Once Upon A Time Question Answer BSEB Class 10 English Panorama-II Book

assersion, istrument, speculasion, moteev, riputasion, iach, shilence, vertion

1. assertion

2. instrument

3. speculation

4. motive

5. reputation

6. each

7. silence

8. version

Column A	Column B
amusement	statement of account
version	pastime
violate	mental view
speculation	to break

Ans.
1. Amusement- pastime
2. version – statement of account
3. Violate – to break
4. Speculation – mental view.

D.3. Phrases

‘Once upon a time’ is a phrase used in the text. Find out more phrases from the text and use them in sentences of your own.
Ans.
1. “Once upon a time”: Once upon a time, there lived a young girl who dreamed of becoming a famous artist.
2. “Blind but wise”: Despite being blind, Grandma Mary was blind but wise, always offering us valuable advice.
3. “Source of much amusement”: The clown’s funny antics were a source of much amusement for the children at the birthday party.
4. “Gesture towards possibility”: The teacher’s encouraging words were a gesture towards possibility, inspiring the students to chase their dreams.
5. “Caught the bird”: Sally’s insightful question in class caught the bird of knowledge, leading to a lively discussion among her classmates.

E. GRAMMAR

Ex. 1. Punctuation marks are essential in language composition. In class IX, you have already studied about a few punctuation marks.
Here some more punctuation marks are given for you. Note these marks carefully:
1. ! = Not of Exclamation
2. “ “ = Inverted commas
3. ) ( = Bracket parenthesis
Now locate (identify) the punctuation marks from the passage given below:
Raman: Hello! How do you do?
Ali: Hello! I am fine, Raman. Well done! You have brought a laurel for the school.
Raman: Ali, I always remember your advice, perfection is essential for success in every walk of life. My grandfather told me, “true devotion bears and delicious fruit, it means (true) result.”
Ans. 1. “!” = Exclamation mark
2. ““ “” = Inverted commas
3. “)” “(” = Bracket parenthesis

Ex.2. Identify the punctuation marks in the sentences given below:

“Old woman, I held in my hand a bird. Tell me whether it is living or dead.”
Now in the given passage use the punctuation marks to make meaningful sentences.
She does not answer and the question is repeated: is the bird I am holding living or dead still she does not answer she is blind and cannot see her visitors let alone what is in their hands.

Ans. In the given passage, the punctuation marks are as follows:
1. ““ ” = Opening inverted comma
2. “.” = Period (full stop)
3. “?” = Question mark
4. “:” = Colon
5. “,” = Comma

“Old woman,” I held in my hand a bird. “Tell me whether it is living or dead.”
“Now,” she does not answer, “and the question is repeated: is the bird I am holding living or dead?”
“Still,” she does not answer. “She is blind and cannot see her visitors, let alone what is in their hands.”

G. TRANSLATION
Translate into Hindi/your mother language:
One day the woman is visited by some young people who seem bent on disproving her clairvoyance and showing her up for the fraud they believe she is. Their plan is simple: they enter her house and ask the one question the answer to which rides solely on her difference from them, a difference they regard as a profound disability: her blindness. They stand before her, and one of them says. “Old woman, I hold in my hand a bird. Tell me whether it is living or dead.”
Ans. एक दिन कुछ युवा उस महिला से मिलने आए, जो उसकी दूरदर्शिता को गलत साबित करने पर आमादा थे और उसे उस धोखेबाज़ के रूप में दिखाने पर आमादा थे जिसके बारे में उनका मानना ​​था कि वह महिला है। उनकी योजना सरल है: वे उसके घर में प्रवेश करते हैं और एक प्रश्न पूछते हैं जिसका उत्तर पूरी तरह से उसके और उनके अंतर पर निर्भर करता है, एक अंतर जिसे वे एक गंभीर विकलांगता के रूप में मानते हैं: उसका अंधापन। वे उसके सामने खड़े हैं, और उनमें से एक कहता है। “बूढ़ी औरत, मेरे हाथ में एक पक्षी है। बताओ वह जीवित है या मृत।”
 
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Bihar Board Class 10 English Chapter 6 Once Upon A Time Extra Question and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. What is the initial disability attributed to the protagonist of the story?
a) Deafness
b) Blindness
c) Muteness
d) Paralysis

2. What is the occupation of the protagonist?
a) Teacher
b) Guru
c) Lawyer
d) Writer

3. What is the primary motive of the young visitors who come to the protagonist’s house?
a) To seek wisdom
b) To prove her clairvoyance
c) To mock her disability
d) To seek shelter

4. What is the question the young visitors ask the protagonist?
a) Whether she can fly
b) Whether she can read minds
c) Whether a bird they hold is living or dead
d) Whether she can predict the future

5. What is the significance of the bird in the story?
a) It symbolizes freedom
b) It represents language
c) It signifies wisdom
d) It embodies power

6. What is the protagonist’s response to the question about the bird’s status?
a) She claims to know the answer
b) She remains silent
c) She laughs at the visitors
d) She scolds the visitors

7. What do the visitors interpret from the protagonist’s final words, “The bird is in your hands”?
a) A gesture towards possibility
b) A relinquishing of responsibility
c) A closing of the door
d) A sign of fear

8. What is the visitors’ ultimate motive for visiting the protagonist?
a) To seek guidance on gender roles
b) To understand displacement and marginalization
c) To learn about historical events
d) To seek refuge from a storm

9. What does the protagonist share with the visitors after they speak?
a) Her personal belongings
b) Stories and experiences
c) A magic potion
d) Nothing

10. How does the protagonist finally express trust in the visitors?
a) By giving them a test
b) By sharing a secret
c) By offering them food
d) By acknowledging their understanding of the situation

Ans.
1. b) Blindness
2. d) Writer
3. c) To mock her disability
4. c) Whether a bird they hold is living or dead
5. b) It represents language
6. b) She remains silent
7. a) A gesture towards possibility
8. b) To understand displacement and marginalization
9. b) Stories and experiences
10. d) By acknowledging their understanding of the situation
 
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Extract-Based Questions

A. “Once upon a time there was an old woman. Blind but wise. Or’ and old man? A guru, perhaps, soothing restless children. I have heard this story, or one exactly like it, in the lore of several cultures. “Once upon a time there was an old woman. Blind. Wise.” In the version I know, the woman is the daughter of slaves, black American, and lives alone in a small house outside of town. Her reputation for wisdom is without peer and without question. Among her people, she is both the law and its transgression. The honor she is paid and the awe in which she is held reach beyond her neighborhood to places far away; to the city where the intelligence of rural prophets is the source of much amusement.One day the woman is visited by some young people who seem bent on disproving her clairvoyance and showing her up for the fraud they believe she is. Their plan is simple: they enter her house and ask the one question the answer to which rides solely on her difference from them, a difference they regard as a profound disability: her blindness. ”

Q1. What other identities are suggested for the old woman besides being wise and blind?
Ans. The possibilities include being an old man or a guru, perhaps even someone who soothes restless children.

Q2. How is the old woman’s reputation described?
Ans. It is described as without peer and without question among her people.

Q3. What is the source of amusement for city dwellers regarding rural prophets?
Ans. The intelligence of rural prophets is the source of much amusement for city dwellers.

Q4. What is the primary motive of the young visitors towards the old woman?
Ans. They aim to disprove her clairvoyance and expose her as a fraud.

Q5. What strategy do the young visitors employ to prove their point to the old woman?
Ans. They enter her house and ask a question that relies solely on her blindness for its answer.

B. “The old woman’s silence is so long, the young people have trouble holding their laughter. Finally she speaks, and her voice is soft but stern. I don’t know,” she says. “I don’t know whether the bird you are holding is dead or alive, but what I do know is that it is in your hands. It is in your hands.” For parading their power and her helplessness, the young visitors are reprimanded, told they are responsible not only for the act of mockery but also for the small bundle of life sacrificed to achieve its aims. The blind woman shifts attention away from assertions of power to the instrument through which that power is exercised.”

Q1. How do the young visitors react to the old woman’s silence?
Ans. They have trouble holding their laughter due to the prolonged silence.

Q2. What tone does the old woman’s voice carry when she finally speaks?
Ans. Her voice is described as soft but stern.

Q3. What is the old woman’s response to the question about the bird?
Ans. She states that she doesn’t know whether the bird is dead or alive but emphasizes that it is in the visitors’ hands.

Q4. What consequences do the young visitors face for their actions?
Ans. They are reprimanded by the old woman for their act of mockery.

Q5. What does the old woman’s response signify about power dynamics?
Ans. It shifts attention away from assertions of power to the instrument through which that power is exercised, highlighting the responsibility of the visitors.

C. “Speculation on what (other than its own frail body) that bird in the hand might signify has always been attractive to me, but especially so now, thinking as I have been about work I do that has brought me to this company. So, I choose to read the bird as “language” and the woman as a “practiced writer”.“Once upon a time…” Visitors ask an old woman a question. Who are they, these children? What did they make of that encounter? What did they hear in those final words: “The bird is in your hands?” A sentence that gestures towards possibility, or one that drops a latch?”

Q1. What alternative interpretation does the narrator offer for the significance of the bird in the story?
Ans. The narrator suggests interpreting the bird as “language” and the old woman as a “practiced writer.”

Q2. What does the narrator ponder about the encounter between the old woman and the visitors?
Ans. The narrator questions the identity and motives of the visitors, and what they heard in the old woman’s final words.

Q3. How does the narrator describe the old woman’s final words?
Ans. The narrator describes the old woman’s final words as a sentence that gestures towards possibility or one that drops a latch.

Q4. What does the narrator’s pondering about the encounter suggest about the story’s themes?
Ans. It suggests an exploration of power dynamics and the interpretation of language.

Q5. What aspect of the encounter does the narrator find particularly intriguing?
Ans. The narrator finds the speculation about the significance of the bird and the interpretation of the old woman’s words attractive and especially intriguing.

D. “Perhaps what the children heard was, ‘It is not my problem. I am old, female, black, blind. What wisdom I have now is in knowing I cannot help you. The future of language is yours.’ They stand there. Supposedly nothing was in their hands. Suppose the visit was only a ruse, a trick to get to be spoken to, taken seriously as they have not been before. A chance to interrupt, to violate the adult world its miasma of discourse about them.”

Q1. How does the narrator suggest the children might interpret the old woman’s response?
Ans. The narrator suggests that the children might interpret the old woman’s response as a dismissal of their problem and a declaration of her inability to help them.

Q2. What does the narrator speculate about the visitors’ motive for the visit?
Ans. The narrator speculates that the visit might have been a ruse or a trick to be taken seriously by the adults and to interrupt the adult world’s discourse about them.

Q3. What does the narrator imply about the children’s perception of their own agency?
Ans. The narrator implies that the children might see the visit as an opportunity to assert their agency and be taken seriously by adults.

Q4. How does the narrator characterize the atmosphere of discourse about the children?
Ans. The narrator describes it as a miasma of discourse, suggesting that it is oppressive or unpleasant.

Q5. What role does the visit play in the children’s attempt to assert themselves?
Ans. The children use the visit as a way to take on the adult world and gain respect, possibly going against what is said about them.

E. “You, old woman, blessed with blindness, can speak the language that tells us what only language can: how to see without pictures. Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names. Language alone is meditation. “Tell us what it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man. What moves at the margin. What it is to have no home in this place. To be set adrift from the one you knew. What it is to live at the edge of towns that cannot bear your company”

Q1. What do the visitors attribute to the old woman’s blindness?
Ans. They attribute to her the ability to speak the language that tells what only language can: how to see without pictures.

Q2. What role does language play according to the visitors?
Ans. Language protects from the scariness of things with no names and serves as meditation.

Q3. What do the visitors request the old woman to tell them about?
Ans. They request her to tell them about being a woman, being set adrift from one’s home, and living at the edge of towns.

Q4. How do the visitors characterize the old woman’s ability?
Ans. They characterize it as a blessing and suggest that she can speak the language that only language can.

Q5. What is the significance of the visitors’ requests to the old woman?
Ans. Their requests suggest a desire to understand the experiences of marginalization, displacement, and gender identity, seeking wisdom and insight from the old woman’s perspective.