Friday 30 December 2016

COMPREHENSION NO. 23 - ENGLISH FOR CLASS 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
     A tailor ran a shop in a bazaar. An elephant used to go to the river through that bazaar. The tailor gave him a bun everyday. One day the tailor pricked a needle into the trunk of the elephant. The elephant became angry but went away. On return he filled his trunk with muddy water. On reaching the shop of the tailor he put his trunk into it and squirted the dirty water into the shop of the tailor. All the fine and new dresses of his customers were spoiled. He was very sorry for annoying the elephant but it was no use crying over spilt milk.
QUESTIONS
1. Where did the elephant go everyday?
2. What did the tailor give him?
3. What mistake did the tailor make one day?
4. What did the elephant do after drinking water?
5. How did the elephant punish the tailor for his mistake?
6. What is the moral of the story?
ANSWERS
1. The elephant used to go to the river everyday.
2. The tailor gave him a bun everyday.
3. The tailor pricked a needle into the trunk of the elephant one day.
4. After drinking water, the elephant filled his trunk with muddy water.
5. On reaching the shop of the tailor, the elephant put his trunk into it and squirted the dirty water on the fine and new dresses of the tailor's customers.
6. (i) As you sow, so shall you reap
(ii) Tit for tat
(iii) It is useless to cry over spilt milk.
Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

Thursday 29 December 2016

COMPREHENSION NO. 22 - ENGLISH FOR CLASS 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
     There lived a monkey in a forest. One day he was going about in search of food as he was very hungry. At last he entered the house of a farmer. There was no body in the house. The monkey found a hard vessel with a narrow opening. He put his hand into it. It had grains in it. He took a handful of these and tried to pull his hand out but he could not do so with his closed fist. After some time the owner of the house came up. His dog was also with him. The dog fell upon the monkey and tore him to pieces. Thus the monkey met his fate due to his greed.
QUESTIONS
1. Where did the monkey live?
2. Why did he enter the house of a farmer?
3. What did he find there?
4. What was in the vessel?
5. What did the monkey do?
6. Why could he not pull his hand out of the vessel?
7. How did the monkey meet his fate?
ANSWERS
1. The monkey lived in a forest.
2. He entered the house of a farmer in search of food. Moreover, there was no body in the house.
3. He found a hard vessel with a narrow opening.
4. There were grains in the vessel.
5. The monkey put his hand into the vessel.
6. He could not pull his hand out of the vessel because the vessel had narrow opening and his fist was closed.
7. The monkey met his fate due to his greed. The owner's dog fell upon him and tore him to pieces.
Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

COMPREHENSION NO. 18 - ENGLISH FOR CLASS 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
     One day a girl found a coin. It rolled away before her broom when she was sweeping the yard, and fell with a little clatter against the wall. She ran and picked it up. Someone had dropped it while crossing the yard and perhaps had not even troubled to look for it. It was worth little. But it seemed a whole fortune to her, who never had anything of her own before. She rubbed it clean on the sleeve of her blue cotton jacket and put it into her pocket.
QUESTIONS
1. What did the girl find?
2. When did she find it?
3. How had the coin been there?
4. What was the worth of the coin?
5. Why was it a whole fortune for her?
6. How did she clean it?
7. What did she do after cleaning it?
ANSWERS
1. The girl found a coin.
2. She found it when she was sweeping the yard.
3. Someone had dropped it while crossing the yard and perhaps had not even troubled to look for it.
4. It was worth little.
5. It was a whole fortune for her because she never had anything of her own before.
6. She rubbed it clean on the sleeve of her blue cotton jacket.
7. After cleaning it, she put it into her pocket.
Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

COMPREHENSION NO. 21 - ENGLISH FOR CLASS 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
     There was once a man whose doctor gave him medicine which was quite black. His servant who was illiterate made a mistake and poured out a dose of ink in place of the drug. He gave it to his master who drank it. After the patient had taken the dose of ink the servant somehow realized his mistake. He ran back to his master and said, "Sir, I have given you a dose of ink instead of the medicine as both were equally black, what should be done now?" The master replied softly, "Now give me a piece of blotting paper to swallow".
QUESTIONS
1. What was the colour of the medicine?
2. What did the servant give to his master?
3. When did the servant come to know of his mistake?
4. What did the servant do?
5. What did the master say to his servant?
ANSWERS
1. The colour of the medicine was quite black.
2. The servant gave to his master a dose of ink in place of the drug.
3. After the master had taken the dose of ink the servant somehow came to know of his mistake.
4. The servant ran back to his master and said, "Sir, I have given you a dose of ink instead of the medicine as both were equally black, what should be done now?"
5. The master said to his servant, "Now give me a piece of blotting paper to swallow".
Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

COMPREHENSION NO. 25 - ENGLISH FOR CLASS 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
     The camel is rightly called the "ship of the desert". It is the best means of transport in deserts. Camels go slow. But they go on walking for hours on the burning sand and in the blazing sun. Camels carry heavy loads, much heavier in weight than any other beast of burden can. While the other animals' feet sink into the sand, nature has made the feet of camel such that it is not at all difficult for it to walk on sand. The camel is superior to all other animals because it can go without food and drink for days and weeks. It can store food and water. Its hump is also a store of food which the camels use when they get nothing to eat and drink for many days. In deserts only bushes grow here and there and the camel can live on these.
QUESTIONS
1. Why is camel called the ship of the desert?
2. Is it for its speed that it is called the ship of the deserts?
3. What difficulty do the other beasts of burden have to face while walking on the sand?
4. Why does a camel walk easily on the loose sand of the desert?
5. What special quality makes camel superior to other animals used for transport?
6. How does the camel go without food and water for days and weeks?
7. What does the camel generally live on?
ANSWERS
1. The camel is called the ship of the desert because it is the best means of transport in deserts. 
2. No, the camel goes slow. But it goes on walking for hours on the burning sand and in the blazing sun. So it is called the ship of the deserts. 
3. Other beasts of burden have to face two difficulties while walking on the sand;
(a) Their feet sink into the sand
(b) They cannot bear up extreme hunger and thirst
4. Nature has made the feet of camel such that it is not at all difficult for it to walk on the loose sand of the desert.
5. The camel is superior to all other animals of transport because it can go without food and drink for days and weeks.
6. The camel goes without food and water for days and weeks because it stores food in its hump.
7. In deserts only bushes grow here and there and the camel generally lives on these. 
Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

Monday 26 December 2016

COMPREHENSION NO. 14 - ENGLISH FOR CLASS 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
     Musa was in chief command, and the gates were in his charge. They had been barred when the Christians came in view; but Musa threw them open. "Our bodies", he said, "will bar the gates". The young men were kindled by such words, and when he told them, "We have nothing to fight for but the ground we stand on; and without that we are without a home or a country", they were ready to die with him. With such a leader, the Moorish cavaliers performed feats of bravery in the plain which divided the camp from the city.
QUESTIONS
1. Who was the chief commander and what was in his charge? 
2. When were the gates barred? 
3. Who threw them open? 
4. What did Musa say? 
5. What effect had his words on the young men? 
6. What divided the city from the camp?
ANSWERS
1. Musa was the chief commander and the gates were in his charge.
2. The gates were barred when the Christians came in view.
3. Musa threw them open.
4. Musa said, "Our bodies will bar the gates".
5. The young men were kindled by his words. They were ready to die with him.
6. The Moorish cavaliers performed feats of bravery in the plain which divided the city from the camp.
Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

COMPREHENSION NO. 13 - ENGLISH FOR CLASS 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
     The Sultan sent agents to all parts of the East to buy rare manuscripts, and bring them back to Cordova. His men were constantly searching the booksellers's shops at Cairo, Damascus and Baghdad for rare volumes for his library. When the book was not to be bought at any price, he would have it copied; and sometimes even hear of a book which was only in the author's mind, and send him a handsome present and beg him to send the first copy to Cordova. By such means he gathered no fewer than four hundred thousand books and this at a time when printing was unknown, and every copy had to be painfully copied in the fine clear hand of the professional copyist.
QUESTIONS
1. Why did Sultan send his agents to all parts of the East? 
2. Where and what for they searched the booksellers's shops? 
3. What would he do when any book was not to be bought at any price? 
4. What would he do when the author had not yet written the book? 
5. How many books had he gathered? 
6. Why was it difficult to collect so many books in those days? 
ANSWERS
1. The Sultan sent agents to all parts of the East to buy rare manuscripts, and bring them back to Cordova.
2. They searched the booksellers's shops at Cairo, Damascus and Baghdad for rare volumes for Sultan's library.
3. When the book was not to be bought at any price, he would have it copied or heard.
4. When the author had not yet written the book and was only in his mind, he would have heard it.
5. He had gathered no fewer than four hundred thousand books.
6. It was difficult to collect so many books in those days because;
(a) Printing was unknown
(b) Every copy had to be painfully copied in the fine clear hand of the professional copyist.
Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar