is a Japanese to make the soldier arrest.
So as a doctor and as an individual his first job is to save man-takes ethical responsibility, he risks his life, fame and social status- takes him to his house and makes efforts to save him.
But his other side-sense of patriotism as well as nationalism also involves a report to police, takes the general in confidence and plans to make him killed but later on again helps the soldier in escaping off. Thus Dr. Sadao personality is displayed.

2. Dr Sadao was compelled by duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?

Answer

Dr Sadao and Hana knew that their decision to save the enemy soldier would be questioned by everyone. However, they firmly followed their sense of duty. For Dr Sadao this sense of duty came from the profession he was in; but for Hana, the duty was purely humanitarian. From bearing the unrest in her domestic staff to being forced to do all the chores of house-hold herself, she does all with grace and dignity. Hana’s loving, considerate and sympathetic nature shines out. She washed and fed the soldier although it was not her job. Her care helped recuperate the soldier fast. It is also apparent from the story that she respected her husband, and as a sense of duty towards him, did the needful. This explains why she, even after feeling sick, comes back to the room and readily does whatever is told by her husband during the operation.

3. How would you explain the reluctance of the soldier to leave the shelter of the doctor’s home even when he knew he couldn’t stay there without risk to the doctor and himself ? 

Answer

When the American war prisoner came to consciousness and realized that he was saved by a Japanese family, he feared that he will be soon handed over to the army. However, as he noticed the amount of concern and care given to him by the family, he understood that he was in safe hands. He knew that although he was a threat to the doctor’s family, his own life might be saved there. Burdened with gratitude towards the family, he ultimately decides to comply with what the doctor planned for him - the escape.

4. What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty or simply self absorption?

Answer

The General was totally governed by self absorption. He was a patient of Dr Sadao and did not trust anyone except him when it came to his health. He could not take the risk of living unprotected if the doctor was executed for treachery. He had personal assassins whom he promised to use for killing the injured soldier. But ironically, he ‘forgot’ his promise to help the doctor. Human consideration was not his cup of tea.

5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during war time, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?

Answer

News of war is fast becoming a way of life. The moment one picks up a newspaper, one is bombarded with news of wars between different countries, directly or indirectly. It is obvious that the countries at war are enemies and hatred is a part of this enmity. However the success of humanity comes when we rise above this enmity and show our love towards the civilization as a whole. Dr Sadao did the same. He did whatever he could to save the life of a man whom he knew was a war prisoner. The instant he saw the injured man, he was filled with concern. Ignoring the fact that he was the enemy of his country and must have killed so many Japanese and may kill even more, if alive, he saved him.

6. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?

Answer

The doctor tried his best to save the injured soldier as a part of his duty. But the ultimate question was what to do next. It cannot be said that he betrayed his country as he told the truth to the General. However when he noticed that the soldier was to be killed not for the benefit of the country but only to save the doctor’s life, he decided to help him flee. In such a situation, the doctor's final solution to the problem was the best possible one.

Improve Your Memory Power for Study

One of the qualities of a brilliant student is having a good memory power. Students need to learn and understand things as well as to retain that learning in their mind for long time. Only learning things may not be enough. A student should also retain this learning in his mind so that he can reproduce this learning in his exam to get higher marks. Memorizing what you have learnt is a part of preparation for exam. Being a student you should have a sketch of what you learnt in your mind for long time. Many students complain that they can learn things but they cannot retain it in their mind for longer time.

Some very useful tips are given below to enhance your memory for your studies:

   1)One time study is not enough – Revising Helps To Improve your Memory

Studying a lesson once is not enough to retain it in mind for months. You should revises your topics as many times as possible. It is a common habit of most of the students – they study a topic once and never revise it; and complain about forgetting the content soon. It is natural for human brain that the more you revise, the longer is it retained in your mind. A student needs to revise his subject (topics and chapters) again and again so they can retain it in their minds for long time.

2)  Write the main points while your learn – You may read it loud to retain it in your mind.

These are very helpful tips for students. Whenever you read a book to learn it, try to have a pen and paper with you to write down it important points at the same time. It really helps in retaining these points in your mind. Another way is also to read a bit louder while you study a book. When you listen your own words, it helps your retain it in your mind for longer.

3)  Associating an idea with other idea to retain it in mind for long time

According to the Psychological theories, we learn and remember things by associating them with other relevant things. It is true. Whenever you study from a book, try to associate each idea, you learn, with other relevant idea you have learnt before. This association helps retaining the ideas in your mind for long time. You may find it a bit difficult in the start but you will get used to it with the passage of time and will help you a lot.

4)  Build A Sketch of Group of Ideas in Your Mind – Make a story form for long process

When you learn things while studying, the best way to retain it in mind is to make an overall sketch of all the learning in your mind. After studying a topic, think like this topic has these specific ideas and you have to remember all of them making its image in your mind.

If you have to learn some very lengthy processes in your book (i.e some chemical cycle in environment) you should give it a story form, i.e this thing happened first, the other thing happened the next and so on. Giving a shape of story to such lengthy topics, in your mind, enables you memorize it easily. 

5)  Devise short abbreviations (or short sentence) for retaining long complicated ideas in mind

The books contain many formulae, equations and long processes divided in parts. These formulae and equations need to be memorized by a student in its real form. Students have to memorize them to answer the questions in their exams. It becomes difficult to remember many equations and formulae in their real form because it confuse them to remember elements of each formula or equation.

There is a very useful tactic to memorize them. The tactic is to make a short abbreviation (or sentence) for such formula or equation, the each alphabet of the abbreviation stands for each element of the formula or equation which needs to be memorized.

For instance a student of 10th grade is studying his book of Biology. He is studying a biological process in which cells divides to make more cells, called “Mitosis”. Mitosis consist of four stages to complete. 1st stage: Phrophase, 2nd stage:Metaphase, 3rd stage:Anaphase 4th stage:Telophase. The student has to memorize the names of each stage involved in the “Mitosis”. He makes an abbreviation for it i.e. PMAT. See all the alphabet of this abbreviation PMAT stands for name of each stage of Mitosis in it correct sequence.

6)  Practice Exercise that are designed to Improve your Memory

There are many exercise which enhance the overall function of brain i.e. meditation exercises, Yoga exercises, playing a game like chess which need more consumption of your brain to play them. And some exercise are specifically designed for enhancing the memory power, practice them. For example if you see a scenery on a wall which have many things in it. Then go to another room and try to recall the names of thing which were in that scenery and write these names on a paper. Doing such an exercise on regular basis will enhance your memory.

7)  Diet Rich in Nutrients good For Memory

Your intake should those nutrients which are essential for brain health. Include sea foods (i.e fish) in your daily intake; they have omega-3 fatty acid which is the best nutrient for brain. You should prefer to eat a lot fruits and vegetable daily because they have antioxidants like carotene, vitamin B, E. These antioxidants protect the brain cell and junctions of cells from damage. Try to skip foods having very high amount of fat and sugar contents.

8)  Have Good and Proper Bed Rest in the night

Human brain is constantly working all the day and therefore it should be given rest after particular period of time to relax it for further working. You should have proper and sufficient night rest to enhance your memory power.

9)  Taking Physical Exercise Daily Are Good For Improving Memory Power

Getting physical exercise speed up the circulation of blood in your body; hence it also enhances the blood circulation to your brain. The blood serves as a food for your brain. Try to get physical exercise for at least half an hour a day, it will enhance power of your memory.