4.4 The Sign of Four

 Characters: 

1) Sherlock Holmes - the detective, intelligent, practical, logically thinking.

2) Dr John Watson - Sherlock Holmes assistant , an emotional person, fell in love of Mary Morstan 

3) Miss Mary Morstan - main lady character, daughter of Captain Morstan, used to get a huge pearl from last 6 years. 

4) Captain Morstan - father of Mary Morstan, corrupt prison guard, disappeared from last 10 years, friend of Major Sholto.

5)Major Sholto - a friend of Captain Morstan, father of Thaddeus Sholto and Bartholomew Sholto, a corrupt prison guard.

6) Thaddeus Sholto and Bartholomew Sholto - sons of Major Sholto, used to send a huge pearl every year on a particular date.

7) Tonga - an aborigin of the Andman Island, an accomplise of Jonathan Small, an expert in blowing the dart.

8) Toby - a sniffer dog.

9) Jonathan Small - was an European solder having a wooden leg, an accomplise in the theft of Aagra Treasure, one of the four who signed on the chit.

10) Mohamet Singh - an Indian accomplise joined to Jonathan Small in the theft of Aagra Treasure, one of the four who signed on the chit.

11) Abdullah Khan - an Indian accomplise joined to Jonathan Small in the theft of Aagra Treasure, one of the four who signed on the chit.

12) Dost Akbar - an Indian accomplise joined to Jonathan Small in the theft of Aagra Treasure, one of the four who signed on the chit.

13) Mrs. Cecil Forester - Mistress of Mary Morstan, she suggested Mary to take help of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant.

Setting: 

1) 

Theme: 

1) Agra Treasure 

2) Greed and wealth 

Conflict

1) External conflict 

Q1) Explain the character sketch of Sherlock Holmes.

Or 

Q1) Sherlock Holmes is the leading character in the extract.

Q2) Explain the character sketch of   Dr. Watson.

Q3) Explain the character sketch of Ms. Mary Morstan.

4) Explain the character sketch of Major Sholto.

Q5) Holmes is always one step ahead of Dr. Watson in solving cases. Explain.

6) Elaborate - "You really are an automaton- a calculating machine".

Ans: This sentence is said by Watson to Holmes when Mary Morstan had left the house of Holmes after discussing her case.Being emotional, Watson attracted to Ms. Morstan and appreciated her beauty. When he told about it to Holmes, Holmes said that she is just a client with a case. So he said that he didn't notice whether she was attractive or not. That time, Watson called him a calculating machine.

7) Who said to whom.

8) How does the mystery of Bartholomew's murder lead Holmes to track down Small?

Ans: When Mary Morstan, Holmes, Watson and Thaddeus Sholto reached Bartholomew's room, they find out that the care taker is very panic. He tells them that Bartholomew doesn't come out from his room the whole day. They find the body of Bartholomew,who has been murdered. After investigating for some time, Holmes concludes from the footprints that two persons have entered in the room. One of them is having a wooden leg and another footprints were very small which indicates that the another person would be short . Holmes instructed Watson to bring Toby, sniffer dog. With the help of it they reach to the edge of the Thames, where they come to know that the two criminals had hired a boat. Holmes, Watson and police officer pursue the boat, overtake it and capture the wooden-legged man, who was Jonathan Small.

3.6 Writing Skill - Group Discussion

 Group Discussion :

1) A Group Discussion is a formal discussion conducted on a given topic.

2) A Group of 10 - 12 participants involve in it.

3) The participants analysis the topic and give their views and opinions.

4) The discussion is usually for 10 - 15 minutes.

5) Experts listen to the members and evaluate them.

** In written form of Group Discussion, students (you)  are expected to write dialogues for 3 - 4 members on the given topic.

** Students (You) have to use the proper format of a dialogue. Ex- Name of the speaker followed by colon (:).

** Correct language should be used.

Example :

Ram, Shyam , Bharat and Sudha are participating in a group discussion. The evaluator has given them the topic " Uniform should be compulsory for Jr College students". Write suitable dialogues for each participant given his/her opinion on the topic :

Evaluator : Your topic for today's group discussion is "Uniform should be compulsory for Jr. College students". A few minutes are given to think on the topic. Okay, you may now begin the discussion. Who would like to start?

Ram : I think the topic of discussion is very relevant to all of us here. I strongly support uniform as it brings equality among the students though they come from poor or rich family.

Bharat :  I do agree with you Ram. Uniforms promote discipline and maintain dignity in the college.

Shyam : But I feel uniforms take away our individualty. College is about freedom and self-expression. The clothes are one way to show it.

Sudha : you are absolutely right, Shyam, as all students will be in one uniform then they focus more on studies than on fashion.

Ram : Even, during exams or any events or in any excursions,uniforms create a sense of identity and belonging.

Shyam : Sorry to intervene but I think wearing same clothes everyday can feel boring. Instead of making it compulsory, uniform should be mandatory only on certain days.

Evaluator : All right, everyone. Your time is nearly up. Could someone conclude, please?

Sudha : To conclude, uniform ensure discipline and equality but some flexibility could balance freedom and uniformity.

Marking scheme :

Content                                   2 mks

Sequence/ flow of ideas     1 mk

Appropriateness                 1mk

----------------------------------------------------

                                                  4 mks

2.6 Money - Poetic Appreciation

Write a poetic appreciation of the poem 'Money' with the help of following points:

* About the poem, poet and the title

*  Form of the poem, theme and message 

* The language features, style, poetic devices used in the poem

* Opinion about the poem 

* About the poem, poet and the title :

This poem is written by a well-known Welsh poet and writer W. H. Davies. This poem 'Money' is taken from 'The Collected Poems' volume published in 1916. This poem tells about the rich man who wants to be a poor man to find the real happiness. It is when we do not have money or have lost our money we realize how important the money is. At the end, the poet says that now he does not have money but he has few true friends.

* Form of the poem, theme and message : 

This poem is written in five stanzas. It is a philosophical poem. The poem gives us a moral lesson that if you have money all are your friends but they are false as they are just interested in your wealth only. The world is a false one where humanity is dead.  According to the poet, poor men's hearts are light and they work  hard from morning till night. The poet says now I have no money but I have few real friends. It means the real happiness is not in becoming rich but in becoming poor. The theme of the poem is 'Money cannot buy happiness'. It is a  significant poem with a moral lesson.

* The language features, style, poetic devices used in the poem : 

The poet has used a very simple language with a deep message. The rhyme scheme is ' abcb, defe, ghih, jklk, amam'. Many figures of speech like Simile, Antithesis, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Metaphor, Apostrophe etc. are used in it.

* Opinion about the poem :

In my opinion, this poem is an interesting one which gives a message that money doesn't bring happiness. It conveys the harsh reality of life -  "Money doesn't change people, it only exposes them." I liked the poem, but I don't agree it completely as the poor today are not as happy as the poet thinks. They have their own problems in life.

4.3 Around The World In Eighty Days

 Characters : 

Main Characters -

1) Phileas  Fogg  - Protagonist

2) Passepartout - A loyal servant/valet

3)  Aouda - Indian Princess

4) Detective Fix - Detective

Minor Characters - 

1) John Sullivan  - A banker

2) Samuel Fallentin  - A banker

3) Andrew Stuart - An  engineer

4) Gauthier Ralph - The Director of the Bank of England

5) Thomas Flanagan -The brewer

6) James Strand -A bank robber

7) Reverend Samual Wilson - A clergyman

A wager (bet)  among 5 Reform club friends( Sullivan, Fallentin, Andrew Stuart, Ralph, Flanagan) and Fogg .

Wager Amount : Twenty thousand pounds 

ROUTE : London --> Venice (Italy) -->Brindisi --> Suez (Egypt) --> Bombay ( Mumbai, India) --> Allahabad  (India) --> Calcutta (Kolkata, India) --> Singapore --> Hong Kong --> Shanghai ((China) --> Yokohama (Japan) --> San Francisco (USA) --> Omaha -->  New York (USA) -->to Queenstown  (Ireland)--> Dublin -->Liverpool --> London.

Journey started on 2nd October at 8:45 p.m. ended on 21st December at 8:45 p.m.

Character Sketch :

1)  Phileas Fogg : Phileas Fogg  is the protagonist of the novel 'Around  The World In Eighty Days.' He is calculative person, very punctual, living isolated life. He did not have any close friend or any relative.He was a member of Reform Club. He had a bet with his Reform Club friends of Twenty Thousand Pounds of travelling around the world in eighty days. He started his journey on  2nd October and it should be ended on 21st Dec. Nobody was sure that it is possible as there would be many unexpected hurdles. But he anyhow overcome all the obstacles and completed this journey within 79 days.Thus he won the wager unexpectedly as well as got a loyal valet in the form of Passepartout and a love in the form of Aouda.

2) Aouda :  Aouda is another major character. She was the daughter of Parsi merchant.She married to the old Raja of Bundelkhand. When Raja dies, she is about to be sacrificed as a Sati. When the protagonist  and his butler - Passepartout were in India, they rescued her. Thus, they kept her with them as they wanted to send her to her distant relative. But in  Hong Kong, they found out that  her distant relative has moved to Holland, so they decided to take her with them to Europe. Aouda feels indebted for her companions and gradually falls in love with Fogg. At the end of the novel, she proposes Fogg for marriage, though they believe  he has lost the wager, thus he became penniless. He accepts  and tells her that he also loves her. Then he wins the bet and they get married. Their marriage reveals the actual date. In this way, because of her, Fogg realises he has time to reach the Reform Club and Wins the wager.

3) Passepartout :  Passepartout is a newly appointed French butler/ valet of Phileas Fogg. He is one of the major characters in the novel. He is loyal, honest, selfless person who accompanies Fogg on his journey around the world. He is obedient, innocent, comical, softspoken, impulsive fellow. He helps the protagonist to accomplish the wager.

Themes : 

1) Adventure and excitement

2) Time

3) Importance of human connections

4) Honour

5) Presence of mind and wit

Q1) Appreciate Phileas Fogg as the protagonist of "Around the World in Eighty Days".

Ans : Phileas Fogg  is the protagonist of the novel 'Around  The World In Eighty Days.' He is calculative person, very punctual, living isolated life. He had a bet with his Reform Club friends of Twenty Thousand Pounds of travelling around the world in eighty days. When he started his journey, nobody was sure that it is possible as there would be many unexpected hurdles. But he anyhow overcome all the obstacles and completed this journey within 79 days.Thus he won the wager as a true hero of the novel.

Q2) Discuss "Time" as the theme of the novel 'Around a World in Eighty Days'.

Ans : The most important theme of this adventure novel is 'Time'. It illustrates repeatedly that time is fickle, and either works for or against them. In many cases, time foils their plans. Many times they miss the trains and ships leaving the characters in trouble. Fogg gets arrested for no fault of his and loses precious time. In the end, Fogg wins the bet as he gained a day when crossing the International Date Line. The ultimate message is that no one can control time; time will work the way it wants to work, and humans are at its mercy.

Q3) The most interesting part of the extract 'Around the World in Eighty Days'  is its climax. Discuss.

Ans : Fogg and the reader first think that Fogg has lost not only the wager but also the money and honour that went with it, as he was unexpectedly arrested and imprisoned by detective Fix, who mistakenly thought he was the bank robber. But the twist comes when the valet, Passepartout unexpectedly found out that today is not Sunday but Saturday. He takes Fogg to Reform Club and thus wins the bet, giving happy and exciting ending to the novel.

Q4) Describe how Fix, the detective creates problems for Mr Fogg, arresting him for bank robbery, and how Mr Fogg tries to solve the problems.

Ans : 

Q5) Complete the table highlighting various traits of the following characters in the extract from 'Around the World in Eighty Days'.

Name of the  characters	Traits
1)  Aouda	……………………………………………………………………………….
2) Detective Fix	……………………………………………………………………………….
3) Passepartout	…………………………………………………………………………………
4) Phileas Fogg	…………………………………………………………………………………….

 Ans:    

Name of the  characters	Traits
1)  Aouda	Graceful, sweet, loving, sincere, noble, concerned, non-materialistic, generous, charming, brave, rectitude,steadfast.
2) Detective Fix	Dutiful. Stubborn, stupid, unimaginative, repentant.
3) Passepartout	Loyal, caring, loving, witty, honest, comical, innocent, obedient, impulsive.
4) Phileas Fogg	Determind, adoptable, eccentric ,gentleman, honest, open minded,fearless.

Q6) Who said the following lines -  Name the speaker and the listener/s :

Dialogue	Speaker	Listner/s
1) "Why do you not curse me?It was my fault that-"	.............................................	..........................................
2) " If Phileas Fogg had come in the 7:23 train, he would have got here by this time. We can, therefore, regard the bet as won."	.............................................	.............................................
3)" Will you pardon me for bringing you to England?"	................................................	.............................................
4) It is for me to ask that question. You were ruined, but now you are rich again."	................................................	..............................................

 Ans : 

Dialogue	Speaker	Listner/s
1) "Why do you not curse me?It was my fault that-"
2) " If Phileas Fogg had come in the 7:23 train, he would have got here by this time. We can, therefore, regard the bet as won."
3)" Will you pardon me for bringing you to England?"
4) It is for me to ask that question. You were ruined, but now you are rich again."

  Q7) In what way was Mr Fogg's  final winning the wager connected with Aouda?

Ans : When Aouda proposed Fogg for marriage, he was completely penniless. Fogg sent Passepartout to the Reverend Samuel Wilson to inform him that they wanted to get married the next day ie Monday. But when Passepartout reached the clergyman's house, there he came to know that today is not Sunday but Saturday. Thus, they made a mistake of one day. They came to London one day prior and still could win the wager. If Aouda did not propose Fogg for marriage, Passepartout didn't go to clergyman's house, he didn't come to know that today is Saturday and they couldn't win the  wager. In this way, Aouda indirectly helped Fogg to win the wager.

Q8) 'We can go around the world in less time by journeying eastward'. Justify it with Fogg's journey in the extract from'Around the World in Eighty Days'.

Ans : When Phileas Fogg accepts the wager, he starts journeying eastward. In journeying eastward he had gone towards the sun. So he sees the sun pass the meridian eighty times while people in London saw the sun pass the meridian only seventy nine times. Thus, he gained a day when he crossed the International Date Line. In this way, we can go round the world in less time when we journey towards east. 

Q9) Identify and write down the correct options : 

I) Which of the following is an appropriate reason for Phileas Fogg starting his journey around the world?

a) fellow members bet Fogg 

b) Fogg bets his fellow members 

c) Fogg wants to marry Aouda

d) Fogg  committed robbery 

Ans : a) fellow members bet Fogg

II) Which one among the following is not a major character of the extract? 

a) Phileas Fogg 

b) Aouda

c) James Strand

d) Passepartout 

Ans : c) James Strand 

III) Which of the following is not used as a means of transport in the extract? 

a) Elephant 

b) Horse

c) Train

d) Steamer 

Ans : b)Horse

IV) Which of the following place/s is/are not mentioned in the extract?

a) Bombay (Now, Mumbai)

b) Allahabad 

c) London 

d) Calcutta (Now Kolkata)

Ans : b) Allahabad 

V) Fogg was arrested in :

a) London 

b) Liverpool 

c) Saville Row 

d) Edinburgh 

Ans : b) Liverpool 

VI) The name of the bank robber was :

a) Andrew Stuart

b) Thomas  Flanagan

c) James Strand 

d) John Sullivan

Ans : c) James Strand 

VII) To win the wager, Fogg had to reach the Reform Club at ......... on a particular day.

a) 9:00 pm

b) 9:00 am

c) 8:20 pm

d) 8:45 pm

Ans :  d) 8:45 pm

VIII) The wager that Fogg accepted was for a sum of ...........

a) Twenty pounds

b) Thousand pounds 

c) Twenty thousand dollars 

d) Twenty thousand pounds 

Ans : d) Twenty thousand pounds 

2.8 Small Towns and Rivers - Poetic Appreciation

 Write a poetic appreciation of the poem 'Small Towns and Rivers' with the help of following points:

* About the poem poet and the title

* The theme

* The language features, style, poetic devices used in the poem

* Message, values, morals in the poem

* Opinion about the poem 

* About the poem, poet and the title: The poem 'Small Towns and Rivers' is written by a great poet, novelist, journalist and a former civil servant from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, Mamang Dai, who writes in English as well as Adi language. She is the recipient of Padmashree award and Sahitya Akademi Award. This present poem, 'Small Towns  and Rivers' is taken from the collection of the poems 'The River Poems', published in 2004. The poem describes a landscape and Nature where river is a dominant phenomenon. Here the poetess makes us aware that river is also a live thing around her hometown. She uses the sentences like 'river has soul' and 'river knows immortality of water'.

* The theme : The theme of this poem is 'death'. The poem is based on the belief of the tribal people from the North East, that the souls of the beloved ones always continue to dwell in the natural elements around. So she remembers death when she sees the emerging towns. Here she states that when the towns prosper, the nature has been destroyed. The poet has expressed anxiety at the development in the small towns.

* The language features, style, poetic devices used in the poem : The poem consists  seven stanzas. It is in free verse. There is the use of unusual length of poetic lines- some lines are short, some are little lengthier. The poet has used very simple, easy and lucid language so that the readers can easily understand the poem. The poetic devices like Metaphor, Onomatopoeia,Transferred Epithet, Repetition, Simile and Personification are used here in this poem. Here river has given a human quality of having a soul. The poem has an excellent visual imagery where she depicts river during summer and winter season. 

* Message, values, morals in the poem : The poet has mixed feelings for the Nature and towns. Through this poem, she appeals the people to conserve the Nature.

* Opinion about the poem : In my opinion this poem is simple, easy to understand with great message to conserve Nature. We have to take care of it.

2.7 She Walks In Beauty - Poetic Appreciation

 Poetic Appreciation of 'She Walks In Beauty'

 *About the poem/ poet/ title: "She Walks In Beauty" is a poem written by a famous English Romantic Poet, George Gordon Byron who is also known as Lord Byron.The poet belongs to the group of 'Younger Romantic'. The poem appreciates the enchanting beauty of an unnamed woman who is truly remarkable, having an aura or cloud.

* Theme : The theme of the poem is Beauty and Harmony. The poet not only praises her external beauty but also her inner goodness which makes her so captivatingly attractive and flawless. The poet compares her to the night sky describing her serene and perfect beauty.

* Poetic devices, language and style : This is a short 18 line lyrical poem celebrating female beauty. This poem consists three stanzas of six lines ie sestets of attractive rhymes. The rhyme scheme used in it is 'ababab'. The language is rich and complex which gives mystical quality to the woman in the poem. The poetic devices like Simile, Alliteration, Antithesis, Metaphor, Repetition, Personification, Inversion, Synecdoche add complexity of the poem. The poem is with full of visual imagery. He uses the pairs of contradictory words to describe the enchanting beauty of the woman.

* Values, message : The poet, Lord Byron gives message to the readers that the external beauty is the reflection of inner goodness.

* Opinion about the poem :  In my opinion, the poem is full of elegance. It creates the powerful impact on the readers' minds, making them understand the meaning of  being 'really beautiful'.

Writing Skill - Interview

 INTERVIEW WRITING

Important tips :

1) In interview, interviewer and interviwee are needed.

2) Interview duration should be 30 - 45 mins and should be short and compact.

3) Area of success of the interviwee should be mentioned clearly.

4) Venue,Date and time of the interview should be mentioned.

5) Interview questions (8 - 10) must be written along with background sentences.

6) The questions should be Wh- questions and  relevant to the situation.

7) Proper sequence of the interview questions should be followed.

8) The questions should be polite. Simpler questions should come first.

9) Suitable format  and presentation should be followed.

Example :

1) Imagine you have to conduct  an interview of a teacher who recently received the Ideal Teacher Award from the state government. Frame out introductory, probing and concluding questions.

Name of the interviewee
Area of success/reputation
Date/Venue/Time
Duration of interview

 

Decision
Idols
Support
Education
Training
Success
Dream/goals
Message

 Ans: 

Name of the interviewee	Shri. Arun Patil
Area of success/reputation	Teaching
Date/Venue/Time	6th Sept, 2025, Pragati College Auditorium
Duration of interview	45 Min.

Good morning, Sir. Congratulations on winning the Ideal Teacher Award.Sir, shall we proceed?

 Good

Decision	It is said  "Every career begins with an important choice."So what inspired you to choose this teaching profession?
Idols	"Great teachers are often guided bu their role models." then who has been your greatest role model in your teaching journey?
Support	"Behind every accomplishment lies strong support." In your case, who supported you the most  and how important was this support?
Education	"Education builds the foundation of  a teacher's career." How has your learning journey helped you to become a successful teacher?
Training	Sir, I am eager to know about how do you keep updating your knowledge and skills?
Success	You are honoured with Ideal Teacher Award and every award is a symbol of hard work, dedication and perseverance.Sir, according to you, what is the true measure of a teacher's success?
Dream/goals	What goals do you still wish to achieve in the field of education?
Message	What message would you like to give to the young hearts who wish to join this profession?

Marking Scheme :

Appropriate framing of questions      2 marks

Language and style                             1 marks

Overall impression                              1 marks

                                                     ----------------

Total                                                     4 marks