ICSE ENGLISH

Treasure Chest Story 4 The Home-coming  Extract 1 Ans 1:  Makhan was the younger brother of Phatik, the protagonist of the story. He was by the riverside. 'Sauntered up' means walking slowly and silently. Ans 2:  The 'fun' was that Phatk and his companions planned to shift a log into the river. This would make the owner angry and the boys could laugh at the owner. To spoil 'the fun' Makhan sat on the log and it couldn't be moved. Ans 3:  One of the boys pushed Makhan from the log to carry out their plan. Makhan didn't react to it and continued sitting on the log. Ans 4:  Phatik was furious because Makhan spoiled their plan of having fun. He asked his companions to push the log together with Makhan on it. Ans 5:  No, Phatik didn't hit Makhan. He knew that Makhan would run to their mother and he would get into trouble. It reveals that Phatik was quick to anger and he had foresight. Extract 2 Ans 1:  The 'critical juncture' was when Phatik had p...

Treasure Chest Story 15 The Last Lesson Multiple-Choice Questions 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (a) 6. (d) 7. (d) 8. (b) 9. (a) 10. (c) 11. (d) 12. (a) Section B: Context Questions Extract 1 Ans 1: ‘I’ refers to the narrator of the story, a school-going boy, named Franz. He was on his way to school. He thought of running away because he was afraid of being punished by his teacher as he was late and he also had not studied Participles, on which the teacher was supposed to question them.  Ans 2: He wanted to spend the day outdoors because he was not interested in his studies.  Besides, he was more excited by the chirping of the birds at the edge of woods and the  drills of the Prussian soldiers than his French lessons. It reveals that he was a carefree boy,  disinterested in his studies. Ans 3:   The presence of Prussian soldiers was a reference to the fact that their homeland has been occupied  by the Prussians. Their presence was a blow to...

Treasure Chest Story - 14 The Pedestrian MCQs 1.(b) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (d) 6. (c) 7. (b) 8. (b) 9. (c) 10. (b) 11. (d) 12. (c) 13. (a) 14. (a) 15. (d) Contextual Questions: Extract 1 Ans 1: There was complete silence on the city streets because all the citizens were inside their homes, watching different types of programs on television. He was Leonard Mead, an adult male the only named character in the story. That was his routine, as he has been walking the city streets every night alone for the last ten years. Ans 2: Leonard Mead was a resident of an unnamed city and a writer by profession. Mead loved walking the city streets at night and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the natural world. He had been taking this lonely walk at night for the last ten years. Ans 3 : Because he used to walk along the road which did not have any traffic and he was all alone there. It suggests that Mead had become so used to living all lone and taking the lonely walk at night for the last...

Treasure Chest Story 13 The Girl Who Can MCQs b b c b d b b a c a c a b a Contextual Questions Extract 1 1: ‘I’ refers to the narrator of the story, Adjoa, a seven-year-old girl. According to Adjoa, her grandmother’s problem was Adjoa’s thin and long legs, which she considered as not suitable for supporting strong hips required for childbearing. 2: Adjoa’s problem at the age of seven was that she was not able to express in words the things that were in her mind, as she did not know the proper language to speak them out with. It was a serious problem because her grandmother forbade her from saying certain things and at times asked her to repeat what she had said for the purpose of adult’s entertainment. Thus, she was confused when to keep quiet or when to repeat them and get laughed at. 3: When Adjoa said something, her grandmother would at first stare at her for a very long time, and then would ask her to repeat what she had said. After Adjoa repeated what she had said, her grandmot...

Treasure Trove Chapter 7 The Little Match Girl (Workbook Answers) Extract 1 Answer 1. The evening was special as it was New Year's Eve. It was terribly cold, snow was falling and darkness was gathering. Answer 2. The slippers that the girl was wearing belonged to her dead mother. They were too big for her and hence were of no use. The little girl had lost her slippers as she ran across the street to escape from two carriages that were being driven terribly fast. One slipper could not be found and the other was taken away by an urchin. Answer 3. It was a bitterly cold evening but the girl was walking bareheaded and barefoot. Thus we conclude that the girl was poor and dejected. Answer 4. The girl was sent out in the cold by her father to sell matches. Since she could not sell any matches, she was afraid of going back home because she would be beaten by her father. Answer 5. The title 'The Little Match Girl' is appropriate as it revolves around a little girl who sells ...

Treasure Trove Chapter 5 A Face in the Dark (Workbook Answers) Extract 1 Answer 1: Mr Oliver was an Anglo-Indian teacher. He taught at a boarding school in Shimla. His usual activity was to walk down to the Shimla bazar in the evening and to return after dark. He took a shortcut through the pine forest. Answer 2: The school in Shimla, where Mr Oliver was a teacher, has been called the 'Eton of the East'. Eton is one of the most reputed and expensive schools in England. Oliver's School is called 'Eton of the East' because the school was run on English public school lines and the students were from wealthy families.   Answer 3: It was night time and a strong wind was blowing, the pine trees were making mysterious side sounds, indicating that something evil was likely to happen. It creates an atmosphere of fear and suspense . Answer 4: Oliver encountered a boy sitting alone on a rock, one night. After seeing the boy, Oliver stopped and approached the boy. Answer 5...

  Treasure Trove Story - 6 An Angel in Disguise   (Workbook Answers: Extracts 4 & 5) Extract 4 Answer 1: Mrs. Thompson saw her husband, Joe Thompson, approaching. Maggie is the "precious burden". She is called ‘a precious burden’ because Mr. Thompson felt fatherly feelings for Maggie when he lifted her in his hands. Answer 2: Seeing a child in her husband's arm, Mrs. Thompson asked her husband what he had there in his arms.   Joe did not reply immediately but pleaded and cautioned his wife with his looks, asking her to be gentle. Joe spoke to his angry wife only after comfortably placing Maggie on a bed. Joe formed a bond with the child as soon as he lifted her in his arms.   Answer 3: Usually Joe Thompson kept silent in front of his wife but that day he displayed a firmly-set countenance and a resolute pair of eyes. He also answered his wife with real indignation for Maggie, something which he never did before. Answer 4: Joe told his wife that he had brough...

Treasure Trove Chapter 2 Old Man at the Bridge (Workbook Answers) Extract 1 Answer 1: A bridge that is made up of large hollow containers filled with air, is called a Pontoon bridge.   The story is set during the Spanish civil war and the people are crossing the bridge to save themselves from the attack by the enemy troops. Answer 2: The old man is sitting by the side of the road at a pontoon bridge.   The old man was too tired to go any farther because he had already walked 12 kilometres since he left his hometown of San Carlos. Answer 3: The narrator, who is an army scout, is the speaker. He was on a mission to cross the bridge and find out how far the enemy had advanced. Answer 4: The narrator asked the old man where he had come from.   The old man replied, "from San Carlos". He smiled because the mention of his native town gave him pleasure. Answer 5: The old man was the last to leave because he was taking care of his animals. The old man wore dusty clothes and s...

Treasure Trove Story - 6 An Angel in Disguise   (Workbook Answers: Extracts 1 to 3)    Extract 1   Answer 1: The mother died of intoxication. When she was drunk, she fell upon the threshold of her door and died. "Death touches the spring of our humanity" means that death evokes kindness in the hearts of people and they tend to help them who have lost their beloved ones.   Answer 2: The woman did not have good relations with others. The men, women and even the children in the village hated her. The villagers hated her because of her behaviour and drinking addiction.   Answer 3: Some neighbours took clean grave clothes for the woman's burial while others took food for the children.   Answer 4: The woman and her children were subjected to pitiful conditions. Their hut was small and old. They didn't have many items in their hut. They didn't even have decent clothes.   Answer 5: John, the oldest child was adopted by farmer Jones. The middle child...