WORD MEANINGS
1. voyage - travel
2. swelling up -
increasing
3. gleam - shine
4. province -
region
5. assisted -
helped
6. lording it over
- standing high above
7. shingle - a kind
of building material used for making roofs
8. of great
antiquity - (something) that has been there for a long time
9. on the contrary
- the opposite of what has been said before
10. witches - devil
(feminine gender)
11. error - mistake
12. murmur - speak
softly
13. swamps - wetlands
14. nibble - chew
15. wild - living in
forest
16. contentment -
satisfaction
17. despair -
hopeless, pain
18. accompanied -
assist, giving company
19. scrambled -
climbed
20. descend - going
down
21. solitary -
lonely, alone
22. growled - barked
23. strapped - belt
24. antique - old
25. tempted - wanted
26. knoll - hump
27. glen - narrow
deep
28. ascended - going
up
29. populous - more
people
30. playthings - toys
and games
31. composition -
pattern, personality
32. aversion -
dislike
33. perseverance -
determination, not willing to give up
34. fowling piece - a
shotgun for shooting birds
35. trudging -
walking slowly and heavily
36. dale - a broad
valley
37. toil - hard work
38. mortals - humans
39. dinning - making
a loud noise
40. clamour - noisy
shouting
41. rambles - long
walks for pleasure
42. winging - flying
43. bristled -
stiffened so that hair stood on the end
44. grizzled - gray
hair
45. jerking - a short
jacket that has no sleeves
46. keg - a barrel
for holding liquor
47. outlandish -
strange, odd
48. flagon - huge
container with handle on its side
49. ancient - old,
historic
50. inhabitant -
people living
51. haunted -
searched
52. addled - confused
53. abandoned - left
by the owner
54. tottered - walked
in a slow and unsteady way
55. affirmed -
supported, confirmed
A. Choose the right options to complete
the sentences.
1. Rip was a great favorite with the villagers because he
a.
had a lot of money.
b.
played with the children and helped the adults.
c.
had a large mansion.
Ans: b. played with the children and helped the adults.
2. He would go on long rambles in the mountains to
a.
escape his wife who was constantly nagging him.
b.
hunt fowl.
c.
look for strange creatures that dwelt there.
Ans: a. escape his wife who was constantly nagging him.
B. Answer the following questions.
1. Where is the story set?
The story is set around Catskill Mountain near the Hudson River.
2. What was the biggest weakness in Rip’s character? How did it affect his life?
The biggest weakness in Rip’s character was his aversion to all kinds of profitable labour. This idleness, carelessness and easy going life of Rip was ruining his family life and Rip was driven to despair.
3. Describe the stranger whom Rip met on the mountain.
The stranger was with a heavy burden on his back. He was short, old fellow with a thick bushy hair and grizzled beard. He was dressed in the antique Dutch fashion and bore on his shoulder a stout keg full of drinks.
4. What were the four differences that Rip perceived in things around him from the ‘evening before’ to ‘this morning’?
The four differences Rip perceived were…
- He found the gully up, had become
a mountain stream flowing downwards.
- The outskirts of his village were
strangely altered and it was larger and more populous.
- His familiar haunts had
disappeared and there were rows of houses which he had never seen before.
- His house was empty, apparently
abandoned.
5. How does the story end?
The story has a happy ending. Rip Van Winkle is united with his family after twenty years. Rip's daughter was married to a farmer and took her father home.
C. Read these sentences and answer the questions that follow.
1. He would have loved to whistle life away in perfect contentment, but...
a. Explain the meaning of this line.
Rip was not worried about his life or the future of his life and his family. He was just happy with his life and ate whatever was available.
b. Why wasn't Rip able to do what he desired?
Rip wasn't able to do whatever he desired because his wife kept dinning in his ears about his idleness, carelessness and the ruin he was bringing upon his family.
2. The name of the child and the tone of his mother's voice awakened a train of recollections in Rip Van Winkle's mind.
a. What was the child's name?
The child's name was Rip.
b. What did Rip Van Winkle recollect?
Rip Van Winkle recollected his life and his family he had twenty years ago.
c. Explain the phrase, 'a train of recollections'.
The meaning of this phrase is... Rip Van Winkle had been missing for twenty years and he had forgotten all about them. Now he is able to recollect everything what all had happened to him on the Catskill Mountain.
D. Think and answer.
1. The great error in Rip's composition was an aversion to all kinds of profitable labour. Explain this line.
Rip Van Winkle never liked the works which bring profit. He was a simple and happy mortal who takes the world easy, eat whatever was available. He was happy to help his neighbour, play with children, made their playthings and told them stories. He loved to whistle his life away in perfect contentment.
2. Show that Rip Van Winkle had an easy-going and helpful nature. His perseverance could not be doubted. Support your answer with examples.
Rip was an easy-going and helpful person. He was favourite among the children and assisted them in sports, made their playthings and in many other ways. He never refused to assist a neighbour even in the roughest toil. In a word, Rip was ready to attend to anybody's business but his own.
3. Rip's daughter does not know whether to believe her father of not. She speaks to her husband about her dilemma. Write the conversation between Judith and her husband.
THIS IS ONLY A SAMPLE
EVERYONE MUST WRITE HIS/HER OWN
DIALOGUE
AND GIVE A NAME.
"IS HE MY DAD?"
Judith: Did you just hear, this man is claiming to be
my father? Now, what shall I do?
Husband: Come on dear, don't doubt him. Haven't you
heard what all had happened to him on the mountain?
Judith: Yes,
that's true. What if he is telling a cooked up story!
Husband: I
understand dear. But the word of the old woman and Peter Vanderdonk cannot be
false. You know his reputation in the village.
Judith: Yes,
but someone must be able to recognise him.
Husband: Of course they will. Have you forgotten the
old lady who identified your daddy?
Judith: Yes and after all my father is above all the evidence.
E. Discuss in class.
'An idle mind is a devil's workshop' is an age-old proverb. Explain this proverb with examples.
Mind cannot remain idle. All the time it thinks. Therefore when we are not engaged with any work, mind begins to wonder about welcomes unwanted thought of gossip, criticism, unproductive comments etc. And they all do not help us to grow.
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