English X - Chapter No.15 - Questions-Answers and Text Book Exercise

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AN AFRICAN VILLAGE
Questions-Answers and Text Book Exercise

A. Comprehension:

Q.1: How many independent countries are there in Africa? What was it called first?
Ans. After Asia, Africa is the second largest Continent and it consists of more than thirty-five independent countries. It was once called the "Dark Continent". Because its northern parts have had relations with Europe and Asia for many centuries but very little was known about other parts till the middle of the 19th century.

Q.2: Where is Nigeria? 

Ans. Nigeria is in  West  Africa. Nigeria is the most thickly populated of all the African countries. It is also the largest country of West Africa.

Q.3: What sort of country is it? OR Give a brief account of Nigeria?

Ans. Nigeria is mainly an agricultural country. It is the largest country of West Africa and is the most thickly populated of all the African countries. Most of its inhabitants are farmers who live in villages. A great part of Nigeria is covered with a dense forest which thins out into bush in the north. The bush consists of scattered trees with heavy undergrowth in the form of thick bushes and grass.

Q.4: What is the bush area made up of ?

Ans. A great part of Nigeria is covered with a dense forest which thins out into bush. The bush area is consisted of scattered trees with heavy undergrowth in the form of thick bush and grass.

Q.5: Where do most Nigeria farmers live?

Ans. Most of the Nigerian are farmers and live in the villages or farmer's settlements which are scattered in the bush where they cultivate the land. They construct huts and live in those huts. These Nigerian villages may consist of a dozen to about three dozen huts.

Q.6: What is the roof of farmers hut made of?

Ans. The roof of farmers hut was also made of thatched which is a thick layer of straw, grass, reeds, or palm-leaves. Some of these are circular in shape while others may be square or rectangular. A narrow opening was left for entrance on the side toward the sun. 

Q.7: What is the centre of activities?
Ans. The courtyard of the house is the main  centre of all activities. Women do all types of work including cooking and washing and the children play there.  They only use rooms for resting purposes.

Q.8: What are their food crops?
Ans. The crop, which is edible and we use as food are called food crops. The main food crops of Nigeria are plantains, potatoes, yarns, ground nuts and pepper. 

Q.9: What are their cash crops?
Ans. The crop which is export to other countries are called cash crops and the  most important Nigeria’s cash crops are palm oil and cocoa. The products of these crops are the major exports of Nigeria.

Q.10: Who tends the food crops?
Ans. Food crops are usually tended by the women.

Q.11: Who tends the cash crops?
Ans. The cash crops are tended by men.

Q.12: What is made from cocoa beans?
Ans. From the fruit of cocoa tree, yield beans which are grounded into powder which forms chocolate.

Q.13: What is yield from palm trees?
Ans. From the palm trees, palm oil is yield. When the oil from the trees is passed through the chemical processors, the palm oil is obtained in pure form which is filled in drums.

Q.14: Why was continent Africa called “Dark Continent” once?
Ans. Continent Africa was called “Dark Continent” once because the habitats and civilizations of the people of this continent was not known to the world. Due to their backward living styles and old fashioned traits, this continent seems to be the dull part of this world.

Q.15: What do you know about Nigerian villages?
Ans. A Nigerian village may consist of a dozen to about three dozen huts. The farmers’ settlements or villages are scattered in the bush where they cultivate the land. The African villages are being introduced to the modern facilities of transport and communications.

Q.16: How is the life of Nigerian farmer differ from Pakistani farmer? OR Describe the settlements of a Nigerian village? OR How is Nigerian Villages are differ from Our villages?

Ans. The life of Nigerian farmer differ from Pakistani farmer in many ways. Their agricultural style is quite different from our’s. A Nigerian village may consist of a dozen to about three dozen huts which are separated from one another by cultivated patches of land. There are no streets or lanes. They are joined by bush paths which may lead to other villages in the same bush area.  Many Nigerian farmers cannot rear cattle on account of a kind of fly whose sting kills the cattle and causes sleeping sickness among human beings. Their daily routine of life also differs from Pakistani farmers.

Q.17: Why can't the Nigerian farmer  rear cattle? OR Why can't the Nigerian farmer keep the cattle? OR What do you know about the African fly?
Ans. The Nigerian farmers can not keep or rearing cattle on account of a kind of dangerous fly (Tse-Tse), whose sting kills the cattle and causes sleeping sickness among human beings which cause death.

Q.18: How do the Nigerian protect themselves? OR Why the bush-dwellers use woods for lighting and heating purpose?

Ans. The bush-dwellers still use wood for lighting and heating purposes, since electricity has not reached these remote villages. A large pile of wood is lighted in the middle of the courtyard which gives them light and protects them from cold, mosquitoes and wild beasts.

B. Write down the meanings of the following words and used them in your own sentences:

Words / Meaning

S.No.	Words	Meanings
1.	Activity	Being active, A thing that a person or group does or has done.
2.	Agriculture	Farming
3.	Aluminium	Light silver white metal
4.	Beans	An edible seed
5.	Century	One hundred
6.	Compounds	An area surrounded by fences or walls that contains a group of buildings
7.	Consists	Composed of
8.	Continent	A very large area of land, such as Africa or Asia, that consists of several countries. .
9.	Courtyard	Compound
10.	Cultivate	To grow
11.	Dense	Thick
12.	Earthenware	Pot made of clay
13.	Electricity	Power, Energy
14.	Export	A product or service sold abroad.
15	Facility	Convenience
16.	Furniture	Furnishings
17.	Grind	Break into powder
18.	Groundnuts	A type of peanuts
19.	Inhabitant	People living in a place
20.	Introduce	Acquaint
21.	Lanes	Narrow street
22.	Mosquito	A small insect
23.	Patch	Apart of something marked out from the rest
24.	Pepper	A hot tasting powder used in food
25.	Plaster	A soft mixture of sand, cement and sometimes lime water, for spreading on walls, ceilings etc
26.	Plantains	Bananas
27.	Pots	Pottery
28.	Reed	Tall grass
29.	Remote	Distant
30.	Separate	Different
31.	Settlement	Area inhabited  by people
32.	Sting	A small sharp-pointed organ of insects
33.	Scatter	Disperse
34.	Tend	To look after
35.	Thatch	Cover (a roof or a building) with straw or a similar material.
36.	Transport	Conveyance
37.	Utensils	Cooking-pots
38.	Yield	Produce
39.	Yam	The edible starchy tuber

Sentences

S.No.	Words	Sentences
1.	Activity	She always participates in all school activities.
2.	Agriculture	Pakistan is an agricultural country.
3.	Aluminium	Stainless steel utensils are much better than Aluminium  for cooking purpose
4.	Beans	Addition of red beans make the salad more delicious.
5.	Century	Computer is the most amazing invention of this century.
6.	Compounds	Video cameras scan every part of the compound around the building.
7.	Consists	Pakistan's exports mainly consists of rice, wheat, cotton and sugar.
8.	Continent	There are seven continents in the world
9.	Courtyard	Mostly children play in the evening in their courtyards.
10.	Cultivate	Modern methods of agriculture are being used to cultivate the fields.
11.	Dense	Amazon forest is mainly covered with dense vegetation.
12.	Earthenware	He cooked his meals in earthenware pots.
13.	Electricity	The electricity failed and the whole city was blacked out.
14.	Export	Rice is the major export of Pakistan.
15	Facility	Internet facility is available in any shopping malls.
16.	Furniture	She has bought a new furniture to update her house interiors.
17.	Grind	The wheat will grind down into flour
18.	Groundnuts	Consuming groundnut is very beneficial for our health.
19.	Inhabitant	London has over seven million inhabitants.
20.	Introduce	Various new features are introduced in new apple iPhone in 2020.
21.	Lanes	The side gate of my house opens onto a small lane.
22.	Mosquito	A single mosquito can infect a large number of people.
23.	Patch	We sat in a patch of shade under a tree.
24.	Pepper	He put some black pepper and salt on his egg.
25.	Plaster	The plaster on the walls was cracked and flaking.
26.	Plantains	Cooked plantains are nutritionally good for health.
27.	Pots	He has decorated few plants in the pots in his window.
28.	Reed	The side of the field is covered with reeds and bushes.
29.	Remote	The severe earthquake destroyed mud buildings in many remote villages.
30.	Separate	This apartment is separated into two main buildings.  / The children sleep in separate beds.
31.	Settlement	The cave contained evidences of prehistoric settlement.
32.	Sting	A small sharp-pointed organ of insects
33.	Scatter	The shelling of the police scatter the crowd.
34.	Tend	We tend to go skiing during the off-season because it's cheaper.
35.	Thatch	The thatch was badly damaged in the storm.
36.	Transport	The museum is easily accessible by public transport.
37.	Utensils	Stainless utensils are good in cooking purpose.
38.	Yield	Mango trees yield plenty of mango in our area.
39.	Yam	Yam is rich in high nutritions.

C (i). For each word in list ‘A’ find a word or phrase of similar meaning from list ‘B’.

Synonyms
1. Courtyard – Compound
2. Link – Join
3. Dense – Thick
4. Explore – Search
5. Introduce – Acquaint
6. Century – One Hundred
7. Majority – More than half
8. Cultivate – to grow
9. Facility – Convenience

(ii). Find in list 'B' word or phrases opposite in meaning to words  in list ‘A’ .

Antonyms
1. Dense – Thin
2. Majority – Minority
3. Remote – Near
4. Major – Minor
5. Independent – Dependent
6. Interior – Exterior
7. Export – Import

D. Study the following sentences: 

Thin out

1. Dense forest thins out into bush which consist of scattered trees and thick undergrowth.

2. The center of activity has dense population, but it gradually thins out as we move away from the center.

3. The gardener has planted the flowers close together. I have asked him to thin them out.

4. A large crowd was watching the match but it began to thin out after half-time.

E. (i) Fill in the blanks with:

Shall, Will, Should, Would:
1. I think I shall go to the Karachi next week.
2. You should not tell a lie.
3. We shall fight to the last men.
4. This office will remain open till midnight.
5. I shall be grateful if you kindly grant me a pass.
6. The train would have arrived now.
7. Should our motherland need it, we will lay down our lives for it.
8. You should respect your elders.
9. Had you been there, it would never have happened.
10. They should not violate any condition of this contract.

(ii). Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions:
1. Please introduce me to your father.
2. He is not acquainted with my parents.
3. This machine is fitted with automatic control.
4. You are not fit for this job.
5. A round nail does not into a square hole.
6. He has passed the examination and is not looking for a job.
7. The police are on the look out for the robbers.
8. Look for the meaning of this world in the dictionary.
9. He promised to look into this matter.
10. We look up at you to solve our problems.

(iii) Change into Passive Voice
1. A road links his village to the town.

Ans. His village is linked to the town by a road.

2. A snake in the grass stung his barefoot.
Ans. His barefoot was stung by a snake in the grass.

3. He cannot rear any cattle on his farm.
Ans. No cattle can be reared by him on his farm.

4. Their father settled the dispute between the brothers.
Ans. The dispute between the brothers was settled by their father.

(iv). Change into Active Voice

1.This lamp was lit by the servant.
Ans. The servant lit this lamp.

2. The soldier was ordered by the officer to report to him.
Ans. The officer ordered the soldier to report to him.

3. By whom was this blanket patched?
Ans. Who patched this blanket?

4. Was this land cultivated by the land owner himself?
Ans. Did the Land owner cultivated this land himself?

F. Composition 

Q.1: Describe in 70 to 80 words the huts of a farmer in Nigeria? What do you know about the huts of Nigerian Villages? OR Describe the building style of Nigerian farm?
Ans. Nigerian village may consist of a dozen to about three dozen huts in different styles. 

The types of huts a farmer built in past:

Formerly a farmer's hut was a single room. It was built very simply. Thick branches of trees were stuck in the ground in a large circle. These branches were joined at the top and bound firmly together. Thus a cone-shaped room was made. The spaces between the branches were filled up with straw, and the roof was also thatched with a thick layer of straw, grass, reeds, or palm-leaves. A narrow opening was left for entrance on the side toward the sun. 

The types of huts a farmer built in these days:

Now, bigger and better huts are built and more modern building methods and materials are used. A farmer's house may now have two or more rooms. It is built round a compound. Some of the rooms have four walls with a door opening on to the courtyard, while others have only three walls with a veranda. The walls are made of wood and are plastered with mud. The roof is still thatched with grass, reeds or palm leaves. Some of the houses are circular in shape while others may be square or rectangular.

Q.2: Describe in 100 to 110 words a day in the life of a Nigerian farmer and his wife?

Ans. The life a Nigerian villager is a model of hard work. Farmer usually does all the work related to agriculture. They cannot rear cattle on account of a kind of fly whose sting kills the cattle and causes sleeping sickness among human beings. In the absence of cattle, the farmer has to plough the fields with his hands, carry load to the market and walk long distances. They tend cash crops. 

women do the household work. Their courtyard of the house is the center of all activities where women work and cook food. they look after their children. They also look after the food crops

Q.3: Describe the changes that are coming or likely to come soon in the life of the bush dwellers in Nigeria. OR State the changes and developments made in Nigeria?
Ans. Nigeria is still in process of progress. The bush-dwellers are being introduced to the modern facilities of transport and communications. Once their small villages are linked by road with towns and cities, buses and cars, electricity and tube-wells, radios and televisions, schools and hospitals would come within their reach.

G. Idioms:

1. To shed crocodile tears: to weep insincerely, or hypocritically

Example: Don't be deceived by that beggar's crying. They just shedded crocodile tears.

Exercise: They were not all sorry when he died. They just pretended to be crying.  (Substitute the idiom)

They were not all sorry when he died. They just shedded crocodile tears.

2. To feel like fish out of water: To feel out of place

Example: I was the only one who spoke English and felt like a fish out of water in that group.

Exercise: Being the only educated man in that village, I feel out of place there.  (Substitute the idiom)

Being the only educated man in that village, I feel like a fish out of water there.

3. To nip in the bud: To stop evil in the early stages

Example: Bad behaviour in children must be nipped in the bud.

Exercise: The plot to overthrow the government was detected and crashed before it could be realized.  (Substitute the idiom)

The plot to overthrow the government was detected and nipped in the bud.

4. To turn over a new leaf: To reform, to behave better

Example:  The criminal promised the judge that he would turn over a new leaf.

Exercise: The teacher pardoned the boy on the condition that he promised to behave better in future.  (Substitute the idiom)

The teacher pardoned the boy on the condition that he promised to turn over a new leaf.