West Bengal Board
Tales of Childhood
Activity 1
Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order and put the numbers in the given boxes:
(1) He met Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg in 1911. [4]
(2) They, along with their family members, moved to Radyr in 1918. [6]
(3) Harold Dahl became a successful shipbroker and set up a farm at Cardiff. [3]
(4) They married soon after. [5]
(5) Harold Dahl lost his arm when he was fourteen. [2]
(6) The writer's grandfather was a prosperous merchant. [1]
Activity 2
Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
(a) The narrator’s grandfather was a fairly prosperous merchant.
(b) Harold Dahl had lost an arm when he was fourteen.
(c) A shipbroker is a person who supplies the ship with everything it needs when it comes into port.
(d) In the country mansion beside the village of Radyr, there were many acres of farm and woodland, and a number of cottages for the staff.
Activity 3
Answer the following questions:
Question - Do you think that the narrator was happy living in the imposing mansion?
Answer - Yes, It think the narrator was happy living in the imposing mansion since there were many things for him to enjoy.
Activity 4
Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements in the given boxes. Give supporting statements for each of your answers:
(a) The narrator was the eldest child in the family. [F]
Supporting statement - In 1920, when I was still three, my mother’s eldest child, my own sister Astri, died from appendicitis.
(b) Astri was the favorite child of the narrator’s father. [T]
Supporting statement - Astri was far and away my father’s favorite.
(c) The narrator’s father died of appendicitis. [F]
Supporting statement - He was so overwhelmed with grief that when he himself went down with pneumonia a month or so afterwards, he did not much care whether he lived or died.
(d) After his father’s death, the narrator along with his other family members moved to Llandaff. [T]
Supporting statement - She sold the big house and moved to a smaller one a few miles away in Llandaff.
Tales of Childhood Question Answer
Activity 5
Answer the following questions:
(a) How old was Astri when she died?
Answer - Astri was seven years old when she died.
(b) Why was pneumonia a very dangerous disease?
Answer - In those days, there was not yet discovery of penicillin to cure pneumonia. So this is why it was considered a dangerous disease.
(c) What made the narrator’s father reluctant to fight against the disease?
Answer - According to the narrator, his father wanted to join his sister Astri in heaven so his father didn’t fight enough to live.
Activity 6
Fill in the chart with the information from the text:
| Cause | Effect |
| (i) One remembers about one’s life before the age of seven or eight. | The narrator is astonished |
| (ii) The narrator cannot remember the things from that time | The narrator cannot picture the faces of Mrs. Cornfield or Miss Tucker |
| (iii) The journeys made to or from the school were tremendously exciting | The narrator remembers it clearly |
| (iv) A motor car on the road was an even then | It was quite safe for tiny children to go recycling. |
Activity 7
Answer the following questions:
(a) What was the name of the narrator’s first school?
Answer - The name of the narrator’s first school was Elm tree House.
(b) Which blurred memory does the narrator have of his early days?
Answer - The narrator has the blurred memory of him sitting on the stairs and trying over and over again to tie one of his shoelaces.
(c) How did the narrator enjoy his journeys to and from school?
Answer - The narrator had excited journeys to and from school because he and his elder sister would ride on their tricycles.
(d) ‘It’s not much, but it’s all there is left’ – Why, according to you, did the narrator make this comment?
Answer - The narrator cannot recall all the memories so he made this comment.
Activity 8 (a)
In the following sentences, underline the verb forms which show that the person denoted by the Subject does something. Circle the verb forms which show that something is done to person denoted by the subject:
(i) She sings a song.
(ii) A song is sung by her.
(iii) He drew a picture.
(iv) A picture was drawn by him.
Circle the verb = BOLD
Activity 8 (b)
Identify the voice of the following sentences and fill in the table given below:
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
| He told a story. | The ball was thrown by the boy. |
| I read many books. | Football is played by them. |
Activity 8 (c)
Match column A with column B:
| A | B |
| (i) Rumita made a paper boat. | (a) Food is cooked by her. (iii) |
| (ii) I know the man. | (b) A cricket match was watched by us. (iv) |
| (iii) She cooks food. | (c) A paper boat was made by Rumita. (i) |
| (iv) We watched a cricket match. | (d) The man is known to me. (ii) |
Activity 8 (d)
Change the voice of the following sentences:
(a) Riya sang a song.
Answer - A song is sung by Riya.
(b) She knows my brother.
Answer - My brother is known to her.
(c) I wrote a letter.
Answer - A letter was written by me.
(d) They cleaned the classroom.
Answer - The classroom was cleaned by them.
Activity 9
Make meaningful sentences with the given pairs of words. Use one pair of one sentence:
(a) met, shop– I met my friend at a dress shop.
(b) Remember, days – I still remember my school days vividly.
(c) moved, place – She moved from one place to another.
(d) fight, country – Social workers fight for the betterment of our country.
Activity 10 (a)
Write an autobiography of a broken bicycle.
Hello I’m children’s favorite cycle. Children love to ride on me. Children are happy with me and so am I. But recently I met with an accident and I am broken now. I’m of a little use now. If only my owner repairs me I will be back to normal state. I feel so alone here. There is another cycle and 2 bikes in the garage with me. But all go out at their time and I’m left all alone. My little owner doesn’t even care to look at me once since he has replaced me with another cycle. I’m handicapped now and I feel sad and inactive. I wish to go out see the world as I used to before. But I feel helpless now. I feel like going out by myself and live somewhere else but then I remember that I’m just a thing that is to be used by a man.
Activity 10 (b)
Suppose recently you had to change your place of residence. Write a page in your diary about the experience of shifting from a familiar neighborhood to a new place.
Date - 28/ 05/ 2022
I feel completely different in this new place. I was so happy in my old place where I used to play all day and have fun with my friends. But it has been one week since we have come to a new place. This new place is quite good and has a garden nearby. But I long for the old place. When my father told us that we are going to shift in few days, I was so sad. Firstly I didn’t wish to leave my old friends and secondly I always felt happy there. But now that we have finally shifted here, I feel like I’m in different world.
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