Class 7 -TERM I - Unit 2 - Prose - The Wind on Haunted Hill

 

Unit 2 -   Prose -  The Wind on Haunted Hill

Warm up:

1. Find the hidden words in the pictures. One has been done for you.

1. CAT     2. Couch    3. Cord     4. Tiles     5. Mirror

2. Solve these riddles.

S. No                     Question (Who am I?)                                                                                   Answer

1                             I have a face but no eyes, hands but no arms.

2                             I sit in a corner while travelling around the world.

3                             I go up when rain comes down.

4                             I have a head and a tail but no body.

 

S. No	Question (Who am I?)	Answer
1	I have a face but no eyes, hands but no arms.	A clock
2	I sit in a corner while travelling around the world.	A stamp
3	I go up when rain comes down.	An umbrella
4	I have a head and a tail but no body.	A coin

 Read the story above and find the answers to these questions.

1. What were the children doing beside the stone wall?

The children were spreading clothes out to dry beside a low stone wall. They placed rocks on each garment to keep them from blowing away in the wind.

2. What did Suresh ask Usha? Why?
Suresh asked Usha, "Won’t you be afraid to come back alone?" He asked this because he believed there were ghosts on Haunted Hill and was concerned that Usha would have to pass through the ruins alone.

3. Who told the children the story about the ghosts on Haunted Hill?
Usha’s grandfather told the children the story about the ghosts on Haunted Hill.

4. What did Usha see while walking to the bazaar?
While walking to the bazaar, Usha saw wild flowers growing in the crumbling walls of the ruins, a wild plum tree with soft white blossoms, lizards scuttling over stones, and a whistling-thrush with deep purple plumage singing from an empty window.

Section II

Two scary events from this section are listed here. Write the events that take place in between in the correct order.

The black clouds were threatening.

 wo scary events and what happened in between:

Start: The black clouds were threatening.
Middle Events (in correct order):

1. It began to rain heavily.
2. Usha ran for shelter in the ruins.
3. She encountered a wild cat.
4. She took shelter in a corner with a tin roof.
5. She remembered her grandfather's ghost story.
6. A flash of lightning lit up the ruins.
7. Usha saw two ghostly children in the fireplace.

End: The ghostly figures were staring back.

 

Section – III

S.No.	Question	Who asked this?	Who answered?	What was the answer?
1	Shall we run back together?	Usha	Binya	No, the path had fallen away, not safe.
2	Can you see something behind the wall?	Usha	Suresh / Binya	Suresh: "I can't see anything"; Binya: "It's just the top of the plum tree."
3	Who said goodbye?	Usha	Suresh / Binya	Suresh: "Not I"; Binya: "Not I"
4	Was it just the wind?	Narrator (Usha thinking)	-	(Implied) Maybe. Usha is unsure.

Read and Understand

1. A. Choose the most appropriate option.

1. The wind hurried and passed through the ___________

a) apples and mangoes.

b) pines and deodars.

c) berries and cherries.

2. The market was ____________ away from the village.

a) 3 miles

b) 7 miles

c) 11 miles

3. Usha went to visit her ____________ house after shopping in the market.

                a) Grand father’s

b) aunt’s

                c) cousin’s

4. Usha took shelter in the ____________

                a) ruins.

                b) caves.

                c) dens.

5. At dawn, the ____________ began to sing.

a) cuckoo

b) linnet

c) thrush

B. Think and answer

1. Why was it a struggle for the children to dry their clothes?
   Because the wind in the region was very strong, even on sunny days. Clothes would fly away if not weighed down with rocks.
2. What story did grandfather tell them about the haunted hill?
   He said that a hundred years ago, English people lived there but had to leave because the place was often struck by lightning. During a terrible storm, one house was hit and everyone, including two children, died. Grandfather claimed to have seen their ghosts playing in the moonlight.
3. What did Usha buy in the market? List them.
• Soap
• Matches
• Spices
• Sugar
• Pipe stem for grandfather’s hookah
• Exercise book for Suresh
• Marbles (as an afterthought)
• Necklace of amber-colored beads (for herself)
• Left slippers at cobbler for repair
4. What scared Usha during the dark rainy night?
• The storm with thunder, lightning, and heavy rain
• Touching a wild cat in the dark
• Seeing two ghostly children in the fireplace during a flash of lightning
5. How did the children react when they met each other at the ruins?
   They were surprised and relieved. They hugged, laughed, giggled, and repeated each other’s names. Their fear disappeared once they were together.

 

C. Discuss in class.

“Was it just the wind?”– What do you think Usha thought it was? Why?

Usha heard voices saying "Goodbye" and wondered if it was just the wind or the ghosts of the children from the ruins. Given the earlier sighting of ghostly figures and the mysterious voices, Usha might have believed that it was actually the spirits saying goodbye, though part of her wanted to believe it was only the wind. This shows her curiosity, fear, and the haunting atmosphere of the ruins.

VOCABULARY

D. Unscramble the sound – describing words from the text. One has been done for you.

E.g. igeglg – giggle

1. noam – moan
2. murebl – rumble
3. lowh – howl
4. mobo – boom
5. cohe – echo
6. norgra – groan

E. The Detective’s Dictionary!

Choose the correct word from the box and fill in the blanks.

                evidence              clue        detective             suspect                 victim

1. A___________ is someone who investigates a crime.

2. A___________ is someone who suffers the effect of a crime.

3. Someone who might have committed a crime is a___________.

4. A ___________ is an idea or fact that helps us solve a mystery.

5. An __________is an information we have that proves us that something is true.

1. A detective is someone who investigates a crime.

2. A victim is someone who suffers the effect of a crime.

3. Someone who might have committed a crime is a suspect.

4. A clue is an idea or fact that helps us solve a mystery.

5. An evidence is an information we have that proves us that something is true.

 

LISTENING*

F. Listen to the news report carefully and complete the following. In English we say it is raining cats and dogs when it rains heavily. For the people of Gollamudi in Andhra Pradesh, however, it rained fish! In the early hours of the morning yesterday, people were woken up to a ‘rain offish’. Four to six inches - long fish were found on the roads and in the waterlogged fieldsof this village. Some of the fish were still alive. News spread rapidly and soon, people were out collecting the fish. Locals said it was a fish not usually found there.

             Environmentalists say that very strong winds and gales sometimes carry fish and sea animals along with the water from rivers and canals. They then can come down with the rain many miles away. This is what happened in Gollamudi.

 

1. Name of the place _________________________

2. What happened? _________________________

3. What time of the day did it happen? _________________________

4. What did the people say? _________________________

5. What do strong winds and gales carry? _________________________

1.       Name of the place – Gollamudi

2.       What happened? – It rained fish.

3.       What time of the day did it happen? – In the early hours of the morning.

4.       What did the people say? – It was a fish not usually found there.

5.       What do strong winds and gales carry? – Fish and sea animals along with the water from rivers and canal

G. Work in pairs.

Have you ever been scared? What happened? How did you feel? Talk about it in one or two sentences with your friend. Repeat it to the class.

Yes, I was once scared when the power went off at night during a thunderstorm. I heard strange noises outside and thought it was a ghost—I felt really nervous and held my mom’s hand tightly!

LISTENING*

USE GRAMMAR

H. Frame fi ve questions using the picture clues. Begin with “Have you ever”.

    (visit the Tajmahal)  1. Have you ever visited Tajmahal ?

 (cook briyani)  2. Have you ever cooked briyani?

 (watch a horror film) 3. Have you ever watched horror film?

 

 (play Ten pin bowling) 4. Have you ever played Ten pin bowling?

   (go swimming)  5. Have you ever gone for swimming?

I. Fill in the blanks with the past perfect tense with the help of the words given in the brackets.

1. When Usha looked out of the window dark clouds __________ (gather) over the mountains.

2. She had no umbrella with her; the weather __________________ (seem) so fine just a few hours ago.

3. All was dark again. Night __________ (fall).

4. She ran towards the big gap in the wall through which she ___________ (enter).

5. Usha looked back at the ruins. The sun ____________ (come) up and was touching the top of the walls.

1.       When Usha looked out of the window, dark clouds had gathered (gather) over the mountains.

2.       She had no umbrella with her; the weather had seemed (seem) so fine just a few hours ago.

3.       All was dark again. Night had fallen (fall).

4.       She ran towards the big gap in the wall through which she had entered (enter).

5.       Usha looked back at the ruins. The sun had come (come) up and was touching the top of the walls.

 

II. Read this text and fill in the blanks with future perfect tense.

 Iniya moves to Chennai to join an IAS coaching class. Tomorrow by this time, she______________________ (join) the class. She _____________________ (undergo)training till next year. She _______________________ (work)very hard by the time shecomes home. Her parents _____________________ (worry) about her health all thetime. They ___________________ (write)many letters by the time she comes home.They will be very happy when Iniya becomes an IAS offi cer.

Iniya moves to Chennai to join an IAS coaching class.

1. Tomorrow by this time, she will have joined (join) the class.
2. She will have undergone (undergo) training till next year.
3. She will have worked (work) very hard by the time she comes home.
4. Her parents will have worried (worry) about her health all the time.
5. They will have written (write) many letters by the time she comes home.

 

K. Nalan’s grandfather showed him an old treasure trunk. A road map was stuck on the trunk. It showed the spot where a key was hidden. Look at the road map and write five directions to reach the spot where the key is hidden. Discuss with your partner and compare your directions with those of your classmates.

1.       Start at the man standing near the entrance on the left side.

2.       Walk straight along the path and turn right at the first corner.

3.       Continue walking until you reach a pond near the mountains.

4.       From the pond, walk downward past the palm tree.

5.       The key is hidden behind the rocks at the end of the path

 

 CREATIVE WRITING

Venba was walking along the beach. When she saw a beautiful green perfume bottle that had been washed up on the shore she bent down and picked it up. There was something inside the bottle and it was calling her. When she opened the bottle….?!!!

L. Imagine you are Venba and act the situations in the class. Then conclude this mysterious story in your own words. Write at least five or six sentences with the help of the words given in the box.

Tiny        Sing        Talk        Bird        Free       Fly          Gift         Thank

My Story Ending:
When I opened the bottle, a tiny bird flew out with sparkling wings. It could talk, and it said it had been trapped inside the bottle for a hundred years. The bird began to sing a sweet song that made me feel happy. It said I had set it free, and as a reward, it gave me a magical gift. The gift was a feather that would help me fly if I ever needed to. I was so surprised and happy that I hugged the bottle and said thank you to the little bird as it disappeared into the sky.