NIOS Class 10 English Chapter 27 Question Answer
INTEXT QUESTIONS 27.1
Answer the following questions.
1. ‘You’re no beauty! Can’t talk, can’t sing, can’t dance!’
a. Who is saying these words and to whom?
b. Which word is being repeated here? Why?
Ans:
- a. Aunt Ruby is saying these words to her pet parakeet.
- b. ‘Can’t’ is being repeated. It is being repeated to emphasise what is being said.
2. Where was the parakeet’s cage kept?
Ans: The parakeet’s cage was kept at one end of a long veranda of Granny’s bungalow in North India.
3. Where did Aunt Ruby get the parakeet from?
Ans: Aunt Ruby had bought the parakeet from a bird-catcher selling various types of birds.
4. Why do you think neither Granny nor Grandfather were keen on keeping caged birds as pets? Tick the correct option.
a. Caged birds were very noisy.
b. They preferred to keep caged rabbits.
c. Birdcages were very expensive and Aunt Ruby wanted only ornate ones.
d. Caged birds were deprived of their freedom.
Ans: d. Caged birds were deprived of their freedom.
5. Tick the correct option.
The parrot backed away from Aunt Ruby because:
a. the sunlight was falling directly on it and it couldn’t see properly.
b. Aunt Ruby had poked it with a chilli.
c. it did not want to be kissed by Aunt Ruby.
d. Aunt Ruby’s nephew (the author) threw a ball at it.
Ans: c. it did not want to be kissed by Aunt Ruby.
6. Why did Aunt Ruby become hostile towards the parakeet?
Ans: Once, when Aunt Ruby was near the parakeet’s cage, it lunged forward and knocked off her spectacles. After that incident, Aunt Ruby became hostile towards the bird.
LET US LEARN NEW WORDS 27.1
In Column A are given some words with the prefix ‘dis-’. Draw lines to connect them with their meanings in Column B. One example has been done for you.
| Column A | Column B |
| 1. dislike | a. separate |
| 2. disobey | b. find/ learn of |
| 3. dismount | c. not like |
| 4. discover | d. refuse to carry out rules or commands |
| 5. disjoin | e. prove to be false or wrong |
| 6. disprove | f. get off from something one is riding |
Ans: 1. c 2. d 3. f 4. b 5. a 6. e
INTEXT QUESTIONS 27.2
Answer the following questions.
1. What all did Aunt Ruby’s nephew (the author) give the parrot to eat?
Ans: The boy gave the parakeet green chillies, ripe tomatoes and sometimes, slices of mango.
2. Tick the correct option.
He fed the parrot because:
a. Aunt Ruby had become hostile towards her pet and someone had to feed it.
b. Aunt Ruby had gone out of town and had asked him to look after the parrot.
c. it gave him an opportunity to eat mango on the pretext that he was feeding the bird.
d. ‘a’ and ‘c’
Ans: d. ‘a’ and ‘c’
3. How did the parrot escape from the cage?
Ans: One afternoon, when everyone was resting, Aunt Ruby’s nephew purposely left the cage door open. Soon, the parakeet flew away.
4. Aunt Ruby didn’t want the goldfish because:
a. It couldn’t fly.
b. It couldn’t talk.
c. It couldn’t eat chillies.
d. All the above
Ans: b. It couldn’t talk.
5. The author thinks that the parrot came back because it missed the green chillies. Why do you think the parrot came back?
Ans: Individual responses.
6. Why did Aunt Ruby run inside when she heard the parrot talking?
Ans: As soon as the parrot saw Aunt Ruby, it screeched, “You’re no beauty! Can’t talk, can’t sing, can’t dance!” Aunt Ruby was embarrassed and turned red when she heard these words. Therefore, she ran inside.
LET US LEARN NEW WORDS 27.2
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with the correct phrase from those given above. Change the tense of the verb as required.
1. Ever since Anita’s parents died in a car crash, her uncle and aunt took her __________.
Ans: under their wing
2. Vimal owned a small but successful restaurant in Delhi. He decided to ____________ and opened two more, one in Mumbai and another in Chennai.
Ans: spread his wings
3. Raja spotted an unusual insect in his garden but when he went closer, it___________.
Ans: took wing
Exercise 2
Look up a dictionary and find the meaning of the following phrases.
1. waiting in the wings
2. wing it
Ans:
- Waiting in the wings – be close by in the background, available at short notice to do something or take up a position
- Wing it – speak or act without preparation, improvise
27.3 LET US LEARN GRAMMAR
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks using the correct word/s from the bracket.
1. ______ I make some coffee for you? (will/shall)
Ans: Shall
2. Mother is sleeping. I ______ disturb her. (must not/must)
Ans: must not
3. ________ you like some tea? (could/would)
Ans: Would
4. ______ you please shut the door? (could/should)
Ans: Could
5. _____ I borrow your notebook? (may/might)
Ans: May
Exercise 2
Select the correct modal from the box and fill in the blanks.
can, could, can’t, will, would, shouldn’t, dare, ought to, must, may
1. I _______ like to meet the General Manager.
Ans: would
2. You scratch my back, and I ____scratch yours.
Ans: will
3. Beggars _______ be choosers.
Ans: can’t
4. It’s getting late. I ______ go now.
Ans: must
5. You ________ love your neighbours.
Ans: ought to
6. How _______ you open my letter?
Ans: dare
7. I felt Rani _____ have done much better in the test.
Ans: could
8. I ______ run faster than you.
Ans: can
9. You _______ make fun of others.
Ans: shouldn’t
10. ______ God be with you and bless you.
Ans: May
Exercise 3
Fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous tense of the verbs in the bracket.
1. Arti ________________ for five hours. (sleep)
Ans: has been sleeping
2. He _____________ in this town for the last ten years. (live)
Ans: has been living
3. Mrs. Mehra _______________ to the students about the importance of time management. (speak)
Ans: has been speaking
4. I __________________ for the last one hour but the bus has not come. (wait)
Ans: have been waiting
5. Vikram _______________ the Ramayana aloud to his ailing grandmother. (read)
Ans: has been reading
Exercise 4
Fill in the blanks with the past perfect continuous tense of the verbs in the box.
get, teach, watch, eat, wait
1. We ______________ television when the lights went off.
Ans: had been watching
2. Until last year Radha _____________ more than 90 per cent marks in Maths.
Ans: had been getting
3. Mr. Sharma _____________chocolates every day till the doctor told him to stop.
Ans: had been eating
4. Anushka_____________ for her father to come back.
Ans: had been waiting
5. Mr. Anant Singh _________________ for fifteen years when he decided to start a business.
Ans: had been teaching
Exercise 5
Rewrite the following sentences after changing the tenses as directed.
1. We waited for Rajesh for two hours. (to present perfect continuous)
Ans: We have been waiting for Rajesh for two hours.
2. Anjali is washing the dishes. (to past perfect continuous)
Ans: Anjali had been washing the dishes.
3. Shashi is applying for different jobs. (to present perfect continuous)
Ans: Shashi has been applying for different jobs.
4. The art gallery had exhibited his paintings. (to present perfect continuous)
Ans: The art gallery has been exhibiting his paintings.
5. I have been cleaning the house all day. (to past perfect continuous)
Ans: I had been cleaning the house all day.
Exercise 6
Change the following orders into polite requests. Use the correct punctuation mark at the end of each request.
1. Buy me a wristwatch!
Could_____________________
Ans: Could you buy me a wristwatch, please?
2. Pass me the salt!
Can_________________________
Ans: Can you pass me the salt, please?
3. Shut the door!
Will_____________________
Ans: Will you shut the door, please?
4. Get a glass of water!
Can __________________
Ans: Can you get me a glass of water?
5. Clean the table.
Could you possibly______________
Ans: Could you possibly clean the table?
Exercise 7
Arun’s mother went to the market. Before leaving, she gave him instructions to prepare a glass of lemonade (nimboo paani/shikanji).
Select appropriate words from the box and fill in the blanks.
remove, serve, add, mix, stir, take, cut, squeeze, put
1. ___________ a glass of water and _______ two tablespoons of sugar into it.
Ans: Take, put/add
2. ___________ it well with a spoon till the sugar dissolves.
Ans: Mix/ Stir
3. _________ a lemon into half.
Ans: Cut
4. Carefully ___________ the seeds from one half.
Ans: remove
5. ____________ the lemon to get the juice and add it to the water.
Ans: Squeeze
6. __________ a pinch of salt.
Ans: 6. Add/ Put
7. __________ it well again.
Ans: Mix/Stir
8. _______ it chilled (with ice in it).
Ans: Serve
Exercise 8
Make a request using the words in the brackets.
1. Manisha has left the window open. (you, shut)
Ans: Will you shut it, please?
2. Mummy, I want to bake a cake. (you, help)
Ans: Will you help me, please?
3. I don’t want to go to the party alone. (Could you possibly, come)
Ans: Could you possibly come with me?
4. I have wanted to read this book for a very long time. (I wonder if, lend)
Ans: I wonder if you could lend it to me.
5. I want to drink lemonade. (you, make)
Ans: Will you make it, please?
Exercise 9
Given below is a summary of the story you have just read but some words are missing. Fill in the blanks and then read it aloud to a friend.
The Parrot Who Wouldn’t Talk is a humorous (a) ________by the well-known author, Ruskin Bond. It is set in the pre-independence era when most people kept a parrot as a (b)______. Ruby, the author’s aunt, buys a parrot and keeps it in a (c)______. She tries to teach the parrot to (d)_____. Once, the parrot knocks her (e)__________off. Aunt Ruby is annoyed and says nasty things to the (f) _______. From then on, the author (who was a young boy at that time) feeds the parrot. One day, he purposely leaves the cage
door (g) ______ and the parrot flies away. A few days later, it comes (h)____. When it sees Aunt Ruby, it says the same nasty things that she had said to it. (i)________Ruby feels embarrassed.
Ans: (a) story (b) pet (c) cage (d) talk (e) spectacles (f) parrot (g) open (h) back (i) Aunt
TERMINAL QUESTIONS
1. Name all the birds that are mentioned in the story.
Ans: The birds mentioned in the story are: parrot, parakeet, lovebird, budgerigar, munnia, sparrow and nightingale.
2. Can you think of another title for this story? Give reasons for your choice in 30 – 40 words.
Ans: Individual responses.
3. In the story, sometimes the author calls the bird parakeet and sometimes parrot. Is that a mistake?
Ans: No, it’s not a mistake. The bird that Aunt Ruby had bought was a parakeet. But a parakeet is a type of parrot. So it can be called either a parrot or a parakeet.
4. Do you think Aunt Ruby’s method of teaching the parrot to talk was correct? If you were Aunt Ruby, how would you have taught the parrot?
Ans: I don’t think Aunt Ruby’s method was correct. If I were Aunt Ruby, I would develop a bond (friendly relationship) with the parakeet and then try to teach it to talk. I would always speak to it gently and make sure it was comfortable in its surroundings. I would choose simple and short words to start with. I would repeat them clearly and with enthusiasm. I would be very patient and never get angry with my pet. I would not scold it if it didn’t learn well. I would praise it, give it a gentle pat or something special to eat if it learnt well.
5. Find phrases in the text that tell you that the parrot was not happy in the cage.
Ans: From phrases such as ‘unfortunate parakeet’, ‘glared morosely at everyone’ and ‘eyes getting smaller with anger’, we know that the parrot was not happy to be in the cage.
6. Suppose you were a parrot and somebody caged you and kept you as a pet. How would you feel? Give two reasons to support your answer.
Ans: I would not like it at all. We usually see parrots in groups. If I were put into a cage I would be lonely and would miss my friends, the other parrots. I would not be able to fly like other birds.
7. Do you think Aunt Ruby’s nephew (the author) made the right decision when he left the cage door open? What decision would you make if you were Aunt Ruby’s nephew? Give at least two reasons for your answer.
Ans: Yes, I think Aunt Ruby’s nephew made the right decision. I would also set the bird free because the bird was unhappy, Aunt Ruby was saying unkind things to it, she was not feeding it, she was unfriendly to it.
8. ‘You’re no beauty! Can’t talk, can’t sing, can’t dance!’
The story begins with these words. But when they are repeated at the end of the story, it adds humour to it and makes us laugh. Why?
Ans: At the beginning of the story, Aunt Ruby tries to teach the parakeet to talk. When it doesn’t learn to talk, she makes fun of it. The bird is locked up in a cage and forced to listen to her unkind words. At the end, the parakeet is free, but comes back to the garden one day. On seeing Aunt Ruby, it repeats the very same words which she used to say to it. The parakeet learns to talk, but what it says does not make Aunt Ruby happy. It makes her uncomfortable. It appears as if the parakeet says unkind words to her because she was unkind to it when it was in the cage. It seems as if the parakeet makes fun of her to teach her a lesson. The same words said in contrasting situations make the story humorous.
Additional Study Materials
- Chapter 19: A Prayer For Healing Textbook Solutions
- Chapter 22: The Truth Textbook Solutions
- Chapter 23: The Return Of The Lion Textbook Solutions
- Chapter 24: Co-Operate and Prosper Textbook Solutions
- Chapter 25: Once Upon A Time Textbook Solutions
- Chapter 26: Ustad Bismillah Khan Textbook Solutions
