A Short Monsoon Diary A1.

Discuss: Discuss with your partner the following points: The reason why people write diaries What they write in diaries How and when they write diaries Importance of maintaining a diary A2. Monsoon season Think of Monsoon season, which is the special feature of Indian climatic condition. Draw a picture of nature as you see during Monsoon season. Think of all the details that you would draw. A3. Monsoon season Think of a rainy season and develop a word register by writing words related to rain. Monsoon season A4. Title Read the given pages of diary and choose the correct alternative which summarizes the text: The main idea expressed by Ruskin Bond in the text is: Monsoon and is magic Monsoon and Mountains Monsoon and Mussorie June 24 The first day of monsoon mist. And its strange how all the birds f all silent as the mist comes climbing up the hill. Perhaps thats what makes the mist so melancholy; not only does it conceal the hills, it blankets them in silence too. Only an hour ago the trees were ringing with birdsong. And now the forest is deathly still, as through it were midnights. A5. Describing words

Glance through all the pages of the diary and list down all those words that describe the Monsoon season. Find out Effect on the birds = Mist is sad because = Effect of mist on hills = Forest spears = June 25 Some genuine early monsoon rain, warm and humid, and not that cold highaltitude stuff weve been having all year. The plants seem to know it too, and the first cobra lily rears its head from the ferns as I walk up to the bank and post office. The mist affords certain privacy. A schoolboy asked me to describe the hill station and valley in one sentence, and all I could say was: A paradise that might have been. Find out: Early monsoon rain = Effect on plants = Hill station and valley are compared to = June 27 The rains have heralded the arrival of some seasonal visitors a leopard and several thousand leeches. Other new arrivals are the scarlet minivets (the females are yellow), flitting silently among the leaves like brilliant jewels. No matter how leafy the trees, these brightly coloured birds cannot conceal themselves, although, by remaining absolutely silent, they sometimes contrive to go unnoticed. Along come a pair of drongos, unnecessarily aggressive, chasing the minivets away. A tree creeper moves rapidly up the trunk of the oak tree, snapping up insects all the way. Now that the rains are here, there is no dearth of food for the insectivorous bids.

Find out: The new arrivals are = The birds cannot = The tree creeper = The food for the bird = August 2. All night the rain has been drumming on the corrugated tin roof. There has been no storm, no thunder, just the steady swish of a tropical downpour. It helps me to lie awake; at the same time, it doesnt keep me from sleeping. It is a good sound to read by the rain outside, the quiet within and, although tin roofs are given to springing unaccountable, leaks, there is a feeling of being untouched by, and yet in touch with, the rain. Find out: The falling of rain = The effect of the rain= The feelings of the winter = August 3 The rain stops. The cloud begins to break up; the sun strikes the sleep hill on my left. A woman is chopping up sticks. I hear the tinkle of cow bells. In the Oak tree a crow shakes the rain drops from his feathers and cause disconsolately. Water drips from a leaking drain pipe. And suddenly, clear and pure the song of the whistling thrush emerges like a dark sweet secret from the depths of ravine. Find out: After effect of rain = Sounds heard = Sweet secret = August 12 Endless rain and a permanent mist. We havent seen the sun for eight or nine days. Everything damp and soggy. Nowhere to go. Pace the room, look out of the window at a few bobbing umbrellas. At least it isnt cold rain. The hillsides are

lush as late monsoon flowers begin to appear wild balsam, dahlias, begonias and ground orchids. Find out: Effect of continuous rain = The effect on the hillsides = August 31 It is the last day of August, and the lush monsoon growth has reached its peak. The seeds of the cobra lily are turning red, signifying that the rains are coming to an end. In a few days the ferns will start turning yellow, but right now they are still firm, green and upright. Ground orchids, mauve ladys slipper and the white butterfly orchids put on fashion display on the grassy slopes of Landour. Wild dahlias, red, yellow and magenta, rear their heads from the rocky crevices where they have taken hold. Snakes and rodents, flooded out of their holes and burrows, take shelter in roofs, attics and godowns. A shrew week of eyesight, blunders about the rooms, much to the amusement of the children. Find out: Change in the nature = Change of colour = Effect on the children = A6. Now go through all the pages of The Monsoon Diary, and answer the following questions: 1. What makes the mist melancholy? 2. What does the writer see on his way to the bank and post-office? 3. How does the writer describe the Valley in one sentence? 4. Why cant the scarlet minivets conceal themselves? 5. How has the writer described the flowers in the valley? 6. What amuses the children? 7. What makes the writer feel that the birds have fallen silent?

8. What are the feelings expressed by the writer to the diary page of August 27. How does he feel? 9. What do you do on Monsoon days at home? 10.Do you like he Monsoon season? Why? 11.What change have you observed around you in your recent past? A7. Birds and Insects Glance through the pages of a diary and put the names of birds and insects in two boxes: Picture of a bird Picture of an insect

A8. Complete Read the pages of the diary again and complete the following: 1. Ladys slippers means .. a. Slippers worn by a lady b. a type of cactus c. a type of flower d. type of vegetable 2. Snakes and rodents come out a. In search of a shelter b. In search of water c. In search of food d. In search of friends 3. As the mist comes climbing up a. The bids start chirping b. The birds fall silent c. The birds fly away d. The birds make a lot of noise 4. Cobra lily is .. a. A type of cobra b. A type of flower c. A type of animal d. A type of food 5. . blunders about the rooms, much to amusement of children

a. b. c. d.

Snakes Rabbit Shrew Cat

A9. Describing words: Look at the following words from the pages of the diary. Find out the describing words used for the same: 1. Visitors 2. Minarets 3. Downpour 4. Mist 5. Birds 6. Slopes A10. Time of action Look at the following sentences. Observe the underlined part and discuss with your partner the questions given below. Note your observations and points. The rain stops. The clouds begin to break up. The sun strikes the sleep hill. Discuss: What is the action indicated in each sentence? What is the time of action? What does the use of the tense indicate? Fill in the correct verb forms: 1. Mandy and Susan _____ films every weekend. (watch / watches) 2. ____ I correct? (is/am/are) 3. The boys ____ always mischievous. (is/are/am) 4. The Monsoon season ____ late. (are/is) A11. Match. Match the phrases in column A with their meanings in column B

A 1. snapping 2. blunder about 3. to break up 4. death of 5. untouched by

B a. not affected by something b. lack of something c. to go way in different directions d. to move about in an awkward way e. to obtain something quickly

A12. Write a diary Write a diary entry of what you did from Monday to Wednesday this week and what you plan to do on a Sunday. You may use some of the following expressions. What I did from Monday o Wednesday I went _________ I was shocked _____ I was unable to tell _______ I realized _____ What I shall do on a Sunday * I will get up ___ * I will ___ * I shall go out to ___ * We will _______

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