Page 2 - Iswaran the Storyteller

Q1. What permission is the speaker seeking here?
Q2. Why was the day auspicious?
Q3. What tradition was followed on this day?
Q4. Find a word that means the same as “attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the
laws of nature”

E. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
He went on to narrate how he sometimes saw ghosts at night. “I am not easily frightened by these things,
sir. I am a brave fellow. But one horrible ghost of a woman which appears off and on at midnight during the
full moon… It is an ugly creature with matted hair and a shrivelled face, like a skeleton holding a foetus in its
arms.” Mahendra shivered at the description and interrupted rather sharply, “You are crazy, Iswaran. There
are no such things as ghosts or spirits. It is all a figment of your imagination. Get your digestive system
examined — and maybe your head as well. You are talking nonsense.”

Q1. What is ‘it’ here?
Q2. Why was ‘it’ ugly?
Q3. Who had seen ‘it’, when and where?
Q4. What do you understand by “figment of imagination”?

Answer in 20-30 words

i. “Iswaran used to read Tamil Thriller.” Do you think this affected his behaviour in any way? How?
ii. “One day Mahendra went to his bed with a certain unease.” Do you think it was the influence of
Iswaran’s constant mention of ghosts?
iii. Mahendra resigned from his post and left the place. What does this tell us about his character?

Answer in 100-120 words

i. Give a brief character sketch of Iswaran the storyteller. Do you think he is superstitious?
ii. Mahendra did not believe in ghosts. What happened to him on the last full moon night? Do you think
ghosts exist?
iii. How did Iswaran tackle the elephant in the school building? Does it appear to be likely? Do you think
this is a positive trait of one’s personality?

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