A Hero
Question Answer
Let’s understand the text:
1. Swami was very much interested in the newspaper report about the brave village boy. What were Swami’s views?
Ans: Swami gave his opinion that it would be a boy but a grown up and strong person who fought with a tiger. For Swami it was impossible that a boy could fight with such dangerous animal.
2. Why did Swami’s father want him to sleep alone?
Ans: Swami’s father wanted to test his courage so he wanted him to sleep alone.
3. How did Swami react to his father’s proposal to sleep alone?
Ans: Swami got scared with the thought of sleeping alone. He was used with sleeping beside his grandmother and the very thought of sleeping alone trembled him.
4. How did Swami feel when he was left alone in his father’s office at night?
Ans: He felt sad and scared when he was left alone in his father’s office at night. He was pained and angry and he didn’t like the cruel act of his father.
5. What kind of dreams did he have while he was sleeping there?
Ans: He saw terrible kind of dreams that night. He saw a tiger was chasing him. His feet stuck to the ground. He tried hard to escape but his feet would not move; the tiger was at his back, and he could hear its claws scratch the ground.
6. Why did he wake up?
Ans: As his habit to feel his granny’s touch , he touched the wooden leg of the bench. When he moved to the edge of the bench, something was moving down. He was scared and he woke up.
7. What made Swami desperate?
Ans: Swami was sweating with fright and then he heard sound of something. He moved atthe edge of the bench andsaw that something was moving down. He was in horror and thought that it was his end so he became desperate.
8. What made him attack the burglar?
Ans: Swami trembled with fear thinking that the figure in the dark was a devil and he would end his life. Swami then came out from under the bench and hugged it and he bit it hard. This made the burglar cry in pain and then Swami’s father , cook and a servant came in carrying a light.
9. Suppose you were asked to describe Swami in a few words, how would you do it? Write the most appropriate answer.
a) Young, strong and brave.
b) Well-behaved and polite.
c) Disobedient, disrespectful and naughty.
d) Clever but not courageous.
Ans: d) Clever but not courageous
10. What did Swami dream in the office?
a) The devils came up and clutched at his throat.
b) A tiger chased him and he tried hard to escape but couldn’t.
c) As a devil came nearer he put his arms around the devil and held tightly.
Ans: b) A tiger chased him and he tried hard to escape but couldn’t.
Let’s understand the text better
(i) Discuss how Swamy felt being forced to sleep alone.
Ans: Swamy’s father wanted to test his courage and ordered him to sleep alone in his office. Swamy became scared at the very thought of sleeping alone.He was used to sleeping beside his grandmother. He was pained and angry. He didn’t like his father’s cruelty of doing such act. He felt cut off from the humanity.
(ii) How would you feel if you were made to sleep alone in a room? Do you share Swami’s feelings?
Ans: I would feel scared if I were made to sleep alone in a room. Yes, I share Swami’s feelings as I don’t have habit of sleeping alone.
(iii) How did Swami feel in the darkness?
Ans: Swami was terrified. He remembered all the stories of devils and ghosts he had heard. He felt nervous and was faint with fear.
(iv) Discuss Swami’s response to the movement in the darkness.
Ans: Swami was very much scared of the darkness. He tried to sleep but thoughts of devil and ghosts added to his fear. He tried to sleep but when he had a terrible dream of a tiger chasing, he woke up and heard rustling sound. He saw something coming down in the darkness. He thought that it was a devil and his life came to an end.
(v) Was Swami really courageous? What did people think about him?
Ans: Swami was courageous. He bit hard the burglar thinking it as a devil. It was his bold act that made the notorious burglar get caught. People considered him as a true hero. Even the inspector praised his bravery.
(vi) “Courage is everything, strength and age are not important”
Ans: Courage is truly one of the most important traits that makes a person stand apart from the crowd. It does not really matter what is the person’s age or how strong or weak is his body. If one possesses strong sense of courage everything becomes easy and one can face any challenge in life. It was the young boy, Swami’s courage that made him a true hero, despite his young age through his courageous act he proved that everything else does not matter.
The words given in the brackets have come from the story “A Hero”.
The expression in each sentence is the meaning of the word after that sentence. Rewrite each sentence using the appropriate form of the word in brackets.
1. The plan of action suggested by the students was not accepted by the headmaster. (proposition)
Ans: The proposition suggested by the students was not accepted by the headmaster.
2. The child spoke in an unclear manner which her mother couldn’t hear. (mumble).
Ans: The child mumbled which her mother couldn’t hear.
3. My friend sleeps in a separate room because he breathes noisily while asleep (snore).
Ans: My friend sleeps in a separate room because he snores while asleep.
4. The patient’s painful condition affected everyone (agonize)
Ans: The patient’s painful condition agonized everyone.
5. The boy was not prepared and so did not want to take the examination. (hesitate)
Ans: The boy was not prepared and so hesitate to take the examination.
6. The low continuous sound of the bee adds charm to the garden. (humming)
Ans: The humming of the bee adds charm to the garden.
7. The surface of my car was damaged due to the accident. (scratch)
Ans: The surface of my car was scratched due to the accident.
Read the story again and pick out ten such words. Then use each word in two different sentences of your own mentioning ‘noun use’ and ‘verb use’.
1. Face –
She has a beautiful face. (Noun)
I cannot face her. (Verb)
2. Attack-
It was a horrific attack. ( Noun)
Be careful. That dog attacks anyone.(Verb)
3. Leave-
I want 10 days leave from the work.( Noun)
Leave him alone in the room. ( Verb)
4. Hope-
I hope she recovers from the injury soon. (Noun)
I hope to have finished the homework by tonight. (Verb)
5. Challenge-
They took their challenge of eating spicy noodles. ( Noun)
Mitesh challenged his friends. (Verb)
6. Slip-
It was just a slip of tongue. ( Noun)
She slipped away in the darkness. (Verb)
7. Lift-
He gave me a lift home. (Noun)
Could you help me lift the load? (Verb)
8. Whisper-
I heard someone whisper in the room. (Noun)
She whispered his name in my ear. (Verb)
9. Burning-
She had burning sensation on her skin. ( Noun)
The candles were burning. (Verb)
10. Promise-
Don’t give me false promise. (Noun)
I promise you my best efforts. (Verb)
Turn the following statements into indirect speech.
(i) Father said, “I don’t at all like the way you are being brought up”.
“If you do it, mind you, I will make you the laughingstock of your school.”
Ans: Father said to Swami that he didn’t like the way he was being brought up. Father told Swami to take into the consideration the fact and if he did it, he would him the laughingstock of his school.
Exercise :
Report the following dialogue.
“Let me sleep in the hall, father” Swami pleaded. “Your office room is
very dusty and there may be scorpions behind your law books”.
Ans: Swami requested his father to allow him to sleep in the hall. He added saying that his office room was very dusty and there might be scorpions behind his law books.
“There are no scorpions, little fellow. Sleep on the bench if you like”.
Ans: Father addressed Swami as little fellow and told him that there were no scorpions. He also told him to sleep on the bench if he liked.
“Can I have a lamp burning in the room?”
Ans: Swami asked his father if he could 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?”
Ans: His father refused and said that he had to learn not be afraid of darkness and it was only a question of habit. He added saying that he(Swami) had to cultivate good habits.
"Will you at least leave the door open?"
Ans: Swami asked his father if would allow him at least to leave the door open.
“All right. But promise you will not roll up your bed and go to your granny’s side at night”.
Ans: His father agreed and told him to do so and told him to promise that he would not roll up his bed and go to his granny’s side at night.
Let’s write
1. In the story you read Swami was asked by his father to sleep alone in his office room at night. Imagine that you are Swami and give an account of what followed from your point of view.
Ans: It was a terrible experience. Father told me to sleep in the office room alone to do away with fear. Till then I always used to sleep beside my grandmother. I was not in the habit of sleeping alone so the order of my father scared me. I was cut off from the humanity. I was frightened and scared. I hated father’s act of cruetly towards me.
Then the unwanted happened, I was left alone in the dark room. I was scared like hell. I tried to sleep but thoughts and stories of ghosts and devil kept haunting me. When I at last tried to sleep, I had a terrible dream. I dreamt that a tiger was chasing me and could not escape. The dream woke me up and I heart rustle. I saw something in the dark. I came out under from the bench where I was sitting. I thought the image was of the devil and my life was going to end. I hugged it and bite it very hard. It made that cry in pain that made my father, servant and cook wake up. To my surprise I had caught a burglar who was notorious.
Everyone was surprised and amazed at my boldness and courgeous act. My headmaster praised my bravery. The inspector asked me join the police department and replied him politely that I would. I was happy to have such kind of attention.
I never thought that I would able to do such bravery in my life. My fear for darkness remained unchanged and I still had the habit of sleeping with granny. But the incident made me a hero overnight.
2. Write a citation (a statement about someone’s character or brave actions) to be read out on the occasion of the award giving ceremony in honour of a brave young man of your locality who has been selected for the“Bravery Award” by the government.
Ans: For his courageous act, this year”Bravery Award” will be awarded to Swami, a young boy from Odisha. On 12th December 2020 he caught most notorious houses-breakers of the district. He is just 12 years old and was able to do such bold act. The police thanked him and he became the district’s hero.Swami’s valor has proved is courage is everything and age does not matter. He is the symbol of bravery and valor.