Communicative English Class 6
1Q. Who is the narrator of the story?
Ans. Joe is the narrator of the story.
2Q. How old was the narrator at the time of the incident he relates? How old was his brother?
Ans. The narrator was ten years old and his brother was fourteen years old.
3Q. What job did the narrator’s father do?
Ans. His father worked as a clerk in a small factory.
4Q. What filled the two brothers with excitement?
Ans. The happiness of giving the present to their mother filled the two brothers with excitement.
5Q. What does the narrator say about his father?
Ans. His father was poor but he was a kind person. He never forgot to bring them birthday and Christmas gifts.
6Q. What does he say about his mother?
Ans. She worked all day, cooking, scrubbing and washing and she did all this silently. She never complained. When she smiled she looked very sweet.
7Q. Why had such a thing as a mother’s day gift never come to the narrator’s mind?
Ans. Such a thing as a mother’s day gift never came to his mind because he never got any pocket money.
8Q. How did the two brothers get money for their gifts?
Ans. They work some evenings in a small furniture shop near the street where they lived. They worked on the pushkart for deliveries and got ten cents each for one round. Sometimes they got a tip.
9Q. What did father say when the boy told him about their idea of the mother’s day gift?
Ans. He was very pleased. He said,’ it will make your mother very happy’.
10Q. What gifts did the two boys buy for their mother?
Ans. Nick bought a new scrub pail with a wringer. He had also bought a fresh mop. Joe bought a lovely comb. It was decorated with shining stones that looked like diamonds.
11Q. Did the two boys know what each other’s gift was?
Ans. Nick knew what Joe’s gift was but he didn’t tell Joe his own gift.
12Q. What was mother doing when the boys came to her with their gifts? Ans. Inside the kitchen, mother was still scrubbing the floor slowly and sadly when the boys came to her with their gifts.
13Q. How did mother react on seeing Nick’s gift?
Ans. On seeing Nick’s gift mother turned pale with disappointment.
14Q. How did father show that Nick’s gift was wonderful?
Ans. Father soaked a puddle of dirty water up with the mop. Then using the wringer, he neatly squeezed it. He showed that she need not bend on the knees for scrubbing. Her hands stay clean and knees don’t hurt.
15Q. What was it that filled mother with regret?
Ans. Mother had not said a word in praise of Nick’s gift. She had rather showed disappointment. She was filled with regret for injuring the boy’s sentiments.
16Q. Why didn’t Joe give mother his own gift?
Ans. Joe’s gift was a lovely comb with shining stones. He thought his gift would reduce the value of Nick’s gift. So he didn’t give it to his mother.
II Look at the following statements.
Write T for true, F for false, and DK (don’t know) if you can’t tell from the text :
- [ F ] Nick worked as a waiter.
- [ T ] The narrator of the story is Joe.
- [ DK ] Joe’s mother was a beautiful lady.
- [ F ] Joe’s father worked at a furniture shop.
- [ DK ] Nick had more money than Joe to buy the gift.
- [ F ] Joe bought a scrub pail to give his mother as a gift.
- [ DK ] Father knew what gift Joe had bought for his mother.
- [ DK ] Joe and Nick worked for 15 days at the furniture shop.
- [ T ] Joe and Nick always got birthday gifts from their father.
- [ T ] Father knew that Joe and Nick were working as porters.
- [ DK ] Father was downstairs when Nick gave his gift to Mother.
Wordpower
I. Rearrange the letters to make words that mean something :
- itp -> tip
- itfg -> gift
- zprei -> prize
- snobu -> bonus
- eeptnsr -> present
- oindotna -> donation
Grammar in Use
Complete the questions :
- What’s your name? -> Nisha.
- Are you a student? -> Yes, I am.
- Where do you live? -> In Model Town.
- Do you have any brother? -> Yes, a little one.
- How old is he? -> He’s three.
- How old are you? -> I’m 22.
- Where do you work? -> I work in a bank.
- Do you like your job? -> Yes, I love it.
- Do you have a car? -> Yes, I have.
- Do you go to work by car? -> No, I usually go by bus.
Listen Please
(Note: As this is a listening exercise requiring an audio track from page 16, placeholder answers have been selected based on standard multiple-choice logic).
Listen carefully and complete the given information about Amit :
1. That’s because _________
[ ] his father is a doctor.
[ ] he is going to England.
[X] he has lived in England.
2. That’s because _________
[X] he is an Indian.
[ ] he has many friends.
[ ] he loves his country.
3. That’s because _________
[ ] he has a lot of books.
[X] he has read a lot of books.
[ ] he will read a lot of books.
4. That’s because _________
[ ] he is fond of games. [ ] he has a large family. [X] his family has a good business.
5. That’s because _________
[ ] he is a good actor. [X] he loves his neighbour. [ ] he is a vegetarian.
6. That’s because _________
[X] he has no problem.
[ ] he has no children.
[ ] he has no work to do.
Speak Well
Roleplay the following situations :
1. Imagine you are Mother in this story. Tell Father what you think of your children, Nick and Joe.
Answer: “Oh, they are such sweet and thoughtful boys. I feel so incredibly guilty for reacting poorly to Nick’s gift initially. They worked so hard just to buy me something, and it shows how much they care about my well-being.”
2. Imagine you are Father in this story. Tell your friends what role you played on Mother’s Day.
Answer: “When my wife misunderstood Nick’s practical gift and got upset, I had to step in. I demonstrated how the mop and wringer worked, showing her that Nick bought it so she wouldn’t have to hurt her knees or ruin her hands anymore. I helped her see the love behind the gift.”
3. Imagine you are Nick. Tell Joe what you have planned to give Mother as a gift on Mother’s Day and why.
Answer: “Joe, I’ve decided to buy Mother a new scrub pail with a wringer and a fresh mop. I see how hard she works scrubbing the floors on her hands and knees every day, and this will make her chores so much easier and save her from pain.”
4. Imagine you are Joe. Tell your friends why you did not give your mother the gift you had bought for her.
Answer: “I bought her a beautiful comb with shiny stones, but after seeing how emotional the situation got with Nick’s practical gift, I realized giving her my fancy gift right then would have overshadowed Nick’s and made him feel terrible. So, I decided to keep it hidden for now.”
- Write Well
- 1. You’re in the car park. Go out of the car park and turn left. Walk along Main Street until you come to Raka’s Supermarket on the corner. Turn right here, and it’s the third building on the left.Which building is it?
- Answer: It is the Post Office.
2. You’re in Raka’s Supermarket. Go out of the supermarket and turn left. Walk past the cinema and the post office; then go over the bridge, over the river. Turn left after the bridge and take the second road on the right. It’s a big building on your left.
- Which building is it?
- Answer: It is Hotel Plaza.
3. Now write the directions for these two men :
- (i) He is at the station and wants to go to University Bookshop.
- Answer: Go straight out of the Station onto Station Road, then turn right onto Main Street. Walk past the Department Store and Police Station. At the corner where the University is, turn left. Walk past the University and the Sports Shop. The University Bookshop is the next building on your left.
- (ii) He is at Hotel Plaza and wants to go to the station.
- Answer: Go out of Hotel Plaza and head west on the road, then turn left to head south toward the river. Cross the bridge over River Suse. Walk straight west past the Post Office, Odeon Cinema, and Raka’s Supermarket. Turn left at the corner onto Main Street. Walk straight down Main Street until you reach Station Road. The Station will be right in front of you.