Communication Skills in English Block I

READING SKILLS BLOCK I

MODULE INTRODUCTION:
This module on “Reading skills” or “Skills of Reading” is designed to initiate
you into some of the basic skills of reading. The only way to do that is to
practise and read English with the activities and exercises given in these
units and continue doing it whenever you read something in English. Let us
familiarize ourselves with the objectives of this module. This course will
enable you to.
1. recognize the script of English and with the help of the language
markers (vocabulary, grammar)understand the explicitly stated
information in a passage.
2. conclude or deduce the meaning and information when it is not explicitly
stated.
3. understand the relationship between sentences and words in a sentence
(vocabulary, grammar)
4. extract the salient points and summarize the contents of a given
passage.
5. distinguish the focal points in a given piece of information with the help
of the supporting ideas or details.
6. focus your attention to the various purposes of reading and their relative
importance.
All the exercises and activities given in the block are streamlined and
directed towards achieving these objectives. Go through the book and work
on exercises and activities and verify your learning on the basis of these
objectives.
The module uses the following symbols to guide you:

 This tells you that there is an important point to remember

 This points out a question, which urges you to read on. This is a
motivator.

 This identifies a self-test

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BLOCK INTRODUCTION

Unit 1: This unit introduces you to the activity of reading as a skill which
could be developed, sensitized and refined. You will get a glimpse
of the various purposes and functions of reading. It will make you
realize that every time we read, we have a specific objective and
our reading/focus varies according to our objective of reading. This
unit will give you information about the various subskills of reading
like skimming and scanning.
Unit 2: In this unit, you have been exposed to a passage wherein you are
expected to practise the skills of skimming and scanning. This unit
is designed to give you some exercises in Remedial Grammar.
These exercises will help you to reinforce whatever you have learnt
so far. You will also get practice in identifying the use of phrases
(phrasal verbs), their significance and function in English.
Unit 3: This unit provides you exposure to a different type of reading, i e
reading a short – story. Once again you will get practice in
skimming and scanning the short story. A comprehensive
understanding of the story would enable you to sequence the
events of the story in a chronological order (as they occur in the
story). You would be concentrating on learning new words and will
learn how to interact/negotiate with words when they occur in
writing. We have also provided the “BASIC ENGLISH WORD LIST"
by IA RICHARDS (1943) in the Appendix.
Unit 4: In this unit a relatively complex passage has been given. You need
to negotiate with the words/grammatical patterns in this passage
carefully. Exercises in skimming and scanning (comprehension) too
are slightly advanced. This unit also is one of the significant units
wherein you learn “Guided Composition” and “Cohesive units”.
Unit 5: This unit is specially designed to expose you to as many types of
exercise as possible to learn/practise the skills of reading. In a way
it is a compendium of tasks and exercises. You would understand
its worth only when you work with the exercises. You are also
initiated into one of the effective techniques of reading by
Robinson. The SQ3R technique (SQ3R stands for the initial letters
of the five steps in studying a text. Survey S, Question Q, Read R,
Recall R, Review R). You need to read the information on the
technique and then practise it in your daily reading.

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UNIT 1

Structure
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE (UNITS I-V)
1.2 WHAT IS READING?
1.3 PURPOSES OF READING
1.4 READING AS A SKILL
1.5 TYPES OF READING
1.5.1 SKIMMING
1.5.2 SCANNING
1.5.3 EXTENSIVE READING
1.5.4 INTENSIVE READING
1.5.5 LOUD AND SILENT READING
1.6 SUMMARY
1.7 SOURCES:BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.8 SELF TEST

1.0 INTRODUCTION
We require several skills for acquiring knowledge and wisdom. The first and
foremost skill required for learning a language is reading skill. Therefore it is
the primary skill that helps us acquire knowledge about everything in this
world. Those who cannot read or write are prone to exploitation and
suffering. Therefore it is important for all human beings to read and learn. In
this unit on reading skills we will learn about the various aspects of reading
as a skill. This will help us not only to improve our learning ability but also
our communication skills.

1.1 OBJECTIVES
In the first unit of “Reading Skills” we will learn and understand:
the importance of reading as a skill
the need to develop this skill for better understanding and language use.
different types of reading for different purposes.
the subskills of reading ….

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Hence the unit will help you to always ask the question before reading ---

 “Why am I reading?” This will enable you to focus your mind on your
purpose of reading, which will make your reading more meaningful and
enjoyable too.

1.2 WHAT IS READING?

The following are a few definitions/descriptions regarding the process
of reading.

 Reading is thinking under the stimulus of the printed page

(Webster, 1982:30)
Reading is a Psycho-linguistic guessing game (Webster, 1982:19)
Reading Comprehension is understanding a written text.
Understanding a written text means extracting the required
information from it as efficiently as possible. Francoise Grellet 1991:3)

From the above definitions/descriptions we can conclude that when we read

any piece of information/matter we understand the given text at three levels-
Pure, literal response to the familiar words on the page – there is no depth
of understanding
You recognize the writer‟s meaning and
Your own personal experience helps you to understand the matter.

All these three levels could be described thus: When you read: you
read the lines, read between the lines and also read beyond the lines. So
reading is nothing but a decoding process.

ENCODER/WRITER MESSAGE DECODER/READER

1.3 PURPOSES OF READING (WHY DO WE READ?)

We read many things in our day-to-day lives. Let us name a few of them:
 Newspapers and magazines

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 Advertisements, leaflets, pamphlets

 Textbooks, novels, short-stories
 Letters, telegrams
 Recipes, puzzles, menus
 Articles, reports, legal documents
 Dictionaries, telephone directories
 Cartoons, comic strips
 Time-tables, maps, statistical graphs and diagrams etc
When we read each of these things we do have a purpose for which we
read them. They are read either for pleasure or for information. We might
get information even when we read something purely for pleasure. Why we
distinguish between these purposes of reading is that the way we read
always is influenced by the purpose of our reading. This leads us to the
various types of reading (Refer 1.4)

1.4 READING AS A SKILL

Most of us think of reading as a passive process where we sit down relax
and run our eyes through the words on the page and try to understand the
information. But today, we have realised that reading is an active process.
A reader can understand a text only when s/he actively uses his/her mental
faculties.

Hence to read efficiently one has to have:

 The knowledge of the writing system of the language
 The knowledge of the language (grammar, vocabulary)
 The ability to interpret
 A reason for reading and the appropriate method of reading and
 The knowledge of the world (experience/background knowledge)
When all these requirements are used efficiently while reading,
understanding would be effective and meaningful. Hence reading is a skill
which has to be acquired by constant experimentation and struggle. We
would like to provide you exposure, challenges and opportunities to use
these skills during this course on reading skills.

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1.5 TYPES OF READING

Ref. Back to 1.2
As we have already said we read in different ways depending on the
purpose for which we are reading a text. Let us look at a few types of
reading. For your purpose you can also refer to your ways of reading and
compare them with the following.

1.5.1 SKIMMING

 What is skimming?
Kusum is a voracious reader. She reads any book that she finds within her
reach. She goes to a book exhibition. She wants to buy a few books. She
doesn‟t have time to read the pages before deciding on buying the book.
Hence she quickly goes through the contents, title page and the blurb and
then decides whether to buy the book or not. The type of reading that
Kusum does in the bookstall is skimming. Now can we describe what
skimming skill is in reading?

 We can define/describe skimming as “looking quickly over a text/book

to get a general superficial idea of the content.”
ACTIVITY (An exercise in Skimming)
Read the following news item:

Bangalore: One of the country‟s best-known institutions, the National Law

School of India University (NLSIU), has suddenly cancelled all end-term
semester examinations due to start on Saturday and declared a holiday
starting Friday. The reason: an outbreak of chickenpox in the hostels

Select an appropriate headline for the news item from the choices given
below:
Threat of chicken pox

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Examinations postponed due to epidemic

Chickenpox hits Law School hostels
Hygiene and our colleges
Students packed off due to chickenpox in the hostels.
Does the underlined headline give the complete idea and information about
the news story? If you choose a different headline, why do you think that is
more appropriate?

1.5.2 SCANNING
As you read a text, editorial or an article you suddenly come across a word
that is not familiar to you. Naturally you would like to know the meaning of
the word for your own benefit. So you get the dictionary and carefully find
the word. You see the spelling, pronunciation, meaning and also the
various uses of the same word (if any). This type of careful reading to find
out the specific, clear details is known as Scanning. Here, you just don‟t run
your eyes across the page but look into the information for specific details.
Let us go through the following exercise to be familiar with what scanning is
all about.
ACTIVITY (Scanning)
Read the following Schedule of “MUSIC ASIA” Channel.
MUSIC ASIA

TIME PROGRAMME

6.30 a.m. SA RE GA MA
7.00 a.m. GEETHON KE BAHAR
7.30 a.m. B/W GEMS
8.00 a.m. TEA-TIME GAME
8.30 a.m. ALAAP
9.00 a.m. TOTAL RECALL
9.15 a.m. BREAK-FAIL
10.00 a.m. HIT-MIX
10.30 a.m. ZIG-ZAG BEST

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11.00 a.m. MUSIC BOX

11.30 a.m. STARS DAY OUT
12.00 a.m. ARTIST OF THE FORTNIGHT
12.30 a.m. JHAROKA
1.00 a.m. MUSIQUIX
1.45 a.m. TOP-NOTCH

Quickly find answers to the following questions.

When do you listen to „HIT-MIX‟?
Name one of the early morning shows giving the nostalgic musical moments
of the past.
When do we have “Star of the Fortnight” on MUSIC ASIA?
Name some of the programmes of longer duration than the others.
1. -------------
2. -------------

1.5.3 EXTENSIVE READING

 Does reading give us pleasure?

As we have already mentioned our way of reading is influenced by the
purpose of our reading. Most of us have the habit of reading especially
when we are free or have a lot of leisure time. We might get hold of a novel,
a comic strip, a magazine etc. When we read for the pure pleasure of
reading we call it extensive reading. But we should not give it a lesser
priority because it is extensive reading. It is enjoyable as well as
informative. Here we practise rapid reading to get the global/overall
understanding of the matter.
1.5.4 INTENSIVE READING

 When we read shorter texts like a research paper for getting specific
details/ information we read slowly with a lot of concentration. This is
intensive reading. When you read a book as a resource material for
research you read it intensively because the overall understanding is not the

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objective/purpose of our reading. When you read an article in order to write

a review on it, you read it intensively. We use all the skills of reading when
we do intensive reading. (Ref: UNIT-V)
1.5.5 LOUD AND SILENT READING
Most of our day-to-day reading is done silently. When we read an article or
an advertisement, we are engaged in the process of deriving meaning from
the passage. Actually when we read aloud our concentration is divided
between reading and speaking. This makes reading difficult and may cause
problems in understanding the matter. But there are situations when we
have to read things aloud, like the notices and circulars, when others don‟t
have access to it. You need to read the instructions aloud to students or
employees so that there is no confusion later. Besides these extra-ordinary
situations, most of the time the natural way of reading is silent reading which
is ideal and helps comprehension.

1.6 SUMMARY
In this unit we have discussed what reading is, the different kinds of reading
and the various types and purposes of reading. The learners will have to
interact with the given piece of writing/information and derive meaning out of
it. For this, a basic knowledge of the language system, vocabulary, grammar
and some background knowledge of the topic is required. You should also
vary your speed of reading according to your purpose of reading. We have
given you examples of how you can practise the different skills of reading in
your day-to-day life. It is up to you to exercise your knowledge on reading
skills and systematically put the same to practice in the units to follow. The
following units of this block will have the theoretical background of UNIT I.
Hence a thorough study of UNIT I is mandatory before you venture into the
following units.

1.7 SOURCES:BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grellet Francoise. 1981 Developing Reading Skills, Cambridge University
Press
Inthira S R and V Saraswathi (eds.) 1995 ENRICH YOUR ENGLISH BOOK
I – Webster, James 1982. Reading Matters – A practical Philosophy,
London McGraw Hill Book Company (UK) Ltd.

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 1.8 SELF TEST

1. Read the TV programme guides given in a daily newspaper and then
answer questions such as those given below.
a. Programmes of how many channels have been printed?
b. How many channels offer programmes in regional languages?
c. What are the different types of programmes each channel
specialises in?
d. Which music channel has a wider variety of programmes?

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UNIT 2 READING COMPREHENSION

Structure:
2.0 INTRODUCTION
2.1 OBJECTIVES
2.2 COMPREHENSION PASSAGE „BRAILLE‟ (WRITING SYSTEM FOR
THE BLIND)
2.3 COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
2.4 USEFUL PHRASES (PHRASAL VERBS)
2.5 ACTIVITY
2.6 ACTIVITY
2.7 SUMMARY
2.8 SELF TEST
2.9 APPENDIX

2.0 INTRODUCTION
We may read pages and pages of material. But how much of it do we
understand? Our mind seems to retain very little of what we read. Therefore
it is essential to acquire certain skills which will help us understand and
remember what we read or at least most of what we read. This unit will help
us understand reading comprehension so that we will be able to retain what
we read.

2.1 OBJECTIVES
 To enable the learner to read a passage and get the gist of the passage
by skimming and scanning it.
 To enable the learner to identify a few useful phrases from the lesson
and use them in sentences of his/her own
 To reinforce the learner‟s understanding on the use of prepositions with
the help of guided exercises

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2.2 BRAILLE (Writing System for the blind)

 Valentin Hauy (1745 – 1822) was a French professor of calligraphy.

One cold day he was going through a street in Paris when he saw a blind
beggar. Hauy was a very kind-hearted person. He at once put his hand into
his pocket and took out a coin. He put this coin on the blind beggar‟s palm.
But as he turned to go, the beggar called out, “Sir, Sir! You have surely
made a mistake; you have given me a franc instead of a Sou”.
“But how did you know I had given you a franc”? Asked Hauy in surprise.
“Oh!” replied the beggar, “It is quite simple. If I pass my finger over a coin, I
can at once tell what it is.”
Hauy allowed the beggar to keep the franc although it was a great deal of
money in those days. But as he walked back home, he thought to himself.
“If a blind man can tell a coin by the mere touch of his finger, why should he
not be able to tell the different marks or letters of an alphabet?”

 This thought inspired Hauy to develop a system of reading for the

blind. He printed normal letters in relief that could be felt by a touch of the
finger. He also started a school for blind children and prepared special
books with embossed letters for them. Hauy‟s experiment was a great
success and he became known as the „father and apostle of the blind‟.
Hauy‟s system of reading for the blind was very useful, but it was quite
difficult to learn. Moreover, it was only a reading system; there was no way
for the blind to write in this system.
In 1819, a ten-year old blind boy, Louis Braille, entered Hauy‟s school. He
was an intelligent student and quickly learnt to read with the help of
embossed letters. However, he realised the disadvantages in Hauy‟s
system and made up his mind to develop an easier method of reading and
writing for the blind.
And in 1824, when he was only 15, Braille invented a system of writing,
which has been accepted all over the world. He was yet a student in Hauy‟s
school. This school is now known as the National Institute for Blind Children.
It is supported by the French government. From 1826, Braille worked as a
teacher in this school.

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 The system invented by Braille has been named after him. It is also
known as the six-dot cell system. Each letter is formed with the help of one
or more raised dots in a cell. Different positions of the raised dots in a cell
represent different letters.
Unluckily Louis Braille did not live long to enjoy the great success of his
system. He died of tuberculosis in 1852.
Now let‟s have a look at the Braille alphabet in their separate cells.
In each cell -  indicates a raised dot
 Indicates unraised dot.
A B C D E F G H I J K L

M N O P Q R S T U V W X

Y Z

 Now can you read what is written in the following cells?

T H A N K Y O U

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If you have read it correctly, it says, „thank you‟. In addition to these 26 dot
patterns for the English alphabet, there are five patterns for common words
(and, for, of, the, with) and nine patterns for common letter combinations
(ch, gh, sh, th, wh, ed, er, ou, ow). We have patterns for punctuation marks
also. In all there are 63 patterns.
Writing Braille is not very difficult. A special type of needle is used to form
the raised dots. A person using Braille writes from right to left. When the
sheet is turned over, the raised dots face upward and are read from left to
right. Braille has proved a great blessing for the blind. They can get the
benefits of education like any other normal person. Many good books have
been written in Braille. Blind people can read and enjoy them. There have
been many examples of blind persons who learnt Braille and then wrote
great books themselves. Miss Helen Keller was one of them.

2.3 Comprehension Questions

Now that you have read the lesson once you must have understood most of
the contents of the same. If not, you ought to read it again and try to answer
the following simple questions. See that your answers are not elaborate.
Let them be very brief, not exceeding two sentences. Space is provided for
your answers.

Questions

1. Who was Valentin Hauy?

2. How can you say that Hauy was a kind-hearted person?

3. How did the blind beggar come to know what Hauy had given him?

4. Why did the blind beggar think that Hauy had made a mistake?

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5. What was the thought that inspired Hauy?

6. What did he do for the blind children?

7. What was the drawback in the system developed by Hauy?

8. Who was Louis Braille?

9. What system did Braille invent? What is this system called?

10. How did the Braille system help the blind?

Note: Now you can consult a dictionary and clarify your guesses at the
meanings of the words in the passage.

2.4 Useful phrases

After having answered the questions we would like you to observe the
following sentences.
1. My colleague received the telegram from home and at once went to
the bus stand to book the tickets
2. The minister called out to his assistant loudly.
3. Look at the paintings! They are just marvellous.
4. In addition to the state relief operations, the central relief measures
were generously taken during the calamity.
5. The epidemic is likely to spread all over the northern parts of the
country.
6. Instead of punishing the guilty the court acquitted them.
7. The new project is set to benefit all the sections of society.
8. A great deal of resources are wasted every year.
9. My friend made up her mind to speak to her English teacher.
10. There were in all ten cockroaches in the kitchen.

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Once you go through these sentences we would like you to go back to the
text and quickly skim through the paragraphs and underline similar words
used in them. Try to compare the meanings of these phrases in the above
sentences and in the text. You would be able to find the difference or
similarity of meanings. This, in turn would help you in using these phrases
effectively in your day to day life.

2.5 ACTIVITY
Find the meanings of the following phrases and use them in your own
sentences.

Inspite of, nonetheless, instead of, set off, set up, call for, call on, send for,
meant for, call off, set aside, go on, put up with, get rid of

 By now you must have realised that most of these words are verbs
followed by a preposition. These phrases are called verbal phrases. They
are instrumental in expressing things more effectively. Hence knowledge
and familiarity with these phrases would go a long way in enhancing the
quality of our expression. Let‟s go through the following activity.

2.6 ACTIVITY
Replace the words in brackets in the following sentences with a suitable
phrasal verb chosen from those given in the box. (make necessary changes
if required)
Use the past tense when necessary.

Go for, turn up, look after, take after, hold up, go in for, look into, go off,
try out, run out of, get over, do away with, call off, go along with, come up
with

1. The trouble with her is that she never ----------- on time for meetings
(arrives)
2. „Jayashree, I‟d like you to ----------- this complaint we received this
morning (examine)
3. The bomb ------------ with a loud bang, which could be heard all over the
town (exploded/ burst).
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4. He was walking through the park when a strange dog suddenly ---------
him (attacked)
5. You can‟t have a sandwich, I am afraid, we have ------------- bread.
(exhausted the supply of)
6. Due to the heavy downpour, the proposed concert has to be -----------
(cancelled)

Answers: 1. Turned up 2. Look into 3. Went off 4. Went in for

5. run out of 6. Called off

You can list as many phrasal verbs of common use and attempt to use them
in your speech and writing. This is what the imaginative use of language is
all about.

2.7 SUMMARY
In this unit you have been made to understand the problems of the visually
impaired persons with regard to reading. You have realised the need and
importance of reading even for those who suffer from a loss of vision. The
invention of the script for the visually impaired called “Braille” has facilitated
reading by touch.
You have written down quite a few useful phrases to be used in English.
You have skimmed through the lesson and have answered the
comprehension questions. You have scanned the lesson to identify the
useful phrases and their usage.

 2.8 SELF TEST

1. What does reading comprehension mean?
2. How will you define phrasal verbs?
3. Prepare a list of phrasal verbs and use them in your own sentences.
4. Read a passage from a storybook and test your comprehension by
asking questions similar to the ones asked in this unit.

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2.9 APPENDIX {REMEDIAL EXERCISES} in prepositions

APPENDIX (PREPOSITIONS)
1. POSITION (PREPOSITIONS)
Answer the questions. Using the prepositions in the list.
Beside below above between in front of
Next to under over opposite behind

BANK SALOON

1. Where‟s the horse? (Saloon) It‟s in front of the Saloon

2. Where‟s the sheriff? (Gunfighter) ------------------------------------
3. Where‟s the woman? (Sheriff, gunfighter) --------------------------------------
4. Where‟s the tree? (Bank) ----------------------------------------------
5. Where‟s the Bank? (Saloon) ------------------------------------------
6. Where‟s the pub? (Railway
line)
---------------------------------------
7. Where‟s the cinema?
(pub, laundry)
-------------------------- ---- ------ ------ ------ ---- ------
8. Where‟s the school
(supermarket)
----------------------------------------

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9. Where‟s the bird? (fish) -----------------------------------

10. Where are the hands? (water) -----------------------------------
11. Where are the bird and the fish? (water) ----------------------------------

2. DIRECTOR PREPOSITIONS

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down round out of upto towards past

over across through under away from

Answers 1. Towards 4. -------------- 7. ------------------- 10. -------------

2. -------------- 5. -------------- 8. ------------------ 11.-------------
3. --------------- 6. -------------- 9. ------------------
Now write sentences in the past sense for each picture. Use the words
given
1. run The girl ran towards the house.
2. walk -----------------------------------------------------------------
3. drive -----------------------------------------------------------------------
4. climb -----------------------------------------------------------------------
5. crawl ------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. cycle ----------------------------------------------------------------------
7. go -----------------------------------------------------------------------
8. run ------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. ride --------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. drive -------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. go --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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UNIT 3 READING SKILLS

Structure:

3.0 INTRODUCTION
3.1 OBJECTIVES
3.2 SHORT STORY – „The Baby Sitter‟ by Norah Burke
3.3 EXERCISE IN SKIMMING AND SCANNING
3.4 COMPREHENSION
3.5 VOCABULARY
3.6 GRAMMAR AND USAGE
3.6.1 TENSES: REMEDIAL
3.6.2 TENSES: PAST PERFECT
3.7 SUMMARY
APPENDIX: BASIC WORD LIST
I A RICHARDS (1943)
3.8 SELF TEST

3.0 INTRODUCTION
We have so far learnt about reading, skimming and scanning and also about
reading comprehension. In this unit we will be focusing our attention on
sequential arrangement of contents in a passage. We will also look into the
use of tenses.

3.1 OBJECTIVES
In this unit the learner is enabled to:
 Read a short-story about the loyalty and devotion of an elephant
 Sequence the events according to their occurrence in the story
 Identify and use some of the words occurring in the story
 Practise the use of the past perfect tense in English
 Reinforce the uses of the tense in English

3.2 SHORT STORY:

The Baby-Sitter
By Norah Burke

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To his keeper Karim, Gajpati was the biggest, best and most intelligent
elephant in all Asia. He belonged to India‟s Forest Department and was
employed in the Himalayan foothills as a shikar (hunting) elephant; he could
penetrate the jungle like no other animal.
Gajpati stood ten feet tall and weighed more than four tons. His legs were
like trees - his track 20 inches across-and he had more than once stamped
a bear to a pulp. Yet Gajpati was a gentle animal. He was especially so with
Karim, whom Gajpati loved with unselfish devotion, and with Karim‟s infant
son. If the elephant were doing nothing when Karim‟s wife had water to
fetch, or dinner to cook, either she or Karim would draw a circle in the dust
in front of the tethered animal, and put the baby into it.
“Keep him inside there, O Lord of Elephants,” they would order the big
tusker, who gently restrained the child if he tried to crawl away.
One afternoon when they were camped near the Rapti River, Karim‟s wife
took a big earthen jar and went off towards the river to fill it. After a while,
when she failed to return, Karim shouted in the direction she had taken. But
there was no reply. At his yell, every jungle sound had stopped except the
roar of the river.
Quite suddenly Karim, with his heel, marked a circle in front of the elephant
and put the baby into it.
“Look after him, Gajpati!”
He ran full speed to see what had happened to his wife.
Under Gajpati‟s trunk, next to his immense toenails, the baby lay and
laughed up at the elephant. The infant could do as he liked, but each time
he tried to crawl out of the circle he was picked up and put back in again.
Gajpati scooped up some dust with his trunk and blew it over himself.
Sometimes he flicked a little dirt over the baby, to discourage flies. And
sometimes drops of green spit fell from Gajpati‟s pointed underlip onto the
baby‟s tummy and tickled him. They were perfectly content together, these
two. Here, inside the cool shade of the huge wild-mango tree to which
Gajpati was tethered, time meant nothing.
Suddenly the sun was gone drawing over it a sky of velvet and diamonds.

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Immediately, the air was colder, and the baby began to cry. Jackals howled
in the dusk, and there came the whoop of an eagle owl.
Not far away, in the rough grassland, a male hyena emerged from his
burrow and stood silently sniffing the night air for news of food. He was a
scavenger of carrion and an eater of skeletons. He would pick up any small,
helpless creature he might find. In India, hyenas take human children every
year.
His mate and an almost full-grown young hyena came out of the den, too.
When they heard the baby crying, these bold and loathsome beasts, with
their powerful crushing teeth, trotted off in that direction.
In camp, Gajpati was beginning to be agitated about the child. He realised
that something was the matter, but what? He offered the baby a mouthful of
leaves, and fanned him. It was no good. He put up his trunk and trumpeted
for the owners of this baby to come back and do something.
They did not appear.
Gajpati scented the hyenas. He froze, and felt the breeze with his trunk to
find out more.
There were three of them, out of sight, but quite close. Gajpati gathered the
baby closer to his feet and squealed a threat.
An elephant‟s sense of smell is acute, but his vision poor. It was not till the
hyenas were in the camp that Gajpati saw them. The sight made him rage
angrily, straining the chain that bound him. The elephant grumbled and
blew.
The hyenas were nonplussed. One sat down out of reach and fixed its
nocturnal eyes on the child. The others began to circle around behind.
In sudden exasperation, the elephant put his forehead against the mango
tree, and braced the whole of his giant strength against it to break it down.
He did not succeed, but the tree groaned at the roots.
Gajpati swung back and made for the sitting hyena, which sprang smartly
away.
The hyenas behind him darted at the baby, so he wheeled towards them
instead. They jumped out of reach.

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He attacked the tree again. It shrieked as he strove against it. Now the
baby was yelling at the top of his lungs, and blindly trying to crawl away; so
Gajpati gave up. He backed up, shook his head, and gathered the baby to
him.
Changing his tactics, he stood perfectly still, close to the now leaning tree
and watched.
The hyenas were hungry, bold and began to close in.
They were watching the elephant with respect, but they did not allow for the
slack of the chain.
Gajpati struck like lightning and in a moment got one hyena under his
forefeet. Almost at once the struggle was over, body stamped to a pulp.
With a squeal of triumph and rage, Gajpati threw the carcass aside.
It scattered he others, who made off, leaving elephant and baby in peace for
an hour or two
Pillowed in dust, and exhausted by hunger, the baby lay half-sleeping, half-
sobbing, and sucked at the stub of sugarcane that Gajpati offered him.
Then, warmed by the elephant‟s sweet breath, he slept. A little after
midnight, Gajpati dozed, too.
Presently, the baby stirred, sat up, and began to crawl away.
He was already out of reach when the elephant woke.
In the grey of early morning, Gajpati saw the hyenas coming back and the
baby several yards away.
He forged out to the full length of his range. Iron links bit into his flesh.
Blood poured down.
The hyenas saw their chance and darted in.
At the same moment, the great tree gave and smashed down upon elephant
and baby together. Breaking branches and rushing leaves covered them
both.
The violence sent the hyenas off in a flash, and they did not return.
When Karim and his wife ran gasping into camp, they saw only the fallen
tree and Gajpati under it.

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Their baby?
They tore their way into the leaves and branches. Beneath it all, the child
lay sleeping in the curl of the elephant‟s trunk. His mother, in tears,
snatched him up. He was very dirty and scratched, but whole.
And Gajpati?
He lay with closed eyes beneath the tree.
“Fool! Traitor!” raged Karim. “So! Was the baby nothing to thee, that thou
wouldst break loose and leave him?”
He took his axe and began to free the elephant, watched by his wife, who
stood with her son in the arms and trembling still after her night‟s
adventures.
To have dropped her water jar into deep rapids had been bad enough.
Then, as she tried to recover it, to be swept downstream had been a
nightmare. Karim had raced off down the river to look for her, but was
overtaken by night and lost in the jungle. At dawn they had found each
other as both rushed home to the child.
Now, panting and grunting, Karim cleared away the branches and undid
Gajpati‟s chain.
“He will die of his injuries,” choked the woman
But the elephant got his front feet on to the ground and heaved free of the
last branches. He was up, bruised, bleeding and shaking.
“Thou worthless traitor!” Karim told the animal bitterly.
The big elephant stood and sucked his trunk in shame and remorse for
wrongdoing.
“Look!” gasped the woman.
Where Gajpati had heaved himself free of branches, these had parted to
disclose the body of the hyena, and hyena tracks were everywhere. Karim
and his wife read the story: Gajpati was no traitor. There followed such
words of praise that made Gajpati lift his head and blink.

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3.3 EXERCISE I

After reading the passage, look at the following list of events from the
story. However, they are not in chronological order. Read through the
events and rearrange them sequentially, as you have understood the story.
1. Karim made Gajpathi look after the baby when his wife did not return
from the river
2. The baby was frightened by all the noise and violence around him
3. A little later, when they saw the dead hyena they realised that Gajpati
had been a devoted baby-sitter
4. Gajpati pulled the tree down and chased the hyena away.
5. A little after midnight Gajpati dozed off
6. Gajpati gathered the baby to him and stood still.
7. Meanwhile the baby lay under Gajpati‟s trunk and laughed at him.
8. One afternoon Karim‟s wife went off towards the river to fetch water.
9. The hyenas appeared in the dusk.
10. They first blamed the elephant for not taking good care of the child.
11. When the elephant woke up he saw the hyenas return and the baby
several yards away.
12. He crushed the hyena that tried to get near the child.
13. When Karim and his wife returned, they saw the child sleeping in the
curl of Gajpati‟s trunk.
14. The baby woke up and began to crawl away
15. The other two hyenas ran away when Gajpati struck
16. Gajpati tried to break the tree down to attack the hyenas
17. In trying to recover her water jar, she fell into the river and was swept
downstream
18. He ran fast to see what had happened to his wife
19. They tried to take the baby away
20. He was overtaken by night and got lost in the jungle

 It is good to start sequencing the events after the first reading itself. If
you get stuck you can read the story again so that you get a clear
comprehension of the story. Just to help you. You can begin the exercise in
the blank space given below with –
One afternoon Karim‟s wife went off towards the river to fetch water

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3.4 COMPREHENSION
Answer the following questions briefly.
Gajpati was baby-sitting for Karim and his wife for the first time. Do you
agree? How do you know?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
Do you think the baby minded being looked after by the elephant? Why do
you think so?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………

 „In India, hyenas take human children every year‟ – What is the
significance of this sentence?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
Read the last paragraph of the story again. Which of the following words do
you think Karim and his wife used? Give your reason………..
a. Saviour b. guardian c. devoted friend d. loyal servant

(Reason)……………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………

3.5 VOCABULARY
Fill in the blanks in the sentences given below, choosing suitable words from
the list given:
[cut, kernel, pulp, penetrated, teach, amazement, restrain, exasperation]

Rain has --------------- right through the coat

A banana is mainly ------------- except for its skin

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If you can‟t ---------------- your dog from biting the milkman, you must lock him
up
„Go away!‟ I shouted in ---------------
To his --------------- the police Inspector found the robber surrendering with all
the booty
The bullets could not ------------------- the strong walls

3.6 GRAMMAR AND USAGE

3.6.1 EXERCISE IN TENSES

Complete the following sentences. Two examples are already given to you

1. E. g You can turn off the television. I‟m not watching it (watch/not)

2. Last night Hrishikesh fell (fall) asleep while he was reading (read)

3. David is lazy. He ------------- (not like) hard work

4. “Have you got my key?” “No” I -------------(give) it back to you

5. Where ----------- your parents ------------- for their holidays last year?
(go)

6. I saw Sarika yesterday. She -----------(drive) her new car

7. I ------------ (try) to find a job at the moment. It is very difficult

8. Listen! Somebody ------------- (play) the piano

9. I am tired this morning. I --------------- (not sleep) last night

10. Raj: What ------------ (you/do) at six o‟clock last Sunday morning?

Ravi: I was in bed asleep.

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ARCTIC
REGION

Communication Skills in English Block I

3.6.2 EXERCISE – II (PAST PERFECT TENSE)

Match the questions in column „A‟ with the anwers in column „B‟. Fill in the blanks
with the past perfect tense form of the verb given in brackets.

A B
1. Did you put the milk in the fridge?
2. Did you have a good dinner at
Sheela‟s wedding?
3. Why didn‟t you go to the movie
with Avinash?
4. Why did Amita drop out of class?
5. Did you register the letter?
6. Why was Hameed so happy
yesterday?
a. She realized that she ………….
(already read) all the books
b. No, Mother had already put
(already put) it in before I came
home
c. No, they ----------- (already finish)
eating by the time I got there.
d. Because I ---------- (already see) it
e. He------ (just pass) his driving test
f. No. The post office ------- (already
close) when I reached there.

3.7 SUMMARY
In this unit we studied and practised:
a) Reading and understanding a short story about the loyalty and devotion
of an elephant and perceiving the sequence of events in the story
b) Use of some of the words in the story in our day to day language
c) Use of the past perfect tense in English
d) Reminded ourselves of the use of tenses in English

 3.8 SELF TEST

1. When should you start sequencing events in a passage that you have
read and why?
2. What is the use of past perfect tense? Explain with examples.
3. Read a short story and apply exercises similar to those given in this unit
to that story and find out answers.
4. Make some sentences using the word list given in the appendix.
5. See if you can learn ten new words everyday by using your dictionary

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