Chapter 3 – Gillu

Gillu

B.1. Answer the following questions briefly

Gillu Class 10 Question Answer Bihar Board Question 1.
How did ‘Gillu’ sustain wounds?
Answer:
Gillu had sustained wounds by two crows, to make him a easy prey for-them poking their beaks on his tiny body.

Gillu Class 10th Bihar Board Question 2.
Who started calling the tiny baby squirrel as Gillu?
Answer:
The poetess started calling tiny baby squirrel as ‘Gillu’.

Question 3.
Which ointment was applied on the wounds of the tiny baby squirrel?
Answer:
Pencillin ointment was applied on the wounds of the tiny baby squirrel.

Question 4.
What does the transformation from the common to the proper noun imply? What difference does a name make?
Answer:
Transformation from the common to the proper noun suggests the identity of a person or thing. It means the condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is. We can recognize a man by his name and easily find him out among other persons. When a person, place or thing is named it becomes a proper noun and it denotes a particular person, place or thing.

Question 5.
What did the writer do with the wonded squirrel?
Ans. The writer wiped the blood of the squirrel and applied pencillin ointment over it and tried to feed him.

B. 2. Answer the following questions briefly 

Question 1.
How would Gillu inform that he was hungry?
Answer:
When Gillu become hungry, he would inform the narrator by twittering and produced a sound of “chik-chik” after receving some Biscuits or Kaju.

Question 2.
What prompted the narrator to set Gillu free?
Answer:
Seeing Gillu sitting near the window and affectionately peering at the world. Outside made the narrator realise that it was necessary to set Gillu free.

Question 3.
What is the life span of squirrels?
Answer:
Squarrle have a life span of barely 2 years.

Question 4.
What was the favourite food of Gillu?
Answer:
The favourite food of Gillu was Kaju.

Question 5.
When was his swing taken off?
Answer:
His (Gillu) Swing was taken off after his death.

Question 6.
Where did the writer see two crows?
Answer:
The writer saw two crows at the flower-pots in the verandah of her house.

Question 7.
What were the crows doing?
Answer:
The crows were playfully pushing sharply their beaks at the flowerpots. . ‘

Question 8.
Why was the tiny baby squirrel motionless?
Answer:
The tiny baby squirrel had sustained two wounds due to the violent and sudden attack by two crows. It had made him motionless.

Question 9.
How did the writer manage to pour water in the mouth of the motionless tiny baby squirrel?
Answer:
The writer could manage to pour water in the mouth of the motionless tiny baby squirrel after several hours of taking care and vigorous efforts for the same.’

C. 1. Long Answer Questions:

Question 1.
What did the narrator do with the wounded squirrel?
Answer:
The narrator gently lifted the squirrel up from the ground and brought it to her room and wiped the flood from his wound try by using cotton wool and applied pencillin ointment. The narrator tried to feed the squirrel by somehow putting a thin cotton wool wick, to dip in milk in his mouth but the squirrel was unable to open his mouth and drips of milk only slid down from both sides but after few hours the narrator tended to manage to pour one drop of water in his mouth. But on the 3rd day, he becomes much better and assured that he would use his two tiny claws to hold her finger and gaze all around with his blue glass beads like eyes and in 3-4 months, the squirrel astonished everyone with his smooth fur, hushy tail and naughty, refiuegent eyes.

Question 2.
How did the narrator make the tiny baby squirrel hale and hearty?
Answer:
When the poetess (the story writer) found the tiny baby squirrel, lying wounded on the flower-pot in her verandah, first, she Washed the blood from his wounds with cotton wool and applied pencillin ointment over it. A light-weight flower-basket was used as a nest to reside him. It was fitted on the window. He was given all sorts of delicious and nutrient food mostly kaju and biscuits as his meal. The story writer gave him full affection. He even dared to eat in her plate. She had immense intimacy with him. When she did sit to write down, he used to attract her attention by his naughty acts. She was highly pleased with his funny behavior and loving him like her son. Thus the reason behind Gillu’s being hale and hearty was his utmost care, ruitrious food and the affection of the story-writer.

Question 3.
Gillu took little food during the indisposition of the story-writer. What does this suggests?
Answer:
The story-writer had saved his life. She had given all possible comforts and pleasure of life to him. She had an extraordinary affection for him. He even dared to eat in her plate: He was provided with Kaju, biscuits and all sorts of nuitrient and delicious food to eat. Gillu became very’ familiar to her. When she would sit down to work he used to attract her attention by his naughty acts sitting closer to her feet. Sometimes the story-writer, out of joke used to hold Gifu and put his tiny figure in a long envelope.

All these facts suggest that Gillu was so much influenced by her compassionate fealings for him that during her indisposition he used to become aggrieved. He wanted to share her illness. He did not like anything during the period of her indisposition. So, he was taking little food at that time. It also suggests that all the animals and birds have a compassionate feeling. So even the tiny baby squirrel, Gillu had naturally such feeling and excessive attachment as well as love for the story writer.

Question 4.
Do you have any pet animal? How does it show concern for you?
Answer:
Yes, I have got a parrot as my pet bird. I have kept it in a cage. It has got deep intimacy with me and my other family members. Even if I get him out of the cage it does not fly away and comes closer to me. It could touch my feet by its beak showing its love. A few months back, when I was sitting on the hanging chair in my garden, suddenly. I saw a little baby parrot lying on the ground. Perhaps it had fallen from the mango tree. I quickly went there and found it injured. The blood was coming of its little body. I nicely lifted him up and brought it in my room. Washing the blood from its body. I applied some ointment over the wounds. I could manage to pour a few drops of water in its mouth. It became alright within a couple of months.

During day time I arranged its cage in the garden. In the evening, it is shifted in my room. It is very fond of taking bread etc. It would inform me by twittering “chik-chik” when hungry. Whenever I return from my school and open my room, it will express its pleasure by twittering “chik-chik”. During the period of my indisposition it becomes sad and expresses its concern by, twitering in a peculiar manner. If it (parrot) would be kept out of its cage, it will come to me and sit beside me to show its concern relating to my indisposition. I have also great love and attachment with him.

Question 5.
What did the narrator feel at the death of Gillu? Describe her feelings in your own words.
Answer:
Gillu spent two years with the story-writer living in a flower-basket hung on the window as his nest. She was very much perturbed by his death because he was so much closely associated with her. Whenever she was present in her room he would sit near her feet or remain on the table leaning the wall, for hours and watch her activities with his eyes. She had also never dreamt of his being separated. But after two years of his association with her, he took his last breath.

The story-writer witnessed his departure from this world from her own f eyes. She was highly aggrieved by his death. It shocked her much. Gillu was buried under the Sonjuhi creeper because he loved the creaper most and because of her satisfaction. It is her believe that some day she will find him flowering and blossoming in the outward form of a tiny yellow. Juhi flower. Thus it is observed that she was so much aggrieved, as if she had lost her own son. Which was really genuine and but natural.

Question 6.
In what condition did the narrator find Gillu? What did she do with him? What would you do in a similar situation?
Answer:
One morning when the writer entered the verandah from her room, she saw.two crows were pushing sharply their beaks in a funny manner at the flowerpots as if engaged in the game of hide and seek. All of a sudden she saw a tiny baby squirrel lying hidden in the middle of the wall and the flower pot, who must have fallen down from a nest. The tiny baby squirrel sustained two wounds due to the violent attack by the pair of crows.

She gently lifted him up and brought in her room. She first wiped the blood from the wounds and then applied penicillin ointment. Then she tried to feed him milk with the help of a thin cotton-piece. He became alright in thrte-four months. He was named Gillu. She arranged a flower basket, which was hung on the window to be used as his nest. It had become his new residence. She took his all care.

He was provided Kaju, biscuits etc as his meal. He became very familiar to her. Whenever the writer was doing something in her room he used to sit near her feet. Gillu died in about two years. The writer was greatly aggrieved by his death. His body was buried under the Sonjuhi creeper. She was so much loving him that she believed to find him flowering and bloosoming in the outward form of a yellow “Juhi” flower in the next spring season. Thus the writer had given him her motherly affection and care as if he was his son. I shall also express the same gesture of love as the writer had shown with Gillu. I have got very much compassionate feeling for all living beings. There is a pet puppy in my house to whom, I am loving most.

C. 2. Group discussion

Discuss the following in group or pair

(a) Animals/birds can be a good companion of men.
Answer:
I have a pet dog. I call it Ticky. It is my playmate. I have in it a loving and faithful companion. If accompanies me when I go out for a walk. It begins to wag its tail when it sees me on the door. When I leave home for school in the morning. I love it and it loves me too. It licks my feet. I like to play with it. I throw a ball. It runs after it and brings it back holding it in its mouth. It answers to its name. It is very intelligent. It carries my message to my friend. It runs after cats and barks at strangers. It plays with small children and seems to like their company. At times I go on hunting, It goes with me. It helps me track the game. It is a rare animal. It responds to my love. Its special qualities are loyalty, sagacity, and watchfulness. Its fidelity is unquestionable.

(b) Discuss with your friends what you notice in the picture given below:
Answer:
The picture is belongs to the ruins of Nalanda University. Once Nalanda was the renowned ancient university in the world of knowledge. Nalanda is the symbol of the most glorious period of our history. Nalanda had 10,000 students and 1,500 teachers. 100 lecturers were delivered every day at Nalanda. It had made a study of five compulsory subjects grammar, Logic, medical science and handicraft. Its teachers could pay individual attention to the education and training of their students.

C.3. Composition

a. Write a Paragraph in about 100 words on ‘Relation between men and birds”
Answer:
(a) There ace a number of birds around us but the cuckoo, the parrot and the crow are the most common birds known to one and all. There is close relationship between men and birds. The cuckoo comes in spring along with budding flowers and new leaves. It seems to love spring. It sings. It has no sorrow in its song. Its song thrills everyone. Every poet has described it as an a-song bird.
We tame parrots. The parrot is a source of great amusement as an imitator. People make it say funny things and it provides fun to the listeners. Its presence in the house is considered a good omen which saves the family from ill-luck and bad influence.

b. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, drawing his attention to the gradual extinction of certain birds in the locality. Also suggest some measures to be taken to preserve birds.
Answer:

Frazer Road
Patna,
June 10, 2012.

To.
The Editor.
The Hindustan times
Patna.

Dear Sir,
I shall feel much obliged if you kindly allow me the use of some of the valuable space in the columns of your esteemed paper to draw the attention of the government to the urgent need to stop cruelty against birds in our locality. Some crazy young boys are killing mainas and crows in my neighborhood locality. Birds are necessary for maintaining an ecological balance. They are also aids of beauty. We all know they are very important for human life.

So I hope, the authorities need to take immediate steps in this direction.

Yours faithfully
Narayan Singh.

D. Word Study

D. 1. Dictionary use:
Ex. 1. Correct the spelling of the following words
Sudenly, pencilin, biscuit, faverite, squirel, exeption, spoted, invelop, pillo
Answer:
suddenly, penicillin, biscuit, favourite, squirrel, exception, spotted, envelope, pillow, belief.

Ex. 2. Transcript the following words in phonetic alphabet as given in the dictionary:
He, Be, Seek, Beek, Room, Hook, My, By, Gap, Have
Answer:
Words — Phonetic
He – hi
Be – fi
Seek – sik
Beek – bih
Room – r m
Hook – hk
my – mai
By – fai
Gap – gaep
Have -haev

D, 2. Word Formation

Read carefully the following sentences taken from the lesson
(a) I gently lifted him up and brought him to my room.
(b) All were pleasantly astonished at his antics.
In the first sentence the word ‘gently’ is an Adverb which is derived from the Word (Adjective) ‘gentle’. The new word has been made by adding the suffix’- ly’ to it. Similarly, in the second sentence ‘pleasantly’ is an Adverb which is derived from the Adjective ‘pleasant’ by adding the suffix ‘-ly’ to it.

Ex. 1. Now make Adverbs from the following Adjectives by adding the suffix -‘ly’ to them
glad, nice, accurate, love, accident, sudden, swift, affectionate total time, bad, sad, beautiful, prompt, intelligent, perfect. profound, polite, dear. home,

Answer:
Adjectives — Adverbs
Glad — gladly
Nice — nicely
Accurate — accurately
Love — lovely
Accident — accidently
Sudden — suddenly
Swift — swiftly
Affectionate — affectionately
Total — totally
Time — timely
Bad — badly
Sad — sadly
Beautiful — beautifully
Prompt  — promptly
Intelligent — intelligently
Perfect — perfectly
Profound — profoundly
Polite — politely
Dear — dearly
Home — homely

D. 4. Phrases

Ex.1. Read the lesson carefully and find out the sentences in which the following phrases have been used. Then use these phrases in sentences of your own.
Unexpectedly, hide and seek, wiping blood, glass-beads like eyes, breakneck speed, the wire-mesh opening, during the course, as well as.
Answer:
unexpectedly:- unexpectedly, one morning when I entered the playground. I saw a man lying on the grass.
Hide and seek:- It seems clouds were playing hide and seek in the sky.
Wiping blood:- After wiping the blood of the injured man the nurse applied some ointment.
Glass beads Like yes:- The squirrel has glass beads like eyes.
Breakneck speed:- Seeing a dog the cat ran away at breakneck speed.
The wire mesh opening:- I found another squirrel at the wire-meshed opening of the window.
During the course:- During the course of my illness, lots of my friends visited me.
As well as:- He as well as I am living together.

D. 3. Word-Meaning

Ex. 1. Find out from the lesson the words, the meanings of which have been given in column A. The last few letters of each word have been given in column B.

A                             B
Sudden attack    …….ault
eager and cheerful readiness …..rity
lasting forever   …….nal
queer and typical behavior ……tics
lying on the ground   ….rate.

Answer:
A                         B
Sudden attack — assault
eager and cheerful readiness — alocrity
lasting for ever — eternal .
queer and typical behaviour — antics
Lying on the ground — prostrate

Ex.2. Fill in the blanks with words given below:
Verandah, basket, twittering, swing. free, remarked.
1. When I entered the…………..from the room.
2. I hung a lightweight flower…………………
3. He would inform me by…………………..
4. It was necessary to set him……..
5. Gilluwas an…………………….
6. His…………..was taken off the hook.
7. I saw two crows……….poking their heads at the flowerpots.
8. Everyone………that he would not survive.
Answer:
1. verandah, 2. basket, 3. twittering, 4. free, 5. exception, 6. swing, 7. playfully, 8. remarked

E. Grammar

E. 1. Read carefully the sentences given below
1. When I entered the verandah from the room, I saw two crows playfully poking their beaks at the flowerspot.
2. I used to hold Gillu and I put his tiny body in a long envelope. You see that sentence No. 1 consists of two clauses or simple sentences. These two sentences are combined by using a Relative pronoun ‘when’. Similarly, sentence 2 also consists of two sentences combined by the conjunction ‘and’. There are many ways to combine two or more than two sentences into one. Such a process in Grammar is called ‘synthesis’ or ‘combination’.
Following is the list of some conjunctions or sentence connectors:

And	but	or	either or	Neither-nor	since
because	though	as	besides	as long	therefore
hence	having	seeing	so	now	being
when	whenever	wherever	despite	as soon as	no sooner

Ex.1. Now combine the following sentences into one sentence
1. She came, she took her lunch:
2. He got first class. He laboured hard.
3. Sheela was suffering from fever. She could not attend school.
4. The teacher entered the class. He started teaching.
Answer:
1. She came and took her lunch.
2. He laboured so hard that he got first class.
3. Sheela could not attend her school because she was suffering from fever.
4. As soon as the teacher entered the class he started teaching.

G. Translation

Translate the following sentences into Hindi/your mother tongue.
1. As if they engaged in the game of hide and seek
2. Everyone remarked that he would not survive.
3. He would venture close to my feet.
4. He devised a novel way of doing it.
5. I got up to catch him.
6. I made a small opening.
7. He stepped in.
8. I would reach the dining-room.
9. Everyone would offer him Kaju.
10. I discovered it was full of Kaju.
Answer:
1. मानों वे लुका-छिपी का खेल खेल रहे थे।
2. हर व्यक्ति यही कहता कि वह नहीं बचेगा।
3. वह मेरे पैर के पास आने का साहस करता।
4. उसने यह (उक्त कार्य) करने के लिए एक नया अनोखा ढंग अख्तियार किया।
5. मैं उसको पकड़ने के लिए उठती। 6. मैंने एक छोटा सा स्थान खोल रखा थी।
7. वह अन्दर आया ।
8. मैं भोजन गृह में पहुँचती थी।
9. हर कोई उसे काजू देता था।
10. मैंने पाया कि वह (स्थान) काजू से भरा हुआ था।

Comprehension Based Questions With Answers

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow each
1. Unexpectedly, one morning, when I entered the verandah from the room, I saw two crows playfully poking their beaks at the flowerpots, as if engaged in the game of hide and seek. Suddenly, my assiduous critique of this mythical talc :he crow was intercepted by my gaze that fell on this tiny being, lying hicu . in the gap at the junction of the pot with the wall. Moving closer, I saw that it was a tiny baby squirrel that must have accidentally fallen down from a nest and was now being considered by the crows to be an easy prey. Having sustained two wounds due to the assault by the pair of crows was enough for this tiny being and he was now motionless, clinging to the pot.

Everyone remarked that as he would not survive after having been so assaulted by the crows, he be left alone. But, my mind refused to accede to their views, and therefore, I gently lifted him up and brought him to my room, and after wiping the blood from his wounds with cotton wool, applied Penicillin ointment.

Questions:
(i) What did the authoress find in the morning?
(ii) Who had assaulted the baby squirrel?
(iii) How did the authoress serve the injured squirrel?
(iv) Find the word from the passage which means push sharply’.
Answers:
(i) The authoress found an injured baby squirrel in the morning.
(ii) A pair of crows had assaulted the baby squirrel.
(iii) The authoress brought him to her room and after wiping the blood from his wounds with cotton wool, applied Penicillin ointment.
(v) The word is poking.

2. I tried to feed him by somehow putting a thin cotton wool wick, dipped in milk to his mouth, but he was unable to open his mouth and the drops of milk only slid down from both sides. Only after several hours of tending could I manage to pour one drop of water in his mouth. But, on the third day he became so much better and assured that he would use his two tiny claws to hold my finger and gaze all around with his blue, glass-beads-like eyes. And in three-four months, he astonished everyone with his smooth fur, bushy tail and naughty, refulgent eyes.

A transformation from common to proper noun followed and we started calling him, Gillu! I hung a light-weight flower basket lined with cotton wool on the window with the help of a wire. For two years, this was Gillu’s abode. All were pleasantly astonished at his antics and intellect.
Questions:
(i) Name the title and the writer of this passage.
(ii) How did the writer try to feed the squirrel?
(iii) When eh she get succeed in feeding him?
(iv) When did she call him with a new name?
(v) What the name was given to the squirrel?
(vi) How long did the squirrel live with the writer and how?
Answers:
(i) The title of the story is Gillu and its writer is Mrs. Mahadevi Verma.
(ii) She tried to feed the squirrel by somehow putting a thin cotton wool wick, dipped in milk to his mouth, but he was unable to open his mouth and the drop of milk rollfed down.
(iii) After several hours of tending could she managed to pour one drop of water in his month.
(iv) When authoress made Gillu’s new abode, she called him with a new name.
(v) He was named Gillu.
(vi) Gillu lived for two years with the writer with all his antics and intellect. .

3. When I would sit down to write, he would be seized by such an acute desire to attract my attention that he devised a novel way of doing it. He would venture close to my feet, whiz swiftly up the curtains and descend with the same breakneck speed. This sequence would continue till the time I got up to catch him. On some occasions, I used to hold Gillu and put his tiny body in a long envelope. Sometimes, he would continue to stand on the table leaning against the wall in such an amazing condition for hours, and watch my activities with his radiant eyes.

Questions:
(i) Who has written this extract?
(ii) What does the narrator describe in this passage?
(iii) What would Gillu do to attract the narrator’s attention?
(iv) Who would watch the activities of the narrator?
(v) Which word in the passage means ‘come down?
Answers:
(i) Mahadevi Verma has written this extract.
(ii) The narrator describes the antics and intelligence of Gillu, her pet squirrel.
(iii) In order to attract the narrator’s attention, Gillu would whiz swiftly up the curtains and descend at the same speed.
(iv) Gillu would watch the activities of the narrator with his shining eyes.
(v) The word ‘descend’ means ‘come down’.

4. I have several pet animals and birds and all of them are quite fond of me. I don’t remember any of them daring to eat from my plate.

Given was an exception. The moment I would reach the dining-room, he would emerge from the window, cross over the courtyard wall and the verandah, reach the table and would want to sit in my plate. With great difficulty, I taught him to sit close to my plate. His favorite food, where he would dexter¬ously eat each grain of rice. His favorite food was Kaju and when not avail¬able for several days, he would refuse other food items and threw them down from the swing.

Around that time, being injured in a motor car accident, I had to spend some days in the hospital. Those days, whenever my room was opened, Gillu would rush down from his swing, but on seeing somebody else, he would, with the same alacrity, scuttle back to sit in his nest. Everyone would offer him Kajjj, but when I cleaned up his swing on my return from the hospital, I discovered it was full of Kaju, which only showed how little he was eating his favorite food those days! During the course of my indisposition, he would sit near my head on my pi How and gently stroke my forehead and hair, and his moving away was like the going away of a nurse or attendant!

Questions:
(i) Why was Gillu an exception for the writer?
(ii) Describe how did Gillu share with the authoress at dinner?
(iii) What did Gillu do when the writer was in ill health?
(iv) What did the writer discover?
Answers:
(i) Though the writer had several pet animals and birds. All of them were quite fond of her, but none of them was daring to eat from her plate. So Gillu was an exception. He won her heart.
(ii) The moment the authoress would remain in the dining room, he would emerge from the window cross over the courtyard wall and the verandah reach the table and would want to sit in her plate, but she taught him to sit close to her plate.
(iii) When the writer was in ill health he would sit near her head on her pillow and gently’stroke her forehead and hair, and his mov¬ing away was like the going away of a nurse or attendant.
(iv) During the period the authoress was in hospital Gillu did not eat more Kaju. She found in her room, there was full of Kaju but he did not eat them all.

5. When I used to work during summer afternoons, Gillu would abstain from going outside or sitting in his swing. To keep himself close to me and also to tackle the summer heat, he had discovered a totally new method. He would lie prostrate on the surahi kept near me and thus remain both close to me as well as be cool!

Squirrels have a life span of barely two years; as such, Gillu’s lease of life finally came to an end. For the whole day, he neither ate nor ventured out. In the night, even with the pain of going away, he came to my bed from the swing, and clutched the same finger with his icy claws, which he had clung to, in his near death-like state during his natal days. The claws were getting so cold that I switched on the heater and tried to give him some warmth. But, as the first ray of the morning touched him, he departed.

His swing was taken off the hook and the opening made in the wire- mesh window was closed.
Gillu w’as put to eternal rest under the Sonjuhi creeper-both, because he oved this creeper most and also because of the satisfaction. I derive from my belief that some spring day I will find him flowering and blossoming in the guise of a tiny yellow Juhi flower!

Questions:
(i) How did Gillu make himself cool in summer?
(ii) How long does Squirrel live?
(iii) Describe the end of Gillu?
(iv) How would the authoress find him again?
Answers:
(i) During summer afternoons when the authoress used to work, Guilu would abstain from going outside or sitting in his swing. To keep himself cool and close to her he would lie prostrate on the surahi kept near her and thus remain both close to her as well as be cool.
(ii) It.is said that Squirrels have a life span of barely two years.
(iii) Gillu’s lease of life finally came to an end. For the whole day, he neither ate nor ventured out. In the night, even with the pain of going away, he came to her bed from the swing and clutched the same finger with his icy claws. They were getting cold, but in the very morning he died.
(iv) The authoress put the dead body of Gillu to eternal rest under the Sonjuhi creeper for both the reasons, (i) because he loved that creeper most and (ii) because of her satisfaction. She believed that some spring day she would find him flowering and blossoming in the guise of a tiny yellow Juhi flower.