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UNIT I: TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS Chapter 1: A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) Content Explained in Points SCERT/Most Important Questions & Answers

Pelayo, returning home, finds an old man in the rear of his courtyard. - The man is lying face down in the mud, groaning. - He cannot get up because he is impeded by his enormous wings. - Pelayo is frightened by the sight and calls his wife, Elisenda. - Elisenda was tending to their sick child by putting compresses on him. Q: Why was the old man unable to get up? A: He was lying face down in the mud and impeded by his enormous wings. Q: How are good times and bad times related to each other? A: The story suggests that kindness and empathy can spread light and hope even in the darkest times, implying that bad times (shadow/night) are necessary to recognize and appreciate the good times (sun/light).

The man is dressed like a ragpicker, bald, with few teeth, and his appearance suggests a drenched great-grandfather. - His huge buzzard wings were dirty and half-plucked. - Pelayo and Elisenda overcome their surprise and dare to speak to him; he replies in an incomprehensible dialect. - They conclude he is a lonely castaway from a foreign ship. - A neighbour woman identifies him as an angel, suggesting he must have been coming for the sick child but was knocked down by the rain. - Pelayo, armed with his bailiff's club, locks the man in the chicken coop. Q: Why did Pelayo lock the old man in the chicken coop? A: Pelayo was frightened by the sight of the old man and, after the neighbour identified him as an angel, he protected himself and his home by locking the man up. Q: Why did the couple suddenly decide to treat the man with some 'kindness'? A: The child woke up soon after without a fever and with a desire to eat; the couple then felt magnanimous and decided to put the angel on a raft with provisions for three days and leave him to his fate.

The news of the "captive angel" spread rapidly, and the courtyard quickly resembled a marketplace. - Pelayo and Elisenda fenced the yard and began charging five cents for admission. - They grew rich quickly, cramming their rooms with money. - The angel remained patient (his only supernatural virtue) while being tormented, pecked at by hens, or having his feathers pulled out by cripples seeking cures. - The angel ate only eggplant mush. - His popularity waned when a traveling show arrived, featuring a woman changed into a spider by lightning, who charged less for admission. Q: Why do the people treat the old man like a 'circus animal'? A: Visitors tossed him things to eat through the coop openings. They pulled his feathers and threw stones at him, treating him as an object of curiosity and exploitation rather than a supernatural being. Q: What elements of the story do you consider magical? A: The central magical element is the very old man with enormous wings, who may or may not be an angel. The instantaneous healing of the sick child upon the angel's capture is also a magical element.

Pelayo and Elisenda build a two-storey mansion. - The new house had iron bars on the windows "so that angels wouldn't get in". - The chicken coop was ignored, and its dung-heap stench affected the new house. - The child grew up playing with the angel and both contracted chicken pox. - A doctor examined the angel and was surprised by the "logic of his wings" on a human body, wondering why others did not have them. - The angel became frail, bumping into posts, and was moved to a shed under a blanket. - After surviving the winter, large, stiff feathers began to grow. - Elisenda sees the angel in his first, clumsy attempts at flight, nearly knocking down the shed. - He eventually gained altitude, flying away "with the risky flapping of a senile vulture". - Elisenda sighs in relief, watching him disappear as an "imaginary dot on the horizon of the sea," no longer an annoyance. Q: Why is the doctor surprised by the 'logic' of the wings? A: He was surprised that the wings seemed so natural on that completely human organism, and he couldn't understand why other people didn't have them too. Q: Describe the old man's first clumsy attempts at flight. A: The attempts were so clumsy that he was on the point of knocking the shed down as he couldn't get a grip on the air. Q: What does the story tell us about the need for compassion? A: The story highlights the societal tendency to exploit or disregard the weak and vulnerable (the old man), using him for profit until he is no longer useful, underscoring the deplorable lack of compassion.

Chapter 2: In the Attic (Wladyslaw Szpilman) Content Explained in Points SCERT/Most Important Questions & Answers

Szpilman, a Polish Jewish pianist, had been forced to live in the ghetto during WW II. - He hides in the ruins and tells a German officer, "I'm not moving from here". - The officer asks Szpilman what he does, and he replies, "I'm a pianist". - The officer takes him to a room with a piano and tells him to play. - Szpilman is hesitant because his fingers were stiff and dirty after years without practice. - He plays Chopin's Nocturne in C sharp minor. Q: Why was Szpilman hesitant to play the piano? A: He hadn't practised for two and half years, his fingers were stiff and covered with a thick layer of dirt, and his nails were long. Q: How does the officer help Szpilman? A: He offers Szpilman a safer hiding place in the loft above the attic entrance, promises to bring him food, and gives him permission to play the piano while promising to cover for him.

The officer suggests taking Szpilman to a village, but Szpilman refuses, revealing, "You're Jewish?". - The officer understood Szpilman could not leave and advised him to hide in a loft made of boards in the attic. - The officer confesses he is German and "ashamed of it". - Three days later, the officer returns with loaves of bread and jam. - The officer tells Szpilman to "hang on," predicting the war will be over by spring at the latest. Q: What was the officer ashamed of? A: He was ashamed of being German, stating this immediately after Szpilman asked if he was German, in the context of "everything that's been happening" (referring to the atrocities of the war). Q: What does the conversation between the officer and Szpilman reveal about the bond between them? A: It reveals a profound bond of trust and compassion that transcended wartime divisions. The officer risked his life to help the pianist, and Szpilman felt enough gratitude to urgently offer him future help.

Weeks of monotony passed; artillery fire became less frequent. - On 12 December, the officer returned for the last time with a larger food supply and a warm eiderdown. - The officer told him he was leaving Warsaw. - Szpilman urgently told the officer his name, "Szpilman, Polish Radio," hoping to help him if he survived. Q: Why does Szpilman say that his hiding place was well chosen? A: Even when soldiers were frequently moving large packages up and down the stairs in the building, no one ever thought of searching the loft where he was hiding.

Christmas and New Year 1945 were the worst; Szpilman realized he had to be "entirely alone, if I wanted to live". - On 15 January, heavy artillery fire was heard. - The remaining Germans left the building, and Polish radio broadcast the liberation of Warsaw. - Szpilman wore the German military overcoat the officer had given him and went out. - A woman soldier saw him and shouted, "A German!" and fired. - Szpilman found himself in an absurd situation: being shot by Polish soldiers in liberated Warsaw. - Shouting, "Don't shoot! I'm Polish!" he was detained and taken to headquarters. - After two weeks, Szpilman was a free man for the first time in almost six years, ready to begin a new life. Q: Why was Szpilman afraid of being killed by Polish soldiers, his own countrymen? A: He was wearing the German military overcoat left by the German officer, which led the woman soldier to mistake him for an enemy in hiding, putting him on the "very verge of freedom". Q: How do luck, chance and human kindness help Szpilman to survive? A: Luck/Chance: He happened to be a pianist which appealed to the officer. Kindness: The German officer risked his life to provide him with food and shelter.

Chapter 3: "Friends, Romans, Countrymen…" (William Shakespeare) Content Explained in Points SCERT/Most Important Questions & Answers

The speech is Mark Antony's funeral oration for Julius Caesar, who was assassinated by conspirators led by Brutus. - Antony begins by asking the crowd to "lend me your ears," claiming he comes only to bury Caesar. - He acknowledges Brutus' claim that Caesar was ambitious and answered for his "grievous fault". - Antony repeatedly uses verbal irony by stating: "For Brutus is an honourable man; So are they all, all honourable men". - He reminds the citizens that Caesar was his friend, "faithful and just". Q: What is the occasion of Mark Antony's speech? A: The occasion is the funeral of Julius Caesar following his assassination. Q: What does the repetition of the line 'Brutus is an honourable man' suggest? A: The repetition is a rhetorical device that, when contrasted with the examples of Caesar's goodness, subtly undermines Brutus's reputation and manipulates the crowd, suggesting that Brutus is not honourable.

Antony gives evidence countering the ambition charge: Caesar brought many captives home, filling Rome's general coffers. - He states that Caesar wept when the poor cried, suggesting "Ambition should be made of sterner stuff". - He reminds them that Caesar thrice refused the kingly crown at the Lupercal festival. - Antony claims he does not speak to disprove Brutus but to speak "what I do know". - He urges the crowd to mourn the man they once loved. - He ends the excerpt by pausing emotionally, claiming his "heart is in the coffin there with Caesar". Q: How does Antony use rhetoric to manipulate the crowd? A: He uses repetition (of "honourable man"), rhetorical questions (e.g., "Was this ambition?") to plant doubts, and emotional appeals (feigning grief and highlighting Caesar's kindness) to shift the crowd's allegiance from Brutus to himself. Q: What impact does Antony's speech have on the crowd? A: The speech expertly manipulates their emotions, causing them to turn against the conspirators and seek to avenge Caesar's murder.

UNIT II: PATHS TO PROGRESS Chapter 1: Breaking Barriers, I will Fly (Srikanth Bolla) Content Explained in Points SCERT/Most Important Questions & Answers

Srikanth Bolla's parents, uneducated farmers, earned only ₹20,000 a year, but he calls them the "richest entrepreneurial couples". - When he was born without eyes, society considered him a burden, suggesting he should be smothered. - His parents gave him immense love, making him feel like the luckiest person. - Since he couldn't farm, his father decided education was his path. - In a regular school, he was ignored by teachers and classmates, suffering loneliness and isolation, which he calls the "worst form of poverty". - He excelled at a special school in Hyderabad, gaining top ranks and working with Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Q: Why does Srikanth say that his parents were the richest couple in the world? A: Though financially poor, they showered him with immense love and care, which he valued more than money. Q: Why did Srikanth's father believe that education would be his path? A: Srikanth's physical challenge (short legs and blindness) meant he did not fit into the traditional farming model, prompting his father to choose education as the only way forward.

After 10th grade (90%+ marks), he was denied science by the State Board because he was "impaired." He insisted he was visually "challenged," not impaired. - He sued the government and, after six months, was allowed to study science at his own risk. - With a mentor's help (audio textbooks), he scored 98%. - He was barred from the IIT entrance exam due to blindness. - He applied to top US schools and was accepted to MIT (becoming its first international blind student) and others. - He returned to India, rejecting corporate America, to solve the problem of disabled people being excluded from the economy. - He co-established Bollant Industries to rehabilitate and reintegrate disabled individuals. - The company employs over 150 disabled individuals and grosses over a million dollars. - His three lessons: show compassion (true wealth is happiness), remove loneliness, and doing good benefits you first. His belief: "I can do anything". Q: How did Srikanth overcome the obstacles in pursuing his studies in science? A: He fought a six-month legal battle against the government to gain admission and subsequently worked hard, scoring 98% with the assistance of a mentor who converted his books to audio. Q: Why did Srikanth return to India instead of pursuing opportunities in the corporate sector in the USA? A: He wanted to solve the problems he had faced, specifically addressing why 10% of India's disabled population was excluded from the economy, and aimed to build a strong support system for them.

Chapter 2: A Phoenix Rises (Twinkle Khanna / Arunachalam Muruganantham) Content Explained in Points SCERT/Most Important Questions & Answers

Bablu Kewat (Muruganantham) dropped out of school at 14 after his father's death. - He started as a busboy and eventually became a welder, taking over the workshop. - After marriage, he discovered his wife, Gowri, used old rags instead of sanitary napkins. - He bought a packet of pads and was shocked by the exorbitant price (₹4 per pad vs. 10 paise cost of cotton). - Gowri complained the cost meant they couldn't afford milk. - Bablu started experimenting to make pads, knowing that using rags made poor women prone to disease. - His family condemned his "sordid interest" in menstrual cycles. - Villagers spread coarse whispers and rude glances, leading to his wife and mother leaving him. - Bablu's plight was total isolation, having lost his family and friends, all for his project. Q: What traits of Bablu impress you? A: His determination to support his family, his entrepreneurial spirit (taking over the workshop), and his profound social commitment (continuing experiments despite total social and familial isolation). Q: What was the response of the villagers to Bablu's experiments? A: The subject was taboo. They spread malicious rumors and subjected his family to "a mesh of coarse whispers and rude glances," leading to his wife and mother leaving him due to humiliation. Q: Why was Bablu determined to continue his experiments even against his family's wishes? A: He realized that most poor women used unclean rags because they couldn't afford expensive napkins, making them vulnerable to disease. His mission to provide affordable hygiene was greater than his personal shame.

Muruganantham explained that initial experiments with cotton failed. - After two years, he realized commercial pads used pinewood pulp, a discovery aided by his dog scratching a sample card (leading to the idea of defibration). - He realized that affordable napkins required inexpensive machinery (existing machines cost crores). - He succeeded in designing and building three relatively inexpensive machines for defibration, compression, and sterilization, usable by untrained people. - He placed his patent in the public domain and sells machines at a subsidised price to women's self-help groups, prioritizing impact over greed. - He aims to generate one million jobs for women and promote 100% hygiene. - He focuses on "detailing" (increasing awareness) over "retail" (sales). - He received the Padma Shri in 2016. - Most importantly, his family came back to him. - He advises youth that education empowers them not to beg for jobs but to find solutions to social problems and become social entrepreneurs. Q: What, according to Muruganantham, is the purpose of education? A: Education empowers individuals to identify and solve social problems, convert challenges into opportunities, and become solution providers and social entrepreneurs who create jobs for themselves and others. Q: Why did Muruganantham begin to think of designing machines? A: He observed that commercially available napkin machines were extremely expensive (costing crores), which directly resulted in high prices for the final product. He realized machines needed to be less expensive for women to afford the napkins.

Chapter 3: The Seedling (Paul Laurence Dunbar) Content Explained in Points SCERT/Most Important Questions & Answers

The poem focuses on a quiet little seedling in its "darksome bed". - The seedling decides, despite not being robust, "I'll do the best I can," and thus begins its "work of life". - It pushes a little leaflet up to examine the surroundings and show the rest of the life path. - The leaflet encourages the "brother, Stem" and other leaflets to follow. - The effort made the seedling "sweat and pant," but it quickly found itself a plant. - Helped by the sunshine and the clouds (showers), the plant grew into a flower. - The poem advises "Little folks" to be like the seedling, sharing life's labour and always doing their best. - The sun and showers (help) will guide them through "lonesome, struggling hours" until they raise "Virtue's fair, unfading flowers". Q: What triggered the seedling's 'work of life'? A: It was triggered by the seedling's powerful self-motivation and determination, captured in its resolve: "I'll do the best I can". Q: What is inspiring about the seedling's attitude to life? A: Despite its small size and dark position, it refuses to give in to adversity, showing a strong sense of purpose and perseverance. Q: What message does the seedling give us? A: The poem advises everyone to persevere, face life's challenges, and exert their best effort ("share life's labour"), assuring that this determination will lead to the growth of inner virtues.

UNIT III: THE TRUMPETS OF CHANGE Chapter 1: Another Day in Paradise (Phil Collins) Content Explained in Points SCERT/Most Important Questions & Answers

A homeless woman calls out to a man on the street, saying she is cold and has nowhere to sleep. - The man walks on, pretending he cannot hear her, whistling, and seeming embarrassed. - The chorus urges the listener: "Oh, think twice, cause it's another day for You and me in paradise". - The woman is crying and has blisters on the soles of her feet. - The lyrics question, "Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do". - The woman's face shows that she has been struggling, and she has likely been "moved on from every place 'Cause she didn't fit in there". Q: What do you think the woman in the street really needs? A: She is primarily in need of basic necessities: shelter, warmth, and sustenance. Q: Why does the writer ask us to think twice? A: The writer asks us to think twice because while we enjoy our lives in "paradise," others are suffering on the streets. This contrast highlights our privilege and moral responsibility to help those in need, reminding us that what seems like "another day" to us could be a life-or-death situation for someone else.