CLASS 10 NCERT CBSE ENGLISH THE HACK DRIVER NOTES

 THE HACK DRIVER

About the story:

The story is about the narrator - a junior assistant clerk - who is sent to a village New Mullion to serve summon to Oliver Lutkins who is a witness in a law case and has ignored all the previous summons. In New Mullion, the narrator meets Bill - the hack driver - who helps him in finding Oliver, but in vain. In the end, the narrator realizes that it was Bill who was Oliver Luatkins.

Summary:

Part 1: The narrator and his job

The narrator is a law graduate but is working as a junior assistant clerk in a law firm where his only job is to go and serve notices and summons to criminals in the shadowy corners of the city. He is beaten up by people for doing such things. He is so fed up that he thinks of leaving the job and going to his village where he would actually work as a lawyer.

Part 2: Visiting New Mullion and meeting Bill, the Hack Driver

Once, he is given the task of serving summon to Oliver Lutkins in countryside, New Mullion. He is happy to have this break from the regular shadowy city corners, but his expectations for country side fail when he sees the muddy, raw roads. However, he meets Bill, the hack driver who decides to help him in finding Oliver Lutkins.

Part 3: Search for Oliver Lutkins

In Oliver Lutkin's search, Bill takes the narrator to different places. He takes him to Fritz, then to Gustaff, then to Gray's barber shop, then Wade's Hill to enjoy the lunch, then to Oliver's mother. But everywhere they inquire, Oliver is not to be found.

Part 4: Contemplation of Life Philosophies

While relishing the lunch on Wade's hill watching the meadows and woods, Bill talks a lot about people in New Mullion, and the narrator is impressed by him and by the life of the people in New Mullion so much, that he feels that staying in a country side like this is better than struggling in cities. He feels that the life in New Mullion is honest and happy. He discovers a new way of life.

Part 5: Bill is Lutkins

The other day, the narrator is sent with a companion who knew Oliver and to his surprise, the narrator realizes that Bill, the hack driver, was Lutkins. When he serves Lutkins summon, Lutkins and his mother has the decency to invite the narrator for a coffee.

Characterization:

The Narrator:

The narrator is a newly graduated lawyer, who wants to work as a lawyer, but he is given the post of Junior Assistant Clerk. Instead of working in the office (that is what clerks are supposed to do) he has to work like a private detective, going on searching for criminals in the shadowy corners of the city to serve summons. On some occasions, big men beat him. He feels like running away to his native village, where, at least, he would get to practice law. His happiness finds no bound when he is given the task to go to countryside to serve summon to Oliver Lutkins.

The narrator, an inexperienced person is not smart in his words and actions, and there he falls prey to the smartness of an experienced person like Bill, who takes him for a ride, in real and metaphorically as well. Bill, who is the actual Oliver Lutkins, fools him throughout the day.  However, he is impressed by the knowledge, simplicity and warmth of Bill.

Bill aka Oliver Lutkins:

Bill, who is the hack driver, is actually Oliver Lutkins. He is an old man who has experienced life and men like no other man in the village. He is good with his words and practicality. At a first glance, he realizes the innocence of the narrator. While searching Oliver in different shops, Bill is smart enough to tell narrator to stay outside and let himself handle the situation, so that the people would come to know that he is fooling the narrator. Bill know about people, about the lives more than anyone else. He talks a lot of his neighbours and entertains the narrator. He is decent enough to offer the narrator a cup of coffee.

QUESTION - ANSWERS:

1)   'I even considered fleeing to my hometown'. Why does the narrator say so?

2)   How does the narrator describe the hack driver?

3)   What different places does Bill take the narrator to? What are people's reactions when they are asked about Oliver Lutkins?

4)   'On that day, I came to know New Mullion better than I did the city.' What makes the narrator say so?

5)   How has Bill created the image of Lutkin's mother? What was the narrator's actual experience of her?

6)   The narrator was impressed with Bill. Make a list of sentences or instances that support this statement.

7)   Did Bill aka Lutkins enjoy playing prank on the narrator? Why or why not?

8)   How must the narrator have felt when he realized that Lutkins was the one who pranked on him?

 

 

 

PERFECTION AND FAILURES

As a child, I had been told that Math is a very challenging subject. My siblings too would hardly pass in Math. I have seen my siblings and their friends getting failed in board exams in Math only. The fear of Math was injected so much that I too got scared of this subject.  Now, I have realized that people were not afraid of Mathematics. They were scared of the perfection required in Mathematics. 

Mathematics is subject where the answer can either be right or wrong. Unlike other subjects, Math and Science have no scope of giving your opinions. The very thought of achieving perfection creates the fear of failure. 
The same principle is applicable in real life as well. We are scared of risks because we are scared of failure. The definition of 'perfection' engraved on our minds is scary and dangerous because it is somebody else's definition. 'The world believes' has killed millions of 'I believe'. Perfection isn't Maths or Science that has to be universal. It is an opinion that needs flexibility and acceptance. Perfection isn't a fact, it is a fictional phenomenon hypothesized by individuals. The fear of failure enables us to make wrong and uncomfortable choices. The fear of failure leads to a lack of vision or a compromised vision. 

It happens in a career as well. We are stuck in a job that thinks more of details and less of vision. All of us have a vision about our careers while joining the organization. However, the vision gets sidelined as we work more on details and perfection expected by the organization. We work more on achieving data than achieving wisdom. We work more on a fictional thing called 'perfection'. The fear of failure in achieving this professional perfection leads to disinterest and regret. 

Before leaving a comfortable, high-paying job in the 90s, Jezz Bezos posed a self-inquiry, "At the end of my life will I regret not having done this?" We should ask ourselves the same question and if the answer is 'Yes', it is not worth doing. 

- Amit Kharat

WIND

 Wind

Textbook Exercise:

1)    What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?

Answer: The wind is destructive in the first stanza. It throws the books off the shelves, tears the pages of the books and brings rain.

 

2)    What does the poet say the wind god winnows?

Answer: The wind god winnows the crumbling houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives and hearts.

 

3)    What should we do to make friends with the wind?

Answer: To be friends with the wind, you should become as strong as the wind. We should make strong houses, strong body and strong hearts.

 

4)    What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?

The last four lines mean the following:

Answer: If you are weak, the bigger problems may make you miserable, but if you are strong, you enjoy dealing with bigger problems. The more you deal with such problems, the more develop you become. 

The Lost Child

The Lost Child

About the story:

'The Lost Child' is a story about a family who goes to a village fair to visit a holy shrine. On the way, the child in this family find so many things and gets fascinated by them same, but his parents cannot buy those things for him. Unfortunately, the child is separated from his mother and father. The person who finds the child crying tries to offer him things the child wanted, but the only thing the child wants is his parents.

Question-Answer:

What are the different things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?

The child, on his way to the fair, sees many things including toys, different coloured balloons, garland made up of Gulmohar flowers, a swing and a snake charmer playing the flute. He gets mesmerized while watching these things as they are attractive and interesting, and because of that, he lags behind.

In the fair, the child wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an answer?

In the fair, many things interest the child and he wants them. Things such as toys, different coloured balloons, garlands made up of Gulmohar flowers and the enjoyment of the roundabouts. However, he moves on without waiting for an answer because he knows that his parents would not buy it for him. Whenever he stops to see those things, his parents would give him a cautionary call, "Come, child, come."

THE SHEHNAI OF BISMILLAH KHAN - TEXTBOOK EXERCISE

 

The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan

Textbook Exercise:

Q.A) Answer the following questions: (2 Marks each)

1)     Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

The pungi had a shrill unpleasant sound and Aurangzeb did not like it. So, he banned the playing of the pungi in the royal residence.

 

2)     How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

The shehnai has a longer and broader stem than the pungi and it sounds melodious comparatively.

 

3)     Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

Traditionally, the shehnai was played in temples and weddings as the sound of the shehnai is considered auspicious.

Bismillah Khan's made the sound of the shehnai so popular on the classical stage that it is now played almost in every auspicious function.

 

4)     When and how did Bismillah Khan get his first break?

In 1938, Bismillah Khan got his first break with the launch of All India Radio in Lucknow where he became an often-heard shehnai player on the radio.

 

5)     Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15th August 1947? Why was the event historic?

On 15th August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the shehnai at the Red Fort. This event was historic as it was the day when India got independence.

 

6)     Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?

When one of the students of Bismillah Khan invited him to open a shehnai school in the USA, and was ready to recreate the atmosphere of Benaras, Bismillah Khan refused with a reason that bringing the river Ganga would be impossible.

 

7)     Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves Indian and Benaras?

The following are the two instances that show that Bishmillah Khan loves Benaras:

First: Bismillah Khan refused his student's invitation of starting a shehnai school in the USA as the Ganga river could not be brought there.

Second: Once he said that whenever he was in a foreign country, he used to yearn to see Hindustan, and while in Mumbai, he used to think of only Benaras and the holy Ganga.

 

THE SHEHNAI OF BISMILLAH KHAN

About the story:

The chapter 'The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan' is like a short biography of Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan that features the discovery of shehnai, his childhood in Benaras and on the bank of Ganga, his love and dedication for music, his popularity in India and overseas and the accolades he earned during his lifetime.

Summary in stages:

The Discovery and the popularity of Shehnai:

Due to its shrilling sound, Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi in the royal court. In order to revive the instrument, a barber from a family of musicians, modified this instrument into a new instrument that was smooth and distant sounding. As this instrument was invented by a nai (barber) and was first played in Shah's court, it was called as Shehnai.

The sound of the shehnai is considered auspicious that is why it is always played in temples and weddings. It was part of the naubat i.e. the traditional ensemble of the nine musical instruments at a royal court.

Bismillah Khan's Childhood and his growing passion for music:

Bismilla, born on 21 March 1916, was from a family of musicians. His grandfather Rasool Bux Khan was the shehnai nawaz of the Bhojpur King's court. His father and paternal ancestors were the shehnai players.

The three-year-old Bismillah would go to his uncles' place to Benaras and would accompany his uncle Ali Bux who used to play the shehnai in Vishnu temple. Bismillah got lessons from him and practice throughout the day while sitting at the temple of Balaji, Mangala Maya and on the banks of Ganga. The flowing water of Ganga inspired him to improvise and invent ragas that were earlier considered beyond the shehnai's range.

The 5-year-old Bismilla would go to Bihariji temple to sing 'Chaita' and would earn a 1.25 kg laddoo from the local Maharaja.

Bismillah Khan's Popularity:

·         on 15th August 1947, he became the first person to greet the nation with his shehnai by playing Raag Kaafi for the audience including Pandit Nehru.

·         King Zahir Shah of Afganistan was so taken away by Bismillah's shehnai that he gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs.

·         He was the first Indian to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the USA, and he also participated in World Exposition in Montreal, Cannes Arts Festival and Osaka Trade Fair.

·         An auditorium in Tehran is named after him 'Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan'.

His career as Movie Music Director:

·         Movie director Vijay Bhatt was fascinated too much with Bismillah Khan's shehnai that he named his film as 'Gunj Uthi Shehnai' and Bismillah composed the song 'Dilka Khilona hai toot gaya' for this film.

·         Vikram Srinivas's Kannada movie 'Sanadhi Apanna' was also composed by Bismillah Khan. He didn't work much in the movie the industry as 'he couldn't come to terms with the artificiality and glamour of the industry'.

Awards and Recognition:

·         Padmashree

·         Padma Bhushan

·         Padma Vibhushan

·         Bharat Ratna (Year 2001)

His advice to Indian Parents:

"Teach your children music, this is Hindustan's richest tradition; even the west is now coming to learn Hindustani music".

His refusal to start a music school in the USA:

One of his students wanted him to start a shehnai school in The USA and also promised to recreate the atmosphere of Benaras temples as he knew Bismillah ji's emotional connection with the place. But Bismillah ji refused by saying that a replica of Benaras could be created but not of the Ganga river.

 

 

 

 

 

EVELYN GLENNIE LISTENS TO SOUND WITHOUT HEARING IT

 

The Sound of Music - Evelyn Glennie

Concept Map:

 About the text:

The chapter is about Evelyn Glennie - a girl who lost her hearing ability but did not lose hope. The chapter gets revealed in the form of an interview where Evelyn is sharing her experiences. At the same time, the narrator (the interviewer) uses the flashback technique to go in the past and come back to the present. The chapter tells us about the trouble Evelyn has gone through, about her initial stages of learning music and about becoming one of the greatest percussionists in the world.

Summary:

Evelyn Glennie was 11 years old when her hearing ability got deteriorated and everything went blank for her. However, she did not give up. One day, she noticed a girl playing the xylophone and that made her took interest in music. She was encouraged to listen to music using her body by the percussionist Rob Forbes. She could feel music and vibrations through her body. She dedicated her life to music so much that she was one of the highest scorers in music exam in Royal Academic of Music. She started her career working with a youth orchestra and soon started working as an individual composer. She says that she is a workaholic. She tries to lip read people but also mentions that men with bushy beard give her trouble as she cannot read their lips properly. She is Scottish but she fluently speaks French and Japanese. People all over the world have praises for her. Master percussionist James Blades says, "She feels music deeper than most of us and expresses the same." Apart from regular concerts, Evelyn does free concerts and teaching in charity homes and prisons as well. People with disability look at her, get encouraged and say, "If she can, why can't we?"

 

Themes:

Hope: Evelyn's life is full of struggle. A girl of 11 would lose all hope with the thought that he is not able to hear people. As Evelyn says, "The entire world went into darkness" She almost lost everything, but hope. Hope stands as the strongest themes of this story.

Never Give Up: Evelyn did not give up on herself. Right from accepting her disability and the fact she is no more a common child to becoming one of the greatest percussionists in the world, she never gave up. She learnt music through her body parts, by feeling it. As she mentions, she is a workaholic person.

Humility: Though Evelyn is a famous personality, we can see that she still has the humility intact through this interview. She answers the interviewer without having any vanity. She is humble enough to teach music and perform a free concert at prisons and hospitals.

Textbook Exercise:

Q. 1) Answer the following questions: (1 Mark each)

1)    How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?

Answer: Evelyn was sixteen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music.

 

2)    When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?

Answer: Her deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old. It happened when her mother observed that her name was called but Evelyn was not responding during the piano class.

Q. 2) Answer the following in 30-40 words: (2 Marks each)

1)    Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?

Answer: The percussionist Rob Forbes spotted Evelyn's potentials. He encouraged her to continue with music. Understanding her inability to hear music, he asked her to feel the music through vibrations on different body parts. For that, he tuned two large drum sets to different notes. He repeated the exercise and soon Evelyn discovered that she could sense certain notes in different parts of her body. In short, he helped Evelyn feel the music through her other organs.

 

2)    Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.

Answer: Evelyn toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra. She performed at various concerts in different places and apart from that, she did free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She gives high priority free classes to young musicians. She teaches children with hearing disability for Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children.

Q. 3) Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).

1)    How does Evelyn hear music? (5 Marks each)

Answer: In the beginning, Even was encouraged to feel the differently tuned drums. She could feel the vibrations of different frequency above her legs and on her legs. Whenever she used to play the xylophone, she could feel the sound vibrations moving from the stick to her hand. Gradually, with encouragement from the teacher and her hard work and dedication, he started hearing music through her different organs. While performing on stage, she would remove her shoes and go bare feet so that she would feel each sound through her feet.

ADVERB - NCERT CBSE Class 9 and Class 10 English Grammar Notes

  What are ‘adverbs’?

An adverb is a part of speech – a word- that gives more information about a verb, an adjective or an adverb as well.

Just the way, adjectives gives more information about the noun, the adverb gives more information about the verb, the adjective and the other adverb as well.

Allen was walking.	Walking - verb	Allen was walking slowly. ‘slowly’ is adverb because it modifies the verb ‘walking’.
Allen was walking slowly.	Slowly - adverb	Allen was walking very slowly. ‘very’ is an adverb that modifies other adverb ‘slowly’.
Allen is intelligent.	Intelligent - adjective	Allen is superbly intelligent. ‘superbly’ is an adverb that modifies the adjective ‘intelligent’.

 

Note that most of the time an adverb ends with ‘-ly’ or ‘-ily’. They are modified from adjectives. For example:

Adjective	Adverb
Angry	Angrily
Happy	Happily
Merry	Merrily
Sleepy	Sleepily
Easy	Easily
Noisy	Noisily
Tidy	Tidily
Gloomy	Gloomily

 

Question: Given below are the adverbs. Use them in the sentences to fill in the blanks:

(Awfully, sorrowfully, completely, loftily, carefully, differently, quickly, nonchalantly)

(i)                   The report must be read ……………… so that performance can be improved.

Answer: The report must be read cafefully so that performance can be improved.

 

(ii)                  At the interview, Sameer answered our questions ……………, shrugging his shoulders.

Answer: At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily, shrugging his shoulders.

 

(iii)                We all behave …………… when we are tired or hungry.

Answer: We all behave differently when we are tired or hungry.

 

(iv)                 The teacher shook her head …………… when Ravi lied to her.

Answer: The teacher shook her head sorrowfully when Ravi lied to her.

 

(v)                  I ……………. forgot about it.

Answer: I completely forgot about it.

 

(vi)                 When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled and ………….. turned away.

Answer: When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled and nonchalantly turned away.

 

(vii)               The President of the Company is ………….. busy and will not be able to meet you.

Answer: The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.

 

(viii)             I finished my work ……………. so that I could go out to play.

Answer: I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.

Notes by Amit Kharat

The Road Not Taken - NCERT CBSE Class 9 English Notes

About the poem: The Road Not Taken

'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost is about the circumstances we come across in our life where we have to choose one option. However, while choosing an option, we often get confused as the other option also seems equally good. Sometimes, we think of what suits us the best, while sometimes, we think of what our future will be if we choose a particular option. This poem is universal as any human being can be related to it.

About the poet: Robert Frost

Robert Frost is an American poet who belongs to the modern genre of poetry. Most of his poems also reflect romanticism. His poems show us the realistic setting of the rural life of early 18th century England. He, through his poems, explored the different social and philosophical themes. He used nature as a metaphor for life and the same can be seen in his famous poems such as 'Stopping by Wood' and 'The Road Not Taken'.

Summary of the poem:

One autumn morning when the yellow leaves are fallen on the forest trail, the narrator comes across a fork where two roads diverge. As being the only traveller, he has to take only one road. He knows that any road, he would take would go and meet the other road. But to make his choice easier, he observes both the roads.

He looks at the first road. It is very much visible and is somewhat filled with yellow foliage. This road goes into the undergrowth.

To give a fair chance to the other road, he too looks at it to make a choice. This road is grassy as not many people have chosen this road. For him, the road wants to get worn, wants to get used. On this road too, the yellow foliage is fallen, and that makes both the roads similar.

It seems that same number of people have passed from both the roads and neither of the road is less travelled.

He decides to go by the road, which is 'grassy and wanted wear'. He knows that he if chooses this road, he might not come back to see what the other road offers.

Finally, after many years, he tells this situation with a sigh, with relief, and mentions that as he chose the road less travelled, it has made all the difference. Whatever he is now, it is because of the less travelled road he chose.

Metaphor in this poem:

The entire poem is a metaphor as human life is compared with the forest trail/roads. We often come across the fork in our life where we have to choose between the alternatives that are offered to us. We always look for their pros and cons before making a decision. Also, even years after making a decision, we think of what would have happened if we would have chosen the other option. The phrase 'yellow woods' represent the decision made during the toughest time.

Poetic Devices:

Imagery:

A description that appeals to our senses is imagery. Here the poet describes the wood and the train in such a way that it creates visuals in the readers' minds. 'Yello wood' is strong imagery used here. Also, the entire journey is described in such a way that the poem acts as a navigator through the woods.

Simile:

When two or more things are compared using the words 'like', 'as', it is a simile. In this poem, simile is used in the line, 'Then took the other, as just as fair' to compare the roads with the ways of life.

Personification:

When a non-human and inanimate object is given human quality, it is personification. The line 'It was grassy and wated wear' is personification. The road wants to get worn seems like it is demanding something just the way humans demands.

Alliteration:

When two or more words with similar beginning consonant sound appear together, it is alliteration. For example: 'wanted wear'.

Rhyme Scheme:

The rhyme scheme used in this poem is ABAAB.

Question - Answers:

1)    Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?

Answer: One fine morning, the traveller (the narrator) finds himself in a yellow wood. As he walks on a road, the road diverged into two roads. The traveller is confused which road he should take.

 

2)    Discuss what these phrases mean to you:

a)    Yellow wood - The phrase 'Yellow wood' means it is an autumn season where trees have shredded their yellow leaves. It also means the 'difficult time'.

b)    It was grassy and wanted wear - It means the road was not used by many people.

c)    Passing there - Both the roads in the morning seem as same number of people have passed from there.

d)    Leaves no step had trodden black : That morning, it seems that neither of the roads are less travelled by

e)    How way leads on to way: It means that any road we choose, it leads and join to some other way.

 

3)    Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them in a) stanza two and three and 2) in the first two lines of the poem?

Yes, there is a difference between the roads the poet describes in stanza 2 and 3 and in the first two lines of the poem.

The first two lines of the poem describe that there are two roads diverged in the yellow wood. Here, the poet has not given a detailed description of the roads.

However, in the second and third stanza, the poet has described the two roads in detail so that it would be easy for him to take the decision.

 

4)    What do the lines: I  took  the  one  less  travelled  by, And  that  has  made  all  the  difference' mean?

We are the result of the decision we took in the past. The same thing the poet is trying to convey here. He has chosen a path less travelled, believed in his instincts that the less-travelled path would offer him something better, and thus became what he is today i.e. a well-known person in the world of literature. Very few people have to courage to go against the mainstream notions. But most of them became successful in it too.

Notes by Mr. Amit Kharat