… FACTUAL QUESTIONS …
Give one word for the meanings of each of the names:
– Tengumai Bopsulai
– Teshumai Tewindrow
– Taffimai Metallumai.
Ans.
Tengumai Bopsulai – Calm
Teshumai Tewindrow – Curious
Taffimai Metallumai – Naughty
Who is the author telling this story to?
Ans.
The author is telling this story to the readers.
Why had Taffy stamped her foot? What did the stranger make of it ?
Ans.
Taffy stamped her foot because she saw a shoal of very big carp going up the river just when her Daddy couldn’t use his spear. The stranger thought that she was a wonderful child who was the daughter of the noble chief.
Why did the stranger offer Taffy a big piece of birch- bark?
Ans.
The stranger gave Taffy a piece of birch’s bark to show that his heart was as white as the birch-bark and that he meant no harm.
Why did the stranger’s admiration for Taffy grow?
Ans.
The shark’s tooth on stranger’s necklace was a magic shark’s tooth, and he was always told that if anybody touched it without his leave they would immediately swell up or burst, but taffy doesn’t swell up or burst. This made stranger’s admiration for Taffy grow.
Who does the author refer to when he says ‘some people’?
Ans.
The author refers to today’s kids who, while doing drawing lie on their stomachs.
Is Taffy’s drawing realistic? In how many ways does it fail to show the real picture?
Ans.
No, Taffy’s drawing is not realistic. It fails to show the real picture. Her father seems to have been attacked and she appears to be scared. The Stranger-man looks to be the one who scared her. The beavers look like humans who are their enemies.
Write ‘fended’ and ‘splain’ with their proper spellings.
Ans.
(1) offended
(2) explain
How did the stranger interpret Taffy’s drawing?
Ans.
The stranger thought that there was a big battle on the way. The beavers she had drawn were the chiefs enemies who were coming up from all sides with spears. He thought Taffy wanted him to call their tribe for help otherwise both Taffy and the great chief would be killed by their enemies.
What mistaken notions made the stranger race off like the wind?
Ans.
The stranger was mistaken that Tegumai would be slain by his enemies who were coming up from all sides with spears. He also thought that the chief’s enemies were hiding in the bushes. So he ran off like the wind to get help for him.
What was the stranger’s impression of Teshumai Tewindrow ?
Ans.
The stranger thought that Taffy was very like Teshumai, especially about the upper part of the face and the eyes.
Is it possible to promise that one will be surprised?
Ans.
No, it is not possible to promise that one will be surprised. Because Surprise is spontaneous and unpredictable.
What terrible message had Taffy’s drawing conveyed to her mummy?
Ans.
Taffy’s mother concluded that the stranger had struck Tegumai with spears, broken his arm and frightened poor Taffy so that her hair stands all on end.
Point out two humorous expressions from – ‘all the Neolithic ladies sitting patiently on the Stranger-man’.
Ans.
(1) all the Neolithic ladies
(2) sitting patiently on the Stranger-man
Other humorous expressions are:
(1) spear sticking into his back
(2) a whole pack of people
… ENGLISH WORKSHOP…
2. Make as many 5 to 8 letter words as you can within 5 minutes, from the name.
Ans.
3. How do the following characters in the story live up to their names? Provide points from the story.
(a) Tengumai Bopsulai : ……………………………..
(b) Taffimai Metallumai :…………………………..
(c) Teshumai Tewindrow : ………………………..
Ans.
(a) Tegumai Bopsulai : The meaning of Tegumai is Man-who-does-not-put-his-foot-forward-in-a-hurry. He lived up to his name when he showed patience in mending his spear and did not just rush off home or send Taffy back to get another spear.
(b) Taffimai Metallumai : The meaning of Taffimai is Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked. She lived up to her name in the way in which she ordered the stranger ‘Come here’, stamped her foot and called him silly. She pulled off the shark tooth from his necklace without his permission.
(c) Teshumai Tewindrow : The meaning of Teshumai is Lady-who-asks-very-many-questions. Though she did not ask many questions. she talked and shouted continuously at the poor stranger. She drew wrong conclusions and she spoke continuously to her friends telling them all that she had understood from Taffy’s drawing.
4. The story is written in an informal, colloquial style – the way it would be told orally. Find and write the expressions where the author addresses the audience directly in the story – for example, ‘but we, O Best Beloved, will…’, ‘Now attend and listen !’
Ans.
Following are the expressions where the author addresses the audience directly in the story:
– ‘Now attend and listen!’
– ‘He did this. Best Beloved, to show that his heart was as white as the birch-bark and that he meant no harm…’
– ‘The stranger-man — did you know he was a Tewara?’
– ‘Now this is the picture that Taffy had drawn for him!’
– ‘(and he was a Tewara)’
Write a character-sketch of the ‘Stranger-man’ using examples from the story to support the following attributes.
(a) ignorant, innocent and polite
(b) calm and cool
(c) jumps to wrong conclusions
(d) hasty and unwise at times
Ans.
The Stranger-man belonged to the far tribe of the Tewaras, and he did not know the language that Tegumai and Taffy spoke. He had a little girl of his own and was impressed by the innocence and sweetness of little Taffy. He was a genuine Tewara, who was ignorant, innocent and polite. He sat down on the grass to see what Taffy’s Daddy was doing. He was calm and cool. He got up and twisted a big flat piece of bark off a birch tree and gave it to Taffy. He did this to show that his heart was as white as the birch-bark and that he meant no harm. But when Taffy showed him the picture that she had made, he jumped to wrong conclusions. He was not intelligent enough to understand the non-verbal communication, so he hastily reached to some foolish conclusions. He was not wise enough to understand that he should not have acted upon a little girl’s instruction when he did not even understand her language.
6. Note the punctuation used in the story. Here, single inverted commas or quotation marks have been used to show conversation. Rewrite the following using double quotation marks :
(a) ‘Here’s a pretty kettle of fish !’ said Tengumai.
(b) ‘It will take me half the day to mend this.’
Ans.
(a) “Here’s a pretty kettle of fish!” said Tengumai.
(b) “It will take me half the day to mend this.”
7. Underline the main clauses in the following sentences:
Ans.
(a) And she was Tegumai Bopsulai’s Best Beloved and her own Mummy’s Best Beloved, and she was not spanked half as much as was good for her; and they were all three very happy.
(b) One day Tegumai Bopsulai went down through the beaver-swamp to the Wagai river to spear carp-fish for dinner, and Taffy went too.
(c) They were miles and miles from home and Tegumai had forgotten to bring any extra spears.
(d) Just then a Stranger-man came along the river, but he belonged to a far tribe, the Tewaras, and he did not understand one word of Tegumai’s language.
8. Imagine Taffy comes to you for help to write a letter of apology, in the modern script we use. She wants to express her regret to the stranger-man for her mother’s action. Write that letter of apology (informal) on her behalf.
Ans.
Neolithic Cave
New Congo Forest
Africa
Dear Mr. Stranger,
On behalf of my family, I owe an apology to you for my mother’s unthoughtful and disrespectful behavior. It was my fault that I did not draw the picture properly, which caused a lot of misunderstanding. My mother has also realised her mistake and she is really sorry for whatever she did unknowingly.
Yours lovingly,
Taffy.
9. Imagine the Stranger-man narrates how the Neolithic ladies overpowered him. Write an account of the same making him the narrator.
Ans.
When I reached the cave I recognized the little girls mother for she looked very much like the little girl. I handed over the birch-bark to her. I thought that she would now call upon the other members of the tribe to go to the Chiefs help but instead she screamed something to the other ladies, and they put me flat on my back, sat on me in a long line of six. I was then thrown onto the ground. I was helpless. Not wasting any time I escaped.