Class-8 English Reader (Special) Lesson-14 To the New Year / M.P. Board

Lesson-14

To the New Year

Glossary

Long-  what you want something very much

Childlike-  like a child

infant friend-  a young friend

Marvel-   to wonder

Illume - to shine (literary word for ‘illuminate’)

Niche- small hollow places in a wall

Nooks- hidden corners

Sacred- holy

Sentinel- guard

Threshold- bottom of a doorway

Summary-

The poet V. N. Bhushan addresses the new year. He has always longed to be like a child. He wants to be friend of the rose-buds of goodness and gather the honey of things. He wants to look and wonder at stars and open windows and doors to allow light in every nook and corner. He wishes to drive out all the darkness with the light of love and become the holy guard of the temple of life.

Word Power

(A)  Match the words with their meanings.

Long (v)	Holy
Illume	Guard
Sentinel	Very young child
Sacred	Want something very much
Infant	Give light, to shine

Ans-

Long (v)	Want something very much
Illume	Give light, to shine
Sentinel	Guard
Sacred	Holy
Infant	Very young child

(B)  Read the poem carefully and find out the words which have the following meanings:

a.    It is the bottom of a doorway.

Sill

b.   A hollow place in a wall.

Niche

c.    Hidden corners of a house where light does not reach.

Nook

d.   A guard

Sentinel

e.    A sugary fluid collected by the bees

Honey

(C)  Given below is a circle having a few words. In the poem, words outside the circle have been used with the words given inside the circle.

         

1-  niches and nooks

2-  new year

3-  darkness and light of love

4-  doors and windows

5-  sacred sentinel

6-  golden threshold

7-  infant friend

8-  rose-bud

Comprehension

(A) Answer the following questions:

Q1.       Who does the poet address to in the poem?

Ans- The poet addresses to the new year in the poem.

Q2.       What does the poet long to be in the beginning of the poem?

Ans- In the beginning of the poem, the poet longs to be a child throughout his life.

Q3.       Why does the poet want to open all windows and doors?

Ans- The poet wants to open all windows and doors to allow light in every nook and corner. He wants to remove darkness with the  love of light.

    (B) Choose the correct answer

The poet wants to drive out the darkness with :

a.            The light of the sun

b.           The light of the moon

c.            The light of love (✓)

The poet wants to be the infant-friend of the:

a.            Rose buds of goodness (✓)

b.           Bright stars

c.            Temple of light

The poet wants to be ________ at the golden threshold of the Temple of life:

a.    child like

b.   a sacred sentinel (✓)

c.    stars

Let’s Read

Read the following speech carefully:

  

Honourable teachers and dear friends, it is a sad day for me as well as for all of us today because we have to say goodbye to our senior friends of the school. It is a happy day as well since they will be promoted to the higher class and join the senior school. Though we will miss them very much but we will feel their presence because they have contributed in the development of the school. We have always seen them working in the garden,  cleaning the classroom,  decorating the building and participating in various activities. How can we forget them?  I remember many of them to be helping us- the juniors in our studies also. They have really played the role well and now when they are departing from us I would like to thank them and wish a very bright future for them.  Hope they will keep guiding us.

 Thank you

Now answer the following questions:

Q. What was the function in which the above speech was delivered?

Ans- The above speech was delivered in the farewell function of senior students.

Q.2 Why did the speaker say goodbye to his senior friends?

Ans- The speaker said goodbye to his senior friends as they will be promoted to higher class and join the senior school.

Q.3 Why did the speaker say that it was a sad as well as a happy day?

Ans- The speaker said that it was a sad as well as a happy day because his seniors will leave the school but they will be promoted to higher class and join the senior school.

Q.4 What was the contribution of the senior students in the development of the school?

Ans- The contributions of the senior students in the development of the school are:

1-  working in the garden

2-  cleaning the classroom

3-  decorating the building

4-  participating in various activities

5-  helping the juniors I studies

Q.5 What did the speaker say in the end?

Ans- The speaker wished a bright future to the seniors in the end.

Q. 6 Suggest a title for the passage.

Ans- ‘Farewell Address’ is a suitable title for the passage.

Let’s Write

A) Remove the darkness of hatred with the light of love”. This seems like a slogan. Now make own slogans on the following themes:

Saving water:

Save water, save life

Keeping rivers clean:

River gives us life Don’t pollute or it will convert into knife

Against dowry:

If you have POWER you EARN it. Don’t BEG for it.

B) Read the poem carefully and write its summary with the help of the following clues:

rose buds, the light of love, child, darkness, holy guard, the new year, stars, nook and corner, honey, windows and doors

The poet addresses the new year. He has always longed to be like a child. He wants to be friend of the rose-buds of goodness and gather the honey of things. He wants to look and wonder at stars and open windows and doors to allow light in every nook and corner. He wishes to drive out all the darkness with the light of love and become the holy guard of the temple of life.

Let’s do it

Collect greetings cards of different festivals like Deepawali, Holi, Rakshabandhan, Id, Christmas etc. and write two-three sentences about each in your notebook.

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