Let’s Begin

The World Wars fought in the past stand testimony to the fact that fighting wars brings severe human suffering. The sufferers, including women and children are left behind with trauma and indelible impressions on their minds. You have read in the Class X English textbook the account of one such war in the diary of Anne Frank who captured the miseries of war in her diary. Discuss how you may relate to Anne Frank’s feelings of alienation and isolation.

Reading Comprehension

TEXT I

The following excerpt is from the diary of Lena Mukhina, a teenage girl who had undergone the atrocities of Germans when they fortified the city of Leningrad. The siege of Leningrad is an important landmark in the history of Russia. The siege of Leningrad lasted from September 1941 to 1944 . The city was cut off from the rest of Russia. The Germans continuously bombarded the city which resulted in death, destruction, and starvation of the people. However, the resolute Russians were warned in the beginning that the enemy was at the gate and it was a question of life and death. They fought bravely and failed the Germans in their evil designs.

Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow.

Foreword from The Diary of Lena Mukhina

No one could possibly have known that the city would remain in the grip of siege for 872 days and nights. But Leningrad’s citizens had begun to feel the breath of war as early as September. Daily

Look Up And Understand

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air raids and artillery bombardment of residential neighbourhoods drove the city’s inhabitants into bomb shelters, several times a day, and for hours at a time. People’s initial curiosity in the aftermath of the first bomb attacks soon gave way to fear and then, in conditions of appalling hunger and cold, to apathy. Leningraders welcomed inclement weather for the reduced visibility it brought. They came to dread sunny days and moonlit nights, when the Germans would be sure to bomb their city. Cloud cover, however, offered no protection from artillery fire: in just over six months from the start of the siege there were only thirty-two days when shells did not explode on the city’s streets. Hunger soon set in. Between September and November 1941 the bread rations that had been announced in July were reduced five times, reaching their lowest point on 20 November-125 ‘blockade grams’ for children, dependents and white-collar workers and $250 \mathrm{~g}$ for manual workers, technicians and engineers. Rations of meat, butter, sugar and other food items were severely reduced. The summer months and the beginning of autumn, when it was still possible to buy food without ration cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no more than a distant memory.

Q.1. Infer the meanings of the following expressions. The first has been done for you as an example.

(a) to feel the breath of war: there were indications that war was going to start soon

(b) appalling hunger and cold: __________________________________.

(c) start of the siege: ________________________________________.

(d) blockade grams: ___________________________________________.

Q.2. List the words from the passage which are related to the war, for example ‘bombardment’.

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Q.3. Answer the following questions:

(a) Who were the captives as stated in the above passage?

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(b) Why did the people under siege welcome the bad weather conditions?

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(c) What were the fears in the mind of the people?

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(d) Have the people lost hope or reconciled to the existing situation?

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Q.4. Tick the correct answer

‘…when it was still possible to buy food without ration cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no more than a distant memory.’ It means:

(a) There was hope of getting ration soon.

(b) Citizens under siege had to show their ration cards for buying food.

(c) There were shops and canteen for buying food for the people under siege.

(d) The possibility of buying the food without a ration card as in the past, was no more than a memory now.

Reading Comprehension

Text II

There are many ways of recording the events, news, and personal experiences. Diary writing, logbook, daybook, journal, etc. are a few to name. The journal writing is about writing the everyday record of an event or writing about an event, activity or experience, etc.

The following is an excerpt from the beginning of A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe.

A Journal of the Plague Year

It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that the plague was returned again in Holland; for it had been very violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in the year 1663, whither, they say, it was brought, some said from Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were brought home by their Turkey fleet; others said it was brought from Candia; others from Cyprus. It mattered not from whence it came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again.

Look up and Understand

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We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days to spread rumours and reports of things, and to improve them by the invention of men, as I have lived to see practiced since. But such things as these were gathered from the letters of merchants and others who corresponded abroad, and from them were handed about by word of mouth only; so that things did not spread instantly over the whole nation, as they do now.

But it seems that the Government had a true account of it, and several councils were held about ways to prevent its coming over; but all was kept very private. Hence, it was that this rumour died off again, and people began to forget it as a thing we were very little concerned in, and that we hoped was not true; till the latter end of November or the beginning of December 1664 when two men, said to be Frenchmen, died of the plague in Long Acre, or rather at the upper end of Drury Lane. The family they were in endeavoured to conceal it as much as possible, but as it had gotten some vent in the discourse of the neighbourhood, the Secretaries of State got knowledge of it; and concerning themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain of the truth, two physicians and a surgeon were ordered to go to the house and make inspection. This they did; and finding evident tokens of the sickness upon both the bodies that were dead, they gave their opinions publicly that they died of the plague. Whereupon, it was given in to the parish clerk, and he also returned them to the Hall; and it was printed in the weekly bill of mortality in the usual manner, thus - Plague 2. Parishes infected 1.

Q.1. The above passage is written in the English that was prevalent in the eighteenth century. Find some words and phrases from the text which seem different as compared to the English language usage at present. List them and find an appropriate substitute for each. Look at the example given below:

Example: whence-when

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Q.2. Answer the following questions:

(a) What is being talked about in the first paragraph of Daniel Defoe’s journal?

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(b) How was news about important events circulated during those days?

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(c) Why did the rumour about the plague die off?

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(d) How was the news about the plague confirmed?

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Fun Facts

Idiom

A baker’s dozen: thirteen

Egg on one’s face: be embarrassed, feel foolish

Egg on one’s face: be embarrassed, feel foolish

Q.3. Tick the correct answer.

‘… the weekly bill of mortality’ means:

(a) The weekly payment of dues

(b) The weekly news about the deaths

(c) The statement about the hospital expenditure issued every week

(d) The list which was issued weekly, of persons who died due to plague

Vocabulary

1. Choose a word or expression that completes each of the following sentences. One has been done for you.

(a) I can’t tell you the plan because I don’t know about $ \underline { \text{it.}}$ (him her it them)

(b) One should learn to defend ___________ against bullies. (herself itself himself oneself)

(c) The girls ___________ were helping you were probably Rahul’s friends. (which who that they)

(d) These dresses belong to you. I am sure they are ___________ (yours your yours’ theirs)

(e) The fire caused serious ___________ to the group of houses. (damage damages injuries injury)

(f) The board was (concerned to concerned at plans for the tournament. concern about concerned with)

Grammar

Idiomatic expressions

1. Refer to the lesson ‘From the diary of Anne Frank’ in your Class X textbook. There are some idiomatic expressions in the text. For example:

(a) Our entire class is quaking in its boots.

Quake in (one’s) boot: to tremble with fear or nervousness

(b) Until then we keep telling each other not to lose heart. Not to lose one’s heart: not to lose hope or not to feel demoralised

Now, look at the idiomatic expressions given below. Use a dictionary to find out the meanings. Make sentences using the expressions.

2. Fill in the blanks using the contracted forms of the verbs. One has been done for you.

This is a beautiful flower. $ \underline { \text{Is not it?}} \quad $ $ \underline { \text{Isn’t it?}}$

(a) You should not eat so much. You _________ eat so much.

(b) They have written the story. _________ written the story.

(c) Let us go watch a movie. _________ go watch a movie.

(d) He did not play tennis. $ \quad \mathrm{He}$ _________ play tennis.

(e) I could not find my friend in the crowd.

I _________ find my friend in the crowd.

(f) Here is your bag. _________ your bag.

(g) I would guide him. __________guide him.

(h) They are not rich. They____________ rich.

3. Fill in the blanks with the phrasal verbs given below. Change the tense of the verbs wherever required.

(breakdown, find out, look for, go out, check out)

Suhasini wanted to ________ with her mother to the book shop. Her mother came back home very late. She said that her car ________ on the way back. She had to ________ a mechanic. She ________ several apps for roadside assistance but then ________ that her internet was not working.

Editing

1. Read this quote from Max Müller. There are errors in the text. Find out the errors and write the correct word in the space provided

“If I was asked under what sky the human mind _________ has most fully developed some for its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems ___________ of life, and has find solutions of some of them which ___________ well deserve the attention even of them who have ___________ studied Plato and Kant, I should pointed to India. _________

And if I were to ask me from what literature _________ we who has been nurtured almost exclusively __________ on the thoughts of Greeks and Romans, and of the Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw the corrective which is most want in order to make our inner life more perfect, _________ more comprehensive, more universal, in fact most truly human a life… _________ again I should point to India.”

Listening

1. Listen to the following YouTube link on ‘The Siege of Leningrad’ and make notes in the first box. Then write a narrative account of it in the second box.

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Speaking

1. The following poem is taken from The Diary of Lena Mukhina.

(a) Ask your teacher to recite the poem. Listen to the poem attentively and identify the qualities mentioned.

(b) Discuss these qualities with your partner.

(c) Think of a person who has some of these qualities and talk about them to your partner. You can highlight the incidents and actions of the person that reflect these qualities.

Fun Facts

Comma

Comma can be used in the opening and closing of a letter.

Dear Rashmi,

I would like to thank you.

Love, Rekha

Lena Mukhina’s Diary
22 May 1941–25 May 1942

‘Remember My Sad Story: Lena Mukhina’s Siege Diary’

Consider any day on which you do not discover anything new or learn anything useful a lost day!

Anyone can become strong, smart and steadfast.
There is only one essential requirement–will power!

Will power can conquer anything.
A strong-willed person is persistent and determined.

People are not born brave, strong and smart.
These qualities must be acquired through perseverance and with determination, like the ability to read and write

Writing

1. You have read in the passage ‘A Journal of the Plague Year’ by Daniel Defoe about how the news of plague was reported in those times. What are the means of reporting today?

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2. Write a report on any one of the following-conservation of environment, plantation of trees, waste disposal, water harvesting, and the cleanliness drive under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan carried out in your locality.

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Project

1. Work in groups of four. Find out about ‘The Bengal famine of 1943’. It was a major famine in the Bengal province in India during World War II. Collect information on the following points on The Bengal famine of 1943 for the project:

(a) Affected area(s)

(b) Reasons of famine

(c) Relief measures

(d) Pictures, films, etc.

Prepare a poster using pictures and highlighting the information you have collected. Give a title of your choice to the poster and display it in the class.

Do YOU KNOW

One of the three islands in the Juan Fernandez archipelago, $700 \mathrm{~km}$ off the Pacific coast of Chile was discovered in the 16th century. Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish sailor was marooned there for four years and four months. He related his experience to Daniel Defoe, who wrote his famous adventure book Robinson Crusoe based on the sailor’s experience, since then the island is known as Robinson Crusoe.

There is a seemingly unbelievable true story of the orphaned bear cub, which was found by Polish troops during World War II who travelled with them through Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Italy and Scotland. During the war, Wojciech Narebski and his fellow Polish servicemen had to lift crates of heavy metal artillery. Fortunately for them, one of the soldiers had superhuman strength: Corporal Wojtek, a Syrian brown bear. When the bear saw that soldiers were struggling, he’d want to help… he’d come over, grab a crate and carry it to the truck. This can be heavy work, even for a bear. When Wojtek (bear) got tired, he would simply stack one crate on top of the other which also helped the soldiers because they didn’t have to lift the crate off the ground. Of course, Corporal Wojtek (bear) got a reward of honey and marmalade. That was his favourite!

You know, things can happen that you wouldn’t normally think are true. Collect some more stories under the title’Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.’