Ice Breakers
·
Discuss
with your partner and complete the activity’
1. What are your strengths?
|
Strengths |
Why do you feel so? |
Dream career |
|
painting and drawing |
can visualise,
express |
commercial artist,
cartoonist |
|
communication |
clearly express
thoughts, ideas and listen to others
patiently |
leader, orator,
anchor |
|
problem solving |
can identify problem
and imagine possible solution |
Counselor |
|
kind and helping |
love for human
beings, help to the needy and poor |
social worker |
|
courage and patriotic |
like adventure
sports, listen stories of valour and bravery of Indian soldiers |
army officer |
1. selling flowers, selling grocery
2. selling clothes and footwear
3. selling jewelleries and cosmetics
4. selling street foods and sweets
5. selling toys and kitchen utensils
3. In a village/town/city it is quite a common sight to see an astrologer sitting by the roadside with his professional equipment. Discuss with your partner and list the requirements for his trade.
1. parrot, cards etc.
2. cowrie shells, stones
3. vermilion, ash
4. book about Rashi (Zodiac sign)
5. talisman, threads
4. There are certain unreasonable beliefs among people living in our society. Certain common events are linked with superstitions. List such events, discuss the superstitions linked with them and the means of their eradication.
1. A cat crossing your path
2. Not watching in broken mirror
3. Twitching of the eye
4. Not sweeping after sunset
5. Hooting of an owl at night
Brain Storming
(A1) (i) Given below are some descriptions. Discuss them with your partner and find out one word for each of them. An example is given for you.
(a) The
scientific study of the universe and the objects in it, including stars,
planets, nebulae and galaxies –Astronomy
(b)
The study of the movements of the
planets, sun, moon and stars in the
belief that these movements can have an influence on people’s lives –
Astrology
(c) A
prediction of what will happen in the future –
Horoscope, Forecast
(d) Scientific
discipline that studies mental states and processes and behaviour in humans and
other animals –
Psychology
(ii) In the story we are told that the Town Hall Park was a remarkable place in many ways for an astrologer to build his business. Discuss it in a group and list the exceptional qualities of A surging crowd
A variety of trades and occupations
Vociferousness
Not having municipal lighting
A bewildering crisscross of light rays
An enough din by an auctioneer to attract the town
(iii) The astrologer never opened his mouth till the other had spoken
for at least ten minutes. Discuss the reasons behind the act.
(a) He
is good at reading people
(b) He
gets enough time to judge the customer
(c) His
silence arouses the customer’s curiosity to know his future
(d) He
gets ample information about life and problems from the customer himself
Complete
the following.
|
(a)
The turban on his
head (b) Forehead
painted with sacred ash and vermilion (c) Sparkling
eyes with a sharp gleam and dark whiskers (d) His
professional equipment consisting cowrie shells, a cloth with obscure mystic
charts, a notebook and a bundle of Palmyra writing |
(iii) Read the following sentences and choose the correct one.
(a)
The astrologer says that if Nayak does not leave his village again, he would-
(2) face danger
(b) According to
the narrator the astrologer’s success in his profession is primarily due
to- (3) his appearance
(c)
The story suggest that the astrologer’s comments and observations please people
by-
(1)
Promising them
success and good fortune
(d)
Guru Nayak consults the astrologer because he wants to –
(4) get the
answer to a specific question
(e)
Guru Nayak is looking for the man who tried to kill him-
(1) to take revenge
(f) The astrologer’s remark makes
Guru Nayak feel all of the following except-
(2) suspicious
(g) Reactions of the astrologer’s
wife to his news suggests that she -
(1) was unaware of his past
(iv) Read
the following sentences and find out True and False sentences. Correct the
False sentences.
(a)
The astrologer gave a correct
prediction of the client about his past that he was stabbed, thrown into a well
and left for dead. -
True
(b) When
the astrologer came to know that the man whom he killed is alive he felt that
he was relieved of his guilt. -
True
(c) The
astrologer tried to back out of the deal and talked about the client’s past.- True
(d) The
astrologer rescued himself from Guru Nayak’s revenge. -True
(e) The
moral of the story is that we must be responsible about what we have done and
should not run away from our mistakes. -True
(v) The
astrologer has changed his appearance and his persona when he arrived in the city.
Give specific reasons.
Because-
1. He
wanted to hide himself from the eyes of the world since he had killed a man.
2. The
atmosphere in the city, particularly at the Town Hall Park was best suited for
the occupation of an astrologer.
3. He
wanted to carry wages to run house.
(vi) ‘The
darkness load that was inside the astrologer has disappeared’. Through this
sentence, explain the significance of the title ‘An Astrologer’s Day’.
The title ‘An
Astrologer’s Day’ is an apt one. On the day the astrologer met Guru Nayak he
came to know that the man whom he killed is alive, so a great load of guilt was
lifted. Furthermore, he has rescued
himself from Guru Nayak’s revenge by advising him not to leave the village
again.
(vii) The
astrologer feels relieved that Guru is not dead as it relieves a great burden
from him. Critically
justify the statement and explain it.
The feeling of
being a criminal makes restless to a sensitive man. The same case is with the
astrologer. For long, he had been living with a sense of guilt of being a
murderer. He was haunted by a thought that he had killed Guru Nayak in a
quarrel under the spell of liquor and had the blood of a man on his hands. Thus,
when he came to know that Guru Nayak is alive, a sense of great relief passed
through him.
(viii) The
astrologer wins/ gets the sympathy of criticism of the reader in the end.
Express your opinion with the support of the main story.
In
the course of development of the story, we get negative impression of the
astrologer. We take him as a cunning and deceptive man. All of a sudden he wins
our sympathy when he reveals a sensitive man in him. We realise that he has
committed the crime unintentionally under the spell of liquor and has arrived
in the city to escape from the guilt. But the sense of being murderer was always
chasing him. When he comes to know that Guru Nayak is alive, a joy of being
relieved passes through him. As a truthful husband, he reveals the secret to
his wife he has hidden through the years.
(ix) If
we have to eradicate the superstitions and other ill practices from our
society, what steps would you like to suggest?
i)
Providing education to all.
ii)
Fostering scientific temper among
students in the schools.
iii)
Organizing mass awareness drives.
iv)
Making
strict laws against ill practices and implementing them effectively.
(x) In
the story, astrologer has a great listening power. Listening helps in
developing good relations with people. Express your opinion.
It
is said ‘Respect and be respected’. Listening to others attentively and
silently shows your respect for them. On the other hand, if you avoid or
interrupt them, it develops a sense of being neglected and may badly affect
your professional or family relations. If you are good listener, you can
understand others in better way. You get some useful information or innovative ideas
from the listening which may prove helpful in future.
(A3) (i) In the story, the following characters
reveal their qualities through words and
actions. Pick out the words that describe them from
the box and write in the appropriate columns.
|
Astrologer |
Guru Nayak |
Astrologer’s
wife |
|
(1)
shrewd (2)
clever (3)
mystical (4)
cunning |
manipulative
arrogant aggressive impetuous
|
caring worried
humanistic protective |
(ii) Match the suffixes
with the words and make nouns. One is done for you.
|
Word |
Suffix |
Noun |
|
Auction |
Able |
Auctioneer |
|
Enchant |
Ure |
Enchantment |
|
Know |
Ment |
Knowledge |
|
Prepare |
Eer |
Preparation |
|
Proceed |
Ance |
Procedure |
|
Appear |
Ledge |
Appearance |
|
Remark |
Tion |
Remarkable |
(iii) ‘An Astrologer’s Day’ has ironic elements
where the astrologer pretends to have
‘supernatural knowledge’ that coincidently turns out to be the truth.
Irony
means a situation or statement characterized by a significant difference
between
what is
expected and what actually happens, or between what is understood and what
is
meant.
Find out
examples of irony from the story and write them down. One is done for you.
(a)
He
knew no more of what was going to happen to others that he knew what was going
to happen to himself he next minute.
(b)
He was as much a stranger to the stars as were his
innocent customers.
(c)
…………
(d)
…………….
(iv) In the story, many Indian words are used.
‘Cowrie shells’. This is an example of code-mixing.
Find out other such words from the story and write them down.
(A4) (i) Word Usage
Use the words given in
the brackets and rewrite the sentences.
(a) The
power of his eyes was a considerable enhancement.
(b) His
working analysis of mankind’s troubles worked.
(c) He
knew what was going happening
to himself next minute.
(d) If
you find satisfaction in my
answers, will you give me five rupees?
(e) He
expressed regret by shaking
his head.
(f) It
was a bewildered crisscross
of light rays.
(g) “I
should have been dead if some passer-by had not chanced to peep into the well,”
exclaimed the other, enthusiastically
overwhelmed.
(h) You
tried killing him.
(i) The
other heard it and groaned.
(A5) (i) Prepare
a speech on Science and Superstitions.
(ii) Read the following proverbs.
Share your views and expand the ideas.
(a) Action
speaks louder than words
(b) The
face is the index of the mind
(c) Argument
is the worst kind of communication
(d) Attitudes
are the real figures of speech
(e) The
wise man has long ears and a short tongue
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