Solution of Chapter 1. The Best Christmas Present in the World (Honeydew Book)

What did the author find in a junk shop?

What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?

Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?

Why was the letter written – what was the wonderful thing that had happened?

What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?

Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?

Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?

Why did the author go to Bridport?

How old has Mrs. Macpherson now? Where was she?

Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?

Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?

For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.

Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when?

Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?

Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other? Find evidence from the story to support your answer.

Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.

What is Connie’s Christmas present? Why is it the best Christmas present in the world?

Do you think the title of the story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other title(s)?

Look at these sentences from the story.

I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport… The man said it was made in the early nineteenth century … This one was in a bad condition…

The italicised verbs are in the past tense. They tell us what happened in the past, before now.

Read the passage below and underline the verb in the past tense.

A man got on the train and sat down. The compartment was empty except for one lady.

She took her gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24 hours and then freed him.

Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

My little sister is very naughty. When she ___ (come) back from school yesterday, she had ____ (tear) her dress. We ____ (ask) her how it had ____ (happen). She ___ (say) she_____ (have, quarrel) with a boy. She ___ (have, beat) him in a race and he ___ (have, try) to push her. She ___ (have, tell) the teacher and so he ___ (have, chase) her and she ___ (have, fall) down and ____ (have, tear) her dress.

Underline the verbs and arrange them in two columns, Past and Earlier past.

(a) My friends set out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home because I had seen them already.

(b) When they arrived at the station, their train had left. They came back home, but by that time I had gone out to see a movie!

(c) So they sat outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them.

(d) By the time I returned, they had fallen asleep!

Dictionary Work

By the end of the journey, we had run out of drinking water.

Look at the verb run out of in this sentence. It is a phrasal verb: it has two parts, a verb and a preposition or an adverb. Phrasal verbs often have meanings that are different from the meanings of their parts.

Find these phrasal verbs in the story.

Write down the sentences in which they occur.

Consult a dictionary and write down the meaning that you think matches the meaning of the phrasal verb in the sentence.

Noun Phrase

Read the following sentence.

I took out a small black tin box.

● The phrase in italics is a noun phrase.

● It has the noun – box – as the headword, and three adjectives preceding it.

● Notice the order in which the adjectives occur - size (small), colour (black) and material (tin) of which it is made.

● We rarely use more than four adjectives before a noun and there is no rigid order in which they are used, though there is a preferred order of modifies/adjectives in a noun phrase, as given below.

The table below contains a list of nouns and some adjectives. Use as many adjectives as you can to describe each noun. You might come up with some funny descriptions!

In groups discuss whether wars are a good way to end conflicts between

countries. Then present your arguments to the whole class.

What kind of presents do you like and why? What are the things you keep in mind when you buy presents for others? Discuss with your partner. (For example, you might buy a book because it can be read and re-read over a period of time.)

Imagine that you are Jim. You have returned to your town after the war. In your diary record how you feel about the changes you see and the events that occur in your town. You could be like this 25 December 1919

It’s Christmas today, but the town looks…

OR

Suppose you are the visitor. You are in a dilemma. You don’t know whether to disclose your identity and disappoint the old lady or let her believe that her dear Jim has come back. Write a letter to a friend highlighting your anxiety, fear, and feelings.

Given below is the outline of a story. Construct the story using the outline.

A young, newly married doctor ____ freedom fighter _____ exiled to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British _____ infamous Cellular Jail _____ prisoners tortured ______ revolt by inmates _____ doctor hanged _____ wife waits for his return ____ becomes old ______ continues to wait with hope and faith.

The cricket says, “Oh! What will become of me?” When does he say it, and why?

Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” (Shakespeare).

What is your opinion of the ant’s principles?

The ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away.” Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so, why?

Which lines in the poem express the poet’s comment? Read them aloud.

Write the comment in your own words.

If you know a fable in your own language narrate it to your classmates.