Class 10 English Chapter 5 Our Runaway Kite – Lucy Maud Montgomery

Our Runaway Kite – Lucy Maud Montgomery

About the Author & the Text:

A popular and financially successful writer, Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) is considered one of Canada’s best-known and most enduring authors. She is best known for Anne of Green Gables (1908). Montgomery published twenty novels and more than five hundred short stories and poems for appreciative readers of all ages. Some of her notable works are – Rilla of Ingleside, Emily of New Moon, etc.

Our Runaway Kite is a short story of a brother and sister living on an isolated island with their fathers who, through a series of incidents, get reunited with their long-lost relatives. It is a touching tale that emphasises on the value of relationships.

 

Unit 1 Summary:

The narrator, with her father and Claude, Aunt Esther, Mimi and Dick lived on the isolated Big Half Moon island. But it first used to be the narrator, Claude, and father. Her father was the keeper of the Big Half Moon lighthouse. She was eleven and her brother Claude was twelve years then. They, during the winter, moved to the mainland when the harbour got frozen and used to return to their island as soon as spring came. People often pitied them as they were lonesome over there. However, the narrator and her brother had to make the most of each other. Of course, Claude and the narrator would have liked to have someone to play with them because it was difficult to play the ‘pirate caves’ and things like that by only two. But they also used to quarrel a good deal with the mainland children in winter. Claude and the narrator never quarreled. It used to puzzle the narrator and her brother that their father didn’t seem to have any relations except them. On asking him about that, he seemed sorrowful and told them that it was all his fault.

[ বক্তা, তার বাবা, ক্লড, আন্টি এস্থার , মিমি এবং ডিকের সাথে বিচ্ছিন্ন বিগ হাফ মুন দ্বীপে বসবাস করতেন।  তবে এটি প্রথমে ছিল শুধু বক্তা, ক্লড এবং তাদের বাবা। তার বাবা বিগ হাফ মুন বাতিঘরের রক্ষক ছিলেন। তখন বক্তার বয়স ছিল এগারো এবং তার ভাই ক্লড এর বারো বছর।  তারা, শীতকালে, পোতাশ্রয় বরফে ঢেকে গেলে মূল ভূখণ্ডে চলে যেত এবং বসন্ত এলেই তাদের দ্বীপে ফিরে আসত।  লোকেরা প্রায়ই তাদের জন্য করুণা করত কারণ তারা সেখানে একা ছিল।  যাইহোক, বক্তা এবং তার ভাইকে একে অপরের সবচেয়ে বেশি ব্যবহার করতে হয়েছিল। অবশ্যই ক্লড এবং বক্তা তাদের সাথে খেলার জন্য অন্য কাউকে পছন্দ করতেন কারণ ‘গুহায় জলদস্যু’ এবং এই জাতীয় জিনিসগুলি কেবল দুজনের সাথে খেলা কঠিন ছিল। তবে শীতকালে তারা মূল ভূখণ্ডের শিশুদের সঙ্গে বেশ ঝগড়াও করত। ক্লড এবং বক্তা কখনও ঝগড়া করেননি। এটি বক্তা এবং তার ভাইকে ধাঁধায় ফেলে দিত যে তাদের বাবার তাদের ছাড়া আর কোন সম্পর্ক আছে বলে মনে হয় না। তাকে এই বিষয়ে জিজ্ঞাসা করলে, তিনি দুঃখিত হয়েছিলেন এবং তাদের বলেছিলেন যে এই দোষ সমস্ত তার। ]

Unit 1 Word Notes:

Island – দ্বীপ
Lighthouse – সামুদ্রিক বন্দরের বাতিঘর
Harbour – পোতাশ্রয়
Frozen – বরফ জমা
Pity – করুণা করা
Lonesome – একাকী
Quarrel – ঝগড়া করা
Puzzle – হতবাক করা
Jolly – আনন্দদায়ক
Sorrowful – দুঃখী

Comprehension Exercises (Unit 1)

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences: 

(a) The keeper of the Big Half Moon Lighthouse is
(i) Aunt Esther (ii) Father (iii) Claude (iv) Dick

Ans: (ii) father

(b) The family moved over to the mainland in
(i) summer (ii) spring (iii) monsoon (iv) winter

Ans: (iv) winter

(c) When asked about relations, Father looked
(i) happy (ii) angry (iii) sorrowful (iv) irritated

Ans: (iii) sorrowful

2. Fill in the chart with information from the text:

(a) name of the islandBig Half Moon
(b) Age of ClaudeTwelve years
(c) the game played by Claude and the narratorPirate caves

3. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/ phrases /words in support of your answer:

(i) People felt that Claude and the narrator were lonesome in the island.   True

Supporting Statement: They said we must be lonesome over there, with no other children near us.

(ii) Claude and the narrator quarreled.   False

Supporting Statement: Claude and I never quarreled.

(iii) Nobody on the mainland had relations.   False

Supporting Statement: Everybody on the mainland had relations.

 

Unit 2 Summary:

In summer Big Half Moon was lovely – the harbour was blue and calm with little wind and ripples. Every summer the narrator and her brother had some hobby. Last summer before Dick and Mimi came, they were mad for kites. They made plenty of kites and played shipwrecked mariners signalling to each other with kites. They had a big red kite with tinsel stars pasted over it. They wrote their names- Philippa Leete and Claude Leete, Big Half Moon lighthouse on it. One day the wind was perfect for kite flying but the narrator somehow fell over the rocks and her elbow went through the kite making a big hole while bringing the kite. They had to fix it up as soon as possible so they used what came handy – an old letter. As they started out the kite went up like a bird but after sometime it snapped and flew towards the mainland.

[ গ্রীষ্মে বিগ হাফ মুন সুন্দর ছিল – বন্দরটি ছিল নীল এবং সামান্য বাতাস এবং ঢেউ এর সাথে শান্ত। প্রতি গ্রীষ্মে বক্তা এবং তার ভাইয়ের কিছু শখ থাকতো। গত গ্রীষ্মে ডিক এবং মিমি আসার আগে, তারা ঘুড়ির জন্য পাগল ছিল। তারা প্রচুর ঘুড়ি তৈরি করেছিল এবং ঘুড়ি দিয়ে একে অপরকে সংকেত দিয়ে জাহাজ ভেঙ্গে যাওয়া নাবিকদের খেলা খেলত। তাদের একটি বড় লাল ঘুড়ি ছিল যার উপরে চকচকে তারা আটকানো ছিল। তারা ওই ঘুড়ির উপর তাদের নাম লিখেছিল – ফিলিপপা লিটে এবং ক্লড লিটে, বিগ হাফ মুন বাতিঘর। একদিন বাতাস ঘুড়ি ওড়ানোর জন্য খুব ভালো ছিল কিন্তু বক্তা ঘুড়ি আনার সময় কোনোভাবে পাথরের উপর পড়ে যায় এবং তার কনুই ঘুড়ির মধ্যে দিয়ে গিয়ে একটি বড় গর্ত তৈরি করে। তাদের যত তাড়াতাড়ি সম্ভব এটি ঠিক করতে হয়েছিল তাই তারা  হাতের কাছে যা আসে তা ব্যবহার করে – একটি পুরোনো চিঠি। যখন তারা শুরু করলো ঘুড়িটা পাখির মত উড়ে গেল কিন্তু কিছুক্ষণ পর ছিড়ে গিয়ে ছিটকে উড়ে গেল মূল ভূখন্ডের দিকে। ]

Unit 2 Word Notes

Tinsel : পাতলা ও চকচকে চুমকিসমূহ যা সাজানোর জন্য ব্যবহার করা হয়
Ripples: ঢেউ
Grand wind: জোরালো হাওয়া
Handy : হাতের নাগালের মধ্যে অবস্থিত
Tripped: হোঁচট খাওয়া
Hole: গর্ত
Patched: ক্ষতে প্রলেপ দেওয়া
Glorious: চমত্কার
Soared: উঁচুতে ওড়া
Cord: দড়ি
Sailed away: দূরে যাত্রা করা
Mainland: মূল ভূখণ্ড

Comprehension Exercises (Unit 2)

4. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

a) In summer the Big Half Moon is always
i) lovely ii) unpleasant iii) boring iv) dull

Ans: i) lovely

b) Back on the island, Claude and the narrator made plenty of
i) puppets ii) masks iii) kites iv) envelopes

Ans: iii) kites

c) The kite was patched with a
i) newspaper ii) letter iii) envelope iv) card

Ans: ii) letter

5. Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

i) A boy on the mainland showed Claude how to make kites.

ii) On the kite Claude and the narrator pasted gold tinsel stars all over it and had written their names full on it.

iii) Claude was standing with a bit of cord of the sailed away kite in his hand, looking foolish.

6. Fill in the chart with information from the text:

StatementReason
a) The narrator’s elbow went through the kite.When she was bringing the kite from the house, she tripped and fell over the rocks.
b) Claude and the narrator hurried to fix the kite.They wanted to send the kite up before the wind fell.
c) The kite soared.The wind was glorious.
 

Unit 3 Summary:

A month later a letter came for their father. After finishing the letter he broke into tears. Then he told them about that kite and the complete story. He had a sister and brother with whom he quarreled and left the house. Years later, he returned back feeling sorry but found his brother dead and no trace of his sister. The letter he received was from that sister, Aunt Esther. She was a widow and was living hundreds of miles inland. One day her children Dick and Mimi found the old letter patched kite while playing in the woods. They took it to their mother and she recognized the letter as the same one which she once wrote to her brother. Even Phillipa was her mother’s and Calude was her father’s name. Then she wrote a letter to her brother and he brought them all on the Big Half Moon island. Now they also had relatives with them.

[ মাসখানেক পর বাবার জন্য চিঠি এলো। তিনি চিঠিটা পড়া শেষ করার পর কান্নায় ভেঙে পড়লেন। তারপর তিনি তাদের সেই ঘুড়ি এবং সম্পূর্ণ ঘটনা সম্পর্কে বললেন। তার এক বোন ও ভাই ছিল যাদের সাথে ঝগড়া করে তিনি বাড়ি ছেড়ে চলে যান। অনেক বছর পর, তিনি দুঃখিত হয়ে ফিরে আসেন কিন্তু তার ভাইকে মৃত অবস্থায় দেখতে পান এবং তার বোনের কোনো সন্ধান পাননি। তিনি যে চিঠিটি পেয়েছিলেন তা সেই বোন, আন্টি এস্থারের কাছ থেকে।  তিনি একজন বিধবা ছিলেন এবং শত শত মাইল অভ্যন্তরে বসবাস করছিলেন। একদিন তার সন্তান ডিক এবং মিমি জঙ্গলে খেলার সময় পুরানো চিঠি লাগানো ঘুড়িটি খুঁজে পায়। তারা এটি তাদের মায়ের কাছে নিয়ে যায় এবং তিনি বুঝতে পারেন এই চিঠি একই চিঠি যা তিনি একবার তার ভাইকে লিখেছিলেন। এমনকি ফিলিপপা তার মায়ের এবং ক্লড ছিল তার বাবার নাম। তারপর সে তার ভাইকে একটি চিঠি লিখেছিল এবং তার ভাই তাদের সবাইকে বিগ হাফ মুন দ্বীপে নিয়ে আসে।  এখন তাদের সঙ্গে আত্মীয়স্বজনও ছিল। ]

Unit 3 Word Notes

Whole: সম্পূর্ণ, পুরো
Quarreled: ঝগড়া করা
Years afterward : কয়েক বছর পরে
Widow: বিধবা
Woods: বন
Discovered: আবিস্কার করা
Turned: পরিনত
Pale: ফ্যাকাশে, বিবর্ণ
Dear: প্রিয়
Relations: সম্পর্ক

Comprehension Exercises (Unit 3)

7. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

(a) A letter came for father after a
(i) day (ii) week (iii) fortnight (iv) month

Ans: (iv) month

(b) Father left home after quarreling with his
(i) brother (ii) sister (iii) aunt (iv) uncle

Ans: (i) brother

(c) Dick and Mimi discovered the kite on the top of a
(i) roof (ii) tree (iii) lighthouse (iv) light post

Ans: (ii) tree

 8. Fill in the chart with information from the text:

(a) person who sent the letterAunt Esther
(b) name of Aunt Esther’s motherPhilippa
(c) total number of family members in the narrator’s family at presentSix

9. Answer the following questions:

a) What did Father find when he went back home years afterward?

Ans. When he went back home years afterward he found his brother had passed away and he couldn’t find his sister.

b) Where did Aunt Esther live?

Ans. Aunt Esther lived hundreds of miles inland.

c) Why did Aunt Esther turn pale?

Ans. Aunt Esther turned pale and surprised when she found the kite patched with the same letter she had written to her brother earlier.

 

Grammar in Use

10. Change the following sentences into questions, as directed:

a) Shankha lives in Alipurduar. (Information question using ‘where’ )

Ans- Where does Shankha live?

b) They have gone to a picnic. (Interrogative sentence using ‘where’ )

Ans- Where have they gone?

c) I went to school yesterday. (Simple question using ‘did’ )

Ans- Did I go to school yesterday?

d) Tia studies in class x. (Information question using ‘which’)

Ans- Which class does Tia study in?

 

Writing Activities

11. Suppose your bicycle has a sudden tyre puncture on your way to school. You have taken the cycle to a repair shop. Write an imaginary dialogue (within 100 words) between the shopkeeper and you.

Rules:

  • A dialogue is written in the form of conversation.
  • Use as much as colloquial language.
  • The dialogue of a person should not be too long. Use short speech, question, answer, interruption, etc.
  • Each speaker should be given almost same share of dialogues.

Answer:

I: Hello uncle!

Shopkeeper: Hello! What can I do for you?

I:  My bicycle has got a sudden tyre puncture. Can you fix it?

Shopkeeper: Yes! Of course, I can. But how did it happen?

I: Actually I was in a hurry on my way to school because I got up late. I didn’t notice some pieces of glass were there on the road. And this happened.

Shopkeeper: Oh I see! You should be more careful on the road from now on.

I: Yes! I will.

Shopkeeper: Don’t worry I’ll fix it immediately.

I: No need to hurry uncle. I’ll pick it up on my way back home from school.

Shopkeeper: Okay, then go to your school carefully.

I: Yes. Thank you, uncle. How much will it cost?

Shopkeeper: Not much. Only 20 rupees.

I: Okay then I’ll come here by 4.30 pm and pay for it. Bye.

Shopkeeper: Bye.

12. Write a story (within 100 words) using the given hints. Give a title to the story.

crow sitting on a tree – piece of meat in its beak — fox passing under the tree – wants the meat – asks the crow to sing – crow keeps meat under its feet and sings — fooled, fox leaves

Rules:

  • Understand the given points to form the plot.
  • Give a proper title and it should be in CAPITAL.
  • Use every points for writing.
  • Use the past form of verb.
  • Use dialogues to make it more livelier.
  • End with an apt. moral.

THE CROW AND THE FOX

One day a crow flew away with a piece of meat from a butcher shop and sat on the top of a tree holding the meat in her beak. At this time a fox saw it while passing under the tree. “I haven’t ate anything since yesterday, I have to get that meat by hook or crook.”, thought the fox. The fox called the crow and praised her saying that she had a sweet voice. The crow got happy with this appraisal. He then requested, “Miss crow please sing a song.” The crow agreed but turned out not to be so foolish. She showed cunningness and kept the meat under her feet securely and then sang a song. The fox got disappointed seeing his plan failed and finally left. The crow enjoyed her meal peacefully.

Moral: A Wise Head Makes a Close Mouth

(Words: 135)

 

Extra Comprehension Exercises

Unit 1:

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences :

a) First it used to be only
(i) the narrator and Claude (ii) Claude and father (iii) father and the narrator (iv) claude and father and the narrator

Ans: (iv) claude and father and the narrator

b) The family sail back to the island in
(i) summer (ii) winter (iii) spring (iv) autumn

Ans: (iii) spring

c) The narrator quarrelled with
(i) claude (ii) mainland children (iii) father (iv) none of these

Ans: (ii) mainland children

2. Answer the following questions:

a) Why did the children have to make the most of each other?

Ans. There was none to play with them on the island.

b) What was funny to the children?

Ans. It was funny to the children that people pitied them when they went back to the island.

c) What question did the children ask themselves?

Ans. The children asked themselves why, like others, they didn’t have relations.

3. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/ phrases /words in support of your answer:

a) The narrator is twelve years old.   False

Supporting Statement: I am eleven years old.

b) On asking about relations, father looked sorrowful.   True

Supporting Statement: Once we asked father….he looked so sorrowful.

c) The narrator and Claude did not like to play with others.   False

Supporting Statement: Of course Claude and I would have liked to have someone to play with us.

Unit 2:

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences :

a) Last summer, the narrator and her brother were crazy about
i) cricket ii) kites iii) football

Ans. – ii) kites

b) The narrator and Claude rushed into the lighthouse to get
i) a letter ii) some paper iii) kites

Ans. – ii) some paper

c) Claude was standing with a bit of cord in his hand looking
i) foolish ii) happy iii) sad

Ans. – i) foolish

2. Complete the following sentences with information from the text :

a) When it is fine, the harbour is blue and calm, with little wind and ripples.

b) We had a kite that was big and covered with lovely red paper.

c) We patched the kite up with the letter, a sheet on each side and dried it by the fire.

3. Answer the following questions :

a) What did the narrator and her brother write on the kite?

Ans. The narrator and her brother wrote their full names on the kite – Claude Leete and Philippa Leete, Big Half Moon Lighthouse.

b) How did the kite get a big hole?

Ans. When the narrator was bringing the kite from the house she tripped and fell over the rocks. Her elbow went through the kite, making a big hole.

c) Where did the kite sail away?

Ans. The kite sailed away over to the mainland.

Unit 3:

1. Complete the following sentences with information from the text :

a) After he finished reading it, his eyes looked as if he had been crying.

b) So she sat down and wrote to Big Half Moon and Father received her letter.

c) But the best of it all is that we have relations now!

2. Answer the following questions :

a) Why did Father leave home?

Ans. Father left home because he had quarrelled with his brother.

b) How are Aust Esther and her children?

Ans. Aunt Esther is a dear and her children Dick and Mimi are too jolly for words.

c) What was the name of Aunt Esther’s father and mother?

Ans. Aunt Esther’s father was Claude and her mother was Philippa.

3. Fill in the chart with information from the text:

A) The person who died Brother of the narrator’s father
B) Name of Aunt Esther’s children Mimi and Dick
C) The person who lived hundreds of miles inland  Aunt Esther

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