Gujarat Board GSEB Class 12 English Textbook Solutions Flamingo Chapter 6 Poets and Pancakes Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.
Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6 Poets and Pancakes
GSEB Class 12 English Poets and Pancakes Text Book Questions and Answers
Think as you Read (Textbook Page No. 59)
Question 1.
What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up?
Answer:
The make-up room of Gemini Studios looked like a hair cutting salon. It had around half a dozen mirrors with incandescent lights at all angles around them. The artists would feel the heat emanating from these lights. Thus, the writer uses the term ‘fiery misery’ to denote the uncomfortable situation of those subjected to make-up.
Question 2.
What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
Answer:
The make-up division of the Gemini Studios was an example of national integration. According to the author, this is so because people from different regions and religious groups worked together in the same department. The department was headed by a Bengali who was succeeded by a Maharashtrian. The other helpers included a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the local Tamils.
Question 3.
What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studio? Why was he disappointed?
Answer:
The ‘office boy’ was responsible for the make-up of the people who formed part of crowd in the films. He used to mix his paint in a giant vessel and applied hastily the paint on the faces of the players. He had joined the Gemini Studios years ago, aspiring to become an actor, or a scriptwriter, or a director, or a lyricist. He was disappointed with the studio that failed to recognise his talent. He called it a ‘department fit only for barbers and perverts’.
Question 4.
Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?
Answer:
The job of the author was to cut newspaper clippings and file them. For the other employees, all he seemed to be doing was tearing newspapers, which ‘according to them did not qualify as work.
Think as you Read (Textbook Page No. 61)
Question 1.
Why was the office boy frustrated-? Who did he show his anger on?
Answer:
The office boy had joined the studio years ago in the hope of becoming an actor or a screenwriter, or a director, or a lyricist. The fact that he ended up becoming none of these left him frustrated. According to him, “great literary talent was being allowed to go waste in a department fit only for barbers and perverts”. He used to direct his anger at the author even though it was meant for Kothamangalam Subbu.
Question 2.
Who was Subbu’s principal?
Answer:
The Boss, S. S. Vasan, who was also the founder of Gemini Studios, was Subbu’s principal.
Question 3.
Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.
Answer:
Subbu was a multi-disciplinarian. He could provide solutions to problems, could remain cheerful all the time and was an actor, a poet and a novelist.
Question 4.
Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?
Answer:
A lawyer used to be a part of the story department at the Gemini Studios. Though a legal adviser was supposed to be involved in legal matters, his cagey yet stupid idea led to the end of an actress’s career. Due to this, he was referred to as the opposite of a legal adviser, by the people.
Question 5.
What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
Answer:
The lawyer wore pants and a tie and sometimes a coat whereas everyone else in the Story Department wore similar khadi dhoti with a slightly oversized and clumsily tailored white khadi shirt. Thus, the lawyer stood out from others at Gemini Studios as if he is a dispassionate man who did not take sides. Moreover, he was a logical man with no emotional attachment whatsoever.
Think as you Read (Textbook Page No. 64)
Question 1.
Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
Answer:
The people at Gemini Studios did not have any particular political affiliations. The common political notions of the day managed to influence them but that was limited to wearing khadi and admiring the Gandhian philosophy. They were averse to the term ‘Communism’ but had only an erroneous understanding of the concept.
Question 2.
Why was the Moral Re-Armament Army welcomed at the studio?
Answer:
Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament Army was welcomed at the studio mainly because of their political association. The people at the Gemini Studios were averse to Communism, and hence, were ready to play host to the MRA. Apart from that, the studio people hardly had any occupation and suffered from boredom. The MRA came as a welcome change to their monotonous days at the studio.
Question 3.
Name one example to show that Gemini Studios was influenced by the plays staged by MRA.
Answer:
Madras and Tamil drama community included scenes of ‘sunset and sunrise in the manner of Jotham Valley’ in almost all of their plays. This shows how the plays, staged by MRA, influenced Gemini Studios.
Question 4.
Who was the Boss of Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Mr S. S. Vasan was the Boss of Gemini Studios.
Question 5.
What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios?
Answer:
The accent of Stephen Spender, the Englishman, was the main cause of the lack of communication between him and the people at Gemini Studios. Apart from that, the people did not have any idea about what he was talking.
Question 6.
Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?
Answer:
The Englishman’s visit to the Gemini Studios is referred to as an unexplained mystery because no one could decipher his identity, whether he was a poet or an editor. Besides, when he spoke no one at the studio understood what he intended to say as his accent was beyond their comprehension.
Think as you Read (Textbook Page No. 65)
Question 1.
Who was the English visitor to the studio? ‘
Answer:
The English visitor to the Gemini Studios was Stephen Spender. He was the editor of The Encounter, a British Periodical, and a famous English poet, essayist and novelist of the twentieth century.
Question 2.
How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?
Answer:
Before investing money in participating in a short story contest organised by a British periodical The Encounter, the author did a research on the magazine. He went to the British Council Library where, while going through an issue of that periodical, he discovered that its editor was Stephen Spender, the poet that had once visited the Gemini studios.
Question 3.
What does ‘The God that Failed’ refer to?
Answer:
‘The God That Failed’ was a compilation of six essays written by six eminent writers, namely, Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Sllbne, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer and Stephen Spender. In each of the essays, the respective writers described ‘their journeys into Communism and their disillusioned return’.
Understanding the Text
Question 1.
The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
Answer:
The instances of humour, used by the author, mark the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies without making any direct and rude comment on anybody. For instance, the author portrays the make-up artists and the usage of the pancakes in an interesting way. Even the caricature of Subbu is hilarious.
The way he tries to help his principal by offering quick solutions to his problems is quite amusing. The episode of the legal adviser that inadvertently causes the end of an actress’s career is yet another example. The frustration of the office boy, the superficial praising of Gandhi, hatred of Communism and the ‘mystery’ surrounding Stephen Spender are some of the instances where the author has incorporated gentle humour.
Question 2.
Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Kothamangalam Subbu succeeded in securing the place closest to The Boss by means of flattery. He was not brilliant but a rather cheerful person and exceedingly loyal to The Boss. He offered solutions whenever The Boss was in a fix. Thus, the other employees considered him No. 2 in Gemini Studios.
Question 3.
How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at Gemini Studios?
Answer:
The audience at the Gemini Studios was not knowledgeable enough to understand the thrills and travails of an English poet, of which the visitor poet-editor talked about, in his speech. The studio made films for simple people whose limited resources did not provide them with an opportunity to develop a taste in English poetry.
The audience failed to understand anything the poet said, all the more, because of the latter’s accent. The poet-editor, in turn, looked baffled realising the utter inappropriateness of his speech being directed to such an audience.
Question 4.
What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
Answer:
Though the author had a very tedious and unchallenging job at the studios, his interest in literature and writing is apparent in his willingness to participate in the short story contest organised by the British periodical, The Encounter. Moreover, the author appears to be a keen reader visiting libraries and buying books on wide-ranging topics whenever he could afford them.
Besides, the narrative also establishes the fact that the author was one of the most knowledgeable persons in Gemini Studios. His idea about how prose writing was not meant for geniuses but for those with patience and perseverance, highlight his reflective and deep thoughts on literature and creative writing.
Talking about the Text
Discuss in small groups taking off from points in the text:
(1) Film production today has come a long way from the early days of the Gemini Studios.
(2) Poetry and films.
(3) Humour and criticism
Answer:
1. Film production is more technical nowadays. While earlier only five per cent of the shooting was done outdoors, nowadays outdoor shooting is no more limited to such a negligible percentage. The cameras and other equipment are more advanced allowing for more varied and accurate presentation.
The quality of make-up has improved many folds from the days of the Gemini Studios where only pancake was used. The people involved in various departments are experts in their specialised work, be it the director, producer, scriptwriter, lyricist or the actors. The overall quality of the films is more striking and lively.
2. In India poetry and films are intricately linked. The people at Gemini Studios, all claimed to have the talents of a poet. The main reason behind it was their monotonous and leisurely life at the studios. However, these people were not knowledgeable or educated enough to be poets. Unlike poetry, films can be enjoyed by people with little resources who cannot afford to cultivate taste for poetry and literature.
3. Humour is the ability or quality of people, objects, or situations to evoke feelings of amusement. The term encompasses a form of entertainment or human communication which evokes such feelings, or which makes people laugh or feel happy. Criticism is the activity of judgement or informed interpretation.
Constructive criticism is a form of communication, in which a person tries to correct the behaviour of another in a non-authoritarian way, and is generally, a diplomatic approach to what another person is doing which is socially incorrect. It is ‘constructive’ as opposed to a command or an insult and is meant to be a correction with a peaceful and benevolent approach. Satire is one such tool used by a critic.
It is usually witty and funny, though the purpose of satire is not primarily humour but criticism of an event, an individual or a group in a clever manner. Satire is one of the most precise literary terms; it usually has a very definite target, which may be a person or a group of people, an idea or an attitude, an Institution or a social practice. In any case, the target is held up to ridicule.
Because satire often combines anger and humour, it can be profoundly disturbing and since it is essentially ironic, including that heavy-handed form of irony called sarcasm, it is often misunderstood. It is an artistic form in which human or individual vices, jolly abuses, and shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, sometimes with an intent to bring about improvement. Literature and drama are its chief vehicles, but it is also found in such media as films, the visual arts and political cartoons.
To Horace, the satirist is an urbane man of the world who sees jolly everywhere but is moved to gentle laughter rather than to rage. (The above answer is only a sample provided for students’ reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.)
GSEB Class 12 English Poets and Pancakes Additional Important Questions and Answers
Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each:
Question 1.
How was the author’s job odd in the eyes of the other staff? How did they respond to this?
Answer:
Asokamitran’s job at the Gemini Studios was to collect information from newspapers and magazines and to paste the cuttings in files for reference. This was probably the only odd work in the Gemini Studios while every other staff was some sort of an artist. They, therefore, advised the author to do some better jobs other than wasting his time cutting papers in a department similar to a barbershop.
Question 2.
Why did the author pray for crowd shooting?
Answer:
Like many of the other staff who believed that Asokamitran was doing next to nothing in the Gemini Studios, the Office Boy too used to advise him for hours. When the author was tired of his unending epics, he used to pray for a crowd shooting to keep the Office Boy busy.
Question 3.
Who was Kothamangalam Subbu ? How did he make all the other staff hate him?
Answer:
Kothamangalam Subbu joined the Gemini Studios as a clerk and remained the same in the records. But in practice he soon acquired the status of the No. 2 at the studios thanks to his amazing genius and multifaceted skills. He did any work for his boss and ignored the rest above him. This made him envied and hated by the rest of the staff.
Question 4.
Discuss Subbu’s identity as a poet. Why was he not known as a poet?
Answer:
Apart from being an amazing director of movies, Subbu had the identity as a poet. The world of his time and later never recognized Subbu as a poet yet he was a great unknown poet. He wrote poem in the simplest Tamil language and was able to recreate the classical poems in his own style.
Question 5.
Subbu excelled as an actor too. Discuss.
Answer:
Subbu was a good actor. He was able to act better than the lead actors yet never wished to take any lead roles in any movie.
Question 6.
In spite of all the good qualities and readiness to be a host any time, Subbu had only enemies. Why?
Answer:
Subbu was good to everyone he came by, spoke in his niceness, fed his relatives, excelled everyone in the Gemini Studios but was hated by most of them just because he was so close to the boss of the studios. Being a clerk in the attendance register he was above all and above all the departments. Those who bore designations above Subbu felt it intolerable to obey him.
Question 7.
How did the legal adviser behave illegally in the instance of the actress?
Answer:
The legal adviser was, of course, an advocate, yet was known as an illegal adviser. Once he recorded the voice of an actress who shouted at the producer and director while in the shooting sets. The legal adviser’s behaviour turned out to be illegal because he did it without the actress’ permission.
Question 8.
In what context did Congress rule mean Prohibition and how was it for the staff of Gemini Studios meeting over a cup of coffee a rather satisfying entertainment?
Answer:
Congress being the ruling party, made the public’s life horrible by imposing curfew and emergency in the initial years of Independent India. Citizens were not allowed to gather and hold meetings. While the whole of the nation struggled under emergencies, the six hundred Gemini staff enjoyed freedom inside the studios as their freedom was not restricted.
Question 9.
How did Subbu surpass the office boy despite his limitations?
Answer:
The office boy in the make-up department was always ahead of Subbu in the beginning, especially in education, having influential people to support. But he ended up where he began while Subbu ascended the steps to the maximum height and surpassed the office boy.
Question 10.
The staff of the Gemini Studios attributed Subbu’s success to his being a Brahmin. Why?
Answer:
Most of the staff of the Gemini Studios was unhappy with Subbu. His amazing influence on the Boss and the consequent privileges he enjoyed made them feel jealous of him. So, instead of accepting his talents, they consoled themselves by attributing his fortunes to be a Brahmin.
Question 11.
How are poets and prose writers different according to Asokamitran? What personal experience makes him say that?
Answer:
Asokamitran believes in the qualitative difference between prose writers and poem writers. A poem can be written in no time if the poet is a genius while prose such as a novel can be written by a person who has a lot of patience and perseverance. Type prose writer’s mind should be so shrunken that no rejection can disappoint him but he will be encouraged from failures and rejections.
Question 12.
What is Communism? What ideas about the communism gathered popularity in India?
Answer:
Communism is a political order that believes in the equality of citizens and abolition of private ownership. The state or nation is the owner and caretaker of each citizen. Citizen’s welfare is nation’s prime concern. It sometimes resorts to armed revolution to establish social and political equality.
Question 13.
What was MRA? Why did it tour the world?
Answer:
MRA, short for Moral Rearmament Army was an anti-Communist organization that toured the world informing the world of the evil side of Communism that was spreading throughout Asia and some parts of Europe. Headed by Frank Buchman, the MRA believed that Communism was evil and it would wipe out democracy in the world.
Question 14.
How was Vasan played into the hands of the MRA?
Answer:
There is no clear indication that Vasan, the owner of the Gemini Studios, was a Communist or not yet there are very clear hints that he was a prominent Communist of Chennai. The MRA spread its anti-Communist messages through their stage programs and made the poets and writers of the South India hate Communism which was a great achievement. Vasan, who knew nothing of their intentions, was indeed fooled by MRA at his cost.
Question 15.
Why was Stephen Spender invited to the Gemini Studios? Who wanted him there?
Answer:
Stephen Spender was a great poet with Communist inclinations. S. S. Vasan, the owner of the Gemini Studios, wanted Spender give a speech on the greatness of Communism to his staff.
Question 16.
How are poets and prose writers different, according to Asokamitran? What personal experience makes him say that?
Answer:
Asokamitran says poems can be written by any genius while prose writing is the true pursuit of a really determined person who has suffered a lot of rejections and is ready for any further disappointments with more perseverance to pursue his mission of writing a long prose.
Question 17.
Spender’s speech was a shock for him and a matter of utter shame for the literati of the Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Stephen Spender was called to the Gemini Studios to talk to the staff there about Communism but what he spoke was of his struggles as a poet. Whatever he spoke, his talk was not followed by practically anyone. When Spender realized that his audience didn’t follow his talk, he stopped in utter shame to have made a talk to a deaf audience while the Gemini staff got dispersed in great humiliation because Spender’s accent failed them.
Question 18.
The Boss of the Gemini Studios may not have much to do with Spender’s poetry. But not with his god that failed.’ Explain.
Answer:
Stephen Spender was invited to the Gemini Studios to enlighten the staff with great ideals of Communism but what Spender spoke was about his thrills and struggles to establish himself as a poet. The bosses of the studio like S. S. Vasan were interested in Spender as a Communist, not as a poet.
Question 19.
How did the British periodical ‘The Encounter’ become important in Asokamitran’s life?
Answer:
‘The Encounter’ was a British periodical. When Stephen Spender was its editor, this periodical organized a short story competition for writers from all over the world.
Question 20.
How does the book, ‘The God That Failed’ deserve its title?
OR
Justify the title, ‘The God That Failed.’
Answer:
The ‘God That Failed’ was written by six eminent writers who were attracted to Communism and abandoned it because they hated it later on. Communism was in its beginning, a God because it stood for equality and removal of class systems and poverty. While the Gods or incarnations before it achieved their goals, Communism failed in attaining its goals as it was a failure in itself.
Question 21.
What made Asokamitran hope Stephen Spender too would ‘be singing the same song at the same time when he sealed the envelope of his manuscript?
Answer:
Asokamitran had been struggling to establish as a writer when he came across the periodical, The Encounter. When he saw that the editor of The Encounter was Stephen Spender, the same poet who came to Gemini Studios and talked about his struggles to become a poet, Asokamitran felt as if he had found a long lost brother.
Answer the following questions in six to seven sentences each:
Question 1.
How was the Gemini Studios a perfect place of nationally integrated Indians?
Answer:
Situated in Tamil Nadu’s capital Madras, the Gemini Studios was an amazement for a number of reasons, one of them being the selection of its department heads and other staff from all over India. For instance, the makeup department was for some time headed by a Bengali though he was later removed from the post.
His follower in the department was from Maharashtra and his assistant was Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and even the usual Tamilians. The presence of any talented person from any part of India shows that Gemini Studios was a perfect place of nationally integrated Indians.
Question 2.
“In a moment I felt a dark chamber of my mind lit up by a hazy illumination.” What was the dark chamber? What did light up the darkness?
Answer:
Due to Spender’s British accent the normally educated staff like could not understand his speech and therefore his speech remained an unsolved mystery for the staff including Asokamitran. This mystery was the dark chamber of his mind. When Asokamitran saw that Spender was the editor of The Encounter, he understood that Spender’s speech was all about stories and poems and suddenly he related this to his speech he made years ago at the Gemini Studios.
Question 3.
Taking a careful reading, one sees the tremendous struggle that Asokamitran underwent to surface as a writer par excellence. Discuss.
Answer:
For Asokamitran, training himself as a writer was passion. He had a nickname, barber when he was working at Gemini Studios because he did a lot of cutting of newspaper clips and magazines as he was a news record keeper. Even though he was laughed at by the rest of the staff and was advised by some to seek a profession that fitted him, Asokamitran had a drudge that nothing could weaken-he was determined to rise in the world of people of his kind: writers. Among those members of the Gemini staff who was embarrassed and confused at Stephen Spender’s lost speech was there none as embarrassed and confused as Asokamitran.
It was all because of his literary ambitions that he was able to know more about Spender and his literary traits and political views as well as the unknown communist inclinations of the boss of one of India’s foremost movie factories. Asokamitran’s language that we read in the extract, Poets and Pancakes, is amazing as an Indian author is concerned and there is no doubt that he acquired it as part of his quest for perfection as a writer.
He quite poignantly narrates his participation in a short story contest organized by the British periodical Encounter for which he spent considerable time and money. On reading the name of the editor, Stephen Spender, he feels like finding his long lost brother back.
Reading Comprehension (Textual)
Read the following passages and select the most appropriate options as answers to the questions given below them:
Question 1.
In all instances of frustration, you will always find the anger directed towards a single person openly or covertly and this man of the make-up department was convinced that all his woes, ignominy and neglect were due to Kothamangalam Subbu. Subbu was the No. 2 at Gemini Studios. He couldn’t have had a more encouraging opening in films than our grown-up make-up boy had. On the contrary, he must have had to face more uncertain and difficult times, for when he began his career, there were no firmly established film producing companies or studios.
Even in the matter of education, specially formal education, Subbu couldn’t have had an appreciable lead over our boy. But by virtue of being born a Brahmin – a virtue, indeed! – he must have had exposure to more affluent situations and people. He had the ability to look cheerful at all times even after having had a hand in a flop film. He always had work for somebody-he could never do things on his own-but his sense of loyalty made him identify himself with his principal completely and turn his entire creativity to his principal’s advantage. He was tailor-made for films. Here was a man who could be inspired when commanded.
Questions:
1. Usually Subbu fell victim of anger when …………………………. .
A. anything went wrong in the make-up department.
B. the make-up boy kept absent.
C. there was a lot of frustration.
D. Both A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
C. there was a lot of frustration.
2. Subbu is compared with the make-up boy in case of …………………………….. .
A. starting their career in film line.
B. skills they were having.
C. their socio-economic growth.
D. their dealing with other people.
Answer:
A. starting their career in film line.
3. What was Subbu’s advantage over others?
A. That he was working in the film industry.
B. That he was born a Brahmin.
C. That he had the ability to look cheerful at all times.
D. That he had a hand in a flop film.
Answer:
B. That he was born a Brahmin.
4. Subbu was not having one of the following virtues:
A. Diligence
B. Loyalty
C. Looking cheerful
D. Inspiration
Answer:
D. Inspiration
Question 2.
The great prose-writers of the world may not admit it, but my conviction grows stronger day after day that prose-writing is not and cannot be the true pursuit of a genius. It is for the patient, persistent, persevering drudge with a heart so shrunken that nothing can break it; rejection slips don’t mean a thing to him; he at once sets about making a fresh copy of the long prose piece and sends it on to another editor enclosing postage for the return of the manuscript.
It was for such people that The Hindu had published a tiny announcement in an insignificant corner of an unimportant page – a short story contest organised by a British periodical by the name The Encounter Of course, The Encounter wasn’t a known commodity among the Gemini literati.
I wanted to get an idea of the periodical before I spent a considerable sum in postage sending a manuscript to England. In those days, the British Council Library had an entrance with no long-winded signboards and notices to make you feel you were sneaking into a forbidden area. And there were copies of The Encounter lying about in various degrees of freshness, almost untouched by readers.
When I read the editor’s name, I heard a bell ringing in my shrunken heart. It was the poet who had visited the Gemini Studios-I felt like I had found a long lost brother and I sang as I sealed the envelope and wrote out his address.
I felt that he too would be singing the same song at the same time-long lost brothers of Indian films discover each other by singing the same song in the first reel and in the final reel of the film. Stephen Spender. Stephen-that was his name.
Questions:
1. Who is mentioned as ‘drudge’ in this prose extract?
A. A genius
B. A prose writer
C. An editor
D. A heart-shrunk person
Answer:
B. A prose writer
2. Here ‘Gemini literati’ means ………………………………….. of Gemini Studios.
A. ‘Versatile actors’
B. ‘Painters’
C. ‘intellectuals’ or ‘master minds’
D. ‘Spot boys’
Answer:
B. ‘Painters’
3. ‘I heard a bell ringing in my shrunken heart’. Another expression for these words is:
A. ‘It was a warning for him.
B. ‘He was completely disappointed’.
C. ‘A hope enlivened in his disappointment’.
D. ‘His last hope also disappeared’.
Answer:
C. ‘A hope enlivened in his disappointment’.
4. ‘Stephen Spender. Stephen’ is the name of ……………………… .
A. An editor
B. A song
C. The composer of a song
D. The poet
Answer:
D. The poet
Grammar
Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks choosing the correct words given in the brackets and write the answers only:
Question 1.
(mirrors, headed, imagine, angles, fiery, salon, incandescent, subjected)
The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting …1…. with lights at all ……..2…… around half a dozen large ……3….. They were all ………4……… lights, so you can ….5…… the …6…. misery of those …7…. to make-up. The make-up department was first ….8… by a Bengali who became too big for a studio and left.
Answer:
1. salon
2. angles
3. mirrors
4. incandescent
5. imagine
6. fiery
7. subjected
8. headed
Question 2.
(grown-up, covertly, instances, due to, convinced, encouraging, directed, ignominy) In all …1…. of frustration, you will always find the anger ….2…… towards a single person openly or ….3….. and this man of the make-up department was …4…. that all his woes, ……5…… and neglect were Kothamangalam Subbu. Subbu was the No …….6…… at Gemini Studios. He couldn’t have had a more …..7….. opening in films than our ……8……. make-up boy had.
Answer:
1. instances
2. directed
3. covertly
4. convinced
5. ignominy
6. due to
7. encouraging
8. grown-up
Choose the correct meanings of the phrases/ idioms and rewrite the sentences:
(1) That award-winning role really catapulted the actor into stardom, (threw out, brought sudden fame, left aside)
(2) Mt. Abu has been a favourite., haunt for Gujaratis, (the most enjoyed place, the nearest visiting place, the preferred hunting spot)
(3) Sorry to barge in, but I couldn’t help overhearing what you were saying, (insult, interrupt rudely, miss out on something)
(4) We were struck dumb when she announced • she was pregnant, (become speechless with a shock, extremely happy, terribly upset)
(5) I thought that after a few days, the argument would blow over, (become gradually less important until it came to end, become stronger, be forgotten)
Answer:
(1) That award-winning role really brought sudden fame to the actor into stardom.
(2) Mt. Abu has been the most enjoyed place for Gujaratis.
(3) Sorry to interrupt rudely, but I couldn’t help overhearing what you were saying.
(4) We became speechless with a shock when she announced she was pregnant.
(5)1 thought that after a few days, the argument would become gradually less important until it came to end.
Rectification of Errors
Rectify the errors in the following text:
Question 1.
A few months latter, the telephone lines of the big bosses of Madras buzzed but once again we for Gemini Studios cleared a whole shooting stage welcoming another visitor.
Answer:
| Errors | Corrections |
| latter | later |
| but | and |
| for | at |
| welcoming | to welcome |
Question 2.
The great prose-writers of the world could not admit it, but my conviction grows stronger day after day which prose-writing is not and cannot be the true pursuit from a genius. It is for the patient, persevering drudge.
Answer:
| could | may |
| which | that |
| pursuit | pursuit |
| from | of |
Punctuation
Punctuate the following passage:
He is not a poet he is an editor that’s why The Boss is giving him a big reception Vasan was also the editor of the popular Tamil weekly ananda vikatan.
Answer:
“He is not a poet. He is an editor. That’s why The Boss is giving him a big reception.” Vasan was also the editor of the popular Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan.
Indirect Speech
Convert the following into Indirect Speech:
“When I leave,” Sophie said, coming from school. “I am going to have a boutique.”
“takes money, Sofa, something like that,” Jansie said.
“I ‘11 find it,” Sophie said, starting far down the street.
“Take you along time to save that much.”
Answer:
Coming from school Sophie said that when she left she was going to have a boutique. Responding to Sophie, Jansie told her lovingly that it took money, something like that. Starting far down the street Sophie said that she would find it. Janie told her that it would take her a long time to save that much.
Transformation of Sentences Rewrite as directed:
1. Rati Agnihotri may not have even heard of it. (Change the Voice.)
2. Sitting at my desk, most of the time I kept busy tearing newspapers. (Tarn into compound.)
3. He couldn’t have had a more encouraging opening in films than our grown-up make-up boy had. (Change the Degree.)
4. He could never do things on his own. (Turn into Affirmative.)
5. Here was a man who could be inspired when commanded. (Use ‘whom’.)
6. I don’t know how to do the scene. (Turn into Complex.)
7. He was an amazing actor. (Turn into Exclamatory.)
Answer:
1. It may not have even been heard of by Rati Agnihotri.
2. I sat at my desk most of the time and kept busy tearing newspapers.
3. Our grown-up make-up boy could have had as much encouraging opening in films as he.
4. He always depended on others to do things.
5. Here was a man whom they could inspire when commanded.
6. I don’t know how I could do the scene.
7. What an amazing actor he was!
Writing:
Question 1.
You must have met some interesting characters in your neighbourhood or among your relatives. Write a humorous piece about their idiosyncrasies. Try to adopt the author’s rambling style if you can.
Answer:
Humour has always been a good entertainer. It generally brings to light the follies of others. Most follies usually occur for saying or doing things without giving prior thought to their occurrence. Sometimes it could be the result of ignorance. Only on second thought, the speaker realises what he has .said is out of way. In our day to day life, we often encounter such incidences.
On one occasion I visited a police station for passport verification. Here I heard a police constable threatening a suspect that he would inflict such corporal punishment that the suspect would remember his mother. The very fact is that we never forget our mother. For this, we do not require external force.
Talking about sympathisers I remember attending a funeral service where I heard a person expressing his sympathies to the person whose only son had expired. This sympathiser asked the father in a very humble way if he had undergone a family planning operation. If not then he could plan for another child. I am sure he was sincere but the occasion was not proper.
The elected secretary of our flat always objects to my watering the garden. One day I told my neighbour about this. He possesses a helping nature. He told me that he would stand by my side and that I should use a hose pipe. That day it was raining, but my friend insisted that I should wear a raincoat and water the garden. I was dumbfounded and told him, it would not be necessary. Hearing this my friend left me, assuring that he would be at my service whenever required.
When the results of the board exam were declared an illiterate neighbour of mine told me that her daughter missed the merit by two marks otherwise she would have definitely passed. Perhaps this poor lady did not know the difference between passing the examination in merit and ordinarily clearing it. Such incidences occurring in life make us think if people are really short of wise thoughts. I am sure if they apply their mind to their speech they would not commit blunders. In any case such occurrences make us wiser in spite of laughter.
Poets and Pancakes Summary in English
Poets and Pancakes Introduction:
Asokamitran (September 22, 1931-March 23, 2017) was the pen name of Jagadisa Thyaga- Rajan, an Indian writer regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-independent Tamil literature. He began his prolific literary career with the prize-winning play ‘Anbin Parisu’ and went on to author more than two hundred short stories, and a dozen novellas and novels.
A distinguished essayist and critic, he was the editor of the literary journal ‘Kanaiyaazhi’. He has written over 200 short stories, eight novels, some 15 novellas besides other prose writings. Most of his works have also been translated into English and other Indian languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, and Telugu.
Poets and Pancakes Summary:
Gemini Studios:
Gemini Studios was one of India’s pioneer movie factories. Situated in the present-day Chennai, owned by S. S. Vasan and worked by over 600 staff, the GS made movies for Tamil Nadu and other southern Indian states. Pancake was the make-up material used by the GS.
Asokamitran:
Asokamitran was one of the staff whose job was to collect information such as news events from newspapers and magazines and to paste them in files. The other staff considered his job out of place and most of them thought so highly of themselves. Here are some of the interesting staff of GS.
Office Boy:
Office Boy was a grown-up man in the Make-up Department of the GS. He was in charge of the crowd make-up. He applied pancakes on their faces from giant vessels with the help of a dipped paintbrush. Though his job was quite an easy one, the office boy considered him to be a greatly skilled artist.
Subbu:
Kothamangalam Subbu was another clerk. He was not as educated, as fortunate and as supported by as the Office Boy, yet he reached the top of the GS. He was a mem of amazing genius. He was able to direct the directors. He suggested dozens of ways to shoot a certain scene when the director failed to find one. He acted better than the heroes. He wrote incredible poems.
Though he was able to write more complicated ones that could raise him to the status of a great poet, Subbu preferred writing them in simple Tamil to enlighten the majority of Tamil people. Besides, he supported his far and near relatives. But he had. only enemies everywhere because he was very much close to the boss, Vasan.
Legal Advisor:
The legal advisor worked in the Story Department. He was a lawyer and provided legal advice to the writers yet he was known as the illegal advisor. The following incident is one reason that gave him that name. Once a shooting was under progress. The heroine, a highly emotional girl, got angry with the director and producer. While the whole set stood stunned at this, the legal advisor recorded her voice without her permission and made her listen to the playback, thus resulting the end of the career of a rising actress.
Poets and writers:
Gemini Studios had some great poets like Harindranath Chattopadhyaya and a few others. Most of the insignificant poets considered so great of themselves. They had no great talent, no great creativity, no political views yet they assumed the airs of the greatest poets, wasting Vasan’s money and time. They believed Gandhiji to be the last word of politics and had developed an aversion to Communism.
Communism and anti-communism:
Communism was a new political order that was spreading throughout the world, especially in Asian countries. Communism preached equality of people and abolition of poverty and class divisions while it discouraged private ownership. But Communism won a negative impression due the Capitalist countries such as America.
MRA:
MRA or Moral Rearmament Army was an international team of actors and actresses that spread anti-communist feelings throughout the world. The MRA came to Chennai and saw how influential was Gemini Studios in the south of India. The team got permission from Vasan to stage their plays. Vasan was only happy to give them permission because he hoped that his staff would get inspiration from the international team. But little did Vasan know of their intentions. MRA staged their plays with hidden anti-communist messages and went away and it was yet after some time that Vasan realized that he had been fooled.
Why should Vasan be fooled if an organization spread anti-communist messages in Chennai? It appears that Vasan himself was a Communist! Or, he too had an experience of a disillusioned abandoning of Communism. The author has not given us a hint about this and therefore we have two different opinions :
Crisis Vasan as a Communist:
If so, Vasan felt terribly bad for being played into the hands of the MRA that left a deep anti-communist impression upon his staff. He, therefore, decided to bring back the Communist atmosphere in his studio and for this, he invited a communist poet to deliver a speech on how great Communism was.
Vasan as an anti-communist:
If S. S. Vasan was an anti-communist, he was the one who invited the MRA to the Gemini Studios. Later, when he saw that MRA had successfully spread anti-communism among his staff, he wanted to strengthen the new notions in them by inviting another anti-communist and therefore he invited Spender.
Spender’s Speech:
Anyway, Stephen Spender, who was once a prominent communist editor and poet from England, came to the studio and gave his speech. His lecture was about Communism on one side and about his struggles to establish as a poet on the other.
Whatever he spoke was great, hot, exciting and inspiring, but of what use, his accent was such a terrible one that none of the Gemini staff could clearly understand what Spender had spoken. They fell into shame for not being able to understand the poet and wished not to meet him again.
Asokamitran’s meeting Spender-1:
The lesson ends with two incidents in which Asokamitran, our author, met Spender; not face to face, but in two different ways.