TS 8th Class English Guide Unit 8C The Dead Rat
Questions and Answers:
Answer the following questions.
Question 1.
What did the mother do to make Madananka normal and settled in life?
Answer:
Madanankas mother hoped that he would become, normal and settle down if he was married; and so, she found a suitable girl and they were married. But her hopes did not come true
Question 2.
What kind of man was Yakshadatta?
Answer:
Yakshadatta was a well-to-do merchant. He lent money to the poor but capable persons
Question 3.
What did Ratnanka do with the dead rat?
Answer:
Ratnanka took the dead rat as a favour from Yakshadatta. He made a cup out of a leaf and placed the dead rat in that cup. He carried it through the streets crying, a rat for sale. One merchant bought the dead rat as a prey for his cat and gave him a handful of bengalgram
Question 4.
How did the firewood which Ratnanka had collected fetch him a hundred gold coins?
Answer:
There were continuous rains in the city for ten days. There was scarcity of firewood in the city. The firewood which Ratnanka had collected was bought by the citizens at a price profitable to Ratnanka. Thus, the firewood fetched Ratnanka a hundred gold coins
Question 5.
How did Ratnanka show his gratitude to Yakshadatta?
Answer:
Ratnanka made a rat made of gold, weighing one kilo. Its eyes were made of rubies, ears of sapphires. It had a diamond chain round the neck. It was kept in a silver trap and carried in procession. Ratnanka, thus took the gold rat to Yakshadatta and told him his success story and requested him to accept the gold rat as repayment of the loan and also as a token of his gratitude
Question 6.
How did Ratnanka help the woodcutters?
Answer:
Ratnanka took the soaked, swollen bengalgram and drinking water in an earthen pitcher with him. He went outside the city and sat under the shade of a tree and offered each woodcutter some bengalgram and cold water. The woodcutters were pleased with Ratnankas helped the hungry, thirsty woodcutters
Study skills
Read the biographical write up on Dr. Kotnis again and write the timeline of the events referred to, in your notebook. A few events are shown here?
Answer:
- 1910 - Kotnis was bom
- 1937 - The Communist General Zhu De requested Jawaharlal Nehru to send Indian physicians to China
- 1938 - Dr. Kotnis went to China as a member of 5 member medical team
- 1940 - Dr. Kotnis worked nonstop for 72 hours performing operations
- 1941 - Dr. Kotnis married Guo, a Chinese nurse
- 1942 - Dr. Kotnis and Guo had a son Yin Hua. & Dr. Kotnis died on 9th December
- 1945 - A book One Who Never Returned based on the life of Dr. Kotnis was written
- 1946 - Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani a film by V.Shantaram was released
- 1976 - Chinese Government built a memorial hall for Dr. Kotnis
- 1982 - Government of China honoured Dr. Kotnis with a stamp
- 1993 - Government of India honoured Dr. Kotnis by releasing a stamp
- 2000 - Mrs. Kotnis was an honoured guest during the then President of India, K.R.Narayanans visit to Beijing
- 2003 - Mrs. Kotnis was an honoured guest during the then Prime Minister Vajpayees visit to Beijing
- 2006 - Mrs. Kotnis, accompanied the Chinese President Hu Jintao to India
- 2012 - Mrs. Kotnis died
Project Work
Visit any five old people of your locality and interview them. Before you conduct the interview, prepare a questionnaire centred around the following items?
- Name
- Age
- Gender
- Social background
- Who takes care of them at home
- Health conditions
- Further support they need
Write a report based on the interview and present it before the class.
Answer:
Person - 1:
Name : N. Santha
Age : 62 years
Gender : Female
Social background : Poor
Who takes care of them at home : Lives alone
Health conditions : Suffers from poor eyesight
Further support they need : Pension from the government
Person - 2:
Name : Lakshmi Gunadala
Age : 67 years
Gender : Female
Social background : Middle-class
Who takes care of them at home : Servant-maid
Health conditions : Suffers from spinal problems
Further support they need : From her daughters
Person - 3:
Name : Chukka Savitri
Age : 70 years
Gender : Female
Social background : Poor
Who takes care of them at home : Sons and daughters-in-law
Health conditions : Well
Further support they need : -
Person - 4:
Name : Satyanarayana Chaveti
Age : 79 years
Gender : Male
Social background : Poor
Who takes care of them at home : Sons and daughters-in-law
Health conditions : Well
Further support they need : -
Person - 5:
Name : N. Prakasa Rao
Age : 80 years
Gender : Male
Social background : Middle-class
Who takes care of them at home : Servant-maid
Health conditions : Suffers from joint pains and heart disease
Further support they need : From his sons and daughters-in-law
Report:
Old People of My Locality
I interviewed five old peopled aged between 65 and 80. Two are men and three are women. Among the five only two are being cared by the children properly. Three of them are being ill- treated by their children. Though they are old, they aire working to win a bread. Medical care is not available for them. The old people cared by their children are good in health. The remaining three persons are struggling for their existence. They are alone. They need their childrens support in all issues.
Abhilash
Self Assessment
How well have I understood this unit?
Read and tick (?) in the appropriate box.
The Dead Rat Summary in English
Madananka was a young merchant. He lived in the city of Ujjain. He lost his father at an young age. His mother brought him up with affection. Unfortunately he turned out to be a vagabond. With a hope of bringing him back to normal life, his mother found a girl. They were married. But Madananka became even worse.
One day Madananka absconded from his house. At that time Madanankas wife was pregnant. His mother grieved for Madananka. His wife gave birth to a son. He was named Ratnanka. He was brought up with care and affection. He was given good education
One day Ratnankas grandmother told him the whole story and asked him to earn something for living. On the advice of his grandmother, he went to Yakshadatta a ridr merchant. He was also a money lender. Ratnanka wanted to borrow some money from him and start a business. He told his story and requested him for a loan
Yakshadatta laughed and pointed to a dead rat lying in the street. He asked Ratnanka to take the dead rat as the capital for business. Ratnanka took the dead rat and carried it in the streets crying, a rat for sale. One merchant bought the dead rat, a prey for his cat. The merchant gave him a handful of bengalgram to Ratnanka for the dead rat
Ratnanka took the bengalgram and soaked it in water. He added some salt and pepper to the soaked bengalgram, took some water in an earthen pitcher. He sat under the shade of a tree and offered each woodcutter some bengalgram and cold water. Pleased with Ratnankas service, each woodcutter gave him two pieces of firewood. By the evening there was big heap of wood. Ratnanka sold it away for two rupees. He gave one rupee to be saved by his grandmother and with the other rupee he purchased a Kuncham of bengalgram. Every day he gave soaked bengalgram and water to woodcutters. Soon he collected many cart loads of fuel within a month
There were continuous rains in the city. There was a scarcity of firewood in the city. Ratnanka was able to earn a hundred gold coins. With that money Ratnanka opened firewood stall and became a timber merchant. Then he became a cloth merchant, then a grain merchant and finally a diamond merchant. Within two years Ratnanka became one of the leading merchants in the city
Finally Ratnanka got a rat made of gold that weighed one kilo and was kept in a silver trap. Ratnanka carried it in a procession to Yakshadatta. Ratnanka told him the whole story of the dead rat. He requested Yakshadatta to accept the golden rat as a token of gratitude. He was pleased with the intelligence and gratitude of Ratnanka
Glossary
teens (n) : age between 13 to 19
vagabond (n) : a person who has no home and usually no job, and who travels from place to place
abscond (v) : escape ; or to go away suddenly and secretly in order to escape
desert (v) : leave
grieve (v) : feel sorry
misery (n) : suffering
jewellery (n) : ornaments
fall back upon (ph.v) : use for help
eke out (ph.v) : earn
stroll (n) : a slow, relaxed walk
generosity (n) : kindness ; the nature of giving money, time, gifts, kindness, etc.
lo : look
capital (n) : money needed to start a business with
fetch (v) : get
tame (v) : domesticate/cultivate
menace (n) : nuisance; something that is likely to cause harm
prey (n) : an animal to be eaten
pitcher (n) : earthen container
incessant (adj) : never stopping, especially in an annoying or unpleasant way
scarcity (n) : dearth/shortage
procession (n) : rally
rubies (n) : dark red precious stones
sapphires (n) : bright blue transparent precious stones
pomp (n) : splendid and colourful ceremony
debt (n) : loan