ENGLISH

LITERATURE
(Class-VII)

Publication Division
D.A.V. College Managing Committee
Chitragupta Road, New Delhi-110055

Content.indd 1 2/23/2016 9:41:19 AM

 Contents
S.No. Topic Page No.

1. Monkey Trouble 1

2. Birdie, will you pet? 9

3. A Hero 14

4. Fight, Manju, Fight! 23

5. I Dream a World 33

6. Stone Soup in Bohemia 37

7. A Stormy Adventure 42

8. The Spider and the Fly 50

9. The Human Robot 55

10. Friends and Flatterers 66

11. Chocolates in Your Dreams Too 70

 Suggested Readings 85

Content.indd 6 2/23/2016 9:41:20 AM

 1 Monkey Trouble
by Ruskin Bond

Pre-reading Task

1. Whenever we think of an animal or a bird, a particular quality comes to our mind. Pick up
appropriate qualities from the box given and write them opposite the names of the animals/birds.
dove : __________________________________
dog : __________________________________
fox : __________________________________
parrot : __________________________________
monkey : __________________________________

talkative cunning mischievous gentle faithful

2. Why do you think street entertainers prefer monkeys to other household pets like cats and
dogs? Discuss with your friends.

Read the following story and enjoy the mischiefs of a troublesome monkey.

Grandfather bought Tutu from a street entertainer

for the sum of ten rupees. The man had three
monkeys. Tutu was the smallest but the most
mischievous. She was tied up most of the time.
The little monkey looked so miserable with a collar
and chain that Grandfather decided it would be
much happier in our home. Grandfather had a
weakness for keeping unusual pets. It was the
habit that I, at the age of eight or nine, used to
encourage.

Ch01.indd 1 2/22/2016 3:03:43 PM

 Grandmother at first objected to having a
monkey in the house. ‘You have enough pets
as it is,’ she said referring to Grandfather’s
goat, several white mice, and a small tortoise.

‘But I don’t have any,’ I said. ‘You’re wicked

enough for two monkeys. One boy in the
house is all I can take.’

‘Ah, but Tutu isn’t a boy,’ said Grandfather

triumphantly. ‘This is a little girl monkey!’

Grandmother gave in. She had always wanted

a little girl in the house. She believed girls
were less troublesome than boys. Tutu was to
prove her wrong.

She was a pretty little monkey.

Her bright eyes sparkled with mischief beneath deep-set eyebrows. And her teeth,
which were pearly white, were often revealed in a grin that frightened the wits out of
Aunt Ruby whose nerves had already suffered from the presence of Grandfather’s pet
python in the house at Lucknow. But this was Dehra, my grandparents’ house, and
aunts and uncles had to put up with our pets.

One day Aunt Ruby took us all by surprise. She announced that she had become
engaged. We had always thought that Aunt Ruby would never marry—she had often
said herself—but it appeared that the right man had now come along in the person of
Rocky Fernandes, a school teacher from Goa.

Rocky was a tall, firm-jawed, good-natured

man, who visited the house quite often and
brought me chocolates and cashewnuts,
of which, he seemed to have an unlimited
supply. He also taught me several marching
songs. Naturally I approved of Rocky.
Aunt Ruby won my admiration for having
made such a wise choice.

One day I overheard them talking of going

to the bazaar to buy an engagement ring.
I decided I would go along too. But as
Aunt Ruby had made it clear that she did

Ch01.indd 2 2/22/2016 3:03:44 PM

 not want me around, I decided that I had
better follow at a discreet distance. Tutu,
becoming aware that a mission of some
importance was underway, decided to
follow me. But as I had not invited her
along, she too decided to keep out of sight.

Once in the crowded bazaar, I was able to

get quite close to Aunt Ruby and Rocky
without being spotted. I waited until they
had settled down in a large jewellery shop
before sauntering past and spotting them
as though by accident. Aunt Ruby wasn’t
too pleased at seeing me, but Rocky waved
and called out. ‘Come and join us! Help
your aunt choose a beautiful ring!’

The whole thing seemed to be a waste of good money, but I did not say so—Aunt Ruby
was giving me one of her most unloving looks.

While the jeweller and Aunt Ruby were sifting

through the diamond rings, Tutu had slipped
into the shop without being noticed by anyone
but me. A little squeal of delight was the first
sign she gave of her presence. Everyone looked
up to see her trying on a pretty necklace.

‘And what are those stones?’ I asked.

‘They look like pearls,’ said Rocky.

‘They are pearls,’ said the shopkeeper, making

a grab for them.

‘It’s that dreadful monkey!’ cried Aunt Ruby. ‘I

knew the boy would bring her here!’

The necklace was already adorning Tutu’s neck. I thought she looked rather nice in
them, but she gave us no time to admire the effect. Springing out of our reach Tutu
dodged around Rocky, slipped between my legs, and made for the crowded road. I ran
after her, shouting to her to stop, but she wasn’t listening.

discreet: that does not attract attention squeal: long, loud, high cry
sauntering: walking in a slow and relaxed manner adorn: to decorate

Ch01.indd 3 2/22/2016 3:03:45 PM

 The jeweller left his shop and ran after us. So did Rocky. So did several bystanders who
had seen the incident. And others, who had no idea what it was all about, joined in the
chase. As Grandfather used to say, ‘In a crowd, everyone plays follow-the-leader even
when they don’t know who’s leading.’ Not everyone knew that the leader was Tutu. Only
the front-runners could see her.

She tried to make her escape speedier by leaping on to the back of a passing scooterist.
The scooter swerved into a fruit stall and came to a standstill under a heap of bananas,
while the scooterist found himself in the arms of an indignant fruitseller. Tutu peeled a
banana and ate part of it before deciding to move on.

From an awning she made an emergency landing on a washerman’s donkey. The donkey
promptly panicked and rushed down the road, while bundles of washing fell by the
wayside. The washerman joined in the chase. Children on their way to school decided
that here was something better to do than attend classes. With shouts of glee, they soon
overtook their panting elders.

Tutu finally left the bazaar and took a road leading in the direction of our house. But
knowing that she would be caught and locked up once she got home, she decided to end
the chase by ridding herself of the necklace. Deftly removing it from her neck, she flung
it in the small canal that ran down the road.

swerve: to make a sudden sideway movement panting: breathing heavily

indignant: expressing anger and surprise ridding: freeing
awning: a sheet of cloth or plastic outside shops to keep sun and rain off deftly: quickly and skilfully
glee: feeling of excitement

Ch01.indd 4 2/22/2016 3:03:45 PM

 The jeweller, with a cry of anguish,
plunged into the canal. So did
Rocky. So did I. So did several other
people, both adults and children. It
was to be a treasure hunt!

Some twenty minutes later, Rocky

shouted, ‘I’ve found it!’ Covered in
mud, water-lilies, ferns and tadpoles,
we emerged from the canal, and
Rocky presented the necklace to the
relieved shopkeeper. Finally the ring
was bought, the engagement was
announced and a date was set for
the wedding.

A few days before the wedding I found

Tutu in the kitchen helping Grandmother
prepare the wedding cake. Tutu often
helped with the cooking, and, when
Grandmother wasn’t looking, added
herbs, spices, and other interesting items
to the pots.

I’m not sure exactly what went into that

wedding cake when Grandmother wasn’t
looking—but I did spot Tutu stirring in
some red chilli sauce, bitter gourd seeds,
and a generous helping of egg-shells!

It’s true that some of the guests were not seen for several days after the wedding
but no one said anything against the cake. Most people thought it had an interesting
flavour.

anguish: suffering caused by pain or worry

plunged: fell suddenly forward or downward
stirring: mixing and moving

Ch01.indd 5 2/22/2016 3:03:46 PM

 I Understanding the Story

A. Some statements based on the story are given below. Tick (T) for true
statements and (F) for false statements. Rewrite the false statements after
making corrections.

1. The street entertainer who sold Tutu had three other

monkeys. T F
______________________________________________________________________________________

2. Rocky often gave chocolates and walnuts to the narrator.

T F
______________________________________________________________________________________

3. Rocky took Aunt Ruby to a jeweller’s shop for buying an

engagement ring.
T F
______________________________________________________________________________________

4. Tutu followed the narrator to the jeweller’s shop without

being noticed.
T
F
______________________________________________________________________________________

5. Tutu put some herbs and spices in the wedding cake.

T F
______________________________________________________________________________________

B. Answer the following questions in not more than 30 words each.

1. How was Grandmother convinced to keep Tutu as a pet?

2. Why did the narrator follow Aunt Ruby and Rocky secretly to the jeweller’s shop?
What reason did Tutu have for following them?

3. Why did the people in the bazaar chase Tutu?

4. What did Tutu do with the necklace? How was it restored to the shopkeeper?

5. 
Why do you think some guests were not seen for several days after the
marriage?

Ch01.indd 6 2/22/2016 3:03:46 PM

 C. The sentences below give an account of the menace that Tutu created in the
bazaar, but the sentences are jumbled. Rearrange them by writing appropriate
serial number in the box provided against each sentence. The opening sentence
is given.
Tutu followed Aunt Ruby and Rocky secretly to the jeweller’s shop.

(a) Rocky, the jeweller and several people in the market followed her. 

(b) Tutu leapt on the back of a scooterist. 

(c) She slipped into the shop without being noticed. 

(d) Tutu rushed out into the market. 

(e) Tutu took the road leading to the narrator’s house. 

(f) She then landed on a donkey which panicked and rushed down the road.

(g) She threw the necklace into a canal.

(h) Aunt Ruby and the jeweller saw her and tried to grab the necklace.

(i) Rocky dived into the canal, traced the necklace and returned it to the
shopkeeper.

(j) She took a pearl necklace and put it round her neck.

II HOTS
Some animals have a sharp mind. They amaze us by their actions. Do you think they are
able to think in the right direction? Why/Why not?

Ch01.indd 7 2/22/2016 3:03:46 PM

 III Life Skills
Do you like Tutu? If given a chance, would you like to keep her as a pet?

IV Values
The narrator decided to secretly follow Aunt Ruby and her fiance Rocky to the market. Is
he justified in doing that?

V Writing Skills
Tutu took a pearl necklace from a jeweller’s shop and created a huge mess in the market
before finally throwing it into a canal. The jeweller felt quite tense about the whole
episode. Write the jeweller’s diary entry describing how he felt at Tutu’s mischief.

About the Author

Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh,

in 1934. He was brought up at different places that
included Jamnagar, Dehradun and Shimla. He wrote his
first novel Room on the Roof when he was just 17 years
old for which he received the John Llewellyn Rhys
Memorial prize in 1957.

Ruskin Bond has now been writing for more than six decades. His collections of
short stories—The Night Train at Deoli, Time Stops at Shamli and Our Trees Still
Grow in Dehra are worth reading. Replete with unassuming humour and quiet
wisdom, his stories manifest a deep love for nature and people.

Ch01.indd 8 2/22/2016 3:03:47 PM

 2 Birdie, will you pet?
by W. Allingham

Pre-reading Task

1. If asked to choose between money and freedom, what would you choose and why?
2. Can you think of a few things that come with freedom and cannot be bought with money?
Discuss with your partner and prepare a list.

Now read the poem given below where a child is tempting a bird to be her pet.
CHILD : ‘Birdie, Birdie, will you pet?
Summer-time is far away yet,
You’ll have silken quilts and a velvet bed,
And a pillow of satin for your head!’

BIRD : ‘I’d rather sleep in the ivy wall;

No rain comes through, tho’ I hear it fall.
The sun peeps gay at dawn of day,
And I sing, and wing away, away!’

Ch02.indd 9 2/22/2016 3:04:28 PM

 CHILD : ‘O Birdie, Birdie, will you pet?
Diamond-stones and amber and jet
We’ll string on a necklace fair and fine,
To please this pretty bird of mine!’

BIRD : ‘O thanks for diamonds, and thanks for jet,

But here is something daintier yet—.
A feather necklace round and round,
That I wouldn’t sell for a thousand pound!’

CHILD : ‘O Birdie, Birdie, won’t you pet?

We’ll buy you a dish of silver fret,
A golden cup and an ivory seat,
And carpets soft beneath your feet!’

BIRD : ‘Can running water be drunk from gold?

Can a silver dish the forest hold?
A rocking twig is the finest chair,
And the softest paths lie through the air—.
Good-bye, good-bye to my lady fair!’

amber: a brown substance for making jewellery

daintier: sweeter
silver fret: decorated with silver thread

10

Ch02.indd 10 2/22/2016 3:04:29 PM

 I Understanding the Poem

A. In the poem, the child offers various comforts to the bird in exchange for its
freedom, but the bird declines them. Complete the chart given below by filling
in the offers made by the child and the bird’s preference over them.
The child offers The bird prefers

(a)  Silken quilts

  ______________________________________________
(b)  __________________________________________
 ______________________________________________
(c)  __________________________________________

A necklace made
  ______________________________________________
of ____________________________________________
 ______________________________________________
_____________________ made __________________

(a)  __________________________________________
  ______________________________________________
(b)  a golden cup
 ______________________________________________
(c)  __________________________________________

(d)  __________________________________________  ______________________________________________

B. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

(a) I’d rather sleep in the ivy wall;

No rain comes through, tho’ I hear it fall.
The sun peeps gay at dawn of day,
And I sing, and wing away, away!

(i) Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?

(ii) Ivy is a plant. What does the bird want to
convey by describing it as a wall?
(iii) What does the speaker prefer ivy wall to?

11

Ch02.indd 11 2/22/2016 3:04:29 PM

 (b) A feather necklace round and round,
That I wouldn’t sell for a thousand pound!

(i) What is the necklace offered by the child made of?

(ii) What is the necklace that the bird has made of?

(iii) Which necklace does the bird prefer? Why?

C. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

D. Pick out at least three examples of alliteration from the poem.

(a)
______________________________________________________________________________________  Stanza 2

(b)
______________________________________________________________________________________ Stanza 2

(c)
______________________________________________________________________________________ Stanza 3

II HOTS
Why does the bird refuse to accept the various comforts offered by the child? Discuss.

III Life Skills

Is freedom just the right to live as we wish?

IV Values
Why does the child call the bird ‘birdie’? Why does the child use the word ‘birdie’
twice?

12

Ch02.indd 12 2/22/2016 3:04:29 PM

 V Writing Skills
The child in the poem realises that the bird cannot be lured. She has her own priorities
in life. Freedom is equally important to her. The child decides to share the conversation
between her and the bird with her friend through a letter. Write the letter in not more
than 120 words.

About the Author

William Allingham was born on 19 March 1824 in the

little port of Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland. He
produced excellent lyrical and descriptive poetry, and
the best of his pieces are thoroughly national in spirit.
He published Poems in 1850, followed by Day and Night
Songs, a volume containing many charming lyrics, in
1855. His verse is clear, fresh, and graceful.

Other works are Fifty Modern Poems (1865), Songs, Poems, and Ballads (1877),
Evil May Day (1883), Blackberries (1884) and his most famous work, The Faeries.

13

Ch02.indd 13 2/22/2016 3:04:30 PM

 3 A Hero
by R. K. Narayan

Pre-reading Task

1. Work in groups of four or five and list the qualities that make a person a hero.
2. ‘Courage is an attitude. It is there in the mind.’ Do you agree? Discuss with reasons.

Now read the story about a small boy Swami and find out how he becomes a hero
suddenly.
For Swami events took an unexpected turn. Father
looked over the newspaper he was reading under the
hall lamp and said, ‘Swami, listen to this news: an
act of bravery of a village lad who, while returning
home by the jungle path, came face to face with a
tiger....... .’ The paragraph described the fight the
boy had with the tiger and his flight up a tree, where
he stayed for half a day till some people came that
way and killed the tiger.

After reading it through, Father looked at Swami fixedly

and asked, ‘What do you say to that?’ Swami said,
‘I think he must have been a very strong and grown-up
person, not at all a boy. How could a boy fight a tiger?’

‘You think you are wiser than the newspaper?’

Father sneered. ‘A man may have the strength of an
elephant and yet be a coward whereas another may
have the strength of a straw, but if he has courage,
he can do anything. Courage is everything, strength
and age are not important.’

sneered: spoke in a scornful manner

14

Ch03.indd 14 2/23/2016 9:44:57 AM

 Swami disputed the theory. ‘How can it be, Father? Suppose I have all the courage, what
can I do if a tiger should attack me?’

‘Leave alone strength, can you prove you have courage? Let me see if you can sleep alone
tonight in my office room.’

A frightful proposition, Swami thought. He had always slept beside his granny in the
passage, and any change in this arrangement kept him trembling and awake all night.
He hoped at first that his father was only joking. He mumbled weakly, ‘Yes,’ and tried
to change the subject; he said very loudly and with a great deal of enthusiasm, ‘We are
going to admit even elders in our cricket club hereafter. We are buying brand new bats
and balls. Our captain has asked me to tell you ... ’

‘We’ll see about it later,’ Father cut in. ‘You must sleep alone hereafter.’ Swami realised
that the matter had gone beyond his control: from a challenge it had become a plain
command; he knew his father’s tenacity at such moments.

‘From the first of next month I’ll sleep alone, Father.’

‘No, you must do it now. It is disgraceful sleeping beside granny or mother like a baby.
You are in the second form and I don’t at all like the way you are being brought up,’ he
said, and looked at his wife, who was rocking the cradle. ‘Why do you look at me while
you say it?’ she asked. ‘I hardly know anything about the boy.’

‘No, no, I don’t mean you,’ Father said.

‘If you mean that your mother is spoiling him, tell her so; and don’t look at me,’ she said,
and turned away.

proposition: proposal enthusiasm: great zeal tenacity: firmness

15

Ch03.indd 15 2/23/2016 9:44:58 AM

 Swami’s father sat gloomily gazing at the
newspaper on his lap. Swami rose silently
and tiptoed away to his bed in the passage.
Granny was sitting up in her bed, and
remarked, ‘Boy, are you already feeling
sleepy? Don’t you want a story?’ Swami
made wild gesticulations to silence Granny,
but that good lady saw nothing. So Swami
threw himself on his bed and pulled the
blanket over his face.

Granny said, ‘Don’t cover your face. Are you

really very sleepy?’ Swami leant over and
whispered, ‘Please, please, shut up, Granny.
Don’t talk to me, and don’t let anyone call
me even if the house is on fire. If I don’t
sleep at once I shall perhaps die.’ He turned
over, curled, and snored under the blanket
till he found his blanket pulled away.

Presently Father came and stood over

him. ‘Swami, get up,’ he said. He looked
like an apparition in the semi-darkness
of the passage, which was lit by a cone
of light from the hall. Swami stirred and
groaned as if in sleep. Father said, ‘Get
up, Swami,’ Granny pleaded, ‘Why do you
disturb him?’

‘Get up, Swami,’ he said for the third

time, and Swami got up. Father rolled
up his bed, took it under his arm, and
said, ‘Come with me.’ Swami looked at
his granny, hesitated for a moment, and
followed his father into the office room.
On the way he threw a look of appeal at
his mother and she said, ‘Why do you take
him to the office room? He can sleep in the
hall, I think.’

gesticulations: gestures apparition: ghost

16

Ch03.indd 16 2/23/2016 9:44:59 AM

 ‘I don’t think so,’ Father said, and Swami slunk behind him with bowed head.

‘Let me sleep in the hall, Father,’ Swami pleaded. ‘Your office room is very dusty and
there may be scorpions behind your law books.’

‘There are no scorpions, little fellow. Sleep on the bench if you like.’

‘Can I have a lamp burning in the room?’

‘No. You must learn not to be afraid of darkness. It is only a question of habit. You must
cultivate good habits.’

‘Will you at least leave the door open?’

‘All right. But promise you will not roll up your bed and go to Granny’s side at night. If
you do it, mind you, I will make you the laughing-stock of your school.’

Swami felt cut off from humanity. He was pained and angry. He didn’t like the strain
of cruelty he saw in his father’s nature. He hated the newspaper for printing the tiger’s
story. He wished that the tiger hadn’t spared the boy, who didn’t appear to be a boy after
all, but a monster...

As the night advanced and the silence in the house deepened, his heart beat faster. He
remembered all the stories of devils and ghosts he had heard in his life. How often had
his chum Mani seen the devil in the banyan tree at his street-end. And what about poor
Munisami’s father, who spat out blood because the devil near the river’s edge slapped
his cheek when he was returning home late one night. And so on and on his thoughts
continued. He was faint with fear. A ray of light from the
street lamp strayed in and cast shadows on the wall.
Through the stillness all kinds of noises reached his
ears—the ticking of the clock, rustle of trees, snoring
sounds, and some vague night insects’ humming. He
covered himself so completely that he could hardly
breathe. Every moment he expected the devils to come
up to carry him away; there was the instance of his old
friend in the fourth class who suddenly disappeared and
was said to have been carried off by a ghost to Siam or
Nepal...

Swami hurriedly got up and spread his bed under

the bench and crouched there. It seemed to be a
much safer place, more compact and reassuring. He

slunk: walked stealthily vague: uncertain crouch: to stoop

17

Ch03.indd 17 2/23/2016 9:44:59 AM

 shut his eyes tight and encased himself
in his blanket once again and unknown
to himself fell asleep, and in sleep was
racked with nightmares. A tiger was
chasing him. His feet stuck to the ground.
He desperately tried to escape but his
feet would not move; the tiger was at his
back, and he could hear its claws scratch
the ground... scratch, scratch, and then
a light thud... Swami tried to open his
eyes, but his eyelids would not open and
the nightmare continued. It threatened
to continue for ever. Swami groaned in
despair.

With a desperate effort he opened his

eyes. He put his hand out to feel his
granny’s presence at his side, as was
his habit, but he only touched the
wooden leg of the bench. And his lonely
state came back to him. He sweated
with fright. And now what was this rustling? He moved to the edge of the bench and
stared into the darkness. Something was moving down. He lay gazing at it in horror.
His end had come. He realised that the devil would presently pull him out and tear
him, and so why should he wait? As it came nearer he crawled out from under the
bench, hugged it with all his might, and used his teeth on it like a mortal weapon ...

‘Aiyo! Something has bitten me,’ went forth an agonised, thundering cry, followed by a
heavy tumbling and falling amidst furniture. In a moment Father, cook and a servant
came in, carrying light.

And all three of them fell on the burglar who lay amidst the furniture with a bleeding
ankle ...

Congratulations were showered on Swami next day. His classmates looked at him with
respect, and his teacher patted his back. The Headmaster said that he was a true scout.
Swami had bitten into the flesh of one of the most notorious house-breakers of the
district and the police were grateful to him for it.

The inspector said, ‘Why don’t you join the police when you are grown up?’

nightmares: frightening dreams rustling: low noise mortal: deadly

18

Ch03.indd 18 2/23/2016 9:44:59 AM

 Swami said for the sake of politeness, ‘Certainly, yes,’ though he had quite made up his
mind to be an engine driver, a railway guard or a bus conductor later in life.

When he returned home from the club that night, Father asked, ‘Where is the boy?’

‘He is asleep.’

‘Already!’

‘He didn’t have a wink of sleep the whole of last night,’ said his mother.

‘Where is he sleeping?’

‘In his usual place,’ Mother said casually. ‘He went to bed at seven-thirty.’ ‘Sleeping
beside his granny again!’ Father said. ‘No wonder he wanted to sleep before I could
return home—clever boy!’

Mother lost her temper. ‘You let him sleep where he likes. You needn’t risk his life
again.... .’ Father mumbled as he went in to change: ‘All right, mollycoddle and spoil
him as much as you like. Only don’t blame me afterwards... .’

Swami, following the whole conversation from under the blanket, felt tremendously
relieved to hear that his father was giving him up.

mollycoddle: to protect from unpleasant experiences

19

Ch03.indd 19 2/23/2016 9:45:00 AM

 I Understanding the Story

A. Each statement given below contains one wrong word/phrase, which makes
the complete statement false. Underline the wrong words/phrases and replace
them with the correct ones to make the statements true. One has been done
for you.

1. Swami’s father read the report of a lad’s bravery in a newspaper

weekly magazine.

2. The boy was rescued by some people who captured the tiger. 

3. Swami seemed convinced of the boy’s bravery. 

4. Swami had always slept beside his mother. 

5. Swami proposed to sleep alone beginning with the same night. 

6. Swami studied in fourth grade. 

7. Swami had to sleep alone in the hall.

B. Answer the following questions briefly in about 30 words.

1. 
How did Swami react to the news of the village lad’s bravery? How was his
reaction different from his father’s reaction?

2. What was the challenge given to Swami by his father? How did he receive it?

3. Describe Swami’s feelings in the office room at night.

4. How did Swami catch the burglar?

C. Of the following words, which would you choose to describe Swami and why?

1. meek 

2. clever

3. cowardly

4. courageous

5. boastful

6. strong

20

Ch03.indd 20 2/23/2016 9:45:00 AM

 D. Various incidents in the story evoke contradictory reactions from Swami
and his father. Complete the table given below highlighting the difference of
opinion between the two.

Father thought Swami thought

(a) The village boy who had fought a

tiger was very courageous.

(b)  Courage alone cannot do anything,

strength is also important.

(c) Sleeping alone would make Swami

courageous and independent.

II HOTS
Courage is everything, strength and age are not important. Do you agree? Why/Why
not?

III Life Skills

A. Would you call Swami ‘a hero’? Why/Why not?

B. Should children be allowed to face nasty situations in life or should they be

mollycoddled?

IV Values
It is said that Swami did not like the strain of cruelty in his father’s nature. Is Swami’s
father really cruel?

21

Ch03.indd 21 2/23/2016 9:45:00 AM

 V Writing Skills
After the Headmaster narrates to the class how Swami caught the burglar, one of
Swami’s friends writes a report on the incident to be published in the Malgudi Times.
Write the report in about 100 words.

About the Author

R. K. Narayan is one of the most famous and widely read

Indian novelists. He was born on 10 October 1906 in
Madras (now Chennai). He began his writing career with
Swami and Friends in 1935. Most of his work is set in
the fictional town of Malgudi, which captures everything
Indian while having a unique identity of its own. He
told stories of ordinary people trying to live their simple
lives in a changing world. His style is marked by simplicity, elegance and subtle
humour.

Among the best-received of Narayan’s 34 movies are The English Teacher (1945),
Waiting for the Mahatma (1955), The Guide (1958), The Man-Eater of Malgudi
(1961), The Vendor of Sweets (1967), and A Tiger for Malgudi (1983). Narayan also
wrote a number of short stories; collections include Lawely Road (1956), A Horse
and Two Goats and Other Stories (1970), Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories
(1985) and The Grandmother’s Tale (1993).

R. K. Narayan passed away in 2001.

22

Ch03.indd 22 2/23/2016 9:45:01 AM