Block 1

Communication Skills in English Block I

Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 1

READING SKILLS BLOCK I

MODULE INTRODUCTION:

This module on “Reading skills” or “Skills of Reading” is designed to initiate

you into some of the basic skills of reading. The only way to do that is to

practise and read English with the activities and exercises given in these

units and continue doing it whenever you read something in English. Let us

familiarize ourselves with the objectives of this module. This course will

enable you to.

1. recognize the script of English and with the help of the language

markers (vocabulary, grammar)understand the explicitly stated

information in a passage.

2. conclude or deduce the meaning and information when it is not explicitly

stated.

3. understand the relationship between sentences and words in a sentence

(vocabulary, grammar)

4. extract the salient points and summarize the contents of a given

passage.

5. distinguish the focal points in a given piece of information with the help

of the supporting ideas or details.

6. focus your attention to the various purposes of reading and their relative

importance.

All the exercises and activities given in the block are streamlined and

directed towards achieving these objectives. Go through the book and work

on exercises and activities and verify your learning on the basis of these

objectives.

The module uses the following symbols to guide you:

This tells you that there is an important point to remember

This points out a question, which urges you to read on. This is a

motivator.

This identifies a self-test



BLOCK INTRODUCTION

Unit 1: This unit introduces you to the activity of reading as a skill which

could be developed, sensitized and refined. You will get a glimpse

of the various purposes and functions of reading. It will make you

realize that every time we read, we have a specific objective and

our reading/focus varies according to our objective of reading. This

unit will give you information about the various subskills of reading

like skimming and scanning.

Unit 2: In this unit, you have been exposed to a passage wherein you are

expected to practise the skills of skimming and scanning. This unit

is designed to give you some exercises in Remedial Grammar.

These exercises will help you to reinforce whatever you have learnt

so far. You will also get practice in identifying the use of phrases

(phrasal verbs), their significance and function in English.

Unit 3: This unit provides you exposure to a different type of reading, i e

reading a short – story. Once again you will get practice in

skimming and scanning the short story. A comprehensive

understanding of the story would enable you to sequence the

events of the story in a chronological order (as they occur in the

story). You would be concentrating on learning new words and will

learn how to interact/negotiate with words when they occur in

writing. We have also provided the “BASIC ENGLISH WORD LIST"

by IA RICHARDS (1943) in the Appendix.

Unit 4: In this unit a relatively complex passage has been given. You need

to negotiate with the words/grammatical patterns in this passage

carefully. Exercises in skimming and scanning (comprehension) too

are slightly advanced. This unit also is one of the significant units

wherein you learn “Guided Composition” and “Cohesive units”.

Unit 5: This unit is specially designed to expose you to as many types of

exercise as possible to learn/practise the skills of reading. In a way

it is a compendium of tasks and exercises. You would understand

its worth only when you work with the exercises. You are also

initiated into one of the effective techniques of reading by

Robinson. The SQ3R technique (SQ3R stands for the initial letters

of the five steps in studying a text. Survey S, Question Q, Read R,

Recall R, Review R). You need to read the information on the

technique and then practise it in your daily reading.



UNIT 1

Structure

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE (UNITS I-V)

1.2 WHAT IS READING?

1.3 PURPOSES OF READING

1.4 READING AS A SKILL

1.5 TYPES OF READING

1.5.1 SKIMMING

1.5.2 SCANNING

1.5.3 EXTENSIVE READING

1.5.4 INTENSIVE READING

1.5.5 LOUD AND SILENT READING

1.6 SUMMARY

1.7 SOURCES:BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.8 SELF TEST

1.0 INTRODUCTION

We require several skills for acquiring knowledge and wisdom. The first and

foremost skill required for learning a language is reading skill. Therefore it is

the primary skill that helps us acquire knowledge about everything in this

world. Those who cannot read or write are prone to exploitation and

suffering. Therefore it is important for all human beings to read and learn. In

this unit on reading skills we will learn about the various aspects of reading

as a skill. This will help us not only to improve our learning ability but also

our communication skills.

1.1 OBJECTIVES

In the first unit of “Reading Skills” we will learn and understand:

the importance of reading as a skill

the need to develop this skill for better understanding and language use.

different types of reading for different purposes.

the subskills of reading ….



Hence the unit will help you to always ask the question before reading ---

“Why am I reading?” This will enable you to focus your mind on your

purpose of reading, which will make your reading more meaningful and

enjoyable too.

1.2 WHAT IS READING?

The following are a few definitions/descriptions regarding the process

of reading.

Reading is thinking under the stimulus of the printed page

(Webster, 1982:30)

Reading is a Psycho-linguistic guessing game (Webster, 1982:19)

Reading Comprehension is understanding a written text.

Understanding a written text means extracting the required

information from it as efficiently as possible. Francoise Grellet 1991:3)

From the above definitions/descriptions we can conclude that when we read

any piece of information/matter we understand the given text at three levels-

Pure, literal response to the familiar words on the page – there is no depth

of understanding

You recognize the writer‟s meaning and

Your own personal experience helps you to understand the matter.

All these three levels could be described thus: When you read: you

read the lines, read between the lines and also read beyond the lines. So

reading is nothing but a decoding process.

ENCODER/WRITER MESSAGE DECODER/READER

1.3 PURPOSES OF READING (WHY DO WE READ?)

We read many things in our day-to-day lives. Let us name a few of them:

Newspapers and magazines



Advertisements, leaflets, pamphlets

Textbooks, novels, short-stories

Letters, telegrams

Recipes, puzzles, menus

Articles, reports, legal documents

Dictionaries, telephone directories

Cartoons, comic strips

Time-tables, maps, statistical graphs and diagrams etc

When we read each of these things we do have a purpose for which we

read them. They are read either for pleasure or for information. We might

get information even when we read something purely for pleasure. Why we

distinguish between these purposes of reading is that the way we read

always is influenced by the purpose of our reading. This leads us to the

various types of reading (Refer 1.4)

1.4 READING AS A SKILL

Most of us think of reading as a passive process where we sit down relax

and run our eyes through the words on the page and try to understand the

information. But today, we have realised that reading is an active process.

A reader can understand a text only when s/he actively uses his/her mental

faculties.

Hence to read efficiently one has to have:

The knowledge of the writing system of the language

The knowledge of the language (grammar, vocabulary)

The ability to interpret

A reason for reading and the appropriate method of reading and

The knowledge of the world (experience/background knowledge)

When all these requirements are used efficiently while reading,

understanding would be effective and meaningful. Hence reading is a skill

which has to be acquired by constant experimentation and struggle. We

would like to provide you exposure, challenges and opportunities to use

these skills during this course on reading skills.



1.5 TYPES OF READING

Ref. Back to 1.2

As we have already said we read in different ways depending on the

purpose for which we are reading a text. Let us look at a few types of

reading. For your purpose you can also refer to your ways of reading and

compare them with the following.

1.5.1 SKIMMING

What is skimming?

Kusum is a voracious reader. She reads any book that she finds within her

reach. She goes to a book exhibition. She wants to buy a few books. She

doesn‟t have time to read the pages before deciding on buying the book.

Hence she quickly goes through the contents, title page and the blurb and

then decides whether to buy the book or not. The type of reading that

Kusum does in the bookstall is skimming. Now can we describe what

skimming skill is in reading?

We can define/describe skimming as “looking quickly over a text/book

to get a general superficial idea of the content.”

ACTIVITY (An exercise in Skimming)

Read the following news item:

Bangalore: One of the country‟s best-known institutions, the National Law

School of India University (NLSIU), has suddenly cancelled all end-term

semester examinations due to start on Saturday and declared a holiday

starting Friday. The reason: an outbreak of chickenpox in the hostels

Select an appropriate headline for the news item from the choices given

below:

Threat of chicken pox



Examinations postponed due to epidemic

Chickenpox hits Law School hostels

Hygiene and our colleges

Students packed off due to chickenpox in the hostels.

Does the underlined headline give the complete idea and information about

the news story? If you choose a different headline, why do you think that is

more appropriate?

1.5.2 SCANNING

As you read a text, editorial or an article you suddenly come across a word

that is not familiar to you. Naturally you would like to know the meaning of

the word for your own benefit. So you get the dictionary and carefully find

the word. You see the spelling, pronunciation, meaning and also the

various uses of the same word (if any). This type of careful reading to find

out the specific, clear details is known as Scanning. Here, you just don‟t run

your eyes across the page but look into the information for specific details.

Let us go through the following exercise to be familiar with what scanning is

all about.

ACTIVITY (Scanning)

Read the following Schedule of “MUSIC ASIA” Channel.

MUSIC ASIA

TIME

6.30 a.m.

7.00 a.m.

7.30 a.m.

8.00 a.m.

8.30 a.m.

9.00 a.m.

9.15 a.m.

10.00 a.m.

10.30 a.m.

PROGRAMME

SA RE GA MA

GEETHON KE BAHAR

B/W GEMS

TEA-TIME GAME

ALAAP

TOTAL RECALL

BREAK-FAIL

HIT-MIX

ZIG-ZAG BEST



11.00 a.m.

11.30 a.m.

12.00 a.m.

12.30 a.m.

1.00 a.m.

1.45 a.m.

MUSIC BOX

STARS DAY OUT

ARTIST OF THE FORTNIGHT

JHAROKA

MUSIQUIX

TOP-NOTCH

Quickly find answers to the following questions.

When do you listen to „HIT-MIX‟?

Name one of the early morning shows giving the nostalgic musical moments

of the past.

When do we have “Star of the Fortnight” on MUSIC ASIA?

Name some of the programmes of longer duration than the others.

1. -------------

2. -------------

1.5.3 EXTENSIVE READING

Does reading give us pleasure?

As we have already mentioned our way of reading is influenced by the

purpose of our reading. Most of us have the habit of reading especially

when we are free or have a lot of leisure time. We might get hold of a novel,

a comic strip, a magazine etc. When we read for the pure pleasure of

reading we call it extensive reading. But we should not give it a lesser

priority because it is extensive reading. It is enjoyable as well as

informative. Here we practise rapid reading to get the global/overall

understanding of the matter.

1.5.4 INTENSIVE READING

When we read shorter texts like a research paper for getting specific

details/ information we read slowly with a lot of concentration. This is

intensive reading. When you read a book as a resource material for

research you read it intensively because the overall understanding is not the



objective/purpose of our reading. When you read an article in order to write

a review on it, you read it intensively. We use all the skills of reading when

we do intensive reading. (Ref: UNIT-V)

1.5.5 LOUD AND SILENT READING

Most of our day-to-day reading is done silently. When we read an article or

an advertisement, we are engaged in the process of deriving meaning from

the passage. Actually when we read aloud our concentration is divided

between reading and speaking. This makes reading difficult and may cause

problems in understanding the matter. But there are situations when we

have to read things aloud, like the notices and circulars, when others don‟t

have access to it. You need to read the instructions aloud to students or

employees so that there is no confusion later. Besides these extra-ordinary

situations, most of the time the natural way of reading is silent reading which

is ideal and helps comprehension.

1.6 SUMMARY

In this unit we have discussed what reading is, the different kinds of reading

and the various types and purposes of reading. The learners will have to

interact with the given piece of writing/information and derive meaning out of

it. For this, a basic knowledge of the language system, vocabulary, grammar

and some background knowledge of the topic is required. You should also

vary your speed of reading according to your purpose of reading. We have

given you examples of how you can practise the different skills of reading in

your day-to-day life. It is up to you to exercise your knowledge on reading

skills and systematically put the same to practice in the units to follow. The

following units of this block will have the theoretical background of UNIT I.

Hence a thorough study of UNIT I is mandatory before you venture into the

following units.

1.7 SOURCES:BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grellet Francoise. 1981 Developing Reading Skills, Cambridge University

Press

Inthira S R and V Saraswathi (eds.) 1995 ENRICH YOUR ENGLISH BOOK

I – Webster, James 1982. Reading Matters – A practical Philosophy,

London McGraw Hill Book Company (UK) Ltd.



1.8 SELF TEST

1. Read the TV programme guides given in a daily newspaper and then

answer questions such as those given below.

a. Programmes of how many channels have been printed?

b. How many channels offer programmes in regional languages?

c. What are the different types of programmes each channel

specialises in?

d. Which music channel has a wider variety of programmes?



UNIT 2 READING COMPREHENSION

Structure:

2.0 INTRODUCTION

2.1 OBJECTIVES

2.2 COMPREHENSION PASSAGE „BRAILLE‟ (WRITING SYSTEM FOR

THE BLIND)

2.3 COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

2.4 USEFUL PHRASES (PHRASAL VERBS)

2.5 ACTIVITY

2.6 ACTIVITY

2.7 SUMMARY

2.8 SELF TEST

2.9 APPENDIX

2.0 INTRODUCTION

We may read pages and pages of material. But how much of it do we

understand? Our mind seems to retain very little of what we read. Therefore

it is essential to acquire certain skills which will help us understand and

remember what we read or at least most of what we read. This unit will help

us understand reading comprehension so that we will be able to retain what

we read.

2.1 OBJECTIVES

To enable the learner to read a passage and get the gist of the passage

by skimming and scanning it.

To enable the learner to identify a few useful phrases from the lesson

and use them in sentences of his/her own

To reinforce the learner‟s understanding on the use of prepositions with

the help of guided exercises



2.2 BRAILLE (Writing System for the blind)

Valentin Hauy (1745 – 1822) was a French professor of calligraphy.

One cold day he was going through a street in Paris when he saw a blind

beggar. Hauy was a very kind-hearted person. He at once put his hand into

his pocket and took out a coin. He put this coin on the blind beggar‟s palm.

But as he turned to go, the beggar called out, “Sir, Sir! You have surely

made a mistake; you have given me a franc instead of a Sou”.

“But how did you know I had given you a franc”? Asked Hauy in surprise.

“Oh!” replied the beggar, “It is quite simple. If I pass my finger over a coin, I

can at once tell what it is.”

Hauy allowed the beggar to keep the franc although it was a great deal of

money in those days. But as he walked back home, he thought to himself.

“If a blind man can tell a coin by the mere touch of his finger, why should he

not be able to tell the different marks or letters of an alphabet?”

This thought inspired Hauy to develop a system of reading for the

blind. He printed normal letters in relief that could be felt by a touch of the

finger. He also started a school for blind children and prepared special

books with embossed letters for them. Hauy‟s experiment was a great

success and he became known as the „father and apostle of the blind‟.

Hauy‟s system of reading for the blind was very useful, but it was quite

difficult to learn. Moreover, it was only a reading system; there was no way

for the blind to write in this system.

In 1819, a ten-year old blind boy, Louis Braille, entered Hauy‟s school. He

was an intelligent student and quickly learnt to read with the help of

embossed letters. However, he realised the disadvantages in Hauy‟s

system and made up his mind to develop an easier method of reading and

writing for the blind.

And in 1824, when he was only 15, Braille invented a system of writing,

which has been accepted all over the world. He was yet a student in Hauy‟s

school. This school is now known as the National Institute for Blind Children.

It is supported by the French government. From 1826, Braille worked as a

teacher in this school.



The system invented by Braille has been named after him. It is also

known as the six-dot cell system. Each letter is formed with the help of one

or more raised dots in a cell. Different positions of the raised dots in a cell

represent different letters.

Unluckily Louis Braille did not live long to enjoy the great success of his

system. He died of tuberculosis in 1852.

Now let‟s have a look at the Braille alphabet in their separate cells.

In each cell - indicates a raised dot

Indicates unraised dot.

A B C D E F G H I J K L

M N O P Q R S T U V W X

Y Z

Now can you read what is written in the following cells?

T H A N K Y O U



If you have read it correctly, it says, „thank you‟. In addition to these 26 dot

patterns for the English alphabet, there are five patterns for common words

(and, for, of, the, with) and nine patterns for common letter combinations

(ch, gh, sh, th, wh, ed, er, ou, ow). We have patterns for punctuation marks

also. In all there are 63 patterns.

Writing Braille is not very difficult. A special type of needle is used to form

the raised dots. A person using Braille writes from right to left. When the

sheet is turned over, the raised dots face upward and are read from left to

right. Braille has proved a great blessing for the blind. They can get the

benefits of education like any other normal person. Many good books have

been written in Braille. Blind people can read and enjoy them. There have

been many examples of blind persons who learnt Braille and then wrote

great books themselves. Miss Helen Keller was one of them.

2.3 Comprehension Questions

Now that you have read the lesson once you must have understood most of

the contents of the same. If not, you ought to read it again and try to answer

the following simple questions. See that your answers are not elaborate.

Let them be very brief, not exceeding two sentences. Space is provided for

your answers.

Questions

1. Who was Valentin Hauy?

2. How can you say that Hauy was a kind-hearted person?

3. How did the blind beggar come to know what Hauy had given him?

4. Why did the blind beggar think that Hauy had made a mistake?



5. What was the thought that inspired Hauy?

6. What did he do for the blind children?

7. What was the drawback in the system developed by Hauy?

8. Who was Louis Braille?

9. What system did Braille invent? What is this system called?

10. How did the Braille system help the blind?

Note: Now you can consult a dictionary and clarify your guesses at the

meanings of the words in the passage.

2.4 Useful phrases

After having answered the questions we would like you to observe the

following sentences.

1. My colleague received the telegram from home and at once went to

the bus stand to book the tickets

2. The minister called out to his assistant loudly.

3. Look at the paintings! They are just marvellous.

4. In addition to the state relief operations, the central relief measures

were generously taken during the calamity.

5. The epidemic is likely to spread all over the northern parts of the

country.

6. Instead of punishing the guilty the court acquitted them.

7. The new project is set to benefit all the sections of society.

8. A great deal of resources are wasted every year.

9. My friend made up her mind to speak to her English teacher.

10. There were in all ten cockroaches in the kitchen.



Once you go through these sentences we would like you to go back to the

text and quickly skim through the paragraphs and underline similar words

used in them. Try to compare the meanings of these phrases in the above

sentences and in the text. You would be able to find the difference or

similarity of meanings. This, in turn would help you in using these phrases

effectively in your day to day life.

2.5 ACTIVITY

Find the meanings of the following phrases and use them in your own

sentences.

Inspite of, nonetheless, instead of, set off, set up, call for, call on, send for,

meant for, call off, set aside, go on, put up with, get rid of

By now you must have realised that most of these words are verbs

followed by a preposition. These phrases are called verbal phrases. They

are instrumental in expressing things more effectively. Hence knowledge

and familiarity with these phrases would go a long way in enhancing the

quality of our expression. Let‟s go through the following activity.

2.6 ACTIVITY

Replace the words in brackets in the following sentences with a suitable

phrasal verb chosen from those given in the box. (make necessary changes

if required)

Use the past tense when necessary.

Go for, turn up, look after, take after, hold up, go in for, look into, go off,

try out, run out of, get over, do away with, call off, go along with, come up

with

1. The trouble with her is that she never ----------- on time for meetings

(arrives)

2. „Jayashree, I‟d like you to ----------- this complaint we received this

morning (examine)

3. The bomb ------------ with a loud bang, which could be heard all over the

town (exploded/ burst).



4. He was walking through the park when a strange dog suddenly ---------

him (attacked)

5. You can‟t have a sandwich, I am afraid, we have ------------- bread.

(exhausted the supply of)

6. Due to the heavy downpour, the proposed concert has to be -----------

(cancelled)

Answers: 1. Turned up 2. Look into 3. Went off 4. Went in for

5. run out of 6. Called off

You can list as many phrasal verbs of common use and attempt to use them

in your speech and writing. This is what the imaginative use of language is

all about.

2.7 SUMMARY

In this unit you have been made to understand the problems of the visually

impaired persons with regard to reading. You have realised the need and

importance of reading even for those who suffer from a loss of vision. The

invention of the script for the visually impaired called “Braille” has facilitated

reading by touch.

You have written down quite a few useful phrases to be used in English.

You have skimmed through the lesson and have answered the

comprehension questions. You have scanned the lesson to identify the

useful phrases and their usage.

2.8 SELF TEST

1. What does reading comprehension mean?

2. How will you define phrasal verbs?

3. Prepare a list of phrasal verbs and use them in your own sentences.

4. Read a passage from a storybook and test your comprehension by

asking questions similar to the ones asked in this unit.



2.9 APPENDIX {REMEDIAL EXERCISES} in prepositions

APPENDIX (PREPOSITIONS)

1. POSITION (PREPOSITIONS)

Answer the questions. Using the prepositions in the list.

Beside below above between in front of

Next to under over opposite behind

BANK SALOON

1. Where‟s the horse? (Saloon) It‟s in front of the Saloon

2. Where‟s the sheriff? (Gunfighter) ------------------------------------

3. Where‟s the woman? (Sheriff, gunfighter) --------------------------------------

4. Where‟s the tree? (Bank) ----------------------------------------------

5. Where‟s the Bank? (Saloon) ------------------------------------------

6. Where‟s the pub? (Railway

line)

---------------------------------------

7. Where‟s the cinema?

(pub, laundry)

--------------------------

8. Where‟s the school

(supermarket)

----------------------------------------

---- ------ ------ ------ ---- ------



9. Where‟s the bird? (fish) -----------------------------------

10. Where are the hands? (water) -----------------------------------

11. Where are the bird and the fish? (water) ----------------------------------

2. DIRECTOR PREPOSITIONS



down round out of upto towards past

over across through under away from

Answers 1. Towards 4. -------------- 7. ------------------- 10. -------------

2. -------------- 5. -------------- 8. ------------------ 11.-------------

3. --------------- 6. -------------- 9. ------------------

Now write sentences in the past sense for each picture. Use the words

given

1. run The girl ran towards the house.

2. walk -----------------------------------------------------------------

3. drive -----------------------------------------------------------------------

4. climb -----------------------------------------------------------------------

5. crawl ------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. cycle ----------------------------------------------------------------------

7. go -----------------------------------------------------------------------

8. run ------------------------------------------------------------------------

9. ride --------------------------------------------------------------------------

10. drive -------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. go --------------------------------------------------------------------------



UNIT 3 READING SKILLS

Structure:

3.0 INTRODUCTION

3.1 OBJECTIVES

3.2 SHORT STORY – „The Baby Sitter‟ by Norah Burke

3.3 EXERCISE IN SKIMMING AND SCANNING

3.4 COMPREHENSION

3.5 VOCABULARY

3.6 GRAMMAR AND USAGE

3.6.1 TENSES: REMEDIAL

3.6.2 TENSES: PAST PERFECT

3.7 SUMMARY

APPENDIX: BASIC WORD LIST

I A RICHARDS (1943)

3.8 SELF TEST

3.0 INTRODUCTION

We have so far learnt about reading, skimming and scanning and also about

reading comprehension. In this unit we will be focusing our attention on

sequential arrangement of contents in a passage. We will also look into the

use of tenses.

3.1 OBJECTIVES

In this unit the learner is enabled to:

Read a short-story about the loyalty and devotion of an elephant

Sequence the events according to their occurrence in the story

Identify and use some of the words occurring in the story

Practise the use of the past perfect tense in English

Reinforce the uses of the tense in English

3.2 SHORT STORY:

The Baby-Sitter

By Norah Burke



To his keeper Karim, Gajpati was the biggest, best and most intelligent

elephant in all Asia. He belonged to India‟s Forest Department and was

employed in the Himalayan foothills as a shikar (hunting) elephant; he could

penetrate the jungle like no other animal.

Gajpati stood ten feet tall and weighed more than four tons. His legs were

like trees - his track 20 inches across-and he had more than once stamped

a bear to a pulp. Yet Gajpati was a gentle animal. He was especially so with

Karim, whom Gajpati loved with unselfish devotion, and with Karim‟s infant

son. If the elephant were doing nothing when Karim‟s wife had water to

fetch, or dinner to cook, either she or Karim would draw a circle in the dust

in front of the tethered animal, and put the baby into it.

“Keep him inside there, O Lord of Elephants,” they would order the big

tusker, who gently restrained the child if he tried to crawl away.

One afternoon when they were camped near the Rapti River, Karim‟s wife

took a big earthen jar and went off towards the river to fill it. After a while,

when she failed to return, Karim shouted in the direction she had taken. But

there was no reply. At his yell, every jungle sound had stopped except the

roar of the river.

Quite suddenly Karim, with his heel, marked a circle in front of the elephant

and put the baby into it.

“Look after him, Gajpati!”

He ran full speed to see what had happened to his wife.

Under Gajpati‟s trunk, next to his immense toenails, the baby lay and

laughed up at the elephant. The infant could do as he liked, but each time

he tried to crawl out of the circle he was picked up and put back in again.

Gajpati scooped up some dust with his trunk and blew it over himself.

Sometimes he flicked a little dirt over the baby, to discourage flies. And

sometimes drops of green spit fell from Gajpati‟s pointed underlip onto the

baby‟s tummy and tickled him. They were perfectly content together, these

two. Here, inside the cool shade of the huge wild-mango tree to which

Gajpati was tethered, time meant nothing.

Suddenly the sun was gone drawing over it a sky of velvet and diamonds.



Immediately, the air was colder, and the baby began to cry. Jackals howled

in the dusk, and there came the whoop of an eagle owl.

Not far away, in the rough grassland, a male hyena emerged from his

burrow and stood silently sniffing the night air for news of food. He was a

scavenger of carrion and an eater of skeletons. He would pick up any small,

helpless creature he might find. In India, hyenas take human children every

year.

His mate and an almost full-grown young hyena came out of the den, too.

When they heard the baby crying, these bold and loathsome beasts, with

their powerful crushing teeth, trotted off in that direction.

In camp, Gajpati was beginning to be agitated about the child. He realised

that something was the matter, but what? He offered the baby a mouthful of

leaves, and fanned him. It was no good. He put up his trunk and trumpeted

for the owners of this baby to come back and do something.

They did not appear.

Gajpati scented the hyenas. He froze, and felt the breeze with his trunk to

find out more.

There were three of them, out of sight, but quite close. Gajpati gathered the

baby closer to his feet and squealed a threat.

An elephant‟s sense of smell is acute, but his vision poor. It was not till the

hyenas were in the camp that Gajpati saw them. The sight made him rage

angrily, straining the chain that bound him. The elephant grumbled and

blew.

The hyenas were nonplussed. One sat down out of reach and fixed its

nocturnal eyes on the child. The others began to circle around behind.

In sudden exasperation, the elephant put his forehead against the mango

tree, and braced the whole of his giant strength against it to break it down.

He did not succeed, but the tree groaned at the roots.

Gajpati swung back and made for the sitting hyena, which sprang smartly

away.

The hyenas behind him darted at the baby, so he wheeled towards them

instead. They jumped out of reach.



He attacked the tree again. It shrieked as he strove against it. Now the

baby was yelling at the top of his lungs, and blindly trying to crawl away; so

Gajpati gave up. He backed up, shook his head, and gathered the baby to

him.

Changing his tactics, he stood perfectly still, close to the now leaning tree

and watched.

The hyenas were hungry, bold and began to close in.

They were watching the elephant with respect, but they did not allow for the

slack of the chain.

Gajpati struck like lightning and in a moment got one hyena under his

forefeet. Almost at once the struggle was over, body stamped to a pulp.

With a squeal of triumph and rage, Gajpati threw the carcass aside.

It scattered he others, who made off, leaving elephant and baby in peace for

an hour or two

Pillowed in dust, and exhausted by hunger, the baby lay half-sleeping, half-

sobbing, and sucked at the stub of sugarcane that Gajpati offered him.

Then, warmed by the elephant‟s sweet breath, he slept. A little after

midnight, Gajpati dozed, too.

Presently, the baby stirred, sat up, and began to crawl away.

He was already out of reach when the elephant woke.

In the grey of early morning, Gajpati saw the hyenas coming back and the

baby several yards away.

He forged out to the full length of his range. Iron links bit into his flesh.

Blood poured down.

The hyenas saw their chance and darted in.

At the same moment, the great tree gave and smashed down upon elephant

and baby together. Breaking branches and rushing leaves covered them

both.

The violence sent the hyenas off in a flash, and they did not return.

When Karim and his wife ran gasping into camp, they saw only the fallen

tree and Gajpati under it.



Their baby?

They tore their way into the leaves and branches. Beneath it all, the child

lay sleeping in the curl of the elephant‟s trunk. His mother, in tears,

snatched him up. He was very dirty and scratched, but whole.

And Gajpati?

He lay with closed eyes beneath the tree.

“Fool! Traitor!” raged Karim. “So! Was the baby nothing to thee, that thou

wouldst break loose and leave him?”

He took his axe and began to free the elephant, watched by his wife, who

stood with her son in the arms and trembling still after her night‟s

adventures.

To have dropped her water jar into deep rapids had been bad enough.

Then, as she tried to recover it, to be swept downstream had been a

nightmare. Karim had raced off down the river to look for her, but was

overtaken by night and lost in the jungle. At dawn they had found each

other as both rushed home to the child.

Now, panting and grunting, Karim cleared away the branches and undid

Gajpati‟s chain.

“He will die of his injuries,” choked the woman

But the elephant got his front feet on to the ground and heaved free of the

last branches. He was up, bruised, bleeding and shaking.

“Thou worthless traitor!” Karim told the animal bitterly.

The big elephant stood and sucked his trunk in shame and remorse for

wrongdoing.

“Look!” gasped the woman.

Where Gajpati had heaved himself free of branches, these had parted to

disclose the body of the hyena, and hyena tracks were everywhere. Karim

and his wife read the story: Gajpati was no traitor. There followed such

words of praise that made Gajpati lift his head and blink.



3.3 EXERCISE I

After reading the passage, look at the following list of events from the

story. However, they are not in chronological order. Read through the

events and rearrange them sequentially, as you have understood the story.

1. Karim made Gajpathi look after the baby when his wife did not return

from the river

2. The baby was frightened by all the noise and violence around him

3. A little later, when they saw the dead hyena they realised that Gajpati

had been a devoted baby-sitter

4. Gajpati pulled the tree down and chased the hyena away.

5. A little after midnight Gajpati dozed off

6. Gajpati gathered the baby to him and stood still.

7. Meanwhile the baby lay under Gajpati‟s trunk and laughed at him.

8. One afternoon Karim‟s wife went off towards the river to fetch water.

9. The hyenas appeared in the dusk.

10. They first blamed the elephant for not taking good care of the child.

11. When the elephant woke up he saw the hyenas return and the baby

several yards away.

12. He crushed the hyena that tried to get near the child.

13. When Karim and his wife returned, they saw the child sleeping in the

curl of Gajpati‟s trunk.

14. The baby woke up and began to crawl away

15. The other two hyenas ran away when Gajpati struck

16. Gajpati tried to break the tree down to attack the hyenas

17. In trying to recover her water jar, she fell into the river and was swept

downstream

18. He ran fast to see what had happened to his wife

19. They tried to take the baby away

20. He was overtaken by night and got lost in the jungle

It is good to start sequencing the events after the first reading itself. If

you get stuck you can read the story again so that you get a clear

comprehension of the story. Just to help you. You can begin the exercise in

the blank space given below with –

One afternoon Karim‟s wife went off towards the river to fetch water



3.4 COMPREHENSION

Answer the following questions briefly.

Gajpati was baby-sitting for Karim and his wife for the first time. Do you

agree? How do you know?

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

Do you think the baby minded being looked after by the elephant? Why do

you think so?

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

„In India, hyenas take human children every year‟ – What is the

significance of this sentence?

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

Read the last paragraph of the story again. Which of the following words do

you think Karim and his wife used? Give your reason………..

a. Saviour b. guardian c. devoted friend d. loyal servant

(Reason)……………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

3.5 VOCABULARY

Fill in the blanks in the sentences given below, choosing suitable words from

the list given:

[cut, kernel, pulp, penetrated, teach, amazement, restrain, exasperation]

Rain has --------------- right through the coat

A banana is mainly ------------- except for its skin



If you can‟t ---------------- your dog from biting the milkman, you must lock him

up

„Go away!‟ I shouted in ---------------

To his --------------- the police Inspector found the robber surrendering with all

the booty

The bullets could not ------------------- the strong walls

3.6 GRAMMAR AND USAGE 3.6.1 EXERCISE IN TENSES

Complete the following sentences. Two examples are already given to you

1. E. g You can turn off the television. I‟m not watching it (watch/not)

2. Last night Hrishikesh fell (fall) asleep while he was reading (read)

3. David is lazy. He ------------- (not like) hard work

4. “Have you got my key?” “No” I -------------(give) it back to you

5. Where ----------- your parents ------------- for their holidays last year?

(go)

6. I saw Sarika yesterday. She -----------(drive) her new car

7. I ------------ (try) to find a job at the moment. It is very difficult

8. Listen! Somebody ------------- (play) the piano

9. I am tired this morning. I --------------- (not sleep) last night

10. Raj: What ------------ (you/do) at six o‟clock last Sunday morning?

Ravi: I was in bed asleep.



3.6.2 EXERCISE – II (PAST PERFECT TENSE) Match the questions in column „A‟ with the anwers in column „B‟. Fill in the blanks with the past perfect tense form of the verb given in brackets.

A

1. Did you put the milk in the fridge?

2. Did you have a good dinner at

Sheela‟s wedding?

3. Why didn‟t you go to the movie

with Avinash?

4. Why did Amita drop out of class?

5. Did you register the letter?

6. Why was Hameed so happy

yesterday?

B

a. She realized that she ………….

(already read) all the books

b. No, Mother had already put

(already put) it in before I came

home

c. No, they ----------- (already finish)

eating by the time I got there.

d. Because I ---------- (already see) it

e. He------ (just pass) his driving test

f. No. The post office ------- (already

close) when I reached there.

3.7 SUMMARY

In this unit we studied and practised:

a) Reading and understanding a short story about the loyalty and devotion

of an elephant and perceiving the sequence of events in the story

b) Use of some of the words in the story in our day to day language

c) Use of the past perfect tense in English

d) Reminded ourselves of the use of tenses in English

3.8 SELF TEST

1. When should you start sequencing events in a passage that you have

read and why?

2. What is the use of past perfect tense? Explain with examples.

3. Read a short story and apply exercises similar to those given in this unit

to that story and find out answers.

4. Make some sentences using the word list given in the appendix.

5. See if you can learn ten new words everyday by using your dictionary

ARCTIC REGION

Block 1

Documents

unit of reading skills

importance of reading

objective of reading

intensive reading

extensive reading

silent reading

daily reading

functions of reading