Samacheer Kalvi 6th English Solutions Term 3 Supplementary Chapter 1 A Childhood in Malabar: A Memoir

Students can Download English Lesson 1 A Childhood in Malabar: A Memoir Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Samacheer Kalvi 6th English Book Solutions Guide Pdf  helps you to revise the complete Tamilnadu State Board New Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Tamilnadu Samacheer Kalvi 6th English Solutions Term 3 Supplementary Chapter 1 A Childhood in Malabar: A Memoir

A. Identify the Character/Speaker.

1. ‘Why isn’t the snake coming?”
2. ‘I wonder whether it’s a cyclone.’
3. ‘I want to see Kutti Oppu.”
4. ‘Will the house collapse?”
5. ‘Is she crazy?”

Answers:

1. Kamala Das
2. Ammamma
3. Malathi Kutty
4. Muthassi
5. Muthassi

Identify The Character / speaker : Additional

1. ‘Snakes never come out, when human beings are watching child.’ – Meenakshi Edathi
2. ‘The sound of it scares me.’ – Ammamma
3. ‘Have you closed all the small windows’ Kochu?’ – Muthassi
4. ‘I’ll close them, Amine; I’ll close all of them.’ – Ammamma
5. ‘She’ll come by dusk.’ – Ammamma
6. ‘How can you be so foolish, Bala?’ – Ammaman
7. ‘This rain will never stop.’ – Servant Woman
8. ‘There’s knee-deep water in the yard now. ’ – Sankaran Nair
9. ‘We want to swim.’ – Kamala Das
10. ‘Lie down on this.’ – Sankaran Nair

B. Write True or False

1. Droplets of rain glimmered on Ammamma’s face.
2. Malathi kutty wanted to see Kutti Oppu.
3. Ammayi comforted Malathi Kutty, when she sobbed.
4. The coconut palm crashed down due to heavy rain.

Answers:

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True

State True or False : Additional

1. Meenakshi Edathi was fair skinned and young.
2. Kamala Das began to feel sleepy after lunch.
3. The seat of the swing that hung from the Ilanji tree fell down.
4. All of them took shelter in the northern room upstairs as Ammaman’s mother instructed them to do.
5. Muthassi suggested that they should chant aksharaslokams.
6. Ammamma gave the children metal dice to play with.
7. The servant took refuge in the make shift toilet adjacent to the room.
8. Two dogs were whining in the eastern yard.
9. Someone seemed to be knocking on the door on the southern side.
10. In a storm like this, how can we make a difference between a man and a dog?

Answers:

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. False
6. True
7. True
8. False
9. True
10. True

C. Choose the correct answer and write it in the blank.

Question 1.
Meenakshi Edathi was a ________ relative of the Ambazhathel family.
(a) close
(b) distant
(c) real
Answer:
(b) distant

Question 2.
We suddenly heard the sound of the rain from the ________ like a roar
(a) southeast
(b) southwest
(c) northeast
Answer:
(b) southwest

Question 3.
The ________ with four pillars began to overflow.
(a) central hall
(b) southern room
(c) courtyard
Answer:
(a) central hall

Question 4.
________ arrived drenched to the skin.
(a) Ammaman
(b) Cheriamma
(c) Ammayi
Answer:
(c) Ammayi

Question 5.
There was knee-deep water in the ________
(a) courtyard
(b) cowshed
(c) kitchen
Answer:
(a) courtyard

MCQ : Additional

Question 1.
It was someone’s _____ at Ambazhathel
(a) wedding day
(b) birthday
(c) special day
Answer:
(b) birthday

Question 2.
She had only certain trivial duties to _____
(a) carryout
(b) implement
(c) perform
Answer:
(c) perform

Question 3.
She spent her time _____ around the house and compound.
(a) walking
(b) rushing
(c) running
Answer:
(b) rushing

Question 4.
There were _____ servants to Carry out all other tasks.
(a) several
(b) plenty
(c) innumerable
Answer:
(c) innumerable

Question 5.
The wind tore through the coconut palms in the southern compound with a _____ roar.
(a) scaring
(b) frightening
(c) loud
Answer:
(b) frightening

Question 6.
Using all her force, Ammamma _____ the windows shut.
(a) slammed
(b) pulled
(c) made
Answer:
(a) slammed

Question 7.
She said this room had the strongest _____
(a) roof
(b) ceiling
(c) attic
Answer:
(b) ceiling

Question 8.
Ammamma and the grandmothers sat on the rolled up _____ stacked on the floor.
(a) beds
(b) mats
(c) mattresses
Answer:
(c) mattresses

Question 9.
I put my hand into the water in the .
(a) courtyard
(b) kitchen
(c) centre hall
Answer:
(a) courtyard

Question 10.
We spent the whole night in the room.
(a) northern
(b) southern
(c) eastern
Answer:
(b) southern

D. Rearrange the following jumbled sentences in the correct order.

• The dry leaves that had collected around the pond swirled upwards.
• “Branches shook and the seat of the swing fell down from the ilanji tree.
• The wind tore through the coconut palms in the southern compound. .
• Meenakshi Edathi was a dark skinned and middle aged woman.
• Without Meenakshi Elathi, Ambazhathel family could not have existed happily for a single day.

Answer:

• Meenakshi Edathi was a dark skinned and middle aged woman.
• Without Meenakshi Elathi, Ambazhathel family could not have existed happily for a single day.
• The wind tore through the coconut palms in the southern compound.
• The dry leaves that had collected around the pond swirled upwards.
• Branches shook and the seat of the swing fell down from the ilanji tree.

Rearrange the Following Jumbled Sentences : Additional

A.
1. She had only certain trivial duties to perform.
2. She was dark-skinned and middle aged.
3. Meenakshi Edathi was a distance relative of the Ambazhathel family.
4. Being poor, she was dependent on their generosity.
5. She spent her time, rushing around the house and compound.
Answer:
3, 4, 2, 5, 1
3. Meenakshi Edathi was a distance relative of the Ambazhathel family.
4. Being poor, she was dependent on their generosity.
2. She was dark-skinned and middle aged.
5. She spent her time rushing around the house and compound.
2. She had only certain trivial duties to perform.

B.
1. He was shivering in the cold.
2. Poor thing, he must have come out with Balamani Amma’, said Sankaran.
3. Lie down on this.
4. We looked at thumbi and he looked at us.
5. Sankaran spread a gunny bag on the Verandah.
Answer:
2, 4, 1, 5, 3
2. Poor thing, he must have come out with Balamani Amma’, said Sankaran.
4. We looked at thumbi and he looked at us.
1. He was shivering in the cold.
5. Sankaran spread a gunny bag on the Verandah.
3. Lie down on this.

E. Find answer for the questions given below, identify the person and write a character sketch about her,

Question 1.
Who was the important person in the Ambazhathel family?
Answer:
Meenakshmi Edathi was the important person in Ambazhathel family.

Question 2.
Why was she considered an important person?
Answer:
She was the only one, who knew how much paddy should be boiled each time to make enough rice for the household or how many mundus had been given to the washerman or when to give medicine to the children. So she was considered an important person.

Question 3.
How did she spend her time?
Answer:
She spent her time rushing around the house and compound, never stopping to rest. Her face constantly wore an expression that asked for forgiveness. She had certain trivial duties to perform.

Question 4.
Describe her appearance and qualities.
Answer:
She was dark-skinned and middle aged. She is busy always and never stops to take rest.

Question 5.
How would the days be without her? –
Answer:
The family of Ambazhathel could not have existed happily for a single day without Meenakshi Edathi.

Character Sketch of Meenakshi Edathi

Meenakshi Edathi was a distant relative of the Ambazhathel family. Being poor, she was dependent on their generosity. She was dark-skinned and a middle-aged person. She spent her time, rushing around the house and compound, never stopping to rest. Her face always wore an expression that asked for forgiveness. She had certain trivial duties to perform like welcoming the priest with an offering of paddy, lighting all the lamps at dusk, churning the curd and taking out the butter for children and drawing designs with rice batter on the door on the day of the Nira festival. The Ambazhathel family could not have existed happily for a single day without Meenakshi, as she was the only one, who knew how much paddy should be boiled each time to make enough rice for the members of the household or how many mundus had been given to the washerman or when to give medicine to the children.

F. Think and Answer.

Question 1.
Imagine that you are caught on a stormy day. How will you manage the situation?
Answer:
One day, I was in school. At about 2 p.m., the school gave over, as there was a weather forecast expecting a storm in the evening after 5 p.m. The students were allowed to go home, only after their parents came to pick them up. My mother, due to some problem, came to pick me up only after 4.30 p.m. It was a long way to go to our home. We travelled half way by a bus and then got down to take another bus. By then, the storm had started. The wind blew hard on us. We had to take shelter in a bus terminus. It rained heavily. We couldn’t step out of the bus terminus for nearly two hours. Then we came out. It was still raining. There was water upto our knees. My mother gave a call to my father asking him to come there. He hired a car and picked us up. We reached home safely at 8 p.m.

Project

G. Make a fact file on how do we use these resources in our day-to-day life.

• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Hydro energy

Answer:
Solar Energy

Many scientist believe that solar energy is the future fuel. To cut down electricity bills, we should use solar energy. You can choose a full solar electrical system and completely remove yourself from the local power supply company. Solar systems can heat the water in your homes to fill your hot-water tank. Almost every electronic device that contains GPS or receives information via satellite such as cell phones, use some of the oldest solar technology around. Satellites that link us to most mass forms of media directly or indirectly use the sun’s rays to power them.

Wind Energy

The earth is a source of many forms of energy such as hydro, biomass, nuclear and geothermal. Wind energy is a source of energy which is free, very abundant and environment friendly. Wind turbines are one of the power generating devices, which utilize wind energy to generate power. This electricity is used to run electric devices and or stored in the batteries. Many countries use wind energy to power a pump water from the ground. The wind energy is also used to power the sailing ships in the sea. A more enjoyable use to wind energy is for sports and activities that rely on the power of wind.

Hydro Energy

Like wind energy, Hydro energy is mostly used for electricity generation and accounts for almost 20% of the total global electricity production. Hydro- power is also used to store energy. Hydro electricity is one of the cheapest and non-polluting sources of power. It is much more reliable than wind and solar power. The most common type of hydro-electric power plant uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity.

Connecting To Self

H. Fill in the table given below.

I. During winter season many of us fall sick and suffer from cold, cough and fever. Put a (✓) for the things you will do to keep fit.

1. Drink cold water. [×]
2. Eat home-cooked food. [✓]
3. I will visit the doctor. [✓]
4. Never wash my hands. [×]
5. I will take medicine and rest. [✓]

J. Tick the correct word for the given icon.

Answer:

Steps to Success

K. Relate the sentences with weather / climate / season and write the suitable word in the blanks.

1. forecast is useful for farmers, fishermen, and navigators.
2. The _______ of a place is permanent in nature.
3. India has a tropical monsoon _______
4. Spring, Summer, autumn and winter are the four _______
5. Global warming is a change in the world’s _______
6. Satellite photographs help us predict tomorrow’s _______
7. Spring is my favourite _______

Answers:

1. Weather
2. climate
3. climate
4. seasons
5. climate
6. weather forecast
7. season

A Childhood in Malabar: A Memoir Additional Questions

I. Read the Passage and Answer the Questions.

1. It was someone’s birthday at Ambazhathel I’m not sure whose – the day there was a cyclone. Ettan, my elder brother, and I were invited to the feast there that day. Malathikutty took us to the serpent shrine before lunch. We watched Meenakshi Edathi setting out turmeric, milk and bananas for the snakes.

Question a.
Who were invited to the feast?
Answer:
Kamala Das and her elder brother were invited to the feast.

Question b.
Where did Maiathi Kutty take them?
Answer:
She took them to the serpent shrine.

Question c.
What was the feast mentioned here?
Answer:
It was someone’s birthday at Ambazhathel.

2. I began to feel sleepy after lunch. Malathikutty came back with us to Nalapat. Barely an hour after we got home, we heard the sound of the gale. The wind tore through the coconut palms in the southern compound with a frightening roar. The dry leaves that had collected around the pond swirled upwards belligerently. Branches shook.

Question a.
Who came back to Nalapat?
Answer:
Maiathi Kutty came back to Nalapat.

Question b.
When did they hear the sound of a gale?
Answer:
Barely an hour after they got home, they heard the sound of the gale.

Question c.
What had collected around the pond?
Answer:
The dry leaves had collected around the pond.

3. She said this room had the strongest ceiling, The thekkini was flooded and the water that had collected in the sunken courtyard of the nalukettu, the central hall with four wooden pillars, began to overflow. Ammaman and all of us sat on the bed.

Question a.
Whit was flooded with water?
Answer:
Thekkini was flooded with water.

Question b.
How many pillars had the central hall?
Answer:
It had four wooden pillars.

Question c.
What Is nalukettu?
Answer:
Nalukettu is the central hall.

4. Cheriamma suggested that we chant aksharaslokams to forget our fear : each one of us would have to recite a verse and the next person would follow with a verse that began with the first letter of the third line of the quatrain that had just been chanted. No one volunteered, though. So Cheriamma recited from Vallathol’s Imprisoned Aniruddhan.

Question a.
Who suggested to chant aksharaslokams?
Answer:
Cheriamma suggested to chant Aksharaslokams.

Question b.
Did anyone volunteer to chant?
Answer:
No one volunteered to chant the slokams.

Question c.
What did Cheriamma recite?
Answer:
Cheriamma recited from Vallathol’s Imprisoned Aniruddhan.

5. It was the sound of a pleading voice saying ‘Please open the gate’ that actually woke me. A young man stood smiling in the waist-high water at the gate. ‘I’m from Vadekkara. Is everyone here all right? ‘Yes,’ said Ammamma.’ We’ve had no casualties. How did you come, Balan?’ ‘I started out at daybreak and waded through the water’.

Question a.
Prom where did the young man corrti?
Answer:
The young man came from Vadekkara.

Question b.
What was his name?
Answer:
His name was Balan.

Question c.
What is meant by casualty?
Answer:
Casualty means a person who is injured.

II. Paragraph Questions.

Question 1.
what happened as soon as the storm started?
Ans:
When Kamala Das and her elder brother came home, they heard the sound of the gale within an hour. The wind tore through the coconut palms in the southern compound with a frightening roar. The dry leaves that had collected around the pond swirled upwards aggressively. Branches shook and the seat of the swing that hung from the ilanji tree fell down. The lights grew dim. A cocount palm crashed down due to this heavy rain. Thekkini and the central hall were flooded with water.

Question 2.
whit precautions mm taken by the immstes of the Ambeihathel family during the heavy rain?
Answer:
Ammamma asked the children to sit upstairs in the middle room and gave them a metal dice to play with. Since the lights had grown dim, she lit a brass lamp as well. Muthassi called out to Ammamma to close all the small windows immediately. Using all her force, Ammamma slammed the windows shut. She insisted that all of them should say their prayers and sit quietly. They took shelter in the southern room downstairs. They sat on the bed and mattresses. The servant woman took refuge in the makeshift toilet adjacent to the room.

Question 3.
who was knocking on the dour on the southern fide? Why?
Answer:
A dog was knocking on the door on the southern side. Sankaran Nair opened the door. The dog stood on the verandah, dripping wet. He was Thumbi, the black and white pet dog from Ambazhathel. He was fully drenched and shivering in the cold. Sankaran spread a gunny bag on the verandah for Thumbi to lie down and said that we can’t make a difference between a man and dog in a storm like that. Thumbi lay down on the gunny bag and looked contentedly at Kamala and her brother.

A Childhood in Malabar: A Memoir Summary

This story, written by Kamala Das recounts the incident of a stormy day at her grand parents’ house in the village of Kerala. Kamala Das and her elder brother were invited to the feast of someone’s birthday at Ambazhathel. They were taken to the serpent shrine by Malathi Kutty. There, they saw Meenakshi Edathi. She was a distant relative of the Ambazhathel family. She was setting out turmeric, milk and bananas for the snakes.

Being poor, she was dependent on their generosity. A middle aged person, Meenakshi spent her time rushing around the house and compound, doing certain trivial duties. But the family of Ambazhathel could not have existed happily for a single day without Meenakshi, as she was the only one, who knew about the needs of the inmates of the family.

After lunch, they returned home to Nalapat along with Malathi Kutty. Within an hour, they heard the sound of a gale. The wind tore through the cocount palms, dry leaves swirled upwards, branches shook ahd the seat of the swing fell down, due to this gale. Kamala Das’ grandmother, (Ammamma) asked all of them to sit down in the upstairs middle room and gave them a metal dice to play with.

Her father’s mother (Muthassi) ordered to close all the small windows. The sound of the rain was like the roar of a vast crowd of people. Malathi Kutty insisted that she wanted to go to Ambazhathel and see Kutti Oppu. Ammamma tried to comfort her that she will send her as soon as the storm stopped. The backyard was flooded and the water had also collected in the Central Hall. They all sat on their beds and mattresses. Just then, Ammayi arrived, drenched to the skin. Cheriamma suggested that they can chant akshara slokans to forget their fear.

As soon as Ammaman and Ammayi went upstairs, the servant woman started wailing and hitting her head with her hands. She was worried about her family members. Muthassi and Ammamma comforted her and said that she could go home the next day, as soon as the rain stopped. All of them, heard the trees crashing to the ground and a dog whining in the western yard. Sankaran Nair told them that there was knee-deep water in the courtyard.

Thumbi, their pet dog was also drenched and was shivering in the cold. Sankaran spread a gunny bag for Thumbi to lie down. All of them spent the whole night in the southern room. When they woke up, the rain had stopped. A young man from Vadekkara came to check whether all are safe. He told them that he started out at day break and waded through the water. On his way, he saw the collapsed huts and trees, dead fowls and dead goats floating in the water. When Kamala Das enquired the young man whether anyone had sent them Murukkus or dates, her grandmother corrected her saying that was not the time to ask for all those things. Kamala hung her head ashamed.