HARMONIOUS LIVING
A TREE WITH A HOLE
WORD MEANING:
1. Indeed – actually
2. Ache – pain
3. Fork – place in a tree
where two branches join
4. Sighed – took a deep
breath
5. Soaked – got wet
6. Damp – moistened, wet
7. Tickles – sensation
8. Wood – part of tree
9. Scar – mark
10. Bare – empty
11. Rot – spoiled
12. Beetles – a kind of
insect
13. Hatched – producing
babies from eggs
14. Tunnels – hole
15. Burrowed – hole made by
birds and animals
16. Pecked – hit with beak
17. Spied – watching secretly
18. Cheeping – squeak, noise
19. Chicks – small birds
20. Fluttering – movement of
wings
A.2 FROM THE TEXT:
a. Why did Ash think that nobody would care
about him?
Ash thought that nobody would care about him because
he had grown old and there were lot of younger trees around him. Hence, he
thought he was of no use to anyone.
b. What do you think happens next in the
story?
In the next many like fungus, beetles, chickadee and
wren come in different seasons and occasions to take shelter and hatched. Finally,
it realized, it was not useless, had importance in the forest. It became happy
thereafter.
A.3 FROM THE TEXT:
a. Why did some things in the forest like
damp wood?
Damp wood is softer and weaker. Fungus finds it easy
to grow over it; beetles find it suitable to lay their eggs and eat dead, damp
wood. Some birds get there for lovely, juicy beetle grubs.
b. Why did Ash want to stop the birds?
The birds were pecking at the wood and this was quite
painful for Ash. So, it wanted to stop them.
A.6 Complete this
paragraph with correct combination: (Page 31)
One day a sudden strong
wind caught me totally unaware.
The heavy rain was quite scary and so it would have been a big mistake to
take shelter under the tree whose branches could break off anytime. The rain
was unexpected as it was too hot during the day with high temperature Whew!
One can never predict the weather in my city! However, a light shower is always
welcomed with joy and happiness. I like to enjoy the view from my balcony
especially during the monsoon season. But now, the torrential rain down in the
muddy streets gave a true picture of how frightening a rain could be. I wanted to reach
to the safety of my home sweet home. The rain wouldn’t stop and I couldn’t see
what was ahead due to zero clarity.
A.7 Number the following pictures in the sequence: (Page 31)
A.8 Read the
given extract and choose the correct option: (Page 32)
Then, one wild and rainy night, there was a loud crack
and the branch snapped right off. … “No one is going to want a rotten old tree
me”, sighed Ash.
a. Chose the option that is relevant to the assertion
and reasoning statements.
1. Ash was relieved when the branch
broke off.
2. The weight of the branch was
burdensome.
ii.
1 is true and 2 is the correct explanation of 1.
b. The wood became softer and weaker because
iii.
fungus had started growing on the wood.
c. Choose the sentence that uses the synonym of the
word ‘rot’ as it is used in the extract.
ii.
His health began to deteriorate quite seriously.
d. Select the option that correctly describes Ash’s
emotion.
1. heartbroken
2. lonely
3. jealous
4. dejected
5. insulted
ii.
1, 2 and 4
A.9 Choose the
correct options: (Page 32)
a.
“Is it
soft? Is it damp?” asked another. This tells us that the beetles were
i. inquisitive.
b.
The
female chickadee said, “That’s almost right for a nest.”
iii. According to the bird, the place was
perfectly safe for the nestlings.
c.
Summer
turned to autumn and the nights became colder. This indicates that
ii. Autumn comes after summer.
A.10 ANSWER THE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
a. Why did Ash feel old and lonely?
Ash had grown old and there were lots of younger trees
around him. He had knotty trunk, twisted branches and ache in fork. Rainwater
soaked its bark which began to rot. Hence, as a rotten tree, thought he was of
no use to anyone. So, he felt lonely.
b. Fungus likes damp wood but Ash does
not appreciate their presence. Explain this statement with reference to the
story.
Rainwater soaked its bark and made wood soft and damp.
Fungus liked this wetness and began to grow over it. Ash did not like it, as it
was tickling the tree. Hence, the presence of fungus and their spread over it
was not appreciated by Ash.
c. What did the little wren tell the
others? What does it say about the little wren?
The little wren told the others that it had found a
hole and they could come and stay there. It speaks about its generosity and
concern towards its companion.
d. Do you think there was a shift in
Ash’s attitude by the end of the story? How and why did this change come about?
Yes, I think there was a shift in Ash’s attitude by
the end of the story. Earlier, it had felt, it was old, useless and was sad. But
then, chickadee came, laid her seven eggs and hatched. This made Ash excited. Months
later every night for the winter, wrens took shelter in the hole of the tree.
Finally, Ash realized he was not useless after all.
A.11 Answer in
detail:
a. Imagine you are Ash. Narrate,
quoting instances from the story, how your emotions are transformed by the end
of the story.
I have grown old and is of no use to anyone. I felt sad. Fungus stuck on me is irritating; beetle ate my damp wood and birds pecked hole on it. Chickadee and wren found the hole, they used it to hatch chicks and shelter in the winter. Now I am very happy.
b. Nature lives in complete harmony by
itself. Do you agree? Justify your answer.
Yes, I agree that nature lives in complete harmony by
itself. Everything in nature is mutually depending. The living being and plants
within an ecosystem interact with each other and also with their non-living
things. That is how it is sustained and preserve its existence.
c. What do you think would happen if
human beings continue cutting trees for their needs? Elaborate on the consequences.
If human being continues cutting trees for their needs,
they will disbalance the existence. Nature and creature are well balanced and interrelated.
Cutting trees leads to overheating on the surface of earth, reduction of oxygen
in the air, destroying the food and shelter of creature, animals and birds in
the forest.
---:THE END:---