Unit 12 (Grade 9) People and Places (Part I)

 Unit 12 People and Places

Reading I (Page 145)

Answer the following questions.

a.      How much do you love reading? What is the name of the last book you read?

Answer: I love reading much when I have leisure time. The name of the book I last read is Agni by Nabaraj Lamsal.

b.      Who is your favourite writer? Say something interesting about him or her.

Answer: My favourite writer is Krishna Dharabasi, He has written so many books. He is now in America. Last week I talked to him on Tiktok live.

Paulo Coelho (Page 145)

A. Complete the table below. Use a dictionary to check the meanings. Then, choose the correct word to complete the sentences. Change the form if necessary.

Noun                        Verb                                   Adjective

embroidery            embroider                         

                                  torture                               

                                  attract                                

                                                                              inspiring

investigation                                                      

Answer

Noun                        Verb                                   Adjective

embroidery            embroider                         

torture                    torture                                torturous

attraction               attract                                 attractive

inspiring                 inspire                               inspiring

investigation           investigate                        investigative

 

a.      She was an ................. example to her followers.

b.      It is claimed that the officers ............ a man to death in a city police station.

c.      Naturally, I ............. the tale a little to make it more interesting.

d.      The company conducted its own internal ................... into the robbery.

e.      The exhibition is ................ huge crowds.

Answer

a. inspiring   b. torture      c. embroider            d. investigation        e. attracting

 

B. The following sentences depict some of the important events in Paulo Coelho's life. Put them in chronological order.

a.      He travelled to Santiago de Compostela which inspired him to write The Pilgrimage.

b.      He was enrolled in a law school.

c.      He got married to the artist, Christina Oiticica.

d.      He stayed in a mental hospital.

e.      Coelho established the Paulo Coelho Institute.

f.       He left school and lived the life of a hippie.

g.      Coelho wanted to become a writer.

h.      Coelho wrote the allegorical novel The Alchemist.

            Answer

a.                  Coelho wanted to become a writer.

b.                  He stayed in a mental hospital.

c.                  He was enrolled in a law school.

d.                  He left school and lived the life of a hippie.

e.      He travelled to Santiago de Compostela which inspired him to write The Pilgrimage.

f.                   Coelho wrote the allegorical novel The Alchemist.

g.                  He got married to the artist, Christina Oiticica.

h.                  Coelho established the Paulo Coelho Institute.

 

C.  Answer the following questions.

a.      Why did Coelho's parents discourage him from becoming a writer?

b.      What changed Coelho's life in a significant way?

c.      Why is The Alchemist special?

d.      What are most of his books about?

e.      Write two evidences that prove Coelho is an international author.

f.       What are the criticisms of his writing?

g.      Write the names of two books which focus on Coelho's travels.

 

Answer:

a.   Coelho's parents discouraged him from becoming a writer because they wanted him to become a lawyer.

b.   A pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain where he experienced a spiritual awakening and felt inspired to write the book "The Pilgrimage (1987)" which changed Coelho's life in a significant way.

c.   The Alchemist is special because it has become a worldwide phenomenon. Coelho's has earned popularity as an international author. It has sold, by Coelho's count roughly 35 million copies and is now the most translated book in the world by any living author.

d.   Most of his books are autobiographic in nature and deal with spirituality and faith, societal impacts on individuals and love.

e.   The two pieces of evidence that prove Coelho as an international author are:

                                                  i.            Many of his books are translated into different languages and enormously sold and

                                                    ii.            He has received several prestigious awards in international level.

f.    The criticisms of his writing are that his books merely promote vague spirituality devoid of rigour.

g.   'Aleph' and 'Hippie' are the two books which focus on Coelho's travels mostly.

 

D.  Which of Paulo Coelho's books would you most like to read?

      Give reasons for your choice.

 

Answer

I would like to read MAKTUB which is the finest novel of Paolo Cohelo.

 

Maktub means "It is written..." It is a suitable title for a collection of stories and parables that symbolize a colorful wealth of wisdom broken down into bits. These brief texts, inspired by many sources and folklore, arose from Paulo Coelho's contribution to the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

 

I'm not sure if Paulo Coelho is a writer or a saint, and I'm not sure where he got the inspiration for so many short stories in this book. It appears to be a life-time collection. Paulo Coelho is heavily affected by Sufism, which explains how, like Alchemist, he began his novels with God and destiny but ended up spinning around numerous parts of life in all their richness and colours.

 

In the book we find the carriers traveled at a quicker pace for many days. But one afternoon, they all dropped their burdens and sat on the ground. They refused to go no matter how much money was provided. When the explorer eventually inquired why they were acting so strangely, he was given the following response. "We were working at such a breakneck rate that we had lost track of what we were doing." Now we must wait for our soul to catch up with us."

 

The book is loaded with meaningful, heartwarming stories that have taught me one of life's most valuable lessons: "There is a cost to following one's dreams, but it is never as great as the cost of not living out one's particular destiny and hearing our own heart declare "I wasted my life."

 

Grammar I (page 150)

B.  Complete the following sentences with the article 'a', 'an' or 'the'.

a.      Sudip bought ........ expensive guitar yesterday. .............. guitar is beautiful.

b.      Ms Sherpa is ........university student.

c.      ........ boy wearing a black cap is my brother.

d.      I have given him half........hour to finish the task.

e.      Angelia has........beautiful daughter named Sophia.

f.       Mr Gurung is ........S.P. of Nepal Police.

g.      Is diamond …………. hardest substance in the world?

h.      Mrs Yadav is ………. honourable teacher.

i.        Rice sells at Rs. 60 ……… kilo.

j.        I met …………. European writer last Monday.

Answer:
a. an   b. a     c. The             d. an   e. a      f. an    g. the h. an   i. a       j. a

 

Writing I (page 150)

Read the following review of The Alchemist, one of the most popular books of Paulo Coelho. Make notes and underline key points as you read. You will use the example to write your own review.

 

A Review of 'Agni'

Title:              Agni

Author:         Nabaraj Lamsal

Published Date: 10-09-2021

Book Award: Madan Puraskar

ISBN:            9789937753067

Publisher:     Book Hill

Book Genre: Epic (Poem)

Nabaraj Lamsal has published songs, poems and epics. His voice has been heard in Radio Nepal for almost 30 years as a radio personality. Possessing a mesmerizing voice, he has written three epics namely 'Karna', 'Dhara' and 'Agni'. Similarly, two song collections and two poetry collections have also been published. Lamsal's latest work 'Agni' won the 2078 Madan Award. A conversation with Lamsal about the epic 'Agni' and his literary journey:

Going back in time, the book tells the account of King Shah Prithvi Narayan Shah and the Sen Kings of Nepal, who supposedly strove to put an end to inequality. It also discusses how power may be used to hurt marginalized people and recommends societal changes and marginalized people's independence. It is an epic that depicts the struggle and suffering of Nepal's underprivileged people. The writer employed prose as a way to represent the experiences of numerous members of Nepal's disadvantaged population, revolving around themes of caste discrimination and untouchability that are prominent in Nepali culture.

In the epic Agni, the marginalized Dalit community is sidelined by the state itself. This book has raised their issue. When Prithvi Narayan Shah was unifying Gorkha, there were 1100 households. Now, instead of fighting, the villagers asked to collect 1 rupee from each house. 1100 rupees were collected from that. With that money, Prithvi Narayan Shah went to Jasvir Kami's Aran. Where he made swords, khukuri. During the Nuwakot war in the Trishuli river, the army was not able to cross the river from Shubhghat. Jalewa Majhi cut wood and built a boat to cross the river. In this book this question is raised, where are the children of Bise Nagarchi, Jasvir Kami and Jalewa Majhi today? The poet wrote Agni because of the awareness that he should write about those marginalized people who fought for state power.

This is very good epic. I request all to read it to learn about the scenario during the period of unification.

 

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