TS 7th Class English Guide Unit 8A Snakes in India

Telangana SCERT TS 7th Class English Study Material Pdf Unit 8A Snakes in India Textbook Questions and Answers.

TS 7th Class English Guide Unit 8A Snakes in India

Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow :

GARDEN SNAKE

I saw a snake and ran away…
Some snakes are dangerous, they say;
But mother says, that kind is good,
And eats up insects for his food.
So when he wiggles in the grass
I’ll stand aside and watch his pass
And tell myself, “There is no mistake,
It’s just a harmless garden snake.”

Question 1.
Where do you normally find snakes ?
Answer:
Generally, I find snakes in thorny bushes, rocky areas in our gardens. I have seen snakes many times.

Question 2.
Name the snakes that you know.
Answer:
Cobra, Krait, Russell’s viper and Python.

Question 3.
In what way(s) are snakes useful ?
Answer:
Snakes eat rats who spoil the plants in the fields and paddy in our granaries. So, in this way snakes are useful for us.

Oral Discourse:

Talk on – Talk about your reaction when you see a snake.
Answer:
If I see a snake, I will be very scared. If I see the snake in our house, I will hide behind
my mother. If there is no one else at home I don’t provoke it. I keep calm and try to be in a safe place. If I am outside on the road or in the park, I will look for a safe place and hide there. I will even alert others about the presence of a snake.

Comprehension:

I. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
Why do many people die of snakebite ?
Answer:
Many people die of snakebite because of widespread ignorance about snakes and snake bite prevention. Moreover proper medical treatment is often delayed or unobtainable.

Question 2.
If 100 people died in a year in India, how many people may have died in the rest of the world ?
Answer:
If 100 people died in a year because of snake bite in India, 50 people may have died in the rest of the world.

Question 3.
What opinion do you form about the first doctor who treated Kamal ?
Answer:
The doctor was not a fully qualified allopathic practitioner and didn’t know about antivenin serum or how to administer it.

Question 4.
What does a Russell’s Viper do when provoked ?
Answer:
When a Russell’s Viper is provoked, it injects a large amount of venom.

Question 5.
What is the death-dealing quartet ?
Answer:
The death dealing quartet is the set of Russell’s viper, sawscaled viper, Indian cobra and common krait.

Question 6.
What are the poisonous and non-poisonous snakes ?
Answer:
Russell’s viper, Cobra, Common Krait are the poisonous snakes. Brown water snake, mud snake, green snake, Indian rock python are non-poisonous snakes.

Question 7.
What is the writer’s opinion about snakes ?
Answer:
All snakes are not poisonous. A few snakes are poisonous. The rest of them are non-poisonous. We must take care when we go out in the dark. We should follow some precautionary methods to avoid snake bite. The snakes unnecessarily bite humans, if they are not provoked.

Question 8.
What are people’s misconceptions about snakes ?
Answer:
People’s misconceptions about snakes are
a) all the snakes try to kill us.
b) the snakes skin is cold and slimy.
c) they try to take revenge.
d) they are very fast.
e) a snake – bite person can be cured by mantras.
f) snakes are aggressive and they chase people.

Question 9.
What precautions should we take if we want to lessen the risk of snake bite?
Answer:
If we want to lessen the risk of snake bite, we must wear shoes and long trousers when walking through high grass and undergrowth. We have to carry a lantern or a torch when we venture out at night.

Question 10.
If you had been in Kamal’s position, what would you have done ?
Answer:
If I had been in Kamal’s position, I would have tied a rope just above my knee and cut the skin with blade and allow bleeding the poisonous blood. Later I would have gone to better hospital for treatment.

Question 11.
Why do you think some people worship cobras even though they are poisonous and very harmful ?
Answer:
Some people feel that they are the incarnation of Gods. Because of their blind beliefs, they worship them even though they are poisonous and very harmful. There is another side to this aspect. All the animals are part and parcel of God’s creation. They are essential to maintain ecological balance. We should not kill them indiscriminately. So, to maintain ecological balance in nature, we worship these snakes.

Vocabulary:

I. Fill in the blanks with words given below :

Sometimes cyclones _________ (1) in the ocean. _________ (2) to our opinion fishermen are never _________ (3) that it is dangerous to _________ (4) into the ocean during the cyclones. They _________ (5) the same mistake and lose their precious lives.
Answer:
1 – occur
2 – Contrary
3 – convinced
4 – venture
5 – repeat

II. Look at the following words from the text: 1. precaution 2. dangerous

The word ‘precaution’ consists of two parts – ‘pre’ and ‘caution’ (prefix + root).
The word ‘dangerous’ consists of two parts ‘danger’ and ‘-ous’ (root + suffix)

Add appropriate prefixes / suffixes to the following roots to make new words. The first one is done for you.

Answer:

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with suitable forms (after adding a prefix/suffix) of the words in brackets.

Question 1.
He was acting in a very _________ way. (child)
Answer:
childish

Question 2.
This word is very difficult to spell, and even worse, it’s _________. (pronounce)
Answer:
pronunciation

Question 3.
You shouldn’t have done that! It was very _________ of you. (think)
Answer:
unthinkable

Question 4.
He didn’t pass his exam. He was _________ in the second attempt, (succeed)
Answer:
successful

Question 5.
Some of the Indian cities are dreadfully _________ . (crowd)
Answer:
over crowded

Question 6.
The team won the _________ . (champion)
Answer:
championship

Question 7.
There is a very high _________ that they will be late. (likely)
Answer:
likelihood

Question 8.
I couldn’t find any _________ in his theory. (weak)
Answer:
weakness

Question 9.
There was a three-hour _________ because of the strike. (stop)
Answer:
stoppage

Question 10.
You need a _________ of motivation, organization and revision to learn English. (combine)
Answer:
combination

Grammar:

I. Read the following sentences.

1. The snakes move around as long as they have rats to feed on.
2. He told him to rest at home until the pain subsides.

• ‘ Until’ refers to a point of time or ah event.
• ‘As long as’ refers to a period of time (duration) over which an activity lasts.

Fill in the blanks with ‘until’ or ‘as long as’.

Question 1.
Kamal went on playing foot ball ___________ there was light.
Answer:
as long as

Question 2.
We went on watching TV ___________ 10 p.m.
Answer:
until

Question 3.
The cricket match continued ___________ the rain stopped it.
Answer:
until

Question 4.
You should go on taking this medicine ___________ you have the pain.
Answer:
as long as

Question 5.
Do not wait ___________ luck knocks at your door. If you start work, you will get lucky.
Answer:
until

II. Look at the following sentences from the text.

1. Kamal (1) examined his foot. (2)
2. It (1) was a snake-bite. (2)

Normally all sentences have a subject and a predicate. In the above sentences, the first part is called the subject and the second part is called the predicate. The subject is usually a noun or a pronoun. It gives information about the doer of the action. The predicate gives information about the subject. You will notice sometime there may be sentences that may not have a subject as in ‘Shut the door.’ Here, the subject should be taken as ‘you.’

Now observe some more examples :

1. Nagamani (1) came. (2)
2. She (1) taught a wonderful lesson (2)
3. A number of students (1) liked it. (2)

The subjects in these sentences are a noun, a pronoun, and a noun phrase respectively. So the subject of a sentence can be a noun, a pronoun, or a noun phrase.

The predicate in the first sentence consists of a single word, which is a verb. In sentences 2 and 3, the predicate consists of more than one word but it has essentially a verb. So, the predicate can consist of one or more words but it must contain a verb.

Now read the following sentences and pick out the subject and the predicate in each sentence. The first one is done for you.

(1) Poisonous snakes are very dangerous.
(2) Cobra is poisonous snake.
(3) Many people die of snake bite.
(4) Some snakes are timid and harmless.
(5) Doctors can save snake bite victims.
(6) We should be cautious of poisonous snakes.

Answer:

Subject	Predicate
1. Poisonous snakes	are very dangerous
2. Cobra	is a poisonous snake
3. Many people	die of snake bite
4. Some snakes	are timid and harmless
5. Doctors	can save snake bite victims
6. We	should be cautious of poisonous snakes

Editing:

Editing – Read the following passage. Every numbered sentence has an error.Identify and edit it.

(1) Mr.Narayan Rao slowly bent and sit in his armed chair. (2) He leaned back removing his spectacle. (3) He said, “Koushik, can you bring down my old box from the upper shelf in me bedroom?” The boy mounted a chair as quick as a lizard and brought the box down. (4) “What do it contain?” he murmured and tried to open it. (5) His sister snatched it on his hands and ran away.
Answer:
1. and sat in his armed chair
2. removing his spectacles
3. in my bed room
4. What does it contain?
5. from his hands

Writing:

I. Prepare a poster giving a list of Dos and Don’ts when a snake bites. Here are two Dos and two Don’ts.

Dos :
Keep the person calm.
Keep the affected area below the heart level to reduce the flow of venom towards other parts of the body.

Don’ts :
Don’t let the person move at all.
Do not wait to see if the bite causes any problems. Treat it straight away.

Answer:

Study Skills:

Study the bar-chart and answer the following questions :

Month-wise distribution of 1379 snake bite incidences during the period 1999-2003.

Source : Department of Bio chemistry, University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad.

I. Answer the following questions :

Question 1.
What is this bar-chart about ?
Answer:
Percentage of snake bites during the period 1999-2003.

Question 2.
Which months record the highest number of snakebite cases ?
Answer:
June and July months record the highest number of snakebite cases.

Question 3.
The lowest percent of snakebite cases occurred in
Answer:
The lowest percent of snakebite cases occurred in January and December.

Question 4.
In which month did 8% of snakebites occur ?
Answer:
8% snakebites occurred in the months of May and November.

Question 5.
What is the average percentage of snakebites in T.S. per month ?
Answer:
The average percentage of snake bites in T.S. is 8.3% per month.

Question 6.
What other inferences can you draw from this chart ?
Answer:
The occurrence of snakebite is high during June, July and August months,that is monsoon season.

Listening and Speaking:

The Farmer and the Cobra

At the far end of the village lived a poor farmer. He lived in a small hut, in the middle of a small piece of land. Years before, when he had come to live in the village, people had tried to be friendly – but the farmer was a strange man. He did not talk much to the people. Soon they went about doing their own work and left him to himself.

Near the farmer’s hut was an old tree. The tree had a hole, and in the hole lived a cobra. When the days were hot, the cobra would come out of its hole and coil itself up in the shade of the tree. The farmer sat on the groung near by until the sun had set and he would then return to his house.

One day, the man who owned the place came to the farmer and said to him, “I must have firewood for my home. I want you to cut down the tree. Tomorrow I will ask a man to come and help you with the cutting.” And then the land owner left. The farmer watched him as he disappeared down the road.

The farmer stood there thinking. His tree was to go – his tree which gave him shade and comfort! And the cobra ? Yes, what about the cobra ? It the tree were cutdown, he would lose more than shade. He would lose the cobra too, his friend of the summer days.

The farmer sat on the ground in the cool shade of the tree to think. Near the opening of the hole, the cobra lay coiled and the two remained in complete stillness. The sun set, but the man did not return to his house. The cobra sank into its coils as if it understood the great trouble of its friend. The next day, a man came to the farmer’s hut. “I’ve been sent by the land owner to help you cut down the trees, he said.” “Well,” the farmer said sadly, “if it must be so, let’s begin.”

They walked from the hut towards the tree, the farmer stopped suddenely and his heart sank. In front of its hole lay the cobra, cold and dead.

Your teacher will read the story ‘The Farmer and the Cobra’ Listen to your teacher and answer the questions given below.

I. Say whether the following statements are true or false.

Question 1.
The farmer returned home in the afternoon. [ ]
Answer:
False

Question 2.
The owner of the tree wanted to have the tree to construct a house. [ ]
Answer:
False

Question 3.
The farmer did not like the tree to be cut down. [ ]
Answer:
True

Question 4.
The farmer died when the tree was cut down. [ ]
Answer:
False

Question 5.
The cobra died in front of its hole. [ ]
Answer:
True

II. Listen to the story and answer the following questions:

Question 1.
Why did the people leave the farmer to himself ?
Answer:
The people tried to be friendly with the farmer but he was a strange man. He did not talk much to the people. So, the people left the farmer to himself.

Question 2.
Did the farmer talk to the cobra ? Why did he refer to the cobra as a friend ?
Answer:
No, the farmer didn’t talk to the cobra. Both the farmer and the cobra took rest under the shade of the tree when the days were hot. They spent the time there until the sunset. So, he treated it as his friend.

Question 3.
What kind of a man was the farmer? Support your answer.
Answer:
The farmer was a kind hearted man. He had great consideration about the snake. When the land owner wanted to cut off the tree for firewood, the farmer thought about cobra’s shelter. He felt very sad about it.

III. Work in groups and discuss the following:

Question 1.
If you were the farmer, would you feel sorry for the cobra?
Answer:
If I were the farmer, I would feel sorry for the cobra, because, afterall they are also creatures like us.

Question 2.
Would you like to make friends with a cobra as the farmer did? Why?
Answer:
I wouldn’t like to make friendship with a cobra as the farmer did because it is a poisonous creature. At any time a danger will fall on me because of snake.

Question 3.
Do you think the farmer is really a peculiar person? Do you find any person of this kind in your locality? Share your ideas with your friends.
Answer:
Yes. I think the farmer is really a peculiar person. If he had not been a peculiar person, he would have talked to the villagers and he would not have treated the cobra as his friend. I’ve never found such type of person in our locality.

IV. Imagine that you are a reporter of a local television channel. You want to cover the celebration of “Nagula Chavithi” in your area. One of you can act as a TV reporter and some of you can act as devotees. (Compering)
Answer:
Swathi : Hai everybody. I’m Swathi, a news reporter in D-channel. Today
(D-channel our team has come to cover a great festival Nagula Chavithi. Let’s Reporter) go and ask those devotees. Hai!
Devotee-I : Hai!
Swathi : You seem different today. What’s the special today ?
Devotee-I : Today is Nagula Chavithi, I’m going to offer milk in an ant – hill (pamula putta).
Swathi : Won’t you be afraid of poisonous snakes ?
Devotee-I : We treat snakes as the incarnation of God Subrahmanya. So, we don’t worry about it.
Swathi : Here comes another devotee. Let’s ask. Hai!
Devotee-II : Hai!
Swathi : Where are you from ?
Devotee-II : I am coming from an ant – hill. As it is Nagula Chavithi I have offered milk in the ant – hill.
Swathi : Will you tell me what do you today?
Devotee-II : We will be on fast the whole day and offer pooja to Subrahmanye- swara in the form of snake. The next day we take meal. We follow all these things very strictly. We maintain utmost piousness.
Swathi : Can you say is there any other inner meaning to follow all these things ?
Devotee-II : Actually, snakes are needed to maintain ecological balance. Unless there are snakes, the population of rats increase and destroy crops. The inner idea of Nagula Chaviti is to care and respect all creatures. No creature is less important.
Swathi : Bye!.

Snakes in India Summary in English

Of all the dangerous animals in the Indian sub continent, snakes are most dangerous. Many people are dying because of their ignorance of preventive measures against snakes or unavailability of medical help.

Tengal Kamal, a young man belonging to Gorgaon was bitten by a snake while working bare-footed in his field. He tied a rope above his knee and he was rushed to a local dispensary. As the doctor was not qualified, he gave pain-killer and antibiotic tablets. Later he was treated in a hospital in Mumbai. Anti-venom injections were given to him many times and blood-transfusion was done 15 times. He was discharged after fifteen days.

Only 50 out of 200 species of snakes are venomous. Russell’s viper, Saw-scaled viper, Indian Cobra and Krait are most venomous. They usually live in villages. Russell’s viper lives in North Indian fields whereas Cobra and Viper live in South India. One can identify a Cobra by its spectacles. Cobra lives underground or between logs and eat frogs and rats.

Snakes are timid. They move during nights only. They don’t attack people unless they are stepped on or provoked. The venom of the Krait is more toxic. One has to wear chappals and pants and carry light during nights. One has to walk tapping the ground with a stick. The surroundings should be rat-free.

Glossary:

ignorance (n) = lack of knowledge or information about something
Usage: Ignorance is the root cause of all evils in life.

convinced (v) = completely sure about
Usage: I am convinced of her sincere efforts in learning music.

giddy (adj) = feeling that everything is moving and that you are going to fall
Usage: He felt giddy.

unbearable (adj) = too painful, annoyingly unpleasant
Usage: I have got unbearable head ache.

reasonable (adj) = acceptable
Usage: The management conceded all the reasonable demands.

toxic (adj) = containing poison, poisonous
Usage: We become toxic when stung by a poisonous creature.

nocturnal (adj) = active only during the night
Usage: The bat is a nocturnal creature.

frequently = often
Usage: I frequently visit my native place.

estimate = evaluate
Usage: My estimation in this regard is correct.

survive = live after
Usage: Those who survived during the floods were given shelter.

subsides = reduces
Usage: Pain subsides when we use pain-killers.

venomous (adj) = poisonous
Usage: There are so many venomous snakes are around our house.

prevention (n) = action of preventing
Usage: Prevention is better than cure.

agony (n) = severe mental pain
Usage: The wounded man was in agony.

hastily (adv) = quickly
Usage: He speaks hastily.

dispensary (n) = a place where the medicine are given to the sick;
Usage: Mother Teresa ran so many dispensaries in Kolkatta.

transfusion (n) = act or process of putting one person’s blood into another person’s body
Usage: The injured man is in need of transfusion.

glisten (v) = shine brightly
Usage: Grass glisten with dew drops.

lessen (v) = reduce
Usage: Antibiotic lessens the infection in the body.

venture (n) = an adventurous project; ready to face dangerous or unpleasant results
Usage: The mountaineers ventured the expedition.

slither (v) = slide or slip unsteadily
Usage: We slithered down on icy slope.

perceive (v) = become aware of; notice; observe
Usage: I perceived a change in his behaviour.