The Boy Who Broke The Bank: Learning Outcomes
The Boy Who Broke The Bank: Learning Outcomes
The Boy Who Broke The Bank: Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
● infer the message behind a humorous situation.
● identify rumour as the central character in the story.
● note the delineation of characters as types and not as individuals.
● sympathise with the underdog.
● note the detailing of action in the narration.
● relate to a story by a famous Indian writer.
Pre-reading
1. Why do you think gossip travels fast?
2. What can we do to stop rumours from spreading?
3. How can we spread good news? What would be the effect?
Understanding the Text given his pay? Why is Sitaram happy with what
he has done? (He has helped both his friend and his
Read the text / Play the audio from the Smart
customer.)
Book.
Nathu, the sweeper-boy, grumbled to…hoisted his Discuss:
bag on his shoulders and went on his way. What does the introduction of the episode reveal
to its readers? (The introduction describes the setting,
Ask students:
introduces three characters and presents a problem.)
How is Nathu introduced to us? (As a sweeper- What is the problem? Is it a complicated problem?
boy working in a small bank owned by Seth Govind (The problem seems fairly simple and could be
Ram. He is not happy at his job.) How does he show resolved easily.)
dissatisfaction with his job? Why is he unhappy?
Soon after, Mrs Prakash set out for the bazaar…The
What has he planned to do about it? How do we
elderly gentleman did not believe it.
know Sitaram is Nathu’s friend? (He asks him why
he is in a temper and offers to look out for a job for Ask students:
him.) Who is Sitaram? How does the speaker arouse
our sympathy for him? (Sitaram is a washerman’s What is wrong with the way Mrs Prakash shares
son delivering pressed clothes to customers’ houses. the news with her friend, Mrs Bhushan? (1. She is
He carries such a huge bundle on his head that it wrong to exaggerate that the bank had not paid its
hangs from his head and shoulders. Also, he walks employees when she heard that only one sweeper
barefoot.) Who is the lady that is willing to employ has not been paid. 2. She lies that she heard it from
Nathu? What did she learn from Sitaram? What is the sweeper-boy himself when she actually heard
the reason Sitaram provides for Nathu not being the information from the boy’s friend.) How did
Though the scenes make for humour, they also b. People have no concern for the underdog.
draw our attention to the plight of the poor and No one, not even Mrs Prakash who knows
their anxiety when they are not paid in time for that Nathu had not been paid, bothered to
their labour. find out how he is coping with the situation.
The investors are concerned only about
2. The humour is developed through the life and their deposits.
vitality of a baseless rumour that begins with
Mrs Prakash exaggerating a harmless bit of c. People in a crowd develop mob mentality.
information about Nathu not being paid by Panic spreads easily in a mob and people
the bank. The rumour takes on a life of its own destroy public property.
creating panic among investors and excitement
Tell students:
The future continuous tense describes an action that will continue over a period of time in the
1.
future.
● It is used when there are two actions, with one in the middle of another.
Example: When Raju goes for the conference, he will be meeting many scientists.
● It is used when the action is pre-arranged and scheduled.
Example: Our class will be travelling to Hyderabad, next week on a study tour.
Fixed Expressions
Tell students:
A fixed expression is a form of expression that takes on a more specific meaning than the words
themselves. It is a standard way of expressing an idea or a concept, in certain situations.They are
● a combination of words that are frequently used together and cannot be interchanged.
● words or phrases that are not meant to be taken literally.
A. Complete the passage with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets.
1. He met his friend when he (work) in Agra.
2. Where (you / lunch) yesterday?
3. My mother (go) to the shop. She will be back soon.
4. Anita (speak) to my father a minute ago.
5. If my brother (not arrive), I’ll send him a text message.
B. Rewrite these sentences using the correct forms of the verbs to express future time.
1. We will go to our hometown for Diwali.
have a thick skin next of kin save one’s own skin to ring a bell
2. Answer in brief.
a. How did Nathu, the sweeper boy, express his anger?
Answer: Nathu was vexed with his employer Seth Govind Ram for not paying his salary on time.
Annoyed by this, Nathu swept the place hurriedly, raising dust everywhere and banging the pan
against a dustbin. He also swore to Sitaraman that he would quit the job the moment he received
his salary.
b. Why did the rumour spread so fast in the small town?
Answer: The small town in the foot hills was a quiet town and people in the town lived a peaceful
life. It had not faced any major crisis of any sort. It was not even affected by natural calamities.
3. Answer in detail.
Give a brief account of what ensued when the rumour of the bank collapse spread?
Answer: The news spread like wildfire. There was total pandemonium and a riot-like situation in that
small, sleepy, quiet town. Those who had an account in the bank panicked and rushed in groups to the
bank. They demanded for their deposited money back. Even a few miscreants joined in the melee by
throwing stones, though they were in no way connected to the money or the bank. In groups, people
discussed the situation. No one remotely thought of checking if there was any truth to the matter. No
amount of assurance from the bank manager assured anyone.
Words in Use
A. “Have you heard the rumour?” I cried (para 13) as I dashed into the classroom. “Mrs Sharma is going to
hold a surprise test after lunch!” Nupur fell off the bench and yelped (para 17), “No! But I’m not ready.
Where did you hear this?”“I heard the peon ask the computer bhaiyya to print out 30 copies of the
paper in time for Mrs Sharma’s class. What else can it be?” I asked. “But our unit tests got over just last
week,” grumbled (para 1) Murthy. “Maybe she wants to give us practice papers?” Naz speculated
(para 21). Just then, the bell rang. We all rushed back to our seats as Mrs Sharma walked in. “I should
have stayed home sick today,” muttered (para 34) Murthy under his breath. We all looked at
Mrs Sharma anxiously. She said, “Children, the government has declared (para 26) a holiday tomorrow.
So, I thought we could solve an old question paper over the long weekend.” We only heard the word
holiday and the room exploded with cheers. We chanted (para 27), “You’re the best, Mrs Sharma, you’re
the best!”
B. 1. The police are on the lookout for a middle-aged man with a scar on his left cheek in connection to
the spate of robberies in Chennai.
2. Mr Roberts, Ini can’t come to school today. She has a viral fever and is in a bad way.
3. I smelled freshly baked cake as soon as I entered the house. So I made a beeline for the kitchen.
4. If I don’t come to play today, put it down to the project. It’s due tomorrow.
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