Chapter 5 – The Twelve Months
Things to do
1. Find the meaning of the following words.
adorning
Ans: making something more beautiful.
ranted
Ans: talked loudly and angrily.
abused
Ans: treated cruelly.
starlets
Ans: small stars
delicious
Ans: took or pulled something away quickly.
2. Read the words. Write the words that combine to make each of them.
stepmother
footprint
snow white
springtime
gentle-hearted
anywhere
Now write other meaningful words that begin/end with –
(i) the first word in each
(ii) the second word in each.
Ans:
stepmother
Two words: step + mother
Other words formed:
stepbrother
motherhood
footprint
Two words: foot + print
Other words formed:
football
printout
snow white
Two words: snow + white
Other words formed:
snowman
white-board
springtime
Two words: spring + time
Other words formed:
spring cleaning
timetable
gentle-hearted
Two words: gentle + hearted
Other words formed:
gentleman
brave-hearted
anywhere
Two words: any + where
Other words formed:
anytime
whereabouts
3. Answer the following questions.
(1) Why did Marouckla’s stepmother hate her?
Ans: Marouckla’s stepmother hated her because she was prettier than her own daughter, Holena.
(2) In what season does the story take place?
Ans: The story takes place in winter.
(3) Does Marouckla get any of the things she brings?
Ans: No, Marouckla does not get any of the things she brought.
(4) Why do Holena and her mother go out in the snow themselves?
Ans: Holena thinks that Marouckla has eaten some apples on her way home. and would do so again if she was sent out once more. So Holena and her mother go out in the snow themselves to find the place and shake down all the apples from the tree.
(5) Why is Great January annoyed with Holena and her mother? Does he help them?
Ans: The twelve months were sitting around a big fire. Holena and her mother stepped up to the fire and stretched out their hands to warm them without asking permission or speaking one polite word. When Great January asked them what they wanted, Holena called him an old fool and asked him why he wanted to know this. Holena’s mother told him that it was no business of his. Seeing their behaviour and speech, Great January was annoyed with them. No, he does not help them.
4. Describe the following with the help of the story.
Springtime
Ans: During spring, the snow begins to melt, the trees begin to flower, and the ground is covered with grass. Small flowers like the violet begin to bloom, and it looks as if a colourful cloth has been spread on the ground
Summer
Ans: By the time summer starts, the snow will have already melted. The ground is covered with grass, and the trees are covered with leaves. The birds began to sing. The forest is full of all kinds of flowers and fruits, like strawberries.
Winter
Ans: In winter, the sky is dark, snow falls, and strong winds blow. Sometimes, the snow falls in such huge masses that a person cannot even see one step ahead. It is bitterly cold and gloomy.
5. Group Work
(1) Form groups of 3. Read aloud the conversations in the story, each group presenting one piece of conversation.
Ans: Students must form a group and do this by themselves.
(2) Form groups of 5. Find at least two fairy tales/folk tales each and share them with other members in your group. Make a collection of 10 different stories in each group.
Ans: Students must form a group and do this by themselves.
6. Language Study (See pages 84-88.)
Note the words that are highlighted.
Marouckla ran to the top of the mountain where the big uwas burning.
The highlighted words are all nouns. Find 5 other nouns from the story.
Ans: coat, shawls, Marouckla, word, wind.
7. Activity
Hold a story-telling competition in which each one narrates a folk-tale or fairy-tale.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.