What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?

What would you have done if you were: (i) a member of the staff in Mrs. Pumphrey’s household, (ii) a neighbour? What would your life have been like, in general?

Do you think there are parents like Mrs. Pumphrey?

This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their actions cause harm to others?

Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both ?

Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now ?

What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is ? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense ?

Why is he tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?

How does he treat the dog?

Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

Who is the ‘I’ in this story?

What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Why is Mrs. Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you experienced a similar moment that changed your mood that day ?

What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent — joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?

Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?

What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?

What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?

Have you ever been in great difficulty, and felt that only a miracle could help you ? How was your problem solved ? Speak about this in class with your teacher. Listening :

Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically : The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.

Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically : The letter was addressed to God himself.

Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically : The trees lost all their leaves

This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)

Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)

These sports person are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (whose)

My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (Who)

I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)

Match the sentence in Column ‘A’ with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B :

A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement a causes a lot of damage : .............l...............

A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic ocean : .............r............... .

A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel : .............n............... .

A violent tropical storm with very strong winds : .............p............... .

An extremely strong wind : .............a............... .

A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle :

There are two kinds of conflict in the story : between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated ?

Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is ?

Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money ? What is the irony in the situation? (Remember that the irony of the situation is an unexpected aspect of it. An ironic situation is strange or amusing because it is the opposite of what is expected.)

Did Lencho try to find out who had sent money to him? Why/why not?

Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?

Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?

What made him angry ?

Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it ?

What did the postmaster do then?

Who read the letter?

Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?

What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?

What happened to Lencho fields?

Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like “new coins”?

What did Lencho hope for?