AlgebraGeometryScience & TechnologyHistoryGeography & EconomicsEnglish
Maharashtra Board Class 10 Solutions for English Reader – Sorrows of Sparrows
Pre-reading Activities
Question 1:
Life of birds
Imagine the life of birds and think of the enjoyable moments of their life and difficulties in their life. Discuss with your partner.
Answer:
a. When they ny in the vast sky
b. When their food requirements are fulfilled
c. When their eggs are hatched and small birdies come out of them
d. When they are safe
e. When the climate is favourable
f. When they live in groups
g. When they chirp and sing
h. When they are not caged
Answer:
a. When they are unable to fly
b. When their eggs are stolen or destroyed
c. When they are wounded or hurt
d. When they don’t get food
e. When they are treated as objects of fan
f. When there is an extreme climate
g. When they are troubled by predators
h. When they are caged
Question 2:
Understanding the Title
Look at the title of the text ‘Sorrows of Sparrows’.
Discuss with your partner about the sorrows of the sparrows. The following points would help you in expressing your thoughts. Use sentences as suggested.
i.Sparrows are in sorrow because ________ .
ii.The reason of the sorrow of sparrows ________ .
iii. _________ are some of the reasons for the sorrows of sparrows.
iv. _________ makes the life of sparrows full of sorrows.
v. The sorrows of sparrows are due to ________ .
vi. Why has the poet used the word ‘sorrows’ and not any other word?
vii. The sorrowful things are _______ .
Answer:i. their population has declined considerably.
ii. is the loss of their habitat.
iii. Loss of habitat and changes in the lifestyle of man
iv. The Shikar a or the Sparrowhawk
v. unfriendly human beings and their houses that are not environment friendly.
vi. The poet has used the word ‘sorrows’ because the repetition of the sound ‘s’ creates a musical effect and makes the title attractive.
vii. that the sparrows are endangered, their population is shrinking and they are losing their natural habitats. People and their houses both are not environment friendly.
Question 3:
Life of Birds
Form four to five groups of the students in the class. Discuss with your partners the following points. Your group leader will report the main points of your group to the class.
Question 4:
While you listen
Look at the following words and mark which one of them you have listened to. Remember, some of them are not really from the text.
Answer:
Sparrow day, school, increase, shrinking, plants and worms, garden, kitchen, nesting, mobile phones, environment, nature
A1. Factual Reading
Question 1:
Name the following with reference to the passage.
1. The endangered bird which is mentioned in the passage.
ii. The bird enthusiast mentioned in the passage.
Answer:
i. Sparrow
ii. SanjanaBose
Question 2:
State whether the following statements are True or False.
i. The most uncommon bird—the sparrow—is endangered now.
ii. A lot of crows used to come on our terrace.
iii. A lot of sparrows would feed on some kitchen garden plants and worms.
iv. The writer likes the sight of so many birds flying together.
v. The population of the common house sparrow has declined.
vi. In some states of the country, the percentage of the decline in population of the common house sparrow has dropped by a sharp 80%.
Ans: i. False
ii. False
iii. True
iv. True
v. True
vi. True
Question 3:
Read the passage and complete the sentences.
i. The childhood anthem about sparrows is _______ .
ii. A lot of sparrows would come _______ .
iii. The narrator would scare sparrows _______ .
iv. The population of sparrows is dropped by _______ .
Answer:
i. ‘Ekchidiya anekchidiya….’.
ii. on the narrator’s terrace.
iii. and they would fly away.
iv. a sharp 80% in some states of the country.
Read the passage from line (1 to 26) on page (30) of your textbook and answer the following questions.
[Most of us would ………………..
………………….. some interesting twists.]
A2. Understanding the Passage
Question 1:
Read the passage again and find the lines that support the following statements.
*i. Sparrows eat worms and small plants.
ii. Sanjana scared the sparrows.
*iii.Sanjana’s daughter will not be able to enjoy the stories of sparrows.
*iv.The number of sparrows is getting reduced.
Answer:
i. A lot of sparrows Would feed on some kitchen garden plants and worms.
ii. Each day, after returning from school, I would playfully scare them.
iii. I wonder whether my daughter will ever be able to relate to such experiences.
iv. The population of the common house sparrow has declined considerably.
Question 2:
Complete the following by giving reasons.
i. Sparrows used to come on terrace _______ .
ii. Sanjana used to scare sparrows playfully _______ .
OR
The writer used to scare the sparrows because ______ .
iii. The news reports blame ________ for the reduced number of sparrows.
iv. The writer feels sad because _______ .
v. The sparrows visited the writer’s house to _______ .
Answer: i. to feed on some kitchen garden plants and worms.
ii. because she loved the sight of many birds flying together.
iii. the increase in the number of cell phone towers and mobile phones.
iv. the sparrow is now an endangered bird.
v. feed on some kitchen garden plants and worms.
A3. Meaning from the Text
Question 1:
Match the phrases in Column I with their meanings in Column II.
Column I | Column II | ||
*i. |
a thing of past [A6, pg. 311 |
a. | discussion on an important issue |
*ii. |
take a closer look [A6, pg. 311 |
b. | of old times |
*iii. |
a lot of [A6, pg. 311 |
c. | eat a particular kind of food |
iv. | feed on | d. | on a large scale |
Answer: (i – b), (ii – a), (iii – d), (iv – c)
A4. Language Study
Question 1:
Write from the passage adverbs ending in ‘-ly’.
Answer:
i. sadly
ii. considerably
Question 2:
Write from the passage one word that can be used both as a noun and verb. Give example of its usage.
Answer:
increase
There was an increase in the water level in the water reservoirs, (noun)
Our difficulties are increasing day by day. (verb)
Question 3:
Give from the passage one word for the following.
i. to frighten someone = _______ .
ii. tell something that you have experienced = _______ .
iii. a person who is interested in something= _______ .
iv. continuously decreasing = ________ .
Answer:
i. scare
ii. recount
iii. enthusiast
iv. decline
Question 4:
Find out the Non-English words from the passage and translate them in English language.
Answer:
i. ek — one
ii. chidiya – sparrow
iii. anek – many
iv. Doordarshan – a television channel (door – distant, darshan – seeing)
Question 5:
We take _______ closer look on _______ shrinking world of sparrows.
(Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles)
Answer:
We take a closer look on the shrinking world of sparrows.
Question 6:
After returning from school, I would scare them.
(The proper use of ‘when’ as a conjunction will be _______ . Choose the correct alternative )
i. I would scare them when returning from school.
ii. When I return from school I would scare them.
iii. When I returned from school I would scare them.
iv. When I will return from school I would scare them.
Ans: i. When I returned from school I would scare them.
Question 7:
I loved the sight of so many birds flying together. (Make Negative without changing the meaning)
Answer:
I did not hate the sight of so many birds flying together.
Question 8:
They would fly away. (Rewrite using ‘used to’)
Answer:
They used to fly away.
Question 9:
Sanjana is perhaps right. (Make Negative without changing the meaning)
Answer:
Sanjana is perhaps not wrong.
Question 10:
Sanjana is perhaps right. (Choose correct question tag and rewrite)
i. isn’t she?
ii. is she?
iii. is Sanjana?
iv. isn’t she?
Answer:
Sanjana is perhaps right, isn’t she?
Question 11:
Many news reports are blaming cell phone towers. (Change the voice)
Answer:
Cell phone towers are being blamed by many news reports.
A5. Personal Response
Question 1:
Why are the sparrows needed?
Answer:
Every living creature has a role to play in maintaining the ecological balance. Likewise, sparrows are also needed in completing the food cycle. Apart from that, their chirping sound makes people happy.
Question 2:
What different means of communication can be used to make people aware of the environmental problems / issues?
Answer:
There are many means of communication that can be used to make people aware of the environmental problems. Some of them are:
i. Telecasting programmes related to environmental awareness on television.
ii. Using radio as a means to make people understand the importance of our environment.
iii. Posting advertisements on social and digital media.
iv. Giving speeches and performing street- plays on public platforms to educate people about the consequences of environmental problems.
Question 3:
How are the birds useful for the human beings?
Answer:
Birds play an important role in the food chain. They help in keeping the environment clean. They eat insects that would otherwise eat our crops. They act as pollinating agents by helping in the dispersal of seeds and add beauty to the nature. Many people keep birds as pets.
Question 4:
What will be your suggestion to increase the number of sparrows in your area?
Answer:
I would suggest the following measures in order to increase the number of sparrows in my area:
i. provide them with good food and nesting habitat. .
ii. provide nest boxes for sparrows to imjh’ove their nesting space.
iii. keep grains in a bowl outside the house for them to feed on.
iv. create awareness to avoid usage of pesticides in both urban and rural areas.
A1. Factual Reading
Question 1:
Choose the correct alternative with reference to the passage.
i. Many birds are seen nesting on _______ .
a. trees
b. cell-phone towers
c. roof tops
Answer:
b. cell-phone towers
ii. The houses these days are not ________ .
a. bird friendly ‘
b. big enough
c. environment friendly
Answer:
c. environment friendly
iii. _______ shoo the birds away.
a. Animals b. People
Answer:
b. People
iv. The birds and nature lovers’ groups are showing _______ for the sparrows.
a. love
b. sympathy
c. concern
Answer:
c. concern
Read the passage from line (27 to 48) on page (30) of your textbook and answer the following questions.
[Artist and bird …………………..
………………own sparrow story.]
A2. Understanding the Passage
Question 1:
Read the passage again and find the lines that support the following statements.
*i. The sparrows do not get a proper place to build their nests.
ii. Our lifestyle is responsible for decrease in the number of birds.
*iii. Houses are built without considering the environment.
iv. People do not respect birds.
Answer:
i. It is the changes like new buildings, decrease in old structures and more that lead to the loss of habitat for sparrows.
ii. It’s the lifestyle changes which are the culprit.
iii. The houses these days are not environment friendly.
iv. People shoo birds away.
Question 2:
Complete the following by giving reasons.
i. Vishwajeet Naik is not ready to accept the reason of a cell-phone _______ .
ii. Loss of habitat of sparrows is _______ .
Answer:
i. as he has seen many birds nesting on cell-phone towers.
ii. because of construction of new buildings, decrease in old structure, lifestyle changes and presence of predator of sparrows, called sparrowhawk.
A3. Meaning from the Text .
Question 1:
Match the phrases in Column I with their meanings in Column II.
Column I | Column II | ||
i. | point a finger | a. | a ray of hope |
*ii. | to some extent | b. | to blame someone or something |
*iii. | a silver lining | c. | coming together to accomplish a task |
iv. | joining hands | d. | up to certain limit |
Answer:
(i – b), (ii – d), (iii – a), (iv – c)
Question 2:
Write from the passage words that mean:
i. place where particular type of animals, plants are found
ii. animal or bird that kills and eats other animals or birds
Answer:
i. habitat
ii. predator
A4. Language Study
Question 1:
Write from the passage two nouns used for the Sparrowhawk.
Answer:
i. culprit
ii. predator
Question 2:
Write from the passages opposites of the following words.
i. old
ii. appearance
iii. increase
Answer:
i. new
ii. disappearance
iii. decrease
Question 3:
I have seen many birds nesting on cell¬phone towers. (Rewrite in Simple Past Tense)
Answer:
I saw many birds nesting on cell-phone towers.
Question 4:
The houses these days are not environment friendly. (Rewrite as an Affirmative Sentence)
Answer:
The houses these days are far from being environment friendly.
Question 5:
Shikara is a predator of sparrows. (Rewrite as an Interrogative Sentence)
Answer:
Isn’t Shikara a predator of sparrows?
Question 6:
That accounts for the decrease. (Rewrite as a Negative Sentence)
Answer:
That does not account for the increase.
Question 7:
The picture holds a promise for tomorrow. (Frame a ‘Wh’ question to get the underlined part as an answer)
Answer:
What holds a promise for tomorrow?
Question 8:
Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles in the sentences given below.
i. There is also ______ surprise culprit.
ii. Shikara is a predator of sparrows, and that accounts for _______ decrease.
Answer:
i. a
ii. the
A5. Personal Response
Question 1:
What do you think is the purpose of this write up?
Answer:I think that the purpose of this write up is to make the readers aware of the fact that sparrows are greatly endangered. It is written to throw light on the various factors responsible for their decline in number.
Question 2:
What will be your suggestions to increase the number of sparrows in your area?
Answer:
According to me, there is a need to aware the people regarding the protection of sparrows. This can be achieved by the means of television programmes, advertisements and street-plays. Water trays can be kept in the balcony for these birds. Grains like jowar, bajra, etc. can be placed outside one’s house as sparrows love feeding on them. Their nests should not be destroyed by any means. More trees should be planted in order to provide them a habitat.
A1. Factual Reading
Question 1:
Match the following pairs of words.
Column ‘A’ | Column ‘B’ | ||
i. | first | a. | way |
ii. | dust | b. | trees |
iii. | simplest | c. | bird |
iv. | fruiting | d. | period |
V. | breeding | e. | bath |
Answer:
(i – c), (ii – e), (iii – a), (iv – b), (v – d)
Question 1:
Read the passage and complete the following. The figures in brackets indicate the passage number.
i. Anuj observed the sparrows busy in _______ .(1)
ii. The changes brought in the surrounding of Anuj.
a. _________
b. _________
c. _________ (1)
iii. Vishwajeet misses _________ (2)
iv. Savita was surprised at _________ (3)
v. The birds build their nests only for _________ (4)
Answer:
i. dust bathing.
ii. a. the roads were widened
b. the bushes were cut off
c. grounds were placed with tiles
iii. the sparrows stealing rice grains from his plate.
iv. the sparrow waiting for her when she came back from work, at around 8 – 8.30 pm.
v. breeding.
Read the passage from line (1 to 45) on page (32,33) of your textbook and answer the following questions.
[Sparrow was the ………………………….
…………………….make the birds comfortable.]
A2. Understanding the Passage
Question 1:
Complete the web.
Answer:
i. Put water feeders in your balcony or around the house
ii. Put some grains like jowar, bajra, wheat, etc. for them to feed on
iii. Plant more trees
iv. Do not destroy their nest or shoo them away
A3. Meaning from the Text 1. Write from the passage words that mean.
i. took rest in bush
ii. cheerful and lively
iii. obtain by surprise or a trick
iv. tray made from reddish brown hard baked clay
Answer:
i. roosted
ii. chirpy
iii. steal
iv. terracotta tray
A4. Language Study
Do as directed.
Question 1:
They roosted in places like small bushes around. (Frame a ‘Wh’ question to get the underlined part as an answer)
Answer:
Where did they roost?
Question 2:
Grounds where these sparrows used to play were placed with tiles.(Rewrite using ‘would’)
Answer:
Grounds where these sparrows would play were placed with tiles.
Question 3:
The sparrow would follow me around the house. (Rewrite using ‘used to’)
Answer:
The sparrow used to follow me around the house.
Question 4:
The simplest way is to put water feeders in your balcony. (Rewrite using ‘-ing’ form of verb)
Answer:
The simplest way is putting water feeders in your balcony.
Question 5:
Fruiting trees attract many birds. (Change the voice)
Answer:
Many birds are attracted by fruiting trees.
A5. Personal Response
Question 1:
What can be the reasons of disappearing of sparrows?
Answer:
According to me, deforestation is one of the reasons for the loss of natural habitat of sparrows. The modem infrastructure is not environment friendly. These birds also face danger from predators like sparrowhawk, which is another reason for their disappearance.
Question 2:
How do sparrows make our life happy?
Answer:
Sparrows make our life happy in a number of ways like, we wake up to the chirping of these birds. It is fun to watch them have dust bath. We also enjoy watching the sparrows come in and out of our windows and fluttering in our balconies.
Additional Questions for Practice
Question 1:
Read Part I and after discussing with your partner, answer the following questions.
i. Answer in a single sentence.
a. What did Sanjana do after returning from school? (find a thing)
Answer:
Sanjana playfully scared the sparrows on the terrace after returning from school.
b. Whom does the news reports blame? (find things)
Answer: The news reports blame the increasing number of cell phone towers and mobile phones.
c. Who is responsible for the disappearing of sparrows? (find the name of a bird)
Answer: The Shikara or the sparrowhawk is responsible for the disappearing of sparrows. .
d. When is ‘Sparrow Day’ celebrated? (find the day)
Answer: The Sparrow Day is celebrated on 20th March.
ii. Answer in two to three sentences.
a. How does Sanjana recount her childhood days with sparrows?
Answer: Sanjana says that when she was a child, a lot of sparrows came to her terrace to feed on some kitchen garden plants and worms. Each day, after returning from school, she would playfully scare them away as she loved the sight of a flock of birds flying together.- The sparrows would fly away, but would soon return in Afinutes.
b. Why does the writer fear that the sparrows will be introduced only through photos to the coming generations?
Answer: The writer fears that the sparrows will be introduced only through photos to the coming generations because these birds are losing their natural habitat. The roads are being widened and the bushes are being cut off. Grounds are placed with tiles, where these sparrows used to play. Due to such activities of the humans, the birds are leaving the area.
c. How is ‘Shikara’ responsible for the decreasing number of sparrows?
Answer:The ‘Shikara’ is a predator and preys on sparrows. Hence, it is responsible for the decrease in the number of sparrows.
Question 2:
Develop your own puzzle Work in groups. Select any word from the text and write it on the Black Board. Ask a partner from other group to select any other word and write it in cross or across manner. Develop the grid further.
Answer:
[Note: Students may add more words from the text on their own.]
Question 3:
Read the opinions given in Part II and after discussing with your partner, answer the following questions.
i. Answer in just a few words.
a. As a child, what did the narrator watch after his school hours?
Answer: As a child, the narrator watched sparrows after his school hours.
b. What are the grounds replaced with?
Answer:The grounds are replaced with tiles.
c. When do sparrows make their nest?
Answer:The sparrows make their nests only for the breeding period.
ii. Answer in one or two sentences.
a. Why did the birds leave their area, according to the writer?
Answer: The sparrows roosted in places like small bushes. Later, the roads were widened and the bushes were cut off. Grounds where the sparrows used to play were placed with tiles. Thus, the sparrows lost their habitat and left the area.
b. What did Vishwajeet Naik miss in the past 10 years?
Answer: In the past ten years, Vishwajeet Naik missed the sparrows that would come to the dining table when he would sit to eat. They would even try and steal rice from his plate.
c. What are the ways suggested to attract the sparrows towards your house?
Answer:
The writer suggests the following ways to attract sparrows towards our house; i. t Put water feeders in the balcony or around the house :
i. Put water feeders in the balcony or around the house
ii. Put some grains like jowar, bajra, wheat etc.
iii. Plant more trees
iv. Do not destroy their nests
v. Do not shoo them away
vi. Make the birds comfortable
Question 4:
Look at the following sentences that sum up the different sections of Part II. Match them with the suitable section.
i. Sparrows enter the dining room.
ii. Urbanization affects the growth in number of sparrows.
iii. Sparrows waiting to be fed.
Answer:
i. Section 2
ii. Section 1
iii. Section 3
Question 5:
Search the meaning
Choose the correct meaning of the words underlined.
i. My father recounts the stories of his childhood.
a. counts again
b. tells
c. remembers
Answer:
c. remembers
ii. It is easv to noint a finger at someone.
a. to show direction
b. to blame
c. to call
Answer: b. to blame
iii. The increasing number of vehicles leads to sound pollution in big cities.
a. affects
b. creates
c. results in
Answer: c. results in
iv. The number of tigers is decreasing day by day due to deforestation.
a. becoming less
b. disappearing
c. destroying
Answer:
a. becoming less
Question 6:
Caring for birds
Because of rising urbanization, deforestation, the birds face problems in finding food and water. You can help them get food and water and help them to live comfortable life. Look at the two models in your textbook. Discuss with your partner and write down two paragraphs based on the following points.
Points to be used:
i. Material to be used:
ii. Stages and steps to be followed:
iii. How to use:
iv. Used for:
Bottle 1
A plastic bottle with a closed lid is to be fixed on a stand and placed in the balcony or a terrace. Cut a hole for a stick on each side of this bottle, so that it can stand erect. Also, cut a door hole on each side of the bottle. It should be filled with water. The birds would drink water through the door hole. Thus, fresh and clean water can be made available for the birds.
Bottle 2
A plastic bottle with a wide mouth should be hung with a hook in the balcony or a terrace or a tree in the garden. The upper part of the bottle should be cut off in such a manner that a wide space is left for the birds to put their beaks in. Two holes are to be made in the lower part of the bottle. This is for a stick to pass through them. It will help the bottle to remain steady while hanging from a tree. Fill grains in the bottle and wait for the birds to feed on them.
Question 7:
Articles
i. Read the following sentences and observe the words underlined. Discuss with your partner and note your observations.
a. We are living in the Doordarshan age.
b. The sparrow is an endangered species.
c. Sparrow was the first bird I was introduced to.
Discuss
• Where are the underlined words placed?
Answer: The underlined words are placed before nouns and adjectives.
• What is the meaning of the underlined words?
Answer: In sentence a, the word ‘the’ refers to the special title given to the present age.
In sentence b, the word ‘the’ refers to a specific bird. The word ‘an’ means ‘one of the.
In sentence c, ‘the’ emphasises the fact that the specific bird was the first bird seen by the writer.
• What is their use?
Answer:
They are used to clarify a noun, i.e. state if it is specific or not. The articles ‘a’ and ‘an’ are substitutes for ‘one’ or ‘any’. Apart from this, ‘an’ is only used when it is followed by a noun starting with a vowel sound.
ii. Select the proper alternative to complete the sentence.
a. Shikara or _________ (a sparrow hawk /the sparrow hawk) is responsible to some extent for disappearance of sparrows.
b. As every cloud has _________ (a silver /the silver) lining, there is still hope that sparrows will survive.
c. I should register ________ (a complaint /the complaint) against the tall towers built without permission.
d. I fear that _________ (a coming / the coming) generation will be introduced to sparrows through photos.
e. People have _________ (a bad / the bad) habit of keeping birds in cages. Something should be done to stop (a habit / the habit).
Answer:
a. the sparrow hawk
b. a silver
c. a complaint
d. the coming .
e. a bad, the habit
iii. Articles are missing in the following sentences. Read the sentences again and again and after discussing with your partner, rewrite the sentences using articles where necessary.
a. Chirping of sparrows is musical experience.
b. River Ganga is holy river.
c. Sparrows are known for their size.
d. South African jungle is rich with wild life.
e. Where there is life, there is hope.
Answer: a. The chirping of sparrows is a musical experience.
b. The River Ganga is a holy river.
c. The sparrows are known for their size.
d. The South African jungle is rich with wildlife.
e. Where there is life, there is hope.
Question 8:
A sparrow speaks
Imagine that you are a sparrow and want to speak out your heart. Form suitable groups and discuss with the help of the following points. You can also take the help of the text that you have read. Share your thoughts with the class.
You may begin as:
‘I’m a little sparrow and how helpless I am!’……………………………..
Answer: ‘I’m a little sparrow and how helpless I am!’ My life is full of sorrows. I live with constant fear in my heart. I face countless dangers. It is a nice thing that man has been making progress, but this has also brought many evils along with it. I am talking about pollution, which is posing a danger to our species. I am not sure how long we can survive. Mobile towers add to our problems. Human beings, especially small children, trouble us for their enjoyment. They don’t allow us to rest peacefully in their balconies and terraces. When we build nests, they destroy them. If this continues, how and where can we lay our eggs and raise our young ones? If this practice continues, we will soon become extinct. We also face the problem of scarcity of food, as man has been cutting down forests, which is our natural habitat. We have a lot of expectations from nature lovers and young children. I am sure they will take efforts to protect and save our species before we becorfte extinct.
Question 9:
Live and let live
Read the following news headlines. They reflect how human beings are adding sorrows to the lives of birds and animals. Select any news headline and develop a full story by imagining what must have happened.
Answer:
Egg poaching by humans – Major threat to turtle nest
Goa, September 19:The illegal poaching of sea turtle eggs from their buried nests is one of the gravest threats that these magnificent creatures face. While poaching of the eggs is illegal, poor economic conditions and lack of awareness allow this destructive activity to continue.
Turtles are harvested for their meat and eggs which are used for human consumption. In some places, they are considered a delicacy. In many countries, the trading of turtle eggs is a big industry that provides income to many people.
While laying eggs, a turtle digs up a cavity using its flipper and lays more than 150 eggs. Officials of the forest department, along with some local people, are keeping a strict watch on certain beaches in Goa where turtles come to nest. This patrolling has proved beneficial in preventing illegal poaching of turtle eggs. “The young locals are working hard to save turtle eggs from being destroyed by poachers,” one of the forest officials said.