Before You Read:
a. What are critical thinking skills?
Critical thinking skills involve the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas. These skills include analyzing facts, evaluating evidence, and reasoning through complex problems.
b. How do critical thinkers solve problems? Guess the steps they follow while tackling a problem. Critical thinkers typically follow these steps:
- Identify the problem: Clearly define the issue at hand.
- Gather information: Collect relevant data and evidence.
- Analyze and evaluate: Break down the information, assessing its credibility and implications.
- Develop solutions: Generate and consider multiple solutions.
- Choose the best solution: Based on the analysis, select the most effective approach.
- Implement and review: Apply the solution and review its effectiveness.
Working with words
A. Find the words from the text that match with the following meanings:
a. Shuffling – walking by dragging one's feet along or without lifting them fully from the ground.
b. Doodling – drawing pictures or patterns while thinking about something else.
c. Plaque – a piece of flat metal with writing on it.
d. Precept – a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.
e. Sneak – move or go in a furtive or stealthy way.
B. Consult your teacher and define the following thinking skills:
a. Convergent thinking – The ability to give the correct answer to standard questions that do not require significant creativity, often used in problem-solving or decision-making scenarios with a single correct solution.
b. Divergent thinking – The process of generating creative ideas by exploring multiple possible solutions, typically involving thinking in a free-flowing, spontaneous manner.
c. Critical thinking – The ability to analyze facts, evaluate evidence, and systematically question and assess information to form a reasoned judgment.
d. Creative thinking – The ability to think outside the box and generate novel or original ideas, approaches, or solutions.
Comprehension
a. Who was Jack? How did he make children laugh?
Jack was a student in the class who was well-liked by other kids. He made children laugh by joking around with his classmates and making humorous comments, such as when he made fun of the English class.
b. Why are “Sharks” important to Reid?
Reid believed sharks were important because they eat dead things in the ocean, contributing to maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.
c. What does Mr. Browne think about the most important thing?
Mr. Browne believes the most important thing is understanding "who we are" – knowing oneself. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the kind of person one becomes.
d. What is it that has not been noticed by the student?
The students had not noticed the plaque by the door of the school that said, "Know Thyself."
e. How did Jack make fun of the English class?
Jack made fun of the English class by jokingly saying, “I thought we were here to learn English,” which made the class laugh and even Mr. Browne smile.
f. What were the students going to do at the end of the month?
At the end of the month, the students were going to write an essay about Mr. Browne’s precept and what it meant to them personally.
g. What particular act of students surprised a girl student?
A girl student was surprised to learn that Mr. Browne’s former students continued to send him postcards with their personal precepts even years after they had graduated.
Writing
Subject: An Interesting Class We Had Recently!
Hi [Friend's Name],
I hope this email finds you well! I wanted to tell you about this really interesting class we had yesterday. It was an English lesson, but instead of the usual grammar exercises or reading, our teacher gave us a special assignment. We had to discuss Mr. Browne's precepts from the book "Wonder" and write about what we thought the most important one was. It led to such a deep and meaningful discussion in class! Everyone shared their personal views on what really matters in life, like kindness, honesty, and self-awareness. Even some of the shy students opened up, and we all learned a lot about each other. It was refreshing to have a class where we didn’t just focus on textbooks but also on real-life values.
I think you would’ve enjoyed it too! I can't wait to catch up and hear what you’ve been up to.
Take care,
[Your Name]
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Grammar
Question Tag
B. Rewrite the following sentences adding appropriate question tags:
a. Gill does not know Ann, does she?
b. I’m very patient, aren’t I?
c. They’d never met me before, had they?
d. Listen carefully, will you?
e. Let’s have a break, shall we?
f. Let us invite them, shall we?
g. Hari used to live in France as a boy, didn’t he?
h. You’d better not take a hard drink, had you?
i. Sheep eat grass, don’t they?
j. Mr. Pande can speak nine languages, can’t he?
k. She’s finished her classes, hasn’t she?
l. She barely managed to reach the goal, did she?
m. Don’t let him swim in that pond, will you?
n. There are lots of people here, aren’t there?
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C. Read the following situations. What do you say in these situations? Use question tags:
a. The sky is full of cloud. You can see lightning and hear thunder.
It’s going to rain soon, isn’t it?
b. You want to pay the taxi fare but you are short by 100 rupees.
Shyam, you don’t have 100 rupees, do you?
c. You have met a stranger at a party and you want to have a chat with him/her.
We haven’t met before, have we?
d. You came out of the film hall with your friend. You enjoyed the film.
The film was great, wasn’t it?
e. You and your friend listened to a comedian on the stage and felt spellbound by his/her performance.
He gave an excellent performance, didn’t he?
f. You think your friend’s father has arrived from the US but you are not sure.
Your father has arrived, hasn’t he?
g. You think Susan will join the new job tomorrow but you are not sure.
Susan will join tomorrow, won’t she?
h. Your friend’s hair looks too short.
You have got a haircut, haven’t you?
i. You want to go for a picnic with your friends in class.
Let’s go for a picnic, shall we?
j. You want permission from your father to go for a walk.
Let me go for a walk, will you?
B. Expressions of Disappointment
In the dialogue, the underlined expressions of disappointment are:
- "I'm not happy."
- "Oh, I didn't get that job."
- "What a bummer!"
- "I wish I had prepared better for the interview."
- "If I had only thought about how my experience applied to the position."
- "I'm sick of this job."
Additional expressions of disappointment:
- "I'm really upset about that."
- "That didn’t go as I expected."
- "I was hoping for something better."
- "I can't believe it turned out this way."
- "What a letdown!"
- "This is so frustrating."
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C. Expressing disappointment in the following situations:
a. You missed the birthday party of your close friend because you were unwell.
- "I’m so disappointed I couldn’t make it to your birthday. I was really looking forward to it, but I wasn’t feeling well."
b. You had to go to school on time, but as it happened, you found the tyre of your bicycle flat.
- "I can’t believe my tyre was flat! Now I’m going to be late for school. How frustrating!"
c. You have arranged to go for a picnic with your friends. But it is pouring with rain.
- "Oh no, it’s raining so hard! I was so excited for the picnic. What a disappointment!"
d. You went to the cinema with your friend to watch a newly-released film, but as it happened, there was a ‘Houseful’ sign outside.
- "What a shame! I was really looking forward to watching that movie. I guess we’ll have to wait for another day."
e. You could not secure an A grade in class 11 in English.
- "I’m really disappointed with my grade. I was hoping to get an A, but I guess I didn’t work hard enough."
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Project Work:
After inviting some Grade XI students and asking the three questions, here’s a paragraph based on their answers:
Paragraph:
Many students are curious about how technology will shape the future, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence and space exploration. However, they are also concerned about the rapid environmental degradation and how climate change will affect their lives and future generations. Despite these concerns, they are eager to create solutions, with many expressing a desire to develop innovative technologies or start social initiatives that will address global challenges like poverty and sustainability.