PROSE - 8

VIII CLASS
A SHORT ENGLISH COMMON NOTES PART- II

MONSOON DIARY
- Ruskin Bond
About the Author: Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is an Indian
author of British descent. He lives with his adopted family in
Landour, in Mussoorie, India. The Indian Council for Child
Education has recognized his role in the growth of children’s
literature in India. He got the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for
Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, for his published work in English.
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in
2014.
Ruskin Bond made his maiden big screen appearance with a
cameo in Vishal Bhardwaj’s film 7 Khoon Maaf, based on his short story Susanna’s Seven Husbands.
Bond appears as a Bishop in the movie with Priyanka Chopra playing the title role. Bond had earlier
collaborated with him in the The Blue Umbrella which was also based on one of his works.
KEY POINTS
This lesson is an extract from Ruskin Bond’s diary. The narration is all about the silent miracles
of nature and life’s little joys and sorrows. This was written in a monsoon during his stay in
Mussoorie. On certain dates, the author had made a series of diary entries, specifically mentioning
the changing scenario of nature from his own unique perception, providing the reader a picturesque
rich description. The hills are covered with snow. It has also silenced the birds. The mist has made
the hills silent because all the birds living in the hills are silent now.
When the rain comes life is fresh again with flowers and the noises of birds. It is “a paradise that
might have been.”
GLOSSARY
mist : fog
melancholy : sad
conceal : cover
still : calm and quiet
genuine : real, actual
humid : damp
rears : raises
ferns : flowerless
paradise : heaven
heralded : announced
screaming : crying
drongos : song birds
aggressive : ready to quarrel or attack
minivets : a red bird
creeper : ivy plant
rapidly : fast
steady : slow but continuous

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ENGLISH COMMON NOTES PART- II VIII CLASS

tropical : of warm regions of water

chopping up: cutting
tinkle : musical sound
cowbells : bells around the necks of cows
drips : falls
emerges : comes out
bobbing : moving up and down
ravine : valley
signifying : indicating
upright : straight
crevices : narrow openings
admonishes: scolds
altitudes : heights
drift : movement
drenched : wet
Form : Diary (personal writing)
Characters : The narrator (Ruskin Bond)
Theme/s : To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.
Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.
 Nature is the art of God.
Working with the text

1. Why is the author not able to see Bijju?

A. The author is not able to see Bijju because the mist has covered everything.
2. What are the two ways in which the hills appear to change when the mist comes up?
A. When the mist comes, it covers the hills. Secondly the birds become silent.
Working with the text
1. When does the monsoon season begin and when does it end? How do you prepare to face the
monsoon?
A. The monsoon season usually begins at the end of June and it ends in the end of August. We prepare
ourselves to face the monsoon by buying raincoats and umbrellas.
2. Which hill-station does the author describe in this diary entry?
A. Mussorie.
3. For how many days does it rain without stopping? What does the author do on these days?
A. It rains continuously for eight or nine days. The author keeps pacing the room and looking out of
the window.
4. Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter? Why?
A. The snakes and rodents take shelter in roofs, attics and godowns because when it rains heavily, their
burrows are flooded with water.
5. What did the author receive in the mail?
A. The author received a cheque in the mail.
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VIII CLASS ENGLISH COMMON NOTES PART- II

Working with the text

1. Look carefully at the diary entries for June 24-25, August 2 and March 23. Now write down
the changes that happen as the rains progress from June to March.
A. In Mussorie the rainy season arrives on June 24. The first monsoon rain is expected on 25th June.
Everyone welcomes the monsoon happily.
By August 2, the people become bored of the rain because it restricts their movement in the open air.
By March 23, the winter comes to an end. The nature becomes fresh again with new flowers and
there is rainbow in the sky.
2. Why did the grandmother ask the children not to kill the chuchundar?
A. The grandmother asked the children not to kill the chuchundar because she feels that chuchundar
brings luck.
3. What signs do we find in Nature which show that the monsoons are about to end?
A. By the end of the monsoon the greenery is at its peak. The seeds of the cobra lily turn red. This
shows that the monsoon is about to end.
4. Complete the following sentences.
A. i) Bijju is not seen but his voice is heard because the mist obstructs the vision.
ii) The writer describes the hill station and valley as ‘A paradise that might have been.’
iii) The leopard was successful in killing a dog but had to flee when Bijju’s mother arrived crying curses.
iv) The minivets are easily noticed because of their bright colours.
v) It looks like a fashion display on the slopes when they are covered by a variety of flowers.
vi) During the monsoon season snakes and rodents are found in roofs and attics because their holes
are flooded with water.
5. ‘Although tin roofs are given to springing unaccountable leaks, there is a feeling of being
untouched by, and yet in touch with the rain.
i) Why has the writer used the word springing?
ii) How is the writer untouched by the rain?
iii) How is the writer in touch with the rain at the same time?
A. The word ‘springing’ gives the idea of suddenness.
The writer is untouched by the rain because he is safe inside his room.
The writer hears the sound of the rainfall on his tin roof. He also looks out of the window to see the rain.
6. Mention a few things that can happen when there is endless rain for days together?
A. When there is endless rain for days together, life becomes difficult. One gets bored to stay at home
all the time. The washed clothes do not get dried. Many insects and reptiles enter inside the house.
7. What is the significance of cobra lily in relation to the monsoon season, its beginning and end?
A. The first cobra lily is seen with the arrival of the monsoon. When its seeds begin to turn red, it
indicates that the rain is coming to an end.
Working with language Solutions
1. Here are some words that are associated with the monsoon. Add as many words as you can
to this list. Can you find words for these in your languages?
rainwater fog overcast damp
soggy raincoat darkness leaks

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2. Put the verbs in the brackets into their proper forms. The first one is done for you.
1. We (get out) of the school bus. The bell (ring) and everyone (rush) to class.
A. We got out of the school bus. The bell was ringing and everyone was rushing to class.
2. The traffic (stop). Some people (sit) on the road and they (shout) slogans.
A. The traffic stopped some people were sitting on the road and they were shouting slogans.
3. I (wear) my raincoat. It (rain) and people (get) wet.
A. I was wearing my raincoat. It was raining and people were getting wet.
4. She (see) a film. She (narrate) it to her friends who (listen) carefully.
A. She had seen a film. She was narrating it to her friends who were listening carefully.
5. We (go) (to the exhibition. Some people (buy) clothes while others (play) games.
A. We went to the exhibition some people were buying clothes while others were playing games.
6. The class (is) quiet. Some children (read) books and the rest (draw).
A. The class was quiet. Some children were reading books and the rest were drawing.
3. Here are some words from the lesson which describe different kinds of sounds.
drum swish tinkle caw drip
i. Match these words with their correct meanings.
a) drip b) drum c) swish d) caw e) ring
ii. Now fill in the blanks using the correct form of the words given above.
a) drummed b) dripped c) swished d) tinkle e) caw
4. Complete each sentence below by using appropriate phrases from the ones given below.
1. sure enough 2. big enough 3. colourful enough 4. brave enough
5. anxious enough 6. kind enough 7. serious enough 8. foolish enough
9. fair enough
LITERATURE
Choose the correct option.
1. A diary is …………………. . ( )
A. a written record of daily personal experiences
B. used to note down the things one plans to do
C. used to express what one couldn’t express
D. all the above
2. The lesson, ‘A Short Monsoon Diary’ is a diary written by …………... ( )
A. Robert Frost B. Anne Frank C. Ruskin Bond D. John Keats
3. How was the forest in the mist? ( )
A. It was dead calm. B. It was luminous.
C. It was noisy. D. It was all the noise of chirping of birds.
4. Why was the narrator not able to see Bijju? ( )
A. because of the thick forest B. because of the thick mist
C. because Bijju was an illusion D. because Bijju hid himself
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VIII CLASS ENGLISH COMMON NOTES PART- II

5. ‘A paradise that might have been’. What does the paradise here refer to? ( )
A. the hill station and the valley B. the mist on the hill station
C. the nature of people living on the hill station
D. none of the above
6. Who was screaming imprecations at a tiger’s attack on Bijju’s cows? ( )
A. Bijju B. Bijju’s mother C. Bijju’s sister D. Bijju’s father
7. Select the option that is true for the two statements given below. ( )
(1) Water drips from a leaking drainpipe.
(2) The song of the whistling thrush emerges like a dark sweet secret.
A. 1 is the result of 2 B. 1 is the reason for 2
C. 1 is independent of 2 D. 1 contradicts 2
8. Which of the following shows the cause and effect relationship? ( )
A. endless rain and permanent mist – everything damp and soggy
B. a tree creeper – snapping up insects
C. no sun for eight days – endless rain and permanent mist
D. none of the above
9. Which of the following means ‘narrow openings or cracks in rock or wall’? ( )
A. orchids B. magenta C. shrew D. crevices
10. What do you think must have caused the beautiful golden light in the sky? ( )
A. an evening hailstorm B. the sunset
C. the sunrise D. the birds existing there
EXTRACTS
I. Attempt the extract given below.

January 26
Winter Rains in the Hills
In the hushed silence of the house when I am quite alone, and my friend, who was here has gone,
it is very lonely, very quiet, as I sit in a liquid silence, a silence within, surrounded by the rhythm
of rain, the steady drift of water on leaves, on lemons, on roof, drumming on drenched dahlias and
window panes, while the mist holds the house in a dark caress. As I pause near a window, the rain
stops. And starts again. And the trees, no longer green but grey, menace me with their loneliness.
i. ‘hushed silence of the house’…......... find the figure of speech in this phrase. ( )
A. Simile B. Alliteration C. Imagery D. Personification
ii. How did the author sit? ( )
A. In liquid silence B Lazily
C.Surrounded by the rhythm of rain D.Both A and C
iii. Attempt the analogy…....... . ( )
Hushed silence: nature:: Ruskin Bond : …………. .
A. Loneliness B. Dreamy
C. Hallucination D. Admiration

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iv. Select the appropriate option to fill in the blank.

The author was surrounded by the natural sounds ……….. . ( )
1. Rhythm of rain 2. Steady drift of water
3. Drumming on drenched dahlias 4. Drumming on window panes
5. Dark caress of the mist
A. 2,3,4,5. B. 1,2,3,4. C. 5,4,3,1 D. 1,2,3,5.
v. The cause of Ruskin Bond’s menacing mood is……........ . ( )
A. nature’s silence B. grey colored trees
C. The loneliness of the trees D. both B and C
II. Attempt the extract given below.

The rain stops. The clouds begin to break up, the sun strikes the hill on my left. A woman is chopping
up sticks. I hear the tinkle of cowbells. In the oak tree, a crow shakes the raindrops from his feathers
and caws disconsolately. Water drips from a leaking drainpipe. And suddenly, clean and pure, the
song of the whistling thrush emerges like a dark sweet secret from the depths of a ravine.
(August 3).
i. What changes were observed in the climate?
A.

ii. Diary entry is a ………. writing.

A.

iii. ‘I hear the tinkle of cow bells… find the literary device in this phrase.
A.

iv. What is the dark sweet secret according to the passage?

A.

v. Give the meaning of the term ‘ravine’.

A.

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VIII CLASS ENGLISH COMMON NOTES PART- II

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. How can you say that “Plants know that monsoon rain has come”?
A. When monsoon rain (warm & humid) comes the first cobra lily rears its head from the ferns. So
we can say that “Plants know that the monsoon has come”.
2. Write the name of seasonal visitors that rain heralded.
A. The rain heralded the arrival of some seasonal visitors i.e., a leopard, several thousands of leeches,
scarlet minivets, drongos, a tree creeper etc.
3. Where did the author find the leopard and what was he doing there?
A. The leopard was near the servant’s quarter below the school and he was lifting a dog. In the
evening a leopard attacked one of Bijju’s cows. He approached Bijju’s mother who was screaming
imprecations.
4. Why can scarlet minivets not conceal themselves under the trees?
A. Scarlet minivets (bright red bird like a cuckoo) flit among leaves like brilliant jewels. But they
cannot conceal themselves. No matter how leafy the tree is because they are very bright in colour.”
5. Do you really think that “chuchundars are lucky”? Explain why?
A. Yes, we really think that chuchundars are lucky because the author received a cheque in the
mail. Not a large amount of money but something was there.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Look carefully at the diary entries for June 24-25, August 2 and March 23. Now write down
the changes that happen as the rains progress from June to March.
A. June 24 was the first day of monsoon mist. Birds fell silent as the mist climbed up the hills and
blanketed them in silence. On June 25, there was an early monsoon rain. There was a change of
weather which was very warm. The author felt that the plants knew it too, and the first cobra lily
reared its head from the ferns. The weather was ‘a paradise that might ‘have been’ on August 2, it
rained all night. But no storm or thunder. The author had a feeling of “being untouched by, and yet
in touch with, the rain.” March 23 marked the end of winter. The author saw the blackest cloud and
watched a hailstorm. The sky was clear and a rainbow formed.
2. The lesson is a record of personal experiences that is helpful in understanding the nature.
Give your opinion.
A. The lesson is a personal account of Ruskin Bond, who described nature and its bounties. It is a
writer’s document that is helpful for any traveller. It gives confidence and detailed account of the
hill station. The weather and miracle of nature is narrated so well, that anyone can feel association
with the surrounding. The author described some of the changes in Nature that occurred periodically
with dates in a more picturesque way. The very description makes a reader to experience as if they
are witnessing the same by making a journey along with the author. Though it is a personal account
of the author it is a pleasure viewing nature from Ruskin Bond’s point of view.

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