MP Board Class 12th English The Spectrum Workbook Solutions Chapter 17 The Fun They Had

Word Power

A. Here are some prefixes/roots. Relate them with the words given in the box.
between, circle, to live, to turn, foot, one, within, year
Answer:

Table of Contents

vivo-as in survive—to live
podos-as in podium—foot
kyklos-as in unicycle—circle
annus-as in anniversary—year
verlo -or versus as in universe—to turn
unus-as in university—one
inter-as in interstate—between
intra-as in intrapsychic—within

B. Match the following rooms/places with their meanings:

‘A’ – ‘B’

1. attic – (a) open as you come into a house.
2. loft – (b) covered area before an entrance-door.
3. cellar – (c) large cupboard (big enough to walk into) for storing food.
4. basement – (d) room in the roof space of a house (could be lived in)
5. hall – (e) space in the roof of a house usually used only [or a storage.
6. porch – (f) paved area between house and garden for sitting and eating etc.
7. pantry or larder – (g) room below ground level, no windows,used for storage.
8. terrace or patio – (h) room below ground level, windows for living and working,
Answer:
1. – (d), 2. -b, (e), 3. – (g), 4. – (h), 5. – (a), 6. -. (b), 7. -e (c), 8. -. (f)

Comprehension

A. Choose the correct alternative.

Question 1.
The story ‘The fun they Had’ can be best described as:
(a) a funny story
(b) a fairy tale
(c) science fiction
(d) an event from history.
Answer:
(c) science fiction

Question 2.
Who told Margie that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper?
(a) Tommy
(b) the County inspector
(c) her grandfather
(d) her grandfather’s grandfather.
Answer:
(a) Tommy

Question 3.
Which of the following statements does not apply to Margie’s teacher:
(a) It was large. black and ugly
(b) It calculated the marks instantly
(c) It had a tinny, robotic voice
(d) It taught at regular hours.
Answer:
(c) It had a tinny, robotic voice

B. Fill in the blanks:

(i) Margie was doing badly on her tests. (history/geography)
(ii) The sector of Tommy’s teacher had blanked out completely. (history/geography)
(iii) Tommy claimed that he was as smart as a teacher. (father/grandfather)
(iv) Margie’s schoolroom was right next to her (bedroom/playpen)
(v) Tommy was …… than Margie. (younger/older)
Answer:
(i) geography
(ii) history
(iii) father.
(iv) bedroom
(v) older.

Language Practice

A. Say what each speaker did. Use the following verbs before a ‘to infinitive clause’.
decide. offer, promise. threaten

Question 1.
Sallm: I’ll put the shelves up a room. I promise.
Answer:
I promise to put the shelves up a room.

Question 2.
Yaqub: O. K. I’ll buy both dresses.
Answer:
I decide to buy both the dresses

Question 3.
Sameeria: I’ll cook the meal if you like.
Answer:
I offer to cook the meal.

Question 4.
Shakil: If you don’t control that dog, Jameel, I’ll shoot It.
Answer:
If you don’t control that dog, I threaten to shoot it.

B. Rewrite the following sentences using non-finite clauses:

Question 1.
She was sorry that she had missed the meeting.
Answer:
She was sorry for missing the meeting.

Question 2.
I hope that I’ll this novel by tomorrow.
Answer:
I hope to finish this novel by tomorrow.

Question 3.
Ruby promised that she would give me the book.
Answer:
Ruby promised me to give them the book.

Question 4.
Rashid was hurt when he learned that Shahnawaz had not done his homework.
Answer:
Knowing that Shahnawaz had not done his homework, Rasbid was hurt.

Question 5.
Anand will be surprised when he sees you.
Answer:
Anand will be surprised to sec you.

C. Combine the following pair of sentences using a non-finite clause beginning with a participle (-ing/-ed)

Question 1.
(a) The girl was injured in the accident.
(b) The girl was taken to hospital.
Answer:
Being injured in the accident, the girl was taken to hospital.

Question 2.
(a) The car broke down.
(b) The car was taking us to the airport.
Answer:
The car taking us to the airport broke down.

Question 3.
(a) At the end of the street, there is a path.
(b) The path leads to the river.
Answer:
The path at the end of the street leads to the river.

Question 4.
(a) The king was armed with his sword, bow, and arrow.
(b) The king reached the forest.
Answer:
The king armed with his sword, bow, and arrow reached the forest,

Question 5.
(a) He looked over his shoulder.
(b) He saw the police chasing him.
Answer:
Looking over his shoulder, he saw the police chasing him.

D. Combine the following pair of sentences in such a way that sentence
(b) is changed Into a non-finite claim.

Question 1.
(a) Priyanka loves coffee.
(b) Priyanka drinks hot coffee.
Answer:
Priyanka loves drinking bot coffee.

Question 2.
(a) Ruby believes in something.
(b) She works hard.
Answer:
Ruby believes in working hard.

Question 3.
(a) She denied.
(b) She stole my wallet.
Answer:
She denied having stolen my wallet.

Question 4.
(a) I am looking forward to it.
(b) I attend your wedding tomorrow.
Answer:
I am looking forward to attending your wedding tomorrow.

Question 5.
(a) She poured me a drink.
(b) She spills most of it on the table.
Answer:
She poured me a drink spilling most of it on the table.

Question 6.
(a) Rakhee just stood there.
(b) She felt completely lost.
Answer:
Rakhee just stood there feeling completely lost.

Speaking Time

Here some incomplete statements are said with a rising tom., followed by a falling tone to show completion of statements. You have to mark both parts of the statements.
Answer:
Students should do it themselves.

Reading Time

Read the following passage carefully:

1. How can you best improve your English depends on where you live and particularly on whether or not you live in an English-speaking community. If you hear English spoken every day and mix freely with English-speaking people, that is on the whole an advantage. On the other hand, it is often confusing to have the whole language poured over you at once. Ideally, a step. by step, course should accompany or lead up this experience. It will also help a great deal if you can easily get the son of English books in which you are interested.

2. To read a lot is essential. h is stupid not to venture outside the examination set book or the textbooks you have chosen for intensive study. Read as many books you find, with the idea of listing and learning as many new words as possible. Choose what is likely to interest you and be sure in advance that it Is nor zoo hardy You should no: have to be constantly looking up new words here and there, but as a general policy, try to push ahead, guessing what words mean from the context. It is extensive and not intensive reading that normally helps you to get Interested in extra-reading and thereby improve your English.

You should enjoy the feeling which extensive reading gives of having some command of the language. As you read you will become more and more familiar with words and sentence patterns you already know, understanding them better as you meet them in more and more context some of which may deffer slightly from others.

3. Some people say that we cannot learn or speak a language better with the help of a book. To believe this is to believe that the spoken language and the written language are quite different things. This is not so. There is a very great deal of link between the two. In learning the patterns and vocabulary of the written form we are learning to a considerable extent those of the spoken form too. We are, In fact learning the language and not merely one form of the language.

Now answer the questions given below :

Question 1.
Find out the words from the passage which convey the same meanings as the words given below.
Answer:

go with – accompany
necessary – essential
deep – intensive
wide – extensive
only – merely

Question 2.
On what does the improvement of your English depend? (2009,10,11)
Answer:
The improvement of our English depends on where we live and particularly or not we live in an English speaking community. It is not possible that the whole language is poured on us at once. Ideally, a step by step course should accompany or lead up this experience. We should read a lot of books in English. In this way we can improve our English.

Question 3.
What will help you to improve your English at the beginning? (2012)
Answer:
If we hear English spoken every day and mix freely with English speaking people, it will help us to improve our English at the beginning.

Question 4.
How does reading help you in improving English?
Answer:
Reading helps us in improving English in the way that we learn many new words.

Question 5.
The author discusses two types of reading. What are they?
Answer:
They are extensive and intensive reading.

Question 6.
What do you understand by ‘intensive reading’?
Answer:
By intensive reading we understand that we try to understand the full meaning of the matter we read, knowing the correct meaning of each and every word.

Question 7.
How are spoken and written language two different things ? (2009)
Answer:
The writer says that they are not two different things. There is a very great deal of link between the two. In learning the patterns and vocabulary of the written form, we are learning those of the spoken form to a considerable extent too.

Question 8.
Give a suitable title to the passage.
Answer:
How to Improve Learning English Best?

Writing Time

Question 1.
By taking ideas from the visual (given in the book) together with your own ideas write an article on ‘Global Warming—a Global Threat’ in 200 words.
Answer:

Global Warming—a Global Threat

Today man has done great progress in several fields. Science has given great power to the hands of man. Man has created many things for his comfort and luxury. His houses, his roads, his communication, his transport facilities, and many things have made his life easier and happier. We can see big factories, big machines, railways, ships and other things working twenty-four hours in the service of man.

Yet, if we think deeply we see that the same things have posed a great threat to his own existence. All these things have become possible by the increased use of energy. And energy is produced by burning fuel. This burning has made our globe warmer and warmer, thus presenting a great problem.

Over the last decade, the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere has been slowly but surely rising and it may not be long before our whole atmosphere is almost totally enveloped by this death-knell of the gas, carbon dioxide. Due to the high content of carbon dioxide in the air global warming has also been on a steady rise. One of the major reasons for this rise in carbon-dioxide level has been due to vehicular smoke and smoke emitted by the factories, mills, and other industries. If effective and concrete steps are not taken up immediately to improve this present situation, it will not be long before this problem assumes unmanageable proportions.

The snow of the mountains is melting, the rivers have become polluted, the air is also polluted. There is less rainfall and the level of underground water has gone deep. This problem should be dealt with seriousness because the future of the whole human race is at stake. In the ultimate analysis, the problem of rising carbon dioxide levels in the air has posed a great threat to the existence of life on earth.

Question 2.
Watch the visual input (given in the book) very carefully and write an article in 200 words on ‘Water pollution.
Answer:

Water Pollution

Water is life. All know how essential pure water is for us. In the olden days, life was simple. All the necessary things for life were easily available. There was sufficient rainfall. Our water resources overflowed. The rivers flowed throughout the year, our wells were full of water. The streams and brooks were always running. But with the progress of man in the field of science, several problems arose and life started becoming difficult.

Due to the rise of carbon-dioxide content in the air, the problem of global warming started. The excess use of energy made the availability of water-scarce. Due to a shortage in rainfall, the flow of water in the rivers is reduced. Other sources of water too became less and less. Small streams and rivers dried up completely. The problem became serious with the throwing of refuse and other material in the rivers. The wastage of the industries has posed a major problem. All our rivers have become contaminated.

Their water is unusable not only for drinking but for other purposes also. The big rivers like Ganga and Yamuna have been converted into gutters. The water polluted cannot be made clean again by any process. The same case is for the lakes and ponds. People carelessly make the water dirty by throwing refuse, washing clothes, and bathing the animals.

The pollution of water has threatened the existence of the living man. All concerned should be aware of the seriousness of the situation and do whatever possible to keep water clean and pure.

Question 3.
Write an article on the importance of ‘Rain Water Harvesting’ based on the visual input (given in the book).
Answer:

Rain Water Harvesting

In earlier times, there was plenty of water available in the rivers, lakes, and wells. But with the progress in the field of technology, there is a great advancement in life. In big cities, big buildings, roads, and other constructions have started. In villages too this trend has developed. Due to global warming and the incessant falling of trees, there is a shortage of rainfall almost everywhere.

Our rivers and streams have dried. Due to the building of houses and roads built by cement and other causes, the level of underground water has gone very deep. As such a great problem of drinking water has risen. It has become a difficult task for many people to get sufficient water.

To solve this problem the technique of rainwater harvesting has been developed. In this technique, there is an attempt to allow water to go deep down earth. For this, a hole is dug deep. In it, pieces of brick, stones, and large pebbles of sand are buried. It works as a filter. The rainwater collected on the roofs of the houses is brought through pipes and left in these holes thus, allowing water to get absorbed in it.

The aim is to raise the underground water level. This technique has also been developed near small streams and brooks. The results have shown an improvement. Hence, its adoption by the citizens is urged. Govt provides technical help and also gives some economic help in order to promote it. It is the duty of the people to pay attention to this plan.