The story, “A Different Kind of School” mentions a boy who visits Miss Beam’s school to have a personal taste of the unique teaching methods. The real aim of this school is not just to teach regular school activities but also to teach thoughtfulness, i.e., kindness to others and being responsible citizens.
A Different Kind Of School
Question A:
Put these sentences from the story in the right order and write them out in a paragraph. Don’t refer to the text.
- I shall be so glad when today is over.
- Having a leg tied up and hopping about on a crutch is almost fun, I guess.
- I don’t think I’ll mind being deaf for a day — at least not much.
- But being blind is so frightening.
- Only you must tell me about things.
- Let’s go for a little walk.
- The other bad days can’t be half as bad as this.
NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 4 An Indian – American Woman in Space: Kalpana Chawla
Answer:
Let’s go for a little walk. Only you must tell me about things. I shall be so glad when today is over. The other bad days can’t be half as bad as this. Having a leg tied up and hopping about on a crutch is almost fun, I guess. I don’t think I’ll mind being deaf for a day — at least not much. But being blind is so frightening.
Question B:
Answer the following questions
1. Why do you think the writer visited Miss Beam’s school? (1)
2. What was the ‘game’ that every child in the school had to play? (9)
3. “Each term every child has one blind day, one lame day…” Complete the line. Which day was the hardest? Why was it the hardest? (9, 11, 15)
4. What was the purpose of these special days? (5, 9)
Answer:
- The writer had heard a lot of praise about the unique teaching methods of Miss Beam’s school. So, he visited her school to have a personal experience with the new methods of teaching.
- In Miss Beam’s school, every child had to play the role of being blind, deaf, mute, injured or lame for a particular day. This was like a ‘game’ that they had to play and this formed a key part of their training.
- “Each term, every child has one blind day, one lame day, one deaf day, one injured day and one dumb day”. Among all the days, the blind day was the hardest day because that day students had to act blind without peeping from their blindfolds. They felt as though they were going to be hit or would bump into things every moment.
- The main purpose of these special days was to give the students a personal taste of misfortune. Enacting a disability for a day would help them understand the feelings of people born with such disabilities and have respect for the needy people in society. This training prepared the students to become good and responsible human beings.
Working with language
Question A:
Match the words and phrases with their meanings in the box below.
| Words | Paragraph numbers |
| 1. homesick | (3) |
| 2. practically | (4) |
| 3. it pains me | (7) |
| 4. appreciate | (9) |
| 5. thoughtless | (10) |
| 6. exercise | (11) |
| 7. relief | (13) |
| 8. ghastly | (14) |
| almost | it hurts me | terrible | test the strength of |
| understanding the difficulties | wanting to be home | a welcome change | not very caring |
Answer:
| 1. homesick | wanting to be home |
| 2. practically | almost |
| 3. it pains me | it hurts me |
| 4. appreciate | understanding the difficulties |
| 5. thoughtless | not very caring |
| 6. exercise | test the strength of |
| 7. relief | a welcome change |
| 8. ghastly | terrible |
Question B:
Re-word these lines from the story:
1. I had heard a great deal about Miss Beam’s school.
2. Miss Beam was all that I had expected — middle-aged, full of authority.
3. I went to the window which overlooked a large garden.
4. “We cannot bandage the children’s mouths, so they really have to exercise their willpower.”
Answer:
1. The writer had heard a lot of praise from people about the different teaching methods at Miss Beam’s school.
2. The writer found Miss Beam to be a middle-aged woman full of authority.
3. The writer looked out of the window and saw a large garden.
4. The children had to use their willpower to keep quiet.
Question C:
1. Given below is a page from a dictionary. Look at it carefully and
(i) find a word which means the same as ghastly. Write down the word and its two meanings.
(ii) find a word meaning a part of the school year.
(iii) find a word that means examination.
Answer:
- Ghastly: terrible – causing fear, very bad
- Term: a fixed length of time, a part of the school year
- Test: to look at something to see if it is correct or will work properly, to ask someone questions
2. Now make lists of
(i) all the words on the page (plus any more that you can think of) that begin with terr-
(ii) five words that may follow the last word on the page, that.
(iii) write down your own meaning of the word thank. Then write down the meaning given in the dictionary.
The Green Gold: Exploring the Wonders of Avocado
Answer:
- Terr: terrace, terrible, terribly, territory, terrify, terror, terrain
- That: boy, house, car, dog, question
- Thank: To express gratitude to someone for help or service or show kindness. In the dictionary: To say we are grateful to someone.
Question D:
A poem for you to read
All but Blind
All but blind
In his chambered hole
Gropes for worms
The four-clawed Mole.
All but blind
In the evening sky
The hooded Bat
Twirls softly by.
All but blind
In the burning day
The Barn Owl blunders
On her way.
And blind as are
These three to me,
So, blind to Someone
I must be.
- WALTER DE LA MARE
Answer:
Read the poem carefully.
Speaking and Writing
Question A:
Make a short list of things you find difficult to do.
For example:
turning a somersault
threading a needle
Compare your list with the others in the class. Can you explain why you find these things difficult to do?
Answer:
Activity to be done by yourself.
Question B:
Look at your hands carefully. Now, write down for each finger one action for which that finger is particularly important. For example, the second (or index) finger helps to hold the knife down firmly when cutting.
Answer:
Thumb: It helps in holding a pen or pencil while writing.
Second finger (Index finger): It helps in holding a knife while cutting vegetables or fruits.
Third finger (Middle finger): It helps in sketching or holding a paintbrush while painting.
Fourth finger (Ring finger): It is used for putting a ring on the finger and supports other fingers too.
Fifth finger (Little finger/Pinky finger): It helps in supporting other fingers and making a fist.