“The Great Escape” of Sugata Bose, is a lesson of textbook “Blossom” approved by West Bengal Board of Secondary Education for class 8 students. Here all the Activity Questions are solved by English Teachers.
Activity 1
Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order and put the numbers in the given boxes:
(1) Subhas and Sisir chose the Wanderer for their journey. (VI)
(2) Sisir entered Subhas’s bedroom that December afternoon. (I)
(3) The police were keeping a watch on Subhas’s house. (IV)
(4) Sisir was to help plan and carry out Subhas’s escape from India. (II)
(5) Subhas’s nephew helped him listen to foreign broadcasts. (V)
(6) Sisir walked back to his own house in a state of wonder and excitement. (III)
Activity 2
Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
(a) On a December afternoon, Sisir, Subhas’s nephew, entered Subhas’s bedroom.
(b) The task that Subhas gave Sisir was to help plan and carry out Subhas’s escape from India.
(c) 1, Woodburn Park was the residence of Sisir Kumar Bose.
(d) The escape plan of Subhas and Sisir was to drive out, in the most natural fashion, through the main gate.
Activity 4
Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements in the given boxes. Give supporting statements for each of your answers:
(a) Akbar Shah operated in the north-eastern frontier provinces. (F)
Supporting Statement: He operated in the north-western provinces.
(b) The items of clothing for Subhas’s disguise were purchased from a shop in South Kolkata (F)
Supporting Statement: Together they went to a shop in Central Calcutta where they purchased baggy shalwars trousers and a black fez for Subhas’s disguise.
(c) Everyone in Subhas’s family was aware of his plan of escape. (F)
Supporting Statement: None of the family members knew anything except Subhas’s niece Lila and a male cousin, Damien.
(d) The policemen preferred warm blankets on the cool, winter night of 16th January. (T)
Supporting Statement: On the cool winter night of January 16th, they had preferred that comfort of the warm blankets on the charpoi.
Activity 5
Answer the following questions:
(a) What items were purchased for Subhas to be carried with him on his journey?
Answer: Baggy shalwars, a black fez, a suitcase, a bedroll, shirts and pillows.
(b) What was the real identity of Muhammad Ziauddin?
Answer: Muhammad Ziauddin was Subhas Candra Bose in reality.
(c) Why do you think Subhas had to put on a false identity?
Answer: Subhas Chandra Bose definitely wanted to escape from his house arrest in any way.
Activity 6
Fill in the following chart with information from the text:
| What | Why |
| (i) Subhas and Sisir tip-toeddown the back stairs | They wanted to keep their plan secret from other family members and to avoid the police. |
| (ii) The light glowed in Subhas’s bedroom | They wanted to give the impression that Subhas was still in his room. |
| (iii) Subhas and Sisir shared a few anxious moments. | The car engine faltered. |
| (iii) Subhas and Sisir shared a few anxious moments. | Subhas wanted to catch the Delhi-Kalka Mail. |
Activity 7
Answer the following questions:
(a) In which direction did Sisir drive after leaving Elgin Road?
Answer: Sisir drove the car towards the Howrah Bridge after leaving Elgin Road.
(b) Who was Ashok? How did he help in Subhas’s escape?
Answer: Ashok was Sisir’s brother. Subhas Chandra Bose stayed a little time in Ashok’s house during his escape from India.
(c) Describe Sisir’s last sight of Subhas.
Answer: Sisir watched him mount the railway overbridge and walk across it with his usual majestic gait.
(d) Why did Sisir pick Subhas up in his car a little further from Ashok’s house?
Answer: Ashok did not know the real identity of Subhas. He knew Subhas as Muhammad Ziauddin. To keep the identity of Subhas secret, Sisir picked up Subhas in his car a little further from Ashok’s house.
Activity 8(a)
In the following sentences, underline the words that act like verbs and take objects:
(i) He likes to play badminton.
(ii) His habit is to read the newspaper daily.
(iii) Her greatest pleasure is to dance.
The expressions that you have underlined are called the Infinitives.
Note: The word ‘to’ is frequently used with the infinitive.
Activity 8(b)
Underline the Infinitives in the following sentences:
(i) Raja is not afraid to speak the truth.
(ii) The teacher was extremely sorry to hear it.
(iii) The guava is fit to eat.
(iv) To find fault is easy.
Activity 9
Add suitable prefix or suffix to the given words in brackets and fill in the blanks to complete the sentences meaningfully:
(a) The children were full of excitement (excite) as they went for a picnic.
(b) We should not discourage (courage) anyone.
(c) It was a comfortable (comfort) journey, as I got a place to sit.
(d) India became an independent (dependent) nation in 1947.
Activity 10 (a)
Suppose you have read an interesting adventure story recently. Write a letter in about eighty words to your aunt describing the story and telling her why you liked it.
Answer:
Dear aunt,
I hope you and uncle are doing well. We miss you here. Recently I have read adventurous stories. I read 2 books from the Harry Potter series. The story is about an orphan boy who goes to a wizardly school and then the real adventure begins. In the first book, we come across many exciting characters and also magical spells. Also we get to know about Harry’s best friends and his life. It is such an engaging book that I finished both the books in just 5 days. I liked the books because not only they are full of adventure but also teach me many things.
I hope to see you soon.
Yours nephew
Debajyoti
Activity 10 (b)
Write a summary of the following passage:
Mahatma Gandhi was very honest from his childhood. He never resorted to any unfair action. One day,while Gandhi was in school, an inspector of schools came on a visit. The inspector entered the classroom where Gandhi was sitting with other students. The Inspector gave a couple of English spellings to the students to write. Gandhi had written one incorrect spelling. The class teacher noticed this and indicated with his eyes to Gandhi to copy the correct spelling from another student’s exercise book. But he did not do this. After the Inspector left, the class teacher scolded him for not following his instruction. Gandhi replied bravely that copying was dishonest and that is why he had not done it. (119 words)
Answer: This is an inspiring incident from Mahatma Gandhi’s life. One day there was an inspection in his school. At that time, the inspector gave a couple of English spellings to the students. Gandhi wrote one wrong spelling which was read by his class teacher. His teacher gestured to him to copy from another student’s book. But as Gandhi was firm with his honesty, he didn’t do that. When the inspector left, the teacher scolded him for not copying the correct spelling. But that didn’t stop Gandhi from being who he was. He replied that copying was an act of dishonesty and he didn’t like dishonesty.
Good for me