Uruka Adventure - Class 7 English (SCERT)
ACTIVITIES
1. Let’s see how much you have understood the story. Answer the questions:
(a) Who was the leader of the boys in their adventure on uruka night?
Ans: Mahendra was the leader of the boys in their adventure on uruka night.
(b) What were the names of Mahen’s friends?
Ans: The names of Mahen’s friends were Sanju, Nantu, Rinku and Rumon.
(c) What did Mahen and his friends propose to do on uruka night?
Ans: Mahen and his friends proposed to go to Shantiram’s vegetable garden at night, pick vegetables and have a feast the next day.
(d) What was the age old custom that Mahen was referring to?
Ans: The age old custom was celebrating uruka night with a community feast before Magh Bihu.
(e) What was Mahen’s reaction to their proposal?
Ans: Mahen agreed to the proposal happily and was ready to lead the adventure.
(f) What did the boys do after the feast?
Ans: After the feast, the boys rested and waited until midnight to begin their adventure.
(g) Who was Shantiram?
Ans: Shantiram was a retired army man who was interested in farming.
(h) Why was Shantiram sitting wrapped in a black blanket? Where was Shantiram sitting?
Ans: Shantiram was sitting wrapped in a black blanket to protect himself from the cold. He was sitting in his vegetable garden.
(i) What was the black heap of garbage that Mahen noticed?
Ans: The black heap of garbage was actually Shantiram wrapped in a black blanket.
(j) What made the night appear more haunting?
Ans: The darkness and the hooting of an owl made the night appear more haunting.
(k) Why did the boys run away from the garden?
Ans: The boys ran away from the garden because they thought a ghost was chasing them.
(l) What happened when the boys were about to pick the vegetables?
Ans: When the boys were about to pick the vegetables, Shantiram suddenly moved and shouted, which frightened them.
(m) Who did the boys think had chased them?
Ans: The boys thought that a ghost had chased them.
2. Here are some of the events that happened on the uruka night, but they are not arranged in the proper order. Arrange the sentences in the proper sequence and then read the lesson to check your answer.
(a) Mahen saw something like a black heap of garbage in the middle of the garden.
(b) Shantiram ran towards the boys when they were about to pick the vegetables.
(c) Sanju, Nantu, Rinku, Rumon and Mahen planned an adventure on uruka night.
(d) The boys ran frantically out of the garden, scared that the ghost was after them.
(e) Just past midnight, the five boys headed towards Shantiram’s vegetable garden.
Ans:
- (c) Sanju, Nantu, Rinku, Rumon and Mahen planned an adventure on uruka night.
- (e) Just past midnight, the five boys headed towards Shantiram’s vegetable garden.
- (a) Mahen saw something like a black heap of garbage in the middle of the garden.
- (b) Shantiram ran towards the boys when they were about to pick the vegetables.
- (d) The boys ran frantically out of the garden, scared that the ghost was after them.
3. Look at the words in the two boxes below. One contains the names and the other contains their descriptions. Match the words to their descriptions and write them in your notebooks.
Ans:
| Word | Description |
|---|---|
| Uruka | the annual feast ahead of Magh Bihu |
| Shantiram | a retired army man who was interested in farming |
| Sanju, Nantu, Rinku, Rumon | the four friends of Mahendra |
| Mahendra | the leader of the adventure on uruka night |
| The nightjar | a small species of owl |
| Nongola | a bamboo gate |
4. Here are some words from the lesson. Match the words with their meaning to check your understanding.
Ans:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| propose | to suggest a plan or an idea |
| restless | unable to stay still |
| custom | an accepted way of behaving or doing things in society |
| feast | a large or special meal, especially for many people |
| frantically | done quickly and with a lot of activity, but not in an organized way |
5. Read the lesson once again and write in the box the name(s) of the person/people who said the lines given below. In which paragraph does each sentence occur?
| “Oh yes! It is our age old custom.” | |
| “We will spend the night in our bhelaghar.” | |
| “What will we carry the vegetables in?” | |
| “Never mind. We’ll carry as much as possible in each hand.” |
Ans:
| “Oh yes! It is our age old custom.” | Mahen (Para-2) |
| “We will spend the night in our bhelaghar.” | Mahen (Para-3) |
| “What will we carry the vegetables in?” | Sajan (Para-4) |
| “Never mind. We’ll carry as much as possible in each hand.” | Mahen (Para-4) |
6. Let’s learn some grammar:
(a) Read the following two sentences.
(i) We will spend the night in our bhelaghar.
(ii) We’ll carry as much vegetables as possible.
Note the following
- We can write we will as we’ll.
- We’ll is the shorter form of we will.
Now rewrite the following sentences using the short form of will.
-
Mahen said, “We will make a bhelaghar.”
Ans: Mahen said, “We’ll make a bhelaghar.” -
They will spend the night in the bhelaghar.
Ans: They’ll spend the night in the bhelaghar. -
Sajan thought, “When everyone is asleep, I will pick vegetables.”
Ans: Sajan thought, “When everyone is asleep, I’ll pick vegetables.” -
Mahen said, “We will help each other to cook the food.”
Ans: Mahen said, “We’ll help each other to cook the food.” -
They will have an uruka adventure.
Ans: They’ll have an uruka adventure.
(b) Now read the following sentences:
(i) We’ll carry as much as possible in our hands.
(ii) I shall wait to see who comes to steal my vegetables.
Note the following:
We use words like will and shall to talk about something that is going to happen in the future.
(c) Note the difference in meaning between the first two sentences and the third:
(i) We will spend the night in the bhelaghar.
(ii) We shall go and pick vegetables.
(iii) We spent the night in the bhelaghar.
The first two sentences express future time and the third sentence expresses past time.
(d) Note the forms of negative sentences:
(i) We will not spend the night in the bhelaghar.
(ii) We did not spend the night in the bhelaghar.
We use will not or won’t and did not or didn’t to express a negative meaning.
Now check your grammar. Rewrite these sentences by changing the underlined verbs to express future time.
(i) Mahen called his friends to his house.
(ii) Mahen jumped up in joy.
(iii) They decided to celebrate Uruka together.
(iv) They planned to hold the feast in Mahen’s house.
(v) We went to pick vegetables from Shantiram’s garden.
Ans:
(i) Mahen will call his friends to his house.
(ii) Mahen will jump up in joy.
(iii) They will decide to celebrate Uruka together.
(iv) They will plan to hold the feast in Mahen’s house.
(v) We will go to pick vegetables from Shantiram’s garden.
7. Read the story and write down the words ending with –ly. One is done for you.
(a) excitedly (b) (c) (d)
Now look up the dictionary and write the meanings of these words. Use the words in sentences of your own.
Ans:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| gleefully | In a happy and excited way |
| quietly | Without making noise |
| suddenly | Happening very quickly and without warning |
| frantically | In a very worried and hurried way |
| finally | At the end, after a long time or many efforts |
8. (a) Read the paragraphs given below carefully. They describe what the friends did on uruka night. All the words highlighted in italics bold refer to actions that took place in the past.
Mahen and his friends decided to hold a feast together. They planned to hold the feast at Mahen’s compound. Mahen and Sanju said that they would do the shopping for the feast at the nearby market. Mahen’s friends Nantu and Rinku suggested that they should cook for the feast themselves.
Rumon offered to cook the vegetables and the fish. Sanju and Nantu said that they would cook the rice, the lentils and the chicken. The five friends proposed that they would spend the entire night at Mahen’s compound.
As planned earlier, the five boys built a big shed using straw and bamboo. Rumon’s uncle helped them with the task. The boys joyfully cooked for the feast with a little supervision and help from Mahen’s mother. When the feast was over, Mahen commanded his friends to follow him on their nocturnal adventure. They made straight for Shantiram’s house at the end of the lane. The five friends tiptoed into his garden after crossing the nongola. Suddenly, they saw a black heap of garbage in the middle of the rows of vegetables. They thought it was inert and harmless. But when the boys stretched their hands to pick the vegetables, the heap suddenly moved! Terrified, they fled from the scene. What a narrow escape they had!
Now sit in groups. Then, using verbs in similar forms, tell the group how you celebrated one of your festivals this year. Did you have an adventure like Mahen or was it a rather ordinary experience for you?
Remember to include the following points to describe your experience:
• How you planned for the festival
• With whom you celebrated it
• What was prepared for the festival
• What you ate and who did the cooking
• What adventures you had with your friends
Ans:
(b) Name a festival that all Indians celebrate in the month of January. Discuss with your partner and write a few lines on it.
Ans: Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti is a festival celebrated all over India in the month of January. It marks the movement of the Sun into the zodiac sign Capricorn. People celebrate it in different ways in different states. They take holy baths, fly kites, prepare sweets made of rice and jaggery, and share food with family and friends. The festival spreads joy, unity, and happiness among people.
9. Read the verbs in column A and write their past forms in column B, as shown in the example:
| A | B |
|---|---|
| buy | bought |
| catch | |
| teach | |
| bring | |
| fight |
Ans:
| A | B |
|---|---|
| buy | bought |
| catch | caught |
| teach | taught |
| bring | brought |
| fight | fought |
10. What did you notice about the words in column B above?
Notice that the ‘ght’ in all the past forms is pronounced as the ’t’ is pronounced in ‘cot’.
Can you think of more words ending with ‘ght’? Work with a friend. Practise saying aloud the words you have listed.
11. Look at the pictures in box A and read the dialogue in the bubble. Now choose the correct response from those in box B to fill up the bubble C.
Now, practise the dialogue with your partner.
Ans: (ii) Don’t worry. I am OK. You carry on. I’ll join you in a while.
12. Read the following words. Some of them are related to adventure. Find out the meanings of those words and make sentences with them:
Ans:
| Word | Meaning | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| plan | a set of actions decided in advance | I have a plan to visit India next year. |
| thrill | A feeling of excitement | The movie gave me a thrill. |
| excitement | A feeling of happiness and eagerness | The children were excited to go to the zoo. |
| enjoyment | Pleasure and happiness | The children had a great enjoyment playing games. |
| feast | a large special meal | The family prepared a grand feast. |
| cooperation | Working together to help each other | The work was completed with cooperation. |
| custom | A traditional practice | Flying kites is a custom during the festival. |
| experiment | a test to learn something new. | We did a small experiment in science class. |
| night | The time when it is dark | The boys stayed awake the whole night. |
| voice | Sound produced when speaking | I heard a strange voice in the dark. |
13. Let’s do:
Magh Bihu is one festival which is linked to nature and its nurture. It is also a celebration of the northward movement of the sun called Uttaraayan (uttar means north and aayana means movement). Bihu, Karbi-Dehal-Kachir-Dom, Karam Puja, etc. are all festivals closely linked to nature. In groups, choose a festival like the above and make a poster on it. Remember to use pictures and interesting captions (headings) along with short descriptions of the food, dress, rituals, etc. that are part of the festival.