I CAN’T CLIMB TREES ANYMORE

Ruskin Bond

INTEXT QUESTIONS:

Q1. What was the old house built with?

Ans. The old house was built with solid blocks of granite.

Q2. Does the visitor still live in the house?

Ans. No, the visitor does not live in the house now.

Q3. What did the visitor hide in the jackfruit tree?

Ans. The visitor hid an iron cross in the jackfruit tree.

Q4. When did the visitor actually hide the iron cross?

Ans. The visitor actually hid the iron cross twenty five years ago.

A. Based on your understanding of the story, indicate either ‘T’ (True) or ‘F’ (False) against the columns.

S.No.	Statement	T / F
1	The visitor had hidden a few old coins in the tree.	True
2	The jack fruit tree was still there.	True
3	As a boy the visitor used to swing on the turnstile.	True
4	The visitor had sold the house.	True
5	A girl came out of the house.	False
6	The visitor’s grandfather used to sit on the stone bench.	False
7	The visitor was able to remember the music of a piano.	True
8	The visitor was able to climb the jack fruit tree.	False
9	The purpose of the visit of the narrator was to buy his ancestral house back.	False
10	The visitor climbed over the wall easily.	False

B. Based on your understanding of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct answer.

1. The story I Can’t Climb Trees Anymore highlights the importance of ________

a) old age. b) youth. c) adulthood. d) middle age.

2. The house which was visited by the man____________

a) remained unchanged. b) was totally changed.

c) was slightly repaired. d) was given a facelift.

3. Who said, “A blessing rests on the house where the shadow of a tree falls”?

a) Grand mother b) Uncle c) Grand father d) The visitor

4. The visitor came back to the house because he ________________

a) wanted to see the jackfruit tree. b) was looking for his lost youth.

c) wanted to look again at his old house d) wanted to buy the house.

5. The visitor gifted the _________ to the little girl.

a) iron cross b) marbles c) bronze medal d) old coins

C. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

1. Explain:“Blessings rest on the house where the shadow of a tree falls.”

Ans. It means that the house which has trees around it is blessed.

2. What did the writer observe about the house?

Ans. The writer observed that the old house he had lived in as a boy hadn’t changed much. The turnstile was gone and the opening was walled up.

3. What was the local superstition about trees?

Ans. It is believed that a house on which the shadow of the tree falls is blessed.

4. What did the visitor do with the turnstile when he was a boy?

Ans. The visitor used to swing on the turnstile when he was a boy.

5. Who is the owner of the house now?

Ans. A colonel is the owner of the house now.

6. Why did the visitor return to his old house?

The visitor returned to his old house looking for his youth.

7. How did he get back the Iron Cross?

Ans. The girl in the house climbed up the thick branch of the tree. She took the iron cross from the hollow and gave it to the narrator. Thus he got back the Iron Cross.

8. How did the grandfather get the iron cross?

Ans. The grandfather got the iron cross from a German soldier, awarded for bravery during the First World War.

9. What did he do with the old Iron Cross?

Ans. He kept the old Iron Cross in the hollow of the jackfruit tree.

10. Where had he left his childhood treasures?

Ans. He had left his childhood treasures in the hollow of the jackfruit tree.

D. Match the words in column A with the meanings in column B by drawing a line as shown.

S.No.	A	b
1.	pruning	soaked (3)
2.	chiming	shaky (4)
3.	drenched	flourishing (5)
4.	dizzy	lively (6)
5.	prosperous	ancient (8)
6.	sprightliness	trimming a plant (1)
7.	treasure	emitting a sound (2)
8.	rusty	a collection of precious things  (7)

E. Read these shortened forms of words and write the full form for the remaining words and complete the table given below.

won’t : will not

I’d : I had/ I would

I’ll : I will

1.	you’d	–	you would / you had
2.	they’ve	–	they have
3.	he’d	–	he had / he would
4.	he’s	–	he is / he has
5.	wasn’t	–	was not
6.	isn’t	–	is not
7.	doesn’t	–	does not
8.	aren’t	–	are not
9.	wouldn’t	–	would not
10.	can’t	–	cannot

H. Based on the story and your own ideas write your answers in about 80 to 100 words each.

1. Imagine yourself as the writer. Narrate the story of your visit to your ancestral house.

2. The man who came to the house gave the cross as a gift to the girl. Why did he do this? What do you think would have happened if he had taken back the cross with him?

Ans. The man was happy to see the Iron Cross. It reminded him of his childhood days. He did not like to keep it with him. He felt that it would remain in the hollow for another twenty five years if the girl had not taken it. If he had taken the cross with him, what would the girl think of him? She would think that he had come there to take back his iron cross. After all, it was not the purpose of his visit. He simply wanted to see the house where he spent the happiest hours of his life. In fact, he was looking for his youth. The iron cross was found by the girl. Since ‘finders are keepers’ the narrator gave the iron cross to the girl. The iron cross would always remind her of the narrator. So he did not take it back with him. If he had taken it back the girl would have forgotten him. So he left it with the girl.

I.Write a letter to your friend describing your ancestral house.

Place,

Date,

Dear friend’s name,

Well here, and wish to hear the same from you.

I was very happy to see my ancestral house where my grandparents lived. The house hasn’t changed much. The old house was built when my father was a child. The mango tree which my grandparents grew is still at the backyard. There are a lot of flowering plants in front of the house. The house called up sweet memories of my childhood.

Convey my loving regards to all at home.

Yours lovingly,

Your name

Grammar

Degrees of Comparison

Comparison can be made using the three forms of an adjective.

Adjective is a word that describes or qualifies a noun. It gives more information about a noun.

 (e.g.) The tiger is a strong animal.

There are three degrees of comparison

(1) Positive  (e.g.) Kumar is a kind man.  

(2) Comparative (e.g.) Tsunami is more destructive than Cyclone.

(3) Superlative  (e.g.) Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.

Read the following examples.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
No other girl in the class is as tall as Ramya.	Ramya is taller than any other girl in the class.	Ramya is the tallest girl in the class.
Very few girls in the class are as tall as Ramya.	Ramya is taller than most other girls in the class.	Ramya is one of the tallest girls in the class.

Type I (more than two person or things)

Very few girls in the class are as tall as Ramya. (Positive Degree)

Ramya is taller than most other girls in the class. (Comparative Degree)

Ramya is one of the tallest girls in the class. (Superlative Degree)

Very few other peaks in the world are as high as Mount Everest. (Positive Degree)

Mount Everest is higher than most other peaks in the world. (Comparative Degree)

Mount Everest is one of the highest peaks in the world. (Superlative Degree)

Very few fruits are as sweet as mango. (Positive Degree)

Mango is sweeter than most other fruits. (Comparative Degree)

Mango is one of the sweetest fruits. (Superlative Degree)

Type II (more than two person or things)

No other girl in the class is so tall as Ramya. (Positive Degree)

Ramya is taller than any other girl in the class. (Comparative Degree)

Ramya is the tallest girl in the class. (Superlative Degree)

No other man is so kind as Kumar. (Positive Degree)

Kumar is kinder than any other man. (Comparative Degree)

Kumar is the kindest man. (Superlative Degree)

No other metal is so useful as iron. (Positive Degree)

Iron is more useful than any other metal. (Comparative Degree)

Iron is the most useful metal. (Superlative Degree)

Type III Two Person and things (Positive type)

Cyclone is not so destructive as Tsunami. (Positive Degree)

Tsunami is more destructive than Cyclone. (Comparative Degree)

Pineapple is not so sweet as mango. (Positive Degree)

Mango is sweeter than pineapple. (Comparative Degree)

Amirtha is not so young as Prabhu.  (Positive Degree)

Prabhu is younger than Amirtha. (Comparative Degree)

Type IV Two Person and things (Negative type)

Cyclone is as destructive as Tsunami. (Positive Degree)

Tsunami is not more destructive than Cyclone. (Comparative Degree)

Pineapple is as sweet as mango. (Positive Degree)

Mango is not sweeter than pineapple. (Comparative Degree)

Amirtha is as young as Prabhu.  (Positive Degree)

Prabhu is not younger than Amirtha. (Comparative Degree)