Chapter 1: Who Did Patrick’s Homework?

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

Answer the following questions. (Refer to that part of the text whose number is given against the question. This applies to the comprehension questions throughout the book.

Question 1. What did Patrick think his cat was playing with? What was it really? (2)

Answer:Patrick thought that his cat was playing with a little doll. The cat was actually playing with an extremely tiny man, who wore a woollen shirt with old fashioned britches and a high tall hat.

Question 2. Why did the little man grant Patrick a wish? (2)

Answer:The little man granted Patrick a wish because he wanted to escape from the cat.

Question 3. What was Patrick’s wish? (3)

Answer:Patrick’s wanted the elf to do all his homework till the end of the semester, for 35 days.

Question 4.In what subjects did the little man need help to do Patrick’s homework? (5, 6)

Answer:To do Patrick’s homework, the little man needed help in English, Maths and human history.

Question 5. How did Patrick help him? (7)

Answer:Patrick helped him by working harder than ever. He even stayed up at nights.

Question 6. Who do you think did Patrick’s homework — the little man, or Patrick himself? Give reasons for your answer. (9, 10)

Answer:Patrick himself did his homework. Since the elf did not know anything, Patrick stayed up at nights and worked hard. As a result of this, he got A’s in his work and his teachers were full of praise. Even his parents wondered as he kept his room clean and had developed a new attitude. Therefore, it was Patrick who did the homework, not the little man.

WORKING WITH LANGUAGE

A:Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with the words or phrases from the box. (You may not know the meaning of all the words. Look such words up in a dictionary, or ask your teacher.)

1. Some people find household ______________ a bore, but I like to help at home.
2. Who stole the diamond is still a _____________________.
3. This _____________________ we are going to have a class exhibition.
4. ____________________, the elf began to help Patrick.
5. Can you __________________ this word in the dictionary?
6. I started early to be on time, but I was ________________. There was a traffic jam!
7. She says she’s got a lot of books, but ________________ I think most of them are borrowed.

Answer:

1. Some people find household chores a bore, but I like to help at home.
2. Who stole the diamond is still a mystery.
3. This semester we are going to have a class exhibition.
4. True to his word, the elf began to help Patrick.
5. Can you look up this word in the dictionary?
6. I started early to be on time, but I was out of luck. There was a traffic jam!
7. She says she’s got a lot of books, but between you and me I think most of them are borrowed.

B.Use the clues given below to complete this crossword puzzle.

Across

1. very tired
2. had an angry look on the face
3. short trousers
4. a fault in a machine that prevents it from working properly
5. a small and naughty boy-fairy

Down

1. work that must be done every day, often boring
2. a basket with a lid
3. have a short, high-pitched cry

Answer: Across

1. very tired - weary
2. had an angry look on the face - scowled
3. short trousers - breaches
4. a fault in a machine that prevents it from working properly - glitch
5. a small and naughty boy-fairy - elf

Down

1. work that must be done every day, often boring - chores
2. a basket with a lid - hamper
3. have a short, high-pitched cry - shrieked

SPEAKING

Question 1.In the story, Patrick does difficult things he hates to do because the elf pre¬tends he needs help. Have you ever done something difficult or frightening, by pretending about it in some way? Tell your classmates about it.
Or
Say what you feel about homework. (The words and phrases in the boxes may help you.) Do you think it is useful, even though you may not like it? Form pairs, and speak to each other.

For example:

You may say, “I am not fond of homework.”
Your partner may reply, “But my sister helps me with my lessons at home, and that gives a boost to my marks.”


                          

Answer:

1. I am not very fond of keeping my room clean and tidy.
2. But my sister does all this for me.
3. I have not developed a liking for non-veg.
4. But my elder brother does not support me.
5. I have taken to playing football.
6. I have developed a liking for chess also.
7. I appeal to my friends to play some game.
8. Sports can be a boon in career making.
9. They give a boost to my confidence.
10. My deskmate is keen on getting ‘A’ grade.
11. I hope he will assist me also in preparing my lessons.

WRITING

A. This story has a lot of rhyming words, as a poem does. Can you write out some parts of it like a poem, so that the rhymes come at the end of separate lines? For example:

Patrick never did homework. ‘Too boring”, he said.
He played baseball and Hockey and Nintendo instead.

Answer:The man of the tiniest size
was true to his word and wise
Patrick saved the elf from the cat
The elf promised to do all that
Patrick loved sports and hated homework
He wasted his time and studies shirk

B. Look at these sentences.

1. ‘Too boring,” he said.
2. Cleaned his room, did his chores.
When we speak we often leave out words that can easily be guessed.
We do not do this when we write unless we are trying to write as we speak (as in the story).
So, if we were to write carefully, we would say:

Answer:

• Homework is too boring, he said.
• He cleaned his room and did his chores.

C. Rewrite the following incomplete sentences carefully, so that the reader does not have to guess what is left out.

1. more and more books.
2. too difficult.
3. got up late, missed the bus.
4. solved the mystery.

Answer:

1. The writers and poets read more and more books.
2. This personal question is too difficult to answer.
3. When I got up late yesterday morning, I missed the school bus.
4. Lord Krishna solved the mystery of life after death.

D. Look at this cartoon by R. K. Laxman. Read the sentence given below the cartoon. Discuss the following questions with your partner.

• What is it about?
• Do you find it funny? If so, why?
• Do you think a cartoon is a serious drawing? Why or why not?

Answer:

1. It is about a father’s concern for the betterment of his child.
2. Yes, the cartoon is really funny. Father orders the child to labour (to work hard) with his studies. But he forbids the boy to read the laws against child labour.
3. A cartoon is chiefly meant to make us laugh.
   It is also a serious drawing in one sense.
   It draws our attention to some problem that affects us all.