Maharashtra Board Class 10 Solutions for English Reader – Leopard that Strayed into School Trapped

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Maharashtra Board Class 10 Solutions for English Reader – Leopard that Strayed into School Trapped

Pre-reading Activities

Question 1:
Matching
Read the news headlines in your textbook and pair them with the given news stories.
Answer:

	Headlines	Stories
i.	Leopard injures three in Dindori	Three people were injured when a leopard attacked them in Mandane on Vant-Kalwan road in Dindori taluka on Wednesday.
ii.	Leopard found dead in well in Nashik Village	Hiraman Sahadu Bagul a farmer, found the carcass of a leopard floating in his well yesterday.
iii.	Forest Department continues to hold Leopard Campaign	One week has passed since the mishap where a full grown leopard injured seven people. The animal has now been trapped and is being held captive by forest department officials.
iv.	Bull kills Leopard near Nashik	In a bizarre incident a farm bull has killed a leopard here, forest department officials said on Sunday.

Question 2:
Helping animals
All the animals help human beings in one way or the other. Discuss with your partner and complete the following table.

Name of an animal/Bird	Help for mankind	How do human beings behave with them
vulture	scavenger of nature	hunt it and consider it as a bad omen

Answer:

Name of an animal/bird	help for mankind	How do human beings behave with them
vulture	scavenger of nature	hunt it and consider it as a bad omen
dog	faithful domestic pet	provide them with food and shelter, look after them, take them out for walks, vaccinate them on a timely basis
cow	domestic animal, provides milk	worship them, look after them, bathe them regularly
horse	helps to ride, pull carriages	treat them well, bathe them regularly, provide proper food to them
sheep	provides wool	treat them well, provide fodder to them, trim their wool

A1. Factual Reading

Question 1:
Read the passage and complete the following sentences.
i. The incident took place in _______ .
ii. The leopard was _______ .
iii. The leopard was caught on _______ .
iv. The leopard was found in _______ .
v. The incident took place on _______ .
Answer:i. the premises of NES International School in Mulund (West), Mumbai.
ii. a male, about five or six years of age.
iii. Sunday morning.
iv. the basement of the school.
v. a Saturday and a Sunday.

Question 2:
Name the following with reference to the passage.
i. The people who believed- the leopard presumably entered the school premises from the neighboring SGNP in search of food.
ii. The place where the leopard presumably came from.
iii. The person who informed the police and the forest department.
iv. The team that was led by the Veterinarian to the spot.
Answer:i. Forest officials
ii. Sanjay Gandhi National Park
iii. The gardener
iv. Rescue team

Read the passage from line (1 to 35) on page (38) of your textbook and answer the following questions.
[MUMBAI: After an 18-hour ……………………….
……………………………spot around 11 a.m.]

A2. Understanding the Passage

Question 1:
Complete the table.

People in the school on Saturday	Those who were informed about the presence of leopard

Answer:
People in the school on SaturdayThose who were informed about the presence of leopardgardenerpolicea few staff membersthe forest department

A3. Meaning from the Text

Question 1:
Glance through the following words that are used in the news write up and match them with the words used ordinarily.

	Words used in a newspaper		Words used ordinarily
i.	captured	a.	told
ii.	trapped	b.	made aware
iii.	rescue team	c.	authorities
iv.	officials	d.	held
V.	informed	e.	got caught
vi.	alerted	f.	people that give help

Answer:
(i – d), (ii – e), (iii – f), (iv – c), (v – a), (vi-b)

Question 2:
Find from the passage words that mean the following.
i. underground room
ii. something that is probably true
iii. an official property including all the land that it occupies
iv. a doctor who cares for the health of animals
Answer:
i. basement
ii. presumably
iii. premises
iv. veterinarian

A4. Language Study
Do as directed.

Question 1:
The leopard was found in the basement of the school. (Frame a ‘Wh’ Question to get the underlined part as an answer)
Answer:
Where was the leopard found?

Question 2:
The ten-member team set up a cage. (Change the voice)
Answer:
A cage was set up by the ten-member team.

Question 3:
It was found by the school gardener. (Add a question tag)
Answer:
It was found by the school gardener, wasn’t it?

Question 4:
He then informed the police and the forest department. (Rewrite using ‘not only …………. but also’)
Answer:
He then informed not only the police but also the forest department.

Question 5:
_______ forest department was soon alerted and sent ___________ rescue team led by __________ veterinarian to _______ spot around 11 am.
(Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles)
Answer:
The forest department was soon alerted and sent a rescue team led by a veterinarian to the spot around 11 a.m.

A5. Personal Response

Question 1:
Look at the title. What message does it give to you?
Answer:
The title suggests that wild animals enter human habitat in search of food. It gives us the message that, as humans, we should be alert. We should inform the authorities if we come across a wild animal in our midst.

A1. Factual Reading

Question 1:
Match the following pairs of words.

	Column‘A’		Column‘B’
i.	human	a.	expert
ii.	wildlife	b.	equipment
iii.	forest	c.	settlement
iv.	Sophisticated	d.	department

Answer:
(i – c), (ii – a), (iii – d), (iv – b)

Question 2:
Complete the following sentences with reference to the passage.
i. Awareness among people on how to avoid leopard attacks is needed, such as _________ .
ii. Tiwari says a boundary wall can also be constructed so that __________ .
Answer:
i. keeping their areas clean as garbage attracts livestock on which leopards feed.
ii. at least humans can be kept away from the leopard habitat.

Question 3:
Name the following with reference to the passage.
i. The wildlife expert who worked with the forest department on the city forest initiative.
ii. The animals that are surrounded by human settlements.
Answer:
i. Krishna Tiwari ii. Leopards

Read the passage from line (36 to 63) on page (38) of your textbook and answer the following questions.
[Cases of Leopards ………………………
………………………leopard habitat,” he said.]

A2. Understanding the Passage

Question 1:
Complete the web.

Answer: i. leopard habitat has shrunk
ii. leopard’s prey base has depleted
iii. leopards are surrounded by human settlements
iv. It is easier for leopards to prey on dogs and livestock, than deer or wild boar

Question 2:
Complete the web.

Answer:
i. awareness among people on how to avoid leopard attacks
ii. keeping areas clean to avoid attracting livestock
iii. quick action from response teams with sophisticated equipment
iv. construction of boundary wall

A3. Meaning from the Text

Question 1:
Glance through the following words that are used in the news write up and match them with the words used ordinarily.

	Words used in a newspaper		Words used ordinarily
i.	settlement	a.	outer edge of area
ii.	periphery	b.	started working
iii.	undertaken	c.	residence

Answer:
(i – c), (ii – a), (iii – b)

Question 2:
Find from the passage words that mean:
i. someone who has tremendous knowledge and experience in a particular field
ii. domestic animals kept for use on a farm
iii. instrument or tool needed for a special purpose
iv. a division between two areas
Answer:
i. expert
ii. livestock
iii. equipment
iv. boundary

A4. Language Study
Do as directed.

Question 1:
Incidents used to happen earlier also. (Rewrite using ‘would’)
Answer:
Incidents would happen earlier also.

Question 2:
The leopard’s habitat has shrunk. (Identify the tense)
Answer:
Present Perfect Tense

Question 3:
The leopards are surrounded by human settlements. (Change the voice)
Answer:
Human settlements have surrounded the leopards.

Question 4:
Dogs and other livestock are easier to catch than deer or wild boar. (Change into positive degree)
Answer:
Deer or wild boar are not so easy to catch as dogs and other livestock.

Question 5:
A boundary wall can also be constructed so that at least humans can be kept away from the leopard habitat. (Identify the type of sentence)
Answer:
Complex sentence

Question 6:
Give the noun forms of:
i. settle
ii. deplete
iii. attract
iv. construct
Answer:
i. settlement
ii. depletion Ans:
iii. attraction
iv. construction

A5. personal Response

Question 1:
Suggest some of your own solutions to avoid leopards entering the human area.
Answer:
Some of my solutions to avoid leopards entering the human area include the following:
i. Natural habitats should be provided to the leopards by creating wildlife sanctuaries.
ii. Provision should be made to make food available to the leopards to feed on.
iii. High walls should be constructed to separate the human and leopard habitats.

Question 2:
What safety measures do you suggest to avoid such attacks of the leopards?
Answer:
To avoid leopard attacks, I would suggest the following safety measures:
i. adopting the policy of ‘Live and let live’ so as to avoid animal attacks
ii. trying not to encroach upon the natural habitat of wild animals
iii. maintaining safe distance from them
iv. constructing high walls between human and animal habitats

Additional Questions for Practice

Question 1:
Read the story again and answer the following questions after discussing with your partner.
i. Answer just in a single sentence.
a.Where did the leopard enter?
The leopard entered the premises of the NES International School in Mulund West.
b. Who had set up the trap to capture the leopard?
Answer:
A ten-member rescue team of the forest department officials had set the trap to capture the leopard.
c. When did the leopard finally walk into the cage?
Answer:
The leopard finally walked into the cage early on Sunday morning.
d. What do the strayed leopards feed on?
Answer:
The strayed leopards feed on dogs and other livestock.
e. How m
any leopards are there in the periphery of SGNP?
Answer:
There are about 20 leopards in the periphery of SGNP.

ii. Answer in two-three sentences.
a.How did the rescue team capture the strayed leopard?
Answer:
The rescue team set up a cage with a live bait of a chicken inside and placed it at the door of the basement on Saturday. The leopard walked into the cage early on Sunday morning. This is how the rescue team managed to capture the strayed leopard.
b.What do the forest officials believe about the leopard?
Answer:
The forest officials believe that the leopard presumably entered the school premises from the neighbouring Sanjay Gandhi National Park in search of food on Friday night or early morning on Saturday.
c. Why do the cases of leopards straying into human settlements increase?
Answer:
The cases of leopards straying into human settlements have increased because the leopard’s habitat has shmnk and their prey base has depleted. Also, since the leopards are surrounded by human settlements, they prey on dogs and other livestock as they are easier to catch than deer or wild boar.
d. What precautions can be taken to avoid human-animal conflicts?
Answer:
Awareness among people on how to avoid leopard attacks is needed in order to avoid human-animal conflicts. People should be made aware of the need of keeping their areas clean as garbage attracts livestock on which leopards feed. Quick response from concerned authorities is needed to handle such situations. A boundary wall can also be constructed so that humans can be kept away from the leopard habitat.

Question 2:
Do you know?
Do you know about a tiger, a leopard, a panther and a lion?
i. The difference between a tiger, a leopard, a panther and a lion.
Answer: Tiger
a. Dark vertical stripes on white or orange background
b. Weighs about 500 pounds
c. A better swimmer
d. Hunts for food during day time
e. Prefers to be alone
Leopard
a. Spots or rosettes in its fur
b. Weighs about 140 pounds
c. Known for its climbing ability
d. A swift runner
Panther
a. Dark black or brown colour
b. Weighs about 29 to 90 kg
c. Hunts for food during night
d. Can climb on trees with their powerful claws
Lion
a. Do not have any stripes or spots
b. Male lions have a huge mane of hair around their faces
c. Lives in groups
d. Known as the king of the jungle
ii. How are these animals counted?
Answer:
Camera traps are used to count these animals. Cameras are set up in the wildlife habitats. Whenever an animal triggers the sensor, the camera shoots and delivers photographic evidence of the wildlife. Paw print or pugmark tracing is another common technique used to count these animals. Camera trapping is an easier and more reliable technique than the pugmark tracing to count animals.
iii. What are the measures taken by the government to protect wild life?
Answer:
Natural sanctuaries are provided by the government to protect wildlife. Steps are taken to prevent poaching of animals by arranging rigorous patrols and making strict laws to punish the poachers.

Question 3:
Newspaper words
Now, use the words mentioned in your textbook and frame sentences:
e.g. undertaken
Our government has undertaken a new project for farmers.
i. trapped
The miners were trapped inside the mine¬field.
ii. settlement
Densely populated human settlements are seen on the Deccan Plateau.
iii. officials
The police officials arrived at the site of the crime scene.
iv. informed
We were informed of the science project a month in advance.
v. alerted
The watchman alerted the people about the thief who had entered the premises.
vi. undertaken
The ‘Go Green’ campaign was undertaken by the NCC unit of our school.
vii. rescue team
A rescue team was sent immediately to help the victims of floods.
viii. periphery
Mumbai is situated on the western periphery of India.
ix. captured
We captured beautiful scenic images of the Himalayas during our trek.

Question 4:
Similar meaning words
Read the text carefully and working in pairs find the words for the clues and complete the crossword puzzle.

Across
3. Particular place of living for animals or birds etc.
5. Instrument or tool needed for special purpose
7. Save/protect
8. Find out
Down
1. Domestic animals kept for use on a farm
2. Caught or seized in a trap or net
4. Set free/let go
6. Campus/school or college building and the surrounding area

Answer:

Question 5:
Voice
i. Read the following sentences carefully. After discussing with your partner, note your observations.
a. The forest department finally captured the leopard.
b. The leopard was finally captured by the Forest department.
Discuss
Answer:
• What is the difference between these two sentences?
Ans: In the first sentence, the subject ‘the forest department’ is the doer of the action. In the second sentence, the subject ‘the leopard’ is not the doer of the action. He bears the result
of the action. Since the subject is active in the first sentence, it is said to be in ‘Active voice’. The subject is not active in the second it is said to be in ‘Passive voice’.

• Who is the doer of the action in the first sentence?
Ans: In the first sentence, ‘the forest department’ is the doer of the action.

• What is given importance in the second sentence?
Ans: In the second sentence, ‘the leopard’ that bears the result of the action is given importance. The action is more important than the doer.

• What are the changes made to convert the sentence?
Ans: ‘The forest department’ is the subject in sentence (a) and the object in sentence (b). Similarly, ‘the leopard’ is the object in sentence (a) and the subject in sentence (b).
In sentence (b), ‘by’ is used before the object ‘the forest department’. The verb ‘captured’ is in simple past tense in sentence (a). It is changed into the passive form ‘was captured’ in sentence (b).
ii. Considering your observations, now match the two parts and frame meaningful sentences.

	Column A	Column B
a.	Forest department	was sent by the forest department.
b.	The gardener saw	captured the leopard in a cage.
c.	The prey	has surrounded the jungle.
d.	Human settlement	was kept in the cage to attract the leopard.
e.	A rescue team	the leopard for the first time.

Answer:
a. Forest department captured the leopard in a cage.
b. The gardener saw the leopard for the first time.
c. The prey was kept in the cage to attract the leopard.
d. Human settlement has surrounded the jungle.
e. A rescue team was sent by the forest department.

iii. Complete the following by using meaningful part.

Answer:
a. A goal has been set by the government of India to save wildlife.
b. Government invites young graduates to contribute their service for this cause.
c. Students are expected to devote themselves for a noble cause.
d. The leopard was found in the basement of the school by a staff member on Saturday,
e. The leopard was fed chicken.

iv. Choose the correct alternative and fill in the blanks to complete the following sentences.
a. Some years back the jungles __________ are kept / were kept away from human settlements.
b. In the coming years, wild life __________ is affected / will be affected by human beings.
c. The human-animal conflict is __________ inevitable / will be inevitable nowadays.
d. Even today leopards are being ___________ hunt / were being hunt everyday.
e. The leopard ___________ was caught caught in a cage, were kept is inevitable was caught

Question 5:
Find the difference
Read the following and find out the differences in the presentation of both the paragraphs.
Paragraph 1
A staff-member observed the leopard in the school- basement. The gardener found it injured. Immediately the gardener alerted the forest department. Within no time ten-member team set up a cage for the leopard with live bait of chicken inside. The team with a veterinarian skillfully captured it inside and rescued the leopard. Ultimately after the 18-hour operation the team rescued the leop&rd, the precious guest.
Paragraph 2
The leopard was observed in the school basement by a staff-member. It was found injured by the gardener. Immediately the forest department was alerted by the gardener. Within no time, a cage for the leopard was set up with a bait of chicken inside. The leopard was captured inside. Ultimately after 18 hours the leopard, the precious guest, was rescued.
Answer:
All the sentences in the first paragraph are in active voice. In other words, the subject of the sentence is the doer of the action. In the second paragraph, all the sentences are in passive voice. Importance is given to the action rather than the agents of action. The first paragraph gives a clear understanding, whereas the second one creates confusion and an
undesired effect.

Question 7:
Discussion time
Recently you have found an injured animal/bird near your house. Discuss with your partner how you will take care of it. Make use of the following points and expressions:
Provide food ________
Find out the problem ________

Answer:
[My friend and 1 see a wounded pigeon on our terrace.]
Myself : Oh! What is this?
Friend : It’s a pigeon. It seems to be wounded.
Myself : What a pity! Someone must have flung a stone at it to have fun.
Friend : Look, the blood oozing out!
Myself : We should nurse it back to health. Come help me out.
Friend : First of all, we will have to clean its wound.
Myself : You are right. I will get some water and cotton.
(We clean the wound)
Friend : Let’s apply some ointment too.
Myself : I will hold the bird. Can you apply the ointment?
Friend : Yes, I can do it.
Myself : The bird seems very tired and weak.
Friend : I think, we must give it some water and grains.
Myself : You are right. Let’s take it home and provide a safe corner so that it can rest.
Friend : Indeed, it will be safe there.
Myself : Come, let’s go

Question 8:
Reparing a Poster
Make comfortable groups. You are going to plan for a poster for – Save Wild Life
Discuss with your partners the following points.
i. understanding wild life
ii. animals in danger
iii. problem with the animals
iv. message for the public
v. appeal to make
vi. slogans
vii. drawing a picture or a cutting from a paper

Prepare the poster at home and arrange for an exhibition.

Answer:

Maharashtra Board Class 10 English Solutions

Question 9:
Interviewing a leopard
Imagine that you are expected to interview the leopard that is trapped in a cage. He wants to complain about the human beings and you want to know about his problem. First frame about ten questions that you would like to ask and some that perhaps a leopard would like to ask.

Answer:
Questions asked by me:
i. Which place did you originally belong to?
ii. Are you happy with your life in the sanctuary?
iii. Are all your food requirements fulfdled in the sanctuary?
iv. Do you face any dangers in the sanctuary?
v. How is the life of the other animals in the sanctuary?
vi. How and when did you come to this school premises?
vii. What brought you here?
viii. Why do you attack human beings?
ix. What do you feel about human beings?
x. Do you have any message to give to human beings?

Questions asked by the Leopard:
i. Why are we losing our natural habitats?
ii. Why is our number depleting?
iii. Who is responsible for a threat to our lives?
iv. Don’t we have a right to live in peace?
v. What should we do when we don’t get food to eat?
vi. What should we do when human beings encroach upon our habitats?
vii. Will the people and their governments ever care for our safety?
viii. What steps are you taking to provide safety to our species?
ix. How will you help us to come out of our problems related to food, shelter and safety?
x. Will you please heed to our request and bring awareness among the people about our problems?

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