KING’S GREATEST PRIZEStd X – English

LESSON 8

Pre-reading task

• Nasruddin is in his court listening to an author and a farmer who were fighting over a maid. The maid was deaf and dumb and could not plead.

• Author pointing to a lady She is my maid.

• No, she is my farm help Farmer pointing to

the same lady.• Nasruddin makes the lady stay back for a while and asks the

farmer and the author to come back in the afternoon to hear his verdict.

Pre-reading task

Nasruddin: The maid servant belongs to the author. The farmer should be flogged five times for lying.

Author: How did you find out the truth? (the author very much impressed by Nasruddin’s intelligence)

Nasruddin: Well I signalled to the maid servant to fill my pen. She did it wonderfully without spilling a drop of ink

Hence I gather she must be working for you to be familiar with ink. The farmer is illiterate.

Try to enact the above situation in the class.

About the Author

• Based on the Serbian story “The Peasant Girl and the King”

• Source – “Pearls Among Pebbles” (Orient Longman)

SCENE - 1

(A thatched hut of a poor farmer in a certain village of Rajasthan. The farmer, sitting in front of his house, looks worried. Daksha, his twenty year old daughter, is putting patches on the ragged shirt of her father.)

Daksha : Father, why did you go to the palace?Farmer : It so happened, Daksha, that some of my friends had

decided to visit the king and present him with something nice they had grown. They asked me if I was also interested in joining them.

Daksha : Dear father, what nice thing did you have to give to the king? And how did you think of visiting the king wearing such ragged and dusty clothes? Didn’t the guards stop you at the gates?

Farmer : Of course, they did stop me. But when I showed them the basket of mangoes that I had taken as a present to the king, they let me in.

SCENE - 1

Daksha : You mean the mangoes grown on our farm?Farmer : Yes dear, the ones that are as big as coconuts and as

sweet as honey.Daksha : Did the king talk to all who you went with?Farmer : He talked to one or two, and then, noticing my

humble dress and the embarrassment on my face, he called me near.

Daksha :You should have been happy that the king talked to you ignoring others who had gone with rich presents.

Farmer :I was rather frightened. I couldn’t make out why the king pointed me out. But to my great relief and happiness he asked who I was, where I had come from; and many other questions about my farm, the mango tree and my utter poverty. But suddenly........

SCENE – 2(The farmer’s field.)

Farmer : I am sowing boiled beans to get a rich crop........ I am sowing boiled beans to get a rich crop...........Passerby-1: This man must be crazy.Passerby-2: (Laughing loudly) Sows boiled beans to reap a rich crop........ How

ridiculous!Passerby-3: How stupid of him to say that! (The king comes that way and hears

the farmer.)King : You foolish farmer, come here, what mischief are you up to? You say you sow boiled beans to get a rich crop. Have you gone mad?Farmer : Pardon me my Lord, I have neither gone mad nor have I been up to any mischief. If boiled eggs could be hatched to get chickens, why is it not possible to get a rich crop sowing boiled beans?King : (Smilingly) Did your daughter tell you to do this?Farmer : Yes, my Lord.King : Come to the court with your daughter tomorrow morning.

SCENE - 3

(The king’s court. Ministers and courtiers are seen sitting. The farmer and his daughter are standing in a corner. Daksha’s graceful charm draws the attention of everyone present. The king enters. Everyone present there bows as a mark of respect. The king sits on his throne. He looks at Daksha and is pleased. But hiding his happiness, he wears a serious look.)

King : (To all in the court) The King of Kashmir has sent the wisest man of his court. (Pointing to a person sitting next to his minister). There he is. His name is Mahapanditji. (The man stands up with pride and bows to the king.) He has a problem and he wants it to be solved. If no one solves the problem, then this scholar will have to be declared the wisest person in our kingdom. We will have to honour the pandit by taking him round in procession. Also a citation has to be presented stating that none in the country is equal to him in wisdom.

Courtiers : Let us know the problem. We shall certainly solve it. We will keep the prestige of our kingdom very high.

(The king raises his hands. Voices sink slowly.)

SCENE - 3King : Mahapanditji, please present the problem to this august gathering of the chosen intellectuals of my kingdom.Mahapanditji : (Stands up and takes out a small wooden bowl from his bag) Is there anybody here who can empty the ocean with this wooden bowl?(There is total silence for some time. Slowly the courtiers start talking among themselves. Voices which are heard slowly become louder and the whole atmosphere becomes choatic. The pandit is sitting with a victorious smile. The king looks worried. The din dies down as the king talks.)King : (To his courtiers) Do you have any answer? Is there no one who can venture an answer?(Silence continues. Courtiers are seen sitting with their heads bowed in shame.)King : Where has all your wit gone, my dear ministers? What has happened to all your wisdom, my intelligent courtiers? Has the time come to declare the intellectual bankruptcy of the kingdom? Tell me if there is no one who has an answer.

(In the silence a cool, confident and melodious voice emerges)Daksha : If Your Majesty, permits me, I can try to solve the problem.

(The whole court is stunned and looks at Daksha in total disbelief.)

SCENE - 3King : Thank God, there is somebody to solve the problem. You have my permission. Go ahead.Daksha : I should be grateful to you, my Lord, if you would get me a small bundle of cotton.(The king looks at his servant, who moves out quickly and comes back with a bundle of cotton and gives it to Daksha.)Daksha : (Addressing the Pandit) I can empty the ocean with that small wooden bowl if you stop all the rivers flowing into the ocean with this bundle of cotton.(The pandit is shocked. He becomes pale. His broad smile disappears. He bows his head down in shame with a sense of defeat.)King : Oh! How clever!. My whole kingdom is proud of you, pretty lady. You are the wisest of the wise.(All the courtiers stand up and clap in appreciation. The king comes near Daksha.)King : This clever lady deserves the highest honour and the richest prize. Lady, I permit you to take away anything that you like, from my palace, as your prize.Daksha : Your Majesty, it’s so good of you to shower such generosity on a poor and humble woman like me. But the prize that I wish to take away from your palace should please your majesty as well.King : Rest assured lady. Anything that you ask for would be happily yours. I promise to stand bywhat I have said.Daksha : I have a humble request my Lord.

SCENE - 3Your ministers, courtiers and soldiers should neither stop me nor come in my way as I take my prize away.King : Be it so, lady. (To all present) It is my order that this lady should not be stopped from taking away anything that she wants. Even I subject myself to the order.(There is total silence. Everyone is curious as to what Daksha would take away as her prize.Daksha comes near the king and takes his hand and starts moving towards the door)King : (Puzzled) What is this, lady? What are you doing?Daksha : I am taking away my prize.(The King laughs heartily and all the people present cheer the lady.)Courtiers : Long live our king. Long live our Queen.King : Your prize is happily yours, Daksha. But you didn’t take any prize from me. On the other hand, you have given me a great prize. And you are my greatest prize.

(The curtain)

Glossary

dividend: advantage or profit. ragged: old and torn clothes. humble (adj): modest. embarrassment: awkward feeling. ignoring: to behave as if you had not heard or seen someone or

something. refined: cultured, polished. ridiculous: silly or unreasonable. be up to some mischief: plan some mischief prestige: the respect and importance of a person. scholar: someone who knows a lot about a subject. citation: something good mentioned in an official record.

Glossary

chaotic: situation in which everything is happening in a confused way.

venture: to risk. wit: ability to think quickly and make the right

decisions. bankruptcy: lack of particular good quality.august: respected, impressivegenerosity: act of being generous. pale: turn white on one's face because of a shock.

B. VOCABULARY:

• 1. Underline the word that does not belong to the group.

1) king, minister, courtier, farmer2) guard, watchman, servant, sentry,3) gift, present, donation, citation4) gradual, sudden, quick, swift,5) humble, proud, modest, simple,

There is one spelling error in each of the sentences. Read the text and underline the misspelt word. Then write the word you have corrected in the space provided. Check

the word from the dictionary.

1. He talked to one or two, and then noticing my humble dress and the embarasment on face, he called me near._________

2. I was rather frightend. ________________3. We will keep the prestege of our Kingdom high. ______4. Has the time come to declare intellectual bankruptcy? ________5. Your price is happily yours __________.6. The whole atmospher becomes chaotic _________.7. It is so good of you to shower such generocity on a poor and

humble woman like me _________.8. Please present the problem to this august gatharing of the

chosen intellectual _____________.

3. Match the words in column ‘A’ with their meanings incolumn ‘B’

A B1) citation (n) a) fill with gladness

2) courtier (n) b) covered with dust

3) cheer (v) c) being free from anxiety

4) dusty (adj) d) deep sense of bitterness

5) frightened (adj) e) a person in attendance at the court of a king

6) relief (n) f) afraid

g) something good mentioned in an

g) something good mentioned in an official record about someone

(1) Direct and Indirect Speech:

• Read the following sentences carefully and find similar sentences from the play. Remember that the meaning is the same, but there are some slight differences in the structure.

• Copy the sentence in the space provided.• Sentence 1 (a) : They said to me, “Are you also interested in joining

us?”• (b) : ..................................................................• Sentence 2 (a) : The farmer said to the king, “My daughter teaches

me all those good manners and language”.• (b) : ................................................................• Now study the above sentences carefully, list out the differences and

mention if any word is added in the following table (copy and complete this table in your note book).

Now study the above sentences carefully, list out thedifferences and mention if any word is added in the following

table (copy and complete this table in your note book).

Sentence (a)Sentence (b) from the

Play

1.Said 1. Asked2.You 23 34 45 56 67 7

Usually we make these changes, if we don’t rememberexactly what was said or if we don’t want to quote or repeat the exact words.Such an exercise is known as reported / indirect speechWe usually find this type of reporting in newspapers, novels, magazines, etc.,

Now rewrite the following sentences in Indirect Speech.

a)• 1. The king said to his courtiers, “Is there no one who can venture an answer?”• 2. She said, “Did the king talk to all who went with you?”• 3. The king said, “Where has all your wit gone, my dear ministers?”• 4. The king said to the farmer, “How is it you have such a good manners?”b)• 1. The king said, “I permit you to take away anything that you like, from my palace

as your prize”.• 2. Daksha said, “If your majesty permits me I can try to solve the problem.”• 3. The farmer said to his daughter, “If you fail both of us will be imprisoned for

life.”• 4. Daksha said to her father, “If somebody asks you how boiled beans can sprout,

you just tell them this.”

(2) Exclamatory Sentence - Assertive SentenceRead the sentences in bubble A. Then read the sentences

in bubble B

A Beg: I Hurrah! We have won! Joyfully we have won.eg: II He said He said How stupid of him to say that! It was stupid of him to say that

The sentences in bubble ‘A’ are expressed in ------------------ mood.What are the changes you notice in sentences in bubble‘B’ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------The exclamatory mark helps in identifying an ----------------sentence.Hence an exclamatory sentence is ------------------------------

Change the following sentences as per your observation

• How ridiculous it is!• How clever of her!• What a wonder!• How sweet the mangoes are!

(3) Prepositions/Phrasal verbs

a) Fill in the blanks using the prepositions given in brackets.

(at, upon, in, under, up, around, across)• 1. Open your books___________ page ten.• 2. The monkey climbed __________ the tree.• 3. The horse galloped ___________ the field.• 4. There is no water ___________ the pot.• 5. He ran __________ the road.• 6. He jumped ________ his horse.• 7. The boys sat _______ the tree and had their food.

Prepositions/Phrasal verbs

• b) He is looking for something.• In the above sentence looking for is a phrasal verb. Phrasal verbs are formed with a

‘verb’ plus an ‘adverb’ or a ‘verb’ plus a ‘particle’ or ‘verb + preposition’.• Examples:• (verb) (preposition)• look + for - look for = search• look + after - look after= bring somebody up• (verb) (adverb)• look + in - look in = examine closely.• Use the following phrasal verbs in sentences of your own.• look after, look for, look up, look through, look down upon,• (Look up a dictionary, if necessary.)

1. On the basis of your understanding of the graph answer the following.• a) Underline the word which describes India.

1) big 2) bigger 3) the biggest• b) The word which describes Germany is

1) small 2) smaller 3) the smallest• c) India is -------------------- Pakistan

1) as big as 2) bigger than 3) smaller than• d) Germany is ----------------- India

1) as big’s as 2) smaller than 3) the smallest• Note: If two countries are equal in size, how could they be described? We can use

1) as big as 2) bigger than 3) the biggest

Degrees of Comparison

2. Now read the sentences and underline the degrees of comparison.• 1. Ram is as tall as Ravi.• 2. Asia is the largest continent.• 3. My bag is heavier than Sita’s.• 4. No other boy in the class is as intelligent as Anil.• 5. Sakhi is more beautiful than Sakshi.• 6. Amit is the most handsome boy in our family.Note: When we compare two or more things, we state how they are the same or different. We compare people, actions, objects etc., in terms of chosen characteristics. There are several ways of comparing.• The degrees of comparison are• - positive (just a positive quality)• - comparative (comparing two things)• - superlative (the highest degree, no match or comparisonat all)

3. Now complete the table on the basis of your understanding of the degrees of comparison. After completing the table discuss with your

teacher, whether the meaning/focus remains the same.

Positive Comparative Superlative

He is the most stupid

farmer.No one in the court was as frightened as

the farmer

The king was happier than all his courtiers

Daksha was the wisest of all in the

courtNo prize was as great

as Daksha for the king

D. COMPREHENSION AND COMPOSITION

I. Each statement has four alternatives. Chose the correct alternative and write it in your exercise book.• 1) The farmer and his daughter lived in a __

a) mud house, b) concrete house .c) thatched hut, d) house with tiles.• 2) The farmer went to visit the king with __

a) his daughter, b) his friends, c) the people of his village, d) his wife.• 3) The king gave the farmer a pot full of boiled __

a) eggs, b) beans, c) grain, d) corn.• 4) The wisest man who was sent by the king of Kashmir was__

a) Mahagnyaniji, b) Mahapujariji, c) Mahapanditji, d) Maharshiji.• 5) The Pandit had to be presented with a __

a) donation, b) citation, c) certificate of merit, d) gift.

II. Answer the following in a word, phrase or sentence each.

• 1. Who was Daksha?• 2. What did the farmer’s friends take with them as presents to

the king?• 3. How big and sweet were the farmer’s mangoes?• 4. How did the farmer appear before the king?• 5. What did the king send to Daksha?• 6. What did the farmer say as he sowed the beans?• 7. What was the pandit’s problem?• 8. What did the pandit ask the courtiers to do?• 9. What did Daksha ask the king to get her?• 10. What was the king’s greatest prize?

IIi. Answer the following in a word, phrase or sentence each.

• 1. Why did the farmer go to visit the king?• 2. Why did the king call the farmer near?• 3. Why did the king send boiled eggs to Daksha?• 4. What did the passers by 1 and 2 say about the

farmer?• 5. Why did the king call the farmer ‘foolish’?• 6. What answer did the farmer give?

IV. Answer the following in a paragraph each.

• 1. The king had threatened the farmer that he would imprison both the father and his daughter for life. How did Daksha solve the problem of hatching boiled eggs?

• 2. What did the king say about the pandit?• 3. How did Daksha answer the pandit’s question?

How did the pandit feel when his question was answered?

• 4. How did Daksha win over the king?

Excercise

V. Imagine you are Daksha. Instead of the king you have picked up someone / something else. Write a different ending for the play justifying your choice in a paragraph.VI. Write the play in the form of a story. You may begin the story as -• In a certain village........

E GROUP WORK:• Form groups of five. One should read out the passage. Then discuss the content of

the passage and find answers to the questions given below.• Passage:

Desire, anger, miserliness, lust, pride and jealousy are the six enemies of man. They come in the way of his growth. Great men have always advised us to conquer them. For the purpose, we have to keep our eyes, ears and tongue under control. It is difficult to control them. Great men like sage Vashista, Sri Rama, the Buddha, Lord Jesus, Prophet Mohammed and Gandhi had succeeded in keeping them under control.• (Consult a dictionary to find out the meanings of difficult words)• Questions:• 1. How can one conquer the six enemies of man?• 2. Why should we conquer them?

Activity

• Read books on the six enemies mentioned in the passage and write five sentences on each of them. If you do not find books on them, find out about them from elders.