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The form of market represented in the given paragraph is oligopoly. 

Following are the three features of oligopoly : 

1. Few firms – Few firms mean either only a few firms in number or a few big firms producing most of the output of the industry. The exact number of firms is not defined. The word ‘few’ signifies that the number of firms is manageable enough to make a guess of the likely reactions of rival by a firm. 

2. Barriers to the entry of firms – The main reason why the number of firms is small is that there are barrieres which prevent entry of firms into industry. Patents, large capital, control over the crucial raw materials etc., prevent new firms from entering into industry. Only those who are able to cross these barriers are able to enter. 

3. Non-price competition – Firms try to avoid price competition for the fear of price war. They use other methods like advertising, better services to customers, etc. to compete with each other.

Principles of management help in fulfilling social responsibility by responding to the demands of the public.

Demonetisation means an economic policy of the government under which a specified currency note ceases to be a legal tender.

Through mental revolution, Taylor wanted to communicate that there should be a complete transformation in the attitude of workers and management towards each other and they should work together for organisational goals.

The features of Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) and National Savings Certificate (NSC) are compared in the table below

PPF Advantages: 

i. Deposit qualifies for tax rebate. 

ii. Interest earned is tax free. 

iii. Loans may be awaited between 3^rd to 6^th financial year

PPF Disadvantages: 

i. Long term scheme 

ii. Poor liquidity (Pre mature withdrawal is from 7^th year) 

iii. Pre mature closure is allowed only after 5 year.

Factors which are considered while starting a business are 

(i) Selection of line of business: The first thing to be decided by any entrepreneur of a new business is the nature and type of business to be undertaken. He will obviously like to enter that branch of industry and commerce, which has the possibility of greater amount of profits. 

(ii) Size of the firm: Size of the firm or scale of its operation is another important decision to be taken at the start of the business. If the entrepreneur is confident that the demand for the proposed product is likely to be good over time, he can arrange the necessary capital for business and start a large scale business, else, a small scale business is justified. 

(iii) Choice of form of ownership: A business organisation may either be s sole proprietorship, partnership or a company. The choice of the suitable form of ownership will depend on such factors as the line of business, capital requirements, liability of owners, division of profit, legal formalities etc. 

(iv) Location of business enterprise: An important factor to be considered at the start of the business is the place where the enterprise will be located. Any mistake in this regard can result in high cost of production, inconvenience in getting right kind of production inputs. 

(v) Financing the proposition: Financing is concerned with providing the necessary capital for starting as well as for continuing the proposed business. Capital is required for investment in fixed assets like land, building, machinery and equipment. 

(vi) Physical facilities: Availability of machines and equipment, building and supportive services is a very important factor for starting of the business. The decision relating to this factor will depend on the nature and size of business, availability of funds and the process of production. 

(vii) Plant layout: The entrepreneur should draw a layout plan showing the arrangement of machines and equipment needed to manufacture a product. 

(viii) Competent and committed workforce: Since an entrepreneur cannot handle all the operations of a business himself, he must ascertain the requirement of skilled and unskilled workforce and managerial staff. 

(ix) Tax planning: since the tax laws and regulations impact the working of an enterprise, the entrepreneur must in advance consider the various tax liabilities and their impact on business decisions.

Problems of Small scale industries in India: 

(a) Lack of Finance: It is a huge problem faced by these industries. They have little capital at their disposal. They generally suffer from lack of working capital. They do not have the credit worthiness to borrow from banks. Hence, have to depend on local money lenders, who exploit them. 

(b) Difficulty in procurement of raw materials: They do not have the bargaining power and they cannot buy in bulk, which may force them to compromise on the quality of raw materials or pay a high price for them. Moreover, there is scarcity of extractive raw materials, which harms their operations. 

(c) Difficulty in maintaining the standards of quality: Due to lack of resources to spend on acquiring or upgrading technology and skills. They generally concentrate on cost cutting and keeping prices low. 

(d) Lack of managerial skills: Since the business is generally operated by a single person, he may not have all the skills to run a business. Moreover, they cannot afford to hire professionals in different functional areas. 

(e) Lack of marketing skills and resources: They may face lack of information on the latest customer needs and requirements. There is too much dependence on middlemen for selling their produce who in turn exploit them. 

(f) Lack of skilled staff and labour: Business cannot employ talented managerial staff or labour due to scarcity of funds. Moreover, they may not be able to pay high salaries which may affect the willingness of the staff to perform. The labour turnover remains high and productivity is low. 

(g) Under utilisation of capacity: Due o lack of demand the firms operate at below their capacity, thus increasing their production costs. Over a period of time, it may lead to sickness and closure of unit. 

(h) Unable to match Global competition: In the era of globalization, liberlisation and privatization, small units are unable to face competition from multinationals due to the MNC’s giant size and business volumes. They cannot match the technology, skills, financial resources, standards and quality of global firms. Also lack of knowledge of export procedures and not meeting ISO 9000 parameters, limits their access to international markets.

Special schemes for developing Industries in Rural, Backward and Hilly areas (Incentives) 

(a) Priority financing: Under this scheme, commercial banks provide loans on priority basis to industries falling under priority sector. Commercial banks are required to meet financing needs of priority sector by reserving specified amount of loanable funds for this sector. Besides commercial banks, co-operative banks, regional rural banks, KVIC and State Financial Corporation advance loans to small business operating in rural, backward and hilly areas on priority basis. 

(b) Lower Interest rates and easy Repayment of Loans: Loans provided to priority sector attract lower interest rates along with easy instalments of loan repayment as compared to loans advanced to other sectors. 

(c) Provision of land and industrial sheds: Government provides land and industrial sheds for industrial purpose at concessional rates. 

(d) Establishment of Industrial Estates: These estates have all the facilities which are required by industrial units. 

(e) Development of Infrastructure: Government has developed infrastructure like roads, transportation, communication, power and banking facilities. Power and water is supplied at a concessional rate of 50 percent or at no cost for certain initial years. 

(f) Tax benefits: The central government has provided various tax benefits which include tax holidays for 5 to 10 years. Besides, the concerned State Government provides various tax benefits like no Value added Tax (VAT), no octroi duty and other local taxes for specified period.

The significance of the Civil Disobedience Movement:

(i) The Civil Disobedience Movement launched against the arrival of the Simon Commission. This continues between 1930-34.

(ii) Complete Independence was the main aim of Civil Disobedience Movement which formulated this demand in the Lahore session.

(iii) It was full-fledged mass movement.

(iv) Mahatma Gandhi started the famous Salt March.

(v) On 6th April, he ceremonially violated the law, manufacturing salt by boiling sea water.

(vi) This marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Telecom services are of following types : 

(a) Fixed Line Telephone: It is a non-portable two way communication device both for short distance and long distance including overseas locations. 

(b) Cellular Phone: It is a cordless mobile communication device which facilitates two way communication in a wide geographical area. Cellular phone may be used for voiced message as well as for non-voiced message, known as Short Message Service(SMS) 

(c) Radio Paging Services: They are one way information broadcasting services, having far and wide reach. They are cost effective way of transmitting information to people while they are on the move. 

(d) Cable Services: They are linkages and switched services within a specified licensed area to operate media services which are essentially one-way and entertainment related services. 

(e) VSAT Services: Very Small Aperture Terminal is a satellite based communication service. It offers very reliable and uninterrupted communication services. It can ne used to provide innovative services such as newspapers on line, market rates, etc.

(f) DTH Services: Direct to Home service is a satellite based service which is received through a satellite with the help of a small dish antenna and set top box. The service provider provides an array of multiple channels.

Factors affecting dividend decision are: 

(i) Stability of earnings. A company having a stable growth in the earning pay regular dividend than a company with unstable earnings. 

(ii) Growth opportunities. Companies retain some money out of their earnings to finance their future investment and expansion requirements. Thus, if a company foresees any growth opportunity, the dividend declared is smaller. 

(iii) Cash flow position. Payment of dividend involves an outflow of cash. Availability of liquid cash should be ensured before declaring dividend. 

(iv) Taxation policy. The taxation policy of government affects the dividend decisions in two ways: 

(a) The tax rate on net profit of business affect the amount of dividend declared by the company. Higher is the tax rate lower will be the dividend. 

(b) The dividend policy of the firm is also influenced by the tax status of the shareholders. If dividend income is taxable, shareholders will prefer bonus shares/capital gain instead of dividend.

Although the main objective of business is to earn profit but it is not be the sole objective of business. Business has many other objectives to accomplish. 

Objectives to be fulfilled by business other that profits are:

1. Quality goods and Services at Reasonable Prices: A business has to provide quality goods and services at reasonable price. The price of goods and services should not be too high. A business should add reasonable profit to the cost of goods and services.

2. Generation of Employment and providing good working condition: It must be the prime objective of business to create employment opportunities and good working condition to be provided to the employees in the organisation which help in accomplishment of business goal in efficient manner.

3. Avoid Unfair Trade Practices: A business must avoid unfair trade practices. It include adulteration, making false claim in advertisement and many others. It should be the objective of business to earn profit with fair trade practices.

4. Swachh Bharat: Business objective include contribution of business towards Swachh Bharat. A business should take every care in making the country pollution free.

5. Payment of Taxes: A business organisation should pay tax honestly. 

Business may be defined as an economic activity involving the production and sale of goods and services undertaken with a motive of earning profit by satisfying human needs in society. Business is considered to be an economic activity because it is undertaken with the aim of earning money or livelihood and not because of any sentimental reason like love, affection or sympathy.

c) Deducted from capital account in the balance sheet

Working Capital requirement of the 'Indian logistics' will be high as they will need more man power and other resources to manage these warehouses.

Demonetisation created inconvenience for the public due to cash crunch.

Following are the principles of scientific management followed by the Production Manager in the given case 

1. Science, not rule of thumb – Taylor believed that there was one best method of maximising efficiency. This method could be developed through study and analysis. The method so developed should substitute the “Rule of Thumb” through the organisation. Scientific method involves investigation of traditional methods through work study, unifying the best practices and develop¬ing a standard method which would follow throughout the organisation. This can result in tremendous saving of time and materials. 

2. Development of efficiency and prosperity – Scientific management requires development of each and every person to his greatest efficiency and prosperity. Scientific management emphasises the need for training to workers. Each person should be scientifically selected and should be given required training. This will ensure their greatest efficiency and prosperity for both company and workers.

Following is the technique of scientific management followed by the Production Manager in the given case: 

Method study – Method study means a technique which involves the critical examination of plant layout, product design, material handling and work process. Method study is related to methods of performing of a job. The purpose of method study is to keep the production costs to the minimum by a proper mixture of resources. Method study includes all activities from procurement of raw materials till the final product is delivered to the customer.

Following are the factors that affect the fixed capital requirements of a company : 

1. Nature of business – A trading concern needs lower fixed capital since it does not require to purchase plant and machinery etc. A manufacturing concern would require heavy investment in fixed assets to purchase plant and machinery etc. 

2. Growth prospects – If an organisation expects higher growth prospects, it will require higher investment in fixed assets to create higher capacity of production. 

3. Diversification – More fixed capital will be required in case of companies which have diversity of production lines as compared to companies which do not have much of diversification. 

4. Level of collaboration – If some business organisations share each other’s facilities, these organisations will require lesser fixed capital. If there is no collaboration, an organisation will require more fixed capital to rim its business smoothly. 

5. Technology upgradation – Some assets such as computers become obsolete faster and are replaced much sooner than other fixed assets say furniture. Thus, such organisations which use assets which are prone to obsolescence require higher fixed capital to purchase such assets.

1. Training and development is the step of the staffing process regarding which the company decided to take action. 

2. Training and development offers following benefits to Moga Industries Ltd :

• Lesser cost of production – Training and development reduces cost of production in the sense that trained employees will be able to make much better and economical use of material and machines than untrained employees.
• Higher profits – Training and development makes the employees more efficient and the productivity of employees increases which leads to higher revenue and lower costs. In this way training ensures higher profits.
• Employee development – Training and development makes the employees aware of new, improved and advanced knowledge and skills. This enables them to take more challenging jobs and to take position of future managers in case of emergency. 
• Adaptation – Now-a-days, rapid changes are taking place in economic and technological environment of the business. Training and development keeps the employees in touch with latest changes and developments.
• Lesser employee turnover – Training and development creates a feeling among the employees that they are being properly cared for. This increases employee morale and reduces employees’ turnover.

(i) Training and Development.

(ii) Benefits of training to ‘Moga Industries Ltd.’ :

(a) It avoids wastage of efforts and money as training is systematic learning, better than hit and trial methods.

(b) It enhances employee productivity both in terms of quantity and quality leading to higher profits.

(c) It equips the future manager to take over in an emergency.

(d) It reduces employees’ turnover as it increases employee morale and reduces absenteeism.

(e) It helps in obtaining effective response in a fast changing environment

Detailed Answer :

(i) Training and Development.

(ii) Benefits of Training to 'Moga Industries ltd are’ :

(a) Systematic learning process : In the absence of training proper, employees use hit and trial methods to perform the tasks assigned to them which lead to wastage of resources and efforts. With the help of training, employes learn the systematic way of doing specific jobs.

(b) Enhances productivity : Systematic processes help employees to perform tasks efficiently and effectively leading to increased productivity and improved performance.

(c) Develops future managers : Training improves managerial skills amongst employees, enabling them to manage enterprise in case of emergency.

(d) Reduces absenteeism and employee turnover : With effective training, employees are able to improve their performance which results in increasing their confidence and job satisfaction. This not only helps in reducing their absenteeism but also brings stability leading to reduced turnover.

(e) Adapting to changing environment : Training programmes aim to upgrade employees' knowledge and skills enabling them to respond positively to the economic and technological changes in the business environment.

(a) Training and Development.

(b) Benefits of Training to 'Moga Industries ltd are' :

(i) Systematic learning process: In the absence of training proper employees use hit and trial methods to perform the tasks assigned to them which lead to wastage of resources and efforts. With the help of training, employes learn the systematic way of doing specific jobs.

(ii) Enhances productivity: Systematic processes help employees to perform tasks efficiently and effectively leading to increased productivity and improved performance.

(iii) Develops future managers: Training improves managerial skills amongst employees, enabling them to manage enterprise in case of emergency.

(iv) Reduces absenteeism and employee turnover: With effective training, employees are able to improve their performance which results in increasing their confidence and job satisfaction. This not only helps in reducing their absenteeism but also brings stability leading to reduced turnover.

(v) Adapting to changing environment: Training programmes aim to upgrade employees' knowledge and skills enabling them to respond positively to the economic and technological changes in the business environment.

(i) Author of The Story of my Life 

(ii) Deaf and Blind due to childhood illness.

(iii) Capability to work tirelessly 

(iv) Educate public about rights and needs of people with disability. 

(v) Expressive person 

(vi) Discover pleasure in simplest things

Miss Anne Sullivan can rightly be called Anne's guide, mentor and teacher. She brought about a sleeping change in Helen's life and made her feel that there was an immeasurably contrast between her two lives - before and after the arrival of Miss Sullivan. She made her transcend her physical barriers. She taught her to communicate by spellings the words on her hands with her fingers. Her angelic touch, meticulous planning, deep commitment worked wonders for Helen. She started understanding the world in a better way and developed an optimistic approach towards life. Learning was made playful by the instructional and innovative ideas of Miss Sullivan. All the subjects whether it was History or Geography or Zoology or Botany were made easier by Anne Sullivan's teaching in play - way manner. Helen never felt that she was being educated. Rather she believed that she was a little mass of possibilities which were unfolded and developed by Miss Sullivan. Helen felt that before her education, she was like a ship without compass or sounding line and had no way of knowing how near the harbor was but Anne Sullivan's advent in her life took away all the bitterness from her life and brought a fresh breeze of joy and love in the life of Helen.

Mr. Vann Dann was a pessimist who shifted to the Secret Annexe with Otto Frank as it was the ideal place for hiding. He was a good friend and a business partner of Mr. Frank as well. He was a stereo typical man who always fought with his wife and later tried to pacify her. He would never give up if he got the opportunity to fight with anyone. He was a chain-smoker who worried much about his stock of smoking. He was short-tempered often shouted at his wife and son Peter, though he behaved well with Anne occasionally. He is rarely mentioned in Anne's diary but wherever he's mentioned, he is found either swallowing up the food or fighting with someone, especially his wife. But he had a good knowledge of political affairs and was always found glued to the TV for latest updates.

Despite being so young, the boys were empathetic and possessed human values. They faced all odds to fulfill their duties.

Detailed Answer:

The two boys, Jacopo and Nicola were empathetic and possessed human values. They faced all odds to fulfill their duties. The narrator was deeply touched by the devotion of Jacopo and Nicola towards their work. They did not resort to any shortcut methods. They had self-respect and were highly secretive in not revealing their personal problems to strangers. Their love and care for their sister also touched the narrator. He realized that these two boys were the embodiment of selflessness, nobility, and gentlemanliness. They gave promise of a greater hope for the human society. In the days full of a variety of disasters and distractions faced by the humans, the two boys stood apart to show him hope, faith, positive thinking. He knew that their hard work would take them a long way.

Ravi was a 13 year-old child who was kidnapped in Delhi. He tried to escape and was successful but he found himself helpless in Bangalore. He was hungry and tired. He was starving and could do anything for food, but still he didn’t know what to do, so he decided to steal some food. While strolling around for food he reached Kabir’s house. Kabir was a local politician and so had tight security outside his house. But hunger forced the boy to enter the house stealthily. As he carefully escaped all the security, he reached the kitchen. It was empty but the aroma of the prepared food added to his hunger. He carefully made his way and got his hands on the food. At that very instant a servant saw the little thief. He snatched Ravi and dragged him to Kabir. The little boy was shouting and crying and pleading to let him go. The entire security force had gathered. They decided to hand him over to police when Kabir realised that he was not a thief as he did not steal money but food. He listened patiently to the boys story, got the kidnappers arrested and sent him to his parents in Delhi.

Vidyanjali Public School 

Lucknow 

5 October 20XX 

The Director 

National Science Centre 

Lucknow 

Subject : Enquiry regarding New Batch 

Sir 

With reference to your advertisement in 'The Times of India' dated 3 October 20XX related to new batches of 'Astronomy Club', I would like to join your batch starting from the coming fortnight. It would be appreciable if you furnish me following details of the batches : 

(i) Duration of the Course. 

(ii) Fee structure o Transportation

(iii) Venue where the classes will be held

(iv) Various projects and activities covered in the class. 

I will be thankful to you if you send the details at the earliest so that I can make necessary arrangements for joining the classes. 

Thanking you 

Yours sincerely 

Samkit

The Pig and the Cow

A wealthy man complained to his fast friend: “People despise me. They say I’m selfish and stingy. And yet in my last will and testament I have donated all that I own to charitable cause.” He could not understand why the people of the world judged him so unfairly. His friend said: “Well, I hope the story of the cow and the pig may teach you a lesson.” The pig came to the cow and complained: “People always say that you are amiable and friendly. I know you are amicable and pacific, you do give them milk.

But they get much, much more from me. I provide them with ham, bacon and lard and they even bake my feet. But everyone despises me. To all of them, I am just a pig, a hog. I fail to understand the reason.” She was pained at the double standards used by the people of this world. The cow brooded over the question and replied thoughtfully: “Perhaps it’s because I give while I am still alive!”. The pig realised the difference and never complained again. People judge you on what you do when you are alive and not what you do after death.

Learn and Earn

Chuan and Jing joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. Both were sincere workers and worked very hard. After some years, Jing was promoted to Sales Executive but Chuan remained a Sales Representative. One day Chuan got exasperated. He could not pocket this humiliation and tendered resignation to the boss. He complained the boss that he did not value hard working staff, but only preferred flatterers. The boss knew that Chuan worked very hard for years. But in order to make Chuan realize the difference between him and Jing, the boss asked Chuan to go and find out anyone selling watermelon in the market. Chuan returned happily and informed the boss that he found the watermelon seller. The boss enquired the rate of watermelon per kg. Chuan went back to the market to ask and returned to inform the boss the Rs.12 per kg. Boss told Chuan, I will ask Jing the same question. Jing went, returned and informed that only one person was selling watermelon in the market at the rate of Rs 12 per kg, Rs 100 for 10 kg. He had displayed 58 melons; every melon weighed about 15 kg. He bought these melons from the South two days ago. They were fresh, red, and good in quality. Chuan felt impressed and realized the difference between himself and Jing. He decided not to resign but to learn from Jing.

'Fake pride ends up in misery'. Vanity always leads to the downfall of a person. This statement truly fits on the character of Mrs. Packletide.

Value Points :

(i) Women belonging to upper class of society try to showoff.

(ii) They become subject of mockery and sometimes they need to pay a handsome amount

(iii) Mrs Packletide wants to overshadow Loona Bimberton so as to satisfy her vanity by killing a tiger

(iv) In the end she had to face financial losses.

(v) She was blackmailed by Miss. Mebbin.

Detailed Answer :

Mrs. Packletide was a jealous and materialistic lady. She was been portrayed as envious and vain. The statement 'fake pride ends up in misery' fits on her character. She belong to upper class society where people try to show off and consequently, become subjects of mockery. In this story Mrs. Packletide wanted to overshadow Loona Bimberton who talked of nothing else but her recent travel in an aeroplane by an Algerian Aviator. She decided to kill a tiger just to satisfy her vanity. She offered thousand rupees to the villagers to arrange the shooting of a tiger where less risk or exertion is arranged. The villagers readily agreed to help her. The night arrived when the killing was to be done. 

A goat was tethered to a tree to act as a bait. They waited for sometime and then they saw a tiger approaching the goat. Mrs. Packletide aimed at him and fired. Both, the goat and the tiger fell down. Miss Mebbin noticed that the mortal wound was on the goat and the tiger had died of heart failure. She told Miss Mebbin that Loona Bimberton would be too happy to know, about this fact. Mrs. Packletide got the point. She realised that she had to do something so that Miss Mebbin didn't give her away. She bought her a weekend cottage at Darking. She had to face financial losses and in the end gave up hunting as 'incidental expenses' were too heavy. It was only her pride to show others her superiority that led to financial loss. Thus, the statement 'pride goes before a fall' is justified.

Anne's family lived a life full of anxieties as their relatives in Germany were suffering under Hitler s anti-Jewish laws. In 1938, her uncles (mother's brothers) fled from Germany and took refuge in North America whereas their elderly grandmother, aged seventy-three came to live with them. 

Trouble started for the Jews after May 1940 as a series of anti-Jewish decrees restricted their freedom. According to the Germans, Jews were required to wear a yellow star, forbidden to use street-cars, they could not even own or ride a car. Their shopping times was fixed between 3 P.m. and 5 p.m. They were allowed only to go to the Jews schools or to the Jews shops. 

Anne was not happy with these restrictions. She felt that laws were unjust and unfair. She was unable to understand about this discrimination. Gradually she accepted these restrictions as a Part of life in Amsterdam. But life is not a bed of roses. To make the matter worse, they received a call-up-notice that they would be shifted to concentration camps. The condition in these camps was not good as people were forced to live under inhumane conditions. Otto Frank, after consulting some of his friends, decided to go into hiding in the secret Annexe, Anne was not happy at the turn that life had taken. She had bitter feelings now. She felt herself, a song bird without wings' and a bundle of contradictions.

Saroj, a seventeen year-old-girl, was going to Kolkata to appear in an entrance–exam. She boarded a train and occupied her seat. She was nervous as she was going all alone to Kolkata for the first time. Her uncle lived there and had promised to meet her at the station. The train left the station at the right time. She waved goodbye to her parents and looked around in her compartment. There were not many passengers that day. She started looking out of the window. Everyone settled after some time. The train gathered speed and suddenly a group of youngsters pushed in. They were six in number. All of them seemed to be ruffians and they looked threatening. There was a sudden silence in the compartment. The passengers were sensing hostility in the youngsters who were looking at all corners of the compartment, perhaps having a look at the passengers. Everyone was scared. The look on the faces of these youngsters made the passengers scared. They were alarmed and were expecting something bad to happen. Then all of them scattered in the whole compartment and took their seats. They were talking loudly to each other. Soon the next station arrived. The train stopped there for two minutes and then started moving at a slow speed. Suddenly someone screamed. The youngsters rushed towards the gate and enquired what had happened. A lady was crying bitterly. She told them that her four-year-daughter had been left behind at the station. One of them pulled the chain while the other jumped down. It was risky but he didn’t care. He fell down but got up and ran at full speed. Meanwhile the train had stopped. After five minutes, people could see that young man coming towards the compartment holding a little girl‘s finger. He handed the girl to her mother and the train moved again. The woman was grateful to the young man. She had no words to thank him. And people sitting in the compartment were feeling remorseful for thinking bad about those men. The train picked up speed and everyone was normal again.

It was a pleasant day. The birds were chirping and the sky was clear. Ravi and his friends decided to go on a picnic. They packed their food and planned to go to a nearby river, to do some boating, have fun and then they would came back. When they reached the place, they noticed many people had come there. They decided to hire a boat. The people advised them to take an experienced boatman with them, but they refused saying that they would handle the situation as they were eight in number. Soon their boat left the bank. Ravi put his hand in the river water enjoying the feel of water through his fingers. Suddenly it grew dark. They decided to turn back as they had gone very far away in the river but on the way back, they were hit by a rain storm. They did not know what to do. Suddenly, out of nowhere came a high wave which over turned their boat. They all fell into the water. They were scared. They–tried to scream and call for help, but no words would come out of their mouths. Two of them knew how to swim. They started helping two others and brought them out of the water. But when they jumped again, they could see only Ravi and Mohit. Their friends Suresh and Vimal were nowhere in sight. They were shocked. They helped Ravi and Mohit also come out of water. By this time, someone had informed the rescue team about the drowning of two youngsters. The rescue workers came into action and dived into the river water. They searched for two hours but could not find the two boys. Ravi and his friends were very sad as their number had reduced to szix. They walked back home with a heavy heart.

Value Points:

(i) Always respect the feelings of others.

(ii) We must not disrespect and contempt the feelings of others.

(iii) In this chapter Coachman Ali's daughter got married and left him.

(iv) At this moment he understands the meaning of love and separation, which he doesn't when he was a clever hunter.

(v) Everyone in the post office laugh at him/ mock at him.

(vi) Postmaster also behaves rudely with him and at times he call him 'a pest'.

(vii) When he suffers with the same suffering and pain, he realizes his mistakes and regrets for his bad act.

(viii) Then he wishes to help Ali.

Detailed Answer :

The statement 'only the bearer knows where the shoe pinches' relates aptly to the story 'The letter', which is a good example of the Karma theory. We should always respect the feelings of others and not disrespect and contempt the feeling of others. In 'The Letter' the protagonist', Ali's daughter got married and left him. His life turned over a new leaf. The man (Ali) who was a skilful hunter changed his way of life and waited day in and day out for a letter from Miriam, his daughter. He went to the postoffice everyday where the postmaster and the postmen made fun of him". They called him a pest. But a day came, when the postmaster's daughter got ill. He also went through the same pain when he waited for his daughter's letter. He realised Ali's anguish and pain. He regretted for having made fun of Ali. He wished to help Ali. So when finally one day Miriam's letter arrived, the postmaster went with Lakshmi Das, the clerk, to deliver the letter on his grave. Realisation came late to the postmaster but the shoe really pinched him when he himself went through the same pain and suffering which Ali had undergone.

Shakuntala and Dushyanta

Shakuntala was the adopted daughter of the sage Kanava. She grew up as a very beautiful girl. She played with the deer and a number of female friends in the jungle. One day King Dushyanta was out for hunting. He was chasing a beautiful deer. It was Shakuntala’s deer. It ran back to her hut. The king caught sight of Shakuntala. He took a fancy for her. He decided to marry her. Kanava consented to the marriage. After the marriage, the king went back to his palace. Before departing, he gave a ring and promised to come back soon to take her away. He went back and got busy in the affairs of his state. He totally forgot about his marriage with Shakuntala. Poor Shakuntala waited and waited for the king but he never came back. She gave birth to a son and named him Bharat. Shakuntala went to see the king with her son. The king didn’t listen to her story. He thought it was a made-up story. Shakuntala wanted to show the ring. But it was no longer on her finger. She had lost it while bathing in a river. She came back disappointed. A fisherman came to the king and handed over the ring to him. The king was reminded of his marriage. He at once sent for Shakuntala. Both of them were received warmly by the king and lived happily with him in his palace. When Dushyant died, Bharat ruled over India. He was a just and wise king.

            THE LOST CHILD 

Jasmine, Ali and two other friends decided to go an a picnic to a beach. They packed their bags and u,ere quite excited. They reached the picnic spot and came across a small child who was crying. Jasmine stopped there and asked the little boy why she was crying. The boy did not answer back but kept on crying. Ali suggested that they should look for his parents. They looked around but couldn't find anyone who would come and say that he belonged to them. There was a great rush on the beach because it was a holiday. Jasmine carried the child in her lap and they went towards the enquiry room. When they entered the room, two men were sitting there. Jasmine told them everything and requested them to make an announcement. The two men agreed immediately. They told Jasmine and Ali to sit and wait till someone came to take the boy. Ali asked the boy his name. He told them that his name was Mayank and he had come to spend their holiday on the beach. Mayank was calm now. He might have realised that he was in safe hands, though fear could still be seen on his face. We waited for half an hour there. Then a couple came there. Both of them were dead scared. But when they saw Mayank, tears started flouring down their eves. Mayank, too, ran towards them and hugged them one by one. He was also crying but this time, the tears were of happiness. 

The couple thanked us and offered us some reward which we refused saying that it was our duty to help tire little boy. They went away and we also walked towards the beach, quite happy and satisfied.

(a) travel 

(b) into 

(c) what 

(d) of 

(e) succeeded

                   Mission Successful 

On October 4, we all were decorating our house to celebrate the most long awaited festival, Diwali. My heart was filled with excitement to meet my father after a long gap of six years, but a call from the army headquarter left us stunned. 

Through the call we were informed that my father had been sent with the troops to the border as enemy invasion was expected during the festival. My father had been given the charge of the mission. I didn't know how to react. I was terror-stricken for the worst might happen but deep within, I had a feeling of pride that my father was there to protect us all. I prayed to God to make the mission successful. 

The whole day, we all were glued to the television set listening to the news. In the evening, there was the new's that my, father and his battalion had defeated the enemy. We were sad because many of our soldiers had laid their lives for tire safety and security of the countrymen. We had our food after a day-long gap as our hunger had left us. The moment we were informed, we all were very happy to get the news of the successful army mission. 

We received another phone-call in the evening. I ran towards the phone, I picked up the phone and was in tears when father wished me, 'Happy Diwali'. It was indeed a 'Happy Diwali' though my father was miles away from me, yet I was happy and contented only after talking to him on phone. He informed me that he would be with us at the end of the month. I broke the news to my mother who snatched the phone from me to talk to my father O! How elated I was ! I just thought' All is well that ends well.' 

                             The Lost Child 

Jasmine, Ali and two other friends decided to go an a picnic to a beach. They packed their bags and were quite excited. They reached the picnic spot and came across a small child who was crying. 

Jasmine stopped there and asked the little boy why he was crying. The boy did not answer back but kept on crying. Ali suggested that they should look for his parents. They looked around but couldn't find anyone who would come and say that he belonged to them. There was a great rush on the beach because it was a holiday. Jasmine carried the child in her lap and they went towards the enquiry room. When they entered the room. two men were sitting there. Jasmine told them everything and requested them to make an announcement. The two men agreed immediately. They told them that his name was Mayank and he had come to spend their holiday on the beach. Mayank was calm now. He might have realised that he was in safe hands, though fear could still be seen on his face. We waited for half an hour there. Then a couple came there. Both of them were dead scared. But when they saw Mayank, tears started flowing down their eyes. Mayank, too, ran towards them and hugged them one by one. He was also crying but his time, the tears were of happiness. 

The couple thanked us and offered us some reward which we refused saying that it was our duty to help the little boy. They went away and we also walked towards the beach, quite happy and satisfied.

“Truth always pays”, were the words that were implanted in Shyam’s mind by his mother. He never ever got to face a dilemma in this philosophical context except once. Once he needed money to throw a party for his friends, but he found that the money that his parents had given him was very less. Little did he know as a child, So he asked for money on loan from an acquaintance. He didn’t realize at that moment that he was to be trapped soon. Day by day, the interest on the money increased and the four hundred rupees increased to ten thousand. He was being threatened daily to pay the money. So he decided to inform his parents. He was scolded by his father and he thought that he had invited trouble for himself. But his parents cleared his debts. He was very upset and thought that he shouldn’t have told them. But one day his mind was changed completely. He heard of a killing in a neighbouring house that took place only because of monetary affairs. He then realised that no matter how much he was scolded, one truth had actually saved his life. He learnt the lesson that truth is always better in the long run.

                           Tit for Tat 

In a forest, there lived an elephant who was very naughty. He always indulged in mischievous behaviour like throwing water on other animals, threatening to trample the smaller animals, if they did not listen to what he said and so on. 

One day, he met a baby giraffe who had lost his way in the forest and was crying. The elephant helped him in finding his mother and they both became good friends. Now the inhabitants of the forest were scared of the two animals–the elephant and the giraffe because the giraffe always accompanied the elephant. 

One fine morning, a saint passed through that forest. He loved the peace and calmness of that place and decided to stay there. He was very happy among the chirping of birds in the morning, the pleasant and pure air etc. The giraffe and the elephant also heard about his home and came to that place. They saw that the saint was busy in his prayers with his eyes closed. They broke the branches of the trees under which he was sitting. The saint didn’t pay any attention to them. They started throwing the utensils and clothes from the saints’ hut. Even then he didn’t say anything, this was too much for both the animals. The elephant went to the river and came back with water. Meanwhile, the giraffe broke leaves from the trees. Then they both started disturbing the saint by throwing water and leaves on him. The saint became very annoyed. He opened his eyes and saw both the animals. Then, in a rage, he cursed the elephant to live with a long trunk and the giraffe with a long neck. Both the animals got scared. They begged the saint to take back his curse but he didn’t. Since then, the elephant has had a long trunk and the giraffe – a long neck.

                   Mission Successful 

On October 4, we all were decorating our house to celebrate the most long awaited festival, Diwali. My heart was filled with excitement to meet my father after a long gap of six years. But a call from the army headquarter left us stunned. 

Through the call we were informed that my father had been sent with the troops to the border as enemy invasion was expected during the festival. My father had been given the charge of the mission. I didn't know how to reach. I was terror-stricken for the worst might happen but deep within, I had a feeling of pride that my father was there to protect us all. I prayed to God to make the mission successful. 

The whole day, we all were glued to the television set listening to the news. In the evening, there was the news that my father and his battalion had defeated the enemy. We were sad because many of our soldiers had laid their lives for the safety and security of the countrymen. We had our food after a day-long gap as our hunger had left us. The moment we were informed, we all were very happy to get the news of the successful army mission. 

We received another phone-call in the evening. I ran towards the phone, I picked up the phone and was in tears when father wished me, 'Happy Diwali'. It was indeed a 'Happy Diwali' though my father was miles away from me, yet I was happy ad contented only after talking to him on phone. He informed me that he would be with us at the end of the month. I broke the news to my mother who snatched the phone from me to talk to my father O! How elated I was! I just thought 'All is well that ends well'.

Tit for Tat In a forest, there lived an elephant who was very naughty. He always indulged in mischievous behaviour like throwing water on other animals, threatening to trample the smaller animals, if they did not listen to what he said and so on. 

One day, he met a baby giraffe who had lost his way in the forest and was crying. The elephant helped him in finding his mother and they both became good friends. Now the inhabitants of the forest were scared of the two animals–the elephant and the giraffe because the giraffe always accompanied the elephant. 

One fine morning, a saint passed through that forest. He loved the peace and calmness of that place and decided to stay there. He was very happy among the chirping of birds in the morning, the pleasant and pure air etc. The giraffe and the elephant also heard about his home and came to that place. They saw that the saint was busy in his prayers with his eyes closed. They broke the branches of the trees under which he was sitting. The saint didn’t pay any attention to them. They started throwing the utensils and clothes from the saints’ hut. Even then he didn’t say anything, this was too much for both the animals. The elephant went to the river and came back with water. Meanwhile, the giraffe broke leaves from the trees. Then they both started disturbing the saint by throwing water and leaves on him. The saint became very annoyed. He opened his eyes and saw both the animals. Then, in a rage, he cursed the elephant to live with a long trunk and the giraffe with a long neck. Both the animals got scared. They begged the saint to take back his curse but he didn’t. Since then, the elephant has had a long trunk and the giraffe – a long neck.

Sanjeev was a young boy of thirteen. He was an obedient child. But the teachers were observing a change in him. He had become restless these days and missed the school quite often. Sanjeev, in fact, had fallen into bad company. One day he was very upset, the reason being that the parent-teacher meeting which was scheduled to be held on the next day. He was very scared because he knew that the teachers would inform his parents that he had missed school. His father was a strict disciplinarian and Sanjeev knew that he would scold him. So he decided to misguide his parents. He cooked a story to tell his parents. That day he reached home late. When his mother asked him why he was late, he started crying and would not stop. After a few minutes, he settled down and started telling his mother the story he had already cooked. He told her that the day before, he had met a boy when he was going to the school. The little boy asked for some money as his mother was not well. Sanjeev did not have the money but felt like helping this little boy. So he went with him to that little boy‘s house. When he reached his home he saw that his old mother was bed-ridden. He sat near her and said a few kind words to her. The old lady smiled. The little boy asked him if Sanjeev would wait there till he came back with the medicine for his mother. Sanjeev agreed and the little boy went away. Sanjeev nursed the old lady in her son‘s absence. He forgot that he had to go to school. The lady was so sick. The little boy came back at 1 p.m. Then he came back home. He was feeling sorry not only for missing school, but also for not informing his parents earlier. Sanjeev‘s mother was listening to his story. She had realised that Sanjeev was telling a lie but decided to ask him after the parent-teacher meeting.

Sheena was enjoying her world of dreams when she heard a noise. She got up with a start and started listening to the sounds. She realised that the sounds were coming from the street. She ran outside her house and saw that a snake charmer was surrounded by a group of children. The children were very excited because the man was playing a tune and a black coloured snake was swaying his body to that tune. When the snake charmer stopped playing the music, the snake settled down into the basket where he was kept. People gave some coins to the snake charmer and went their way. 

Sheena kept standing there. She was attracted towards the three cane–baskets which the snake charmer was carrying in his bag. She pointed towards them and asked him what was there in those baskets. The man opened the baskets. Sheena saw that there were two more snakes. She was scared but was excited also. She told the snake charmer to come every day. The snake charmer smiled, lifted his bag and went to the next street. 

Sheena kept on waiting the whole day for the snake charmer, but he didn’t turn up for another few days. But one day she again heard the same tune near her window. She looked out of the window and saw the same charmer sitting outside with his snake, swaying to the tune played by him. She ran outside when the show was over, she asked him why he hadn’t come for so many days. The man smiled and told her that his son had not been keeping well and he had gone to the nearby city for his treatment. He also informed her that the treatment was quite expensive and that’s why he had come back again to collect some money. Sheena told him to wait there and ran inside to talk to her father who was a doctor. His father gave him a reference letter for the doctor treating his son. The snake charmer was very happy. Tears filled his eyes. He took the letter and went back home with a ray of hope in his eyes. Sheena kissed her father and went inside. She was glad that she had helped someone in his hour of need.

Lakshmi Das was one of the employees of the post-office. Convinced by his faith that he would receive a letter from his daughter, Ali gave Lakshmi Das five golden guineas to deliver the letter at his grave whenever it came, because he knew that his end was near.

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