Class 7 English Lesson 17

Reading I

Look at the picture below and answer these questions.

a. What do you think the men are doing in the picture?

Ans 👉 I think the men are dividing the cow and the tree as their father’s property.

b. Is the cow happy? Why?

Ans 👉 No, the cow is not happy because the brothers are fighting over it.

A. Find the words from the story above which have these meanings.

a. crafty

Ans 👉 cunning

b. a part of a whole

Ans 👉 portion

c. great, massive

Ans 👉 huge

d. cutting

Ans 👉 chopping

e. hinder, obstruct

Ans 👉 interfere

f. yelled, screamed

Ans 👉 shouted

B. Write True or False for the following statements.

a. Nothing was left for the brothers when their parents had died. False

b. The elder brother was not as clever as the younger one. False

c. Ali milked the cow, sold it and earned a lot of money. True

d. Abraham never beat the loving cow. False

e. The tree was given to the younger brother. False

f. When Ali was up in the tree, his brother started cutting it. True

g. Finally, both brothers lived happily. True

C. Answer these questions.

a. Which part of the cow was given to the younger brother?

Ans 👉 The front portion of the cow was given to the younger brother, Abraham.

b. How many things did the brothers divide between them?

Ans 👉 The brothers divided two things between them: a cow and a date tree.

c. When did Ali agree to share the money they would earn from the cow?

Ans 👉 Ali agreed to share the money when Abraham started beating the cow while Ali was milking it.

d. Why were small holes made in the tree?

Ans 👉 Small holes were made in the tree to get the sweet-smelling juice.

e. What did the villager suggest to Abraham?

Ans 👉 The villager suggested Abraham beat the cow while Ali was milking it.

f. How did Ali react when his brother started cutting the tree while he was fixing the pots?

Ans 👉 Ali shouted at his brother when he started cutting the tree while he was fixing the pots.

g. Did Ali realise his mistake? How?

Ans 👉 Yes, Ali realised his mistake when Abraham reminded him of their agreement. He felt ashamed of his selfishness and promised not to hurt his brother again.

D. What did you find surprising in the story? Share it with your friends.

Ans 👉 I found it surprising that Abraham used the same clever way to make his brother realise his mistake.

Grammar I

A. Write all the past forms of verbs from the story above. Make sentences of your own.

Example: left – I left home early this morning.

Ans 👉

died – My grandmother died last year.

was – He was at school yesterday.

fed – I fed my cat in the morning.

gave – She gave me a gift.

sold – He sold his old bicycle.

made – They made a cake for me.

shouted – The teacher shouted at the noisy students.

beat – The man beat the drum loudly.

cut – She cut the paper with scissors.

agreed – Fair Shares 

realised – He realised his mistake.

said – She said goodbye to everyone.

B. Study the following diagrams. Describe them.

When I saw him, he was dancing.

Ans 👉 The dancing was already happening when I saw him.

He had slept before I reached home.

Ans 👉 The sleeping happened first, then I reached home.

He was dancing. I saw him.

Ans 👉 Both actions happened in the past; I saw him while he was dancing.

C. Choose the correct answer.

a. He was hit by a car when he ………. to school.

Ans 👉 was cycling

b. The plane ………. off at 10 pm. It was right on time!

Ans 👉 took

c. Yesterday, she ………… to the post office.

Ans 👉 went

d. He …… the party because he …………. a good time.

Ans 👉 left/wasn’t having

e. France …………. the football World Cup in 2012.

Ans 👉 won

D. Complete the sentences with the correct forms of verbs in the brackets.

Example: He ……………… (dance) when I saw him.
He was dancing when I saw him.

a. Peter was Sally’s best friend. She ………. (know) him all her life.

Ans 👉 had known

b. We were very hungry because we …………….. (not/eat) anything.

Ans 👉 had not eaten

c. I was delighted when I found my keys. I ………… (lose) them for two days.

Ans 👉 had lost

d. She was exhausted because she ………….. (work) hard.

Ans 👉 had been working

e. Everything was white because it ……………… (snow).

Ans 👉 had snowed

f. The passengers were angry because the airline …………… (lose) everyone’s bags.

Ans 👉 had lost

g. I ……………… (not/see) Jacob for several years, but I recognised him immediately.

Ans 👉 had not seen

h. When I saw her, she …………………. (sing).

Ans 👉 was singing

i. The phone rang while I …………….. (wash) dishes.

Ans 👉 was washing

Reading II

Answer these questions.

a. Have you ever spent a night away from home?

Ans 👉 Yes, I have spent a night away from home.

b. Who did you go with?

Ans 👉 I went with my family.

c. Where did you stay?

Ans 👉 We stayed at a hotel.

A. Fill in the blanks with appropriate information from the conversation above.

a. The tourist needs ……………. room.

Ans 👉 a double

b. The tourist wants to have a room on the…………….

Ans 👉 ground floor or the first floor

c. The check-out time is …………….

Ans 👉 12 noon

d. According to the receptionist, the time was exactly ……………. when they were talking.

Ans 👉 11:20

e. The information about the hotel can be found in the …………….

Ans 👉 brochure

B. Answer these questions.

a. Where has the conversation taken place?

Ans 👉 The conversation has taken place at a hotel reception.

b. According to the receptionist, how many vacancies might be there that day?

Ans 👉 According to the receptionist, there might be two vacancies that day.

c. What has happened with the tourist’s watch?

Ans 👉 The tourist’s watch was slow, so it showed the wrong time.

d. Where does the receptionist want the tourist to wait?

Ans 👉 The receptionist wants the tourist to wait on the sofa.

e. How did the tourist feel about the price of the hotel rooms?

Ans 👉 The tourist felt that the hotel rooms were really expensive.

C. Underline the phrases/sentences in the ‘At the Hotel’ conversation above that show surprise or dismay.

Ans 👉 “How come?”, “Oh, dear!”, “Oh, no!”, “You’re right.”

Speaking

A. Act out the following conversation with a partner. Notice and underline expressions of surprise or dismay.

Ans 👉 (Students will act out the dialogue and underline expressions like “A new room partner?”, “Is she?”, “In the market?”, and “Can’t she?”)

B. In what situations might you say the following expressions of surprise or dismay? Act those out with a partner.

a. Really?

Ans 👉 When someone tells you unexpected news.

b. That’s very surprising!

Ans 👉 When you hear something unbelievable.

c. Wow!

Ans 👉 When you see or hear something amazing.

d. Oh no!

Ans 👉 When something bad happens.

e. What a surprise!

Ans 👉 When you are shocked by unexpected news.

f. Oh my goodness!

Ans 👉 When you feel amazed or shocked.

g. I find that very surprising.

Ans 👉 When something is hard to believe.

h. You must be kidding.

Ans 👉 When you think someone is joking.

C. Look at the situations below. Work in pairs and take turns to talk as in the example. Use any appropriate expressions of surprise or dismay. Use different expressions for each situation.

Example: A: I’ve seen that movie five times already.
B: Really?

a. You don’t understand the assignment.

Ans 👉 Oh no!

b. Your friend Janak is sick and has been hospitalised.

Ans 👉 That’s very surprising!

c. You had an accident when you rode a bicycle yesterday.

Ans 👉 Oh my goodness!

d. Gita had a nice vacation.

Ans 👉 Wow!

e. The party was terrible.

Ans 👉 What a surprise!

Grammar II

Rewrite the story given below. Use past simple or past continuous tense.

Ans 👉 One afternoon, a big wolf was waiting in a dark forest for a little girl to come along carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally, a little girl did come along and she was carrying a basket of food. “Are you carrying that basket to your grandmother’s?” asked the wolf. The little girl said that she was. So, the wolf asked her where her grandmother lived and the little girl told him and he disappeared into the wood. When the little girl opened the door of her grandmother’s house, she saw that there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and a nightgown on. She approached no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed when she saw that it was not her grandmother. So, the little girl ran away.

Writing

A. The following extract from the earlier story contains some mistakes. Rewrite the text correcting the mistakes.

Ans 👉 The case of the cow was resolved, but the issue of the tree was intact. Ali made holes in the upper part of the tree, and a kind of sweet-smelling juice came out of those holes. Small pots were attached to the holes where the juice could seep. Ali sold the juice and earned a huge sum of money.

C. You and your friend are planning for a picnic next week. Compose a dialogue that takes place between you and your friend. Include examples of surprise and dismay.

Ans 👉

A: Hey, guess what? We’re having a picnic next week!
B: Really? That’s great news!

A: Yes, we’re going to the riverside park.
B: Wow! That sounds amazing.

A: But the teacher said we have to reach there by 6 a.m.
B: Oh no! That’s too early!

A: I know, but it’ll be fun once we get there.
B: You must be kidding! Anyway, I’m excited for it.