English XI Ch 12 The Blanket SQ & Notes FSc FA ICS ICom KPK FBISE

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Q.1) How significant is the title of the story ‘The Blanket?’
Answer: The title of the story is very significant as it is the blanket that is given by a son to his dad as a going away gift. Furthermore, with the same blanket, Peter teaches a lesson to his dad when he asks his father to cut it into two. He then says to his dad that when he would be old then he would send him to the old house and give half of this blanket to him as a going-away gift.

Q.2) Analyze the conflict in the story ‘The Blanket’? How is it resolved?
Answer: The story is all about conflicts. The conflict between grandfather and daughter-in-law to be, conflict between father and his fiancé, serious conflict between Peter and Dad and also conflict between Peter and his new mom. Both internal and external conflicts exist in the story right from the beginning till the end.
Both Peter’s dad and new mom want to send granddad to nursing home. Peter resolves the conflict by teaching a harsh lesson to his dad by asking him to cut the blanket into two. One half would be saved by him to be used as a going away gift to his father. Peter’s father feels and understands the essence of the lesson and admits his mistake. His dad changes his mind all at once of not sending granddad to nursing home.

Q.3) Analyze the tone of the story ‘The Blanket’. Is it joyous or sorrowful? Explain.
Answer: The tone of the story ‘The Blanket’ is sorrowful because while reading we feel sorry for the granddad who is being sent to the old house by his son. Peter, the grandson of the old man does not want him to leave but granddad has to as his son is getting married soon and his son and new daughter-in-law will not have enough time to take care of the old man. We also feel sorrow at the moment when Peter says that this is the last night they would have together.

Q.4) What attitude does Peter show about his Dad and Granddad?
Answer: Peter, an eleven years old boy is quite sensitive in nature. He displays a sensible, mature and caring attitude towards his Dad and Granddad. He knows it well that love and affection are essential for healthy family relationship. His attitude reflects his true love for his Granddad who is being sent away from home by his father. He in a wise manner tells his father not to sent Granddad away.

Q.5) How is the theme of ‘The Blanket’ the theme of our disintegration of society as well?
Answer: The theme of ‘The Blanket’ reflects the disintegration of society. Due to low moral standards, and materialistic approach, our behaviour and attitudes have totally changed towards social bonding among family members. Once, people like to have joint family structures but now people give preference to nuclear family system. Old people were given much respect in the families in the past, they were asked to make decisions but now grandparents have lost their worth and importance in their families. Hence, we can say that yes, our society is facing a serious threat of disintegration which if not be dealt with solemnity would cast negative influences on our family bonding.

Q.6) Describe your relationship with different family members. Who your relationship is the most cordial with and who you stay aloof from and why? Explain.
Answer: I have close and cordial relationship with all my family members. But, I am most attached to my grandmother after my mother because she always listen to me attentively, provides solution to my problems and is the best friend of mine. She is a soft-natured lady and the one who teaches me stitching. I usually stay aloof from my granddad because he is a strict sort of a person and has no time to spend with us, he prefers reading books and newspapers rather than sitting with us.

Q.7) If Peter had been exposed to the mass media, social media and internet, would he have developed the same intimacy with the Grandfather as he did in the story? Elaborate.
Answer: Due to social media, the communication style of people have changed altogether. In the past, people had time for each other, they do have family meetings usually at tea-time or dinner time where they exchanged their view points on different issues and share their daily experiences. But now-a-days, though people are living under one roof but they are mentally far away from one another. They are well-aware of the problems and worries of those who are living far from them but they are usually unaware of the problems their family members are facing. So, if Peter had been exposed to the mass media, social media, and internet, he would not have developed the same intimacy with the Granddad as he did in the story because he too would spend his maximum time on social media and thus had no time to spend with his granddad to cherish the moments of life together.
 

Q.8) Why does Peter’s Dad get angry with the girl he is gong to marry?
Answer: Peter’s Dad gets angry with the girl he is going to marry when she starts arguing about the blanket that is given to granddad by her husband-to-be (Peter’s Dad). She not only objects on the price and quality of the blanket but is of the opinion that granddad does not need such kind of double blanket. When she keep on talking about this, Peter’s Dad gets quite angry with her.

Q.9) What does our religion teach about old parents?
Answer: Our religion Islam gives utmost importance to old parents. Islam teaches us to give respect to our parents and take good care of them as they have taken care of us when we were a small child. This teaching of Islam is best reflected in the following Quranic verse of Surah Israa verses 23-24:
“Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship anyone except Him, and [He has enjoined] kindness to parents. Should they reach old age at your side —one of them or both— do not say to them, ‘Uff!’ And do not chide them, but speak to them noble words. Lower the wing of humility to them, out of mercy, and say, ‘My Lord! Have mercy on them, just as they reared me when I was [a] small [child]!’”

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Writing

Ask your parents about the role that their grandparents have played in their social, cultural and ethical grooming; now compare and contrast  it with the part that your grandparents have in yours. Has it shrunk or expanded?If you think that their role is diminishing, write about their causes and what is its effects on our life.

Answer:
On asking my parents about the role their grandparents have played in their lives, I was quite surprised because they told me that they were more attach to their grandparents than to their parents. The reason behind was that their parents had to perform their daily routine activities so they didn’t have much time to spend with them. On the other hand, my parents’ grandparents remained at home so they had friendly relations with one another. My mother told that her grandmother used to tell them stories usually based on moral and ethics. She told that she and her other siblings learned a lot about social, cultural, and ethical values just due to their close association with her grandparents. Similarly, my father too, told that his grandfather used to tell him the techniques of living a successful life and the ways to tackle difficult situations through his life experiences.

If, I compare the role of my grandparents with the role of my parents’ grandparents, without any doubt I can say that the role of my grandparents has shrunk a great deal. For this, many things must be held responsible. The first and the foremost reason is the role of media, internet or social media in our lives. Though we live under one roof, we do not have enough time to sit together and talk to one another. I remember it quite well that in our childhood we do spend time together especially at tea time or dinner time where we used to discuss various issues and share our day’s activities and experiences. As the years pass by, that precious family time has been devoured up either by media/social media or our academic pressures. Most of the times, it happens that when we have some free time, our grandparents don’t have it for us, either my grandmother is engrossed in watching her favourite T.V. dramas at that time or my grandfather is busy on his mobile talking to someone or listening Islamic lectures on YouTube. On the other hand, when they have some time, we don’t have as after school, we have to do our homework, then have to attend academy for better performance in exams and so on and so forth. The negative element of all this is that we are unable to learn the basic moral and ethical values, cultural norms and social etiquettes from our grandparents.

In the nutshell, I must conclude that society has changed a lot due to media and that has negatively influenced the lives of every individual. Keeping the famous proverb in our mind that, ‘Old is Gold’, we should get maximum benefit from our grandparents in terms of learning and understanding various ways of living a successful life and our grandparents should also consider it their responsibility and thy must give time to their grandchildren to groom them socially, culturally, and morally as well.

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Grammar

Statement	Answer
1. She is good at (paint) ___________.	She is good at painting.
2. He is crazy about (play) ___________.	2. He is crazy about playing.
3. I don’t like (play) __________ cards.	3. I don’t like playing cards.
4. They are afraid of (swim) _________ in the sea.	4. They are afraid of swimming in the sea.
5. You should give up (smoke) __________.	5. You should give up smoking.
6. Sami dreams of (be) _________ a doctor.	6. Sami dreams of becoming a doctor.
7. He is interested in (make) __________ friends.	7. He is interested in making friends.
8. My uncle is afraid of (go) _________ by plane.	8. My uncle is afraid of going by plane.
9. We insist on (cook) _________ the dinner ourselves.Answer:1. She is good at painting.	9. We insist on cooking the dinner ourselves.

B. Use the verbs in parenthesis either as gerund or the infinitive.

Statement	Answer
1. I couldn’t sleep so I tried (drink) some hot milk.	1. I couldn’t sleep so I tried to drink some hot milk.
2. She tried (reach) the book on the high shelf but she was too small.	2. She tried to reach the book on the high shelf but she was too small.
3. They tried (get) to the party on time but the bus was delayed.	3. They tried to get to the party on time but the bus was delayed.
4. We tried (open) the window, but it was so hot outside, it didn’t help.	4. We tried to open the window, but it was so hot outside, it didn’t help.
5. He tried (get) a job in a newspaper firm but they wouldn’t hire him.	5. He tried to get a job in a newspaper firm but they wouldn’t hire him.
6.He tried (get) a job in a newspaper firm but he still wasn’t satisfied.	6. He tried getting a job in a newspaper firm but he still wasn’t satisfied.
7. You should stop (smoke), it’s not good for your health.	7. You should stop smoking, it’s not good for your health.
8. We stopped (study) because we were tired.	8. We stopped studying because we were tired.
9. They will stop (have) lunch at twelve.	9. They will stop having lunch at twelve.
10. We stopped (have) a rest because we were really sleepy.	10. We stopped to have a rest because we were really sleepy.
11. Oh no! I forgot (buy) milk.	11. Oh no! I forgot to buy milk.
12. Please don’t forget (pick up) some juice on your way home.	12. Please don’t forget to pick up some juice on your way home.
13. I forget (lock) the door, but I’m sure I must have locked it.	13. I forget to lock the door, but I’m sure I must have locked it.
14. Have we studied this before? I’ve forgotten (learn) it.	14. Have we studied this before? I’ve forgotten to learn it.
15. Please remember (bring) your homework.	15. Please remember to bring your homework.
16. I remember (go) to the beach as a child.	16. I remember going to the beach as a child.
17. Finally I remembered (bring) your book! Here it is.	17. Finally I remembered to bring your book! Here it is.
18. Do you remember (eat) steak in that little restaurant in Lahore?	18. Do you remember eating steak in that little restaurant in Lahore?
19. I regret (tell) you the train has been delayed.	19. I regret to tell you the train has been delayed.
20. I regret (tell) Nighat my secret. Now she has told everyone.	20. I regret telling Nighat my secret. Now she has told everyone.

C. Replace the gerund by an infinitive and the infinitive by a gerund in the following sentences.

Statement	Answer
1. To laugh is better than to frown.	1. Laughing is better than frowning.
2. Writing a story is not easy.	2. To write a story is not easy.
3. He likes to collect books and does not like giving them away.	3. He likes collecting books and does not like to give them away.
4. Flying kites is a good sport, but to bet on them is bad.	4. To fly kites is a good sport, but to betting on them is bad.
5. He likes to read and to write.	5. He likes reading and writing.
6. She likes cooking and painting.	6. She likes to cook and to paint.
7. Seeing is believing.	7. To see is to believe.
8. She loves making dolls.	8. She loves to make dolls.
9. To wait for people who were late made him angry.	9. Waiting for people who were late made him angry.
10. To sell insurance is a pretty boring job.	10. Selling insurance is a pretty boring job.

D. Decide whether the following sentences contain a Gerund or a Progressive.

Sentence	Gerund / Progressive
1. He likes reading books.	Gerund
2.He is reading books.	Progressive
3. Reading books can be great fun.	Gerund
4. He is interested in reading books.	Gerund
5. He was reading books.	Progressive
6. He has been reading books for two hours.	Progressive
7. Instead of reading books Henry went to bed.	Gerund
8. Do you like reading books?	Gerund
9. He had been reading books.	Progressive
10. His hobby is reading books.	Gerund