1. Answer the following questions from the lesson:

(a) Why was Seema upset?

(b) What did Swati suggest to her mother?

(c) What happened when Seema met the lady at the office of the NGO?

(d) What did the women of ‘Brave Mothers’ do?

(e) What was Seema interested in doing?

(f) How did the NGO help Seema?

2. Check your comprehension.

Find out the meanings of the words in italics and select the correct answers from the options.

a) Seema looked at Swati’s calm and resolute face.

i) sad

ii) adamant

iii) brave

iv) determined, firm

b) “I would like to choose culinary training as a vocation.”

i) tailoring

ii) toy making

iii) embroidery

iv) cooking

c) Her heart brimmed with new dreams.

i) lacked

ii) overflowed

iii) loaded

iv) exhausted

3) Here are some more words from the lesson.

Read the words in column A and find out their meanings in column B. Draw lines to match each word with its meaning.

A	B
(a) edge	(i) put one’s arms around somebody to hold them tightly, especially to show deep love or liking.
(b) adored	(ii) wrote something quickly
(c) jotted	(iii) loved somebody very much
(d) hugged	(iv) a raised design on a fabric
(e) embossed	(v) the outside limit of an object, a surface or an area

4. Sit in groups. Each group will take up one of the following points for discussion. The leader of each group will present the answers to the class on behalf of the group:

(a) What, according to you, are the qualities of a good daughter/good son?

(b) Do you think Swati is a good daughter? Why do you think so?

(c) What are the good qualities you have that match with Swati’s? (Each member will write his/her good qualities as a daughter/son.)

(d) What will you do to become a better daughter/son?

5) Let’s learn some grammar:

Look at the underlined words in the following sentences from the lesson.

“Seema Deka drew the window curtains of her living room. Without switching on the light, she sat on the edge of her bed, lost in thought.”

The underlined words on, of and in are prepositions. A preposition is a word usually placed before a noun or a pronoun to show its relation to a place, time, cause, purpose or means.

Here are some common types of prepositions. They denote

a) Place or position : e.g. in, on, at, over, under, above, below, behind, between, beyond.

i) The book is on the table.

ii) He is at school now.

b) Time : e.g. at, on, in, for, from……….to, since, during, till/until.

i) She will go to office in the morning.

ii) She sat there for three hours.

c) Cause : e.g. because of, on account of, from, out of, of.

i) The match had to be stopped because of the rain.

ii) Our school is closed on account of Bihu.

d) Purpose : e.g. for.

i) I am waiting for the taxi.

e) Means : e.g. by, with, on, in.

i) I go to school by bus.

ii) I will cut the cake with this knife.

Now fill in the blanks with the correct preposition from the choices given in brackets.

a) Seema was upset ………………… the information. (with/in/by)

b) Swati told her ……………………. a lady who lived here. (about/of/for)

c) She asked Seema to see the lady …………………… her office. (on/at/by)

d) She was the boss ……………….. the NGO. (for/by/of)

e) Swati goes to school ……………….. bus. (by/on/with)