Unit 8: People and Places : Ghazi's Diary

 GHAZI'S DIARY

CRITICAL SUMMARY

This entry is written by Mr. Ghazi in his diary who has shifted to Karachi city. Although, the city has clean streets, big houses, beautiful gardens, he missed his village. In village, he had a house of three rooms with no boundary wall in which his grandparents, two of my unmarried aunts, his uncle with family, his parents siblings lived. The city house is made of cement and painted with tiled floors. The houses in the village were all made of wood, straw and mud. They had no furniture. The village did not have roads or streets but narrow mud lanes. People did not need transport, they just walked. The village had a few small shops. Men spent their free time in the village Otaq. The women had the village well which was the center of all their activities village men and women didn't use television, Facebook, YouTube, SMS or email. The writer then wished him to take him back to his simple village life.

WE NEED TO STORE RAIN WATER

The second entry of Mr. Ghazi is about thinking to store rain water. He noted that rivers have played a very important role in the life of man. They are always used as a trade route as in earlier times most trade was done by boats and ships. Furthermore, man was also dependent on rains for growing crops through system of that proved to be the better source of water supply. However, when there was shortage of water in the river during the winter season, the canal would run dry and the farmers, would be left without water for their crops

Thus man tried to develop methods to get water from the river throughout the year and to escape the in floods and he came out with the construction of barrage as a possible solution. The benefits of a barrages are as followed:

·        It blocks the flow of water.

·        It has gates which help control of water during flood season.

·        It stores water so that canals get water throughout the year. It controls the water flow to protect fields, lives and property.

The Guddu barrage is designed to force the water which is spread over fourteen kilometers to pass throughout narrow bridge of about 9 kilometers of width. More than 500 engineers, technicians and labor worked night to complete it. It was put into actions on 4th February, 1962. It is built on the River Indus and a length of 1355 meters.

The Guddu barrage has a system of three main canals, two on the right bank and one on the left bank of the River Indus. The Begari Feeder and the Desert Pat Feeder are on the right bank while the Ghotki Feeder is on the left bank. They are among the biggest feeders of the world.

The advantage of Guddu barrage can be described as following:

It is designed in such a way that a flood of 1.2 million cusecs can pass through it.

A road of 7 meters has been constructed over it which shortened the road distance between Lahore and Quetta. The distance between Rahim Yar Khan and Kashmore has also become half. It supplies water to its system of three main canals.

It helps in irrigating an area of 2.7 million acres. Most of this area is in Sukkur and Jacobabad and the rest is in the Kalat Division.

SIMPLE SOLVED ANSWERED QUESTIONS

Q01: What kind of life do the villagers live?

Ans. The life in village is quite different and the villagers live a simple, contented and happy life. They wake up early and go to sleep soon after the sunset. Their houses are simple and mostly mud-plastered and the lanes and streets are narrow and dusty. They mostly go on foot for short distances.

Q02: What is an Otaq? What do people do there in a village?

Ans. The meeting place of villagers is called 'Otaq'. The villagers meet there in the evening or in leisure hours and discuss on topics like weather, crops and village affairs. They also enjoy folk songs, sung to the tunes of the 'Ghaghar' and the Tambooro'.

 

Q03: Which is the meeting place for women in a village and what do they do there?

Ans. 'The village well' is the meeting place for women in a village. The women come here for collecting water and used to talk with each other about their domestic affairs. It is a famous place for women.

Q04: What is the difference between village and city life of Pakistan?

Ans. The city life is busy and noisy but the village life is simple and calm. The village has clean environment and simple food which are not found in cities. People usually wake up early in the morning in villages but in cities, people wake up late. The villagers use simple and old machines while the cities are full of modern equipment.

Q05: What role have rivers played in the life of man?

Ans. Rivers have played significant role in the life of man since the beginning of social life of humans. They are the main source of water for humans and animals and their water is used for irrigation. Before the development of modern ways of transportation, most of the trade was carried out through boats and ships along rivers.

Q06: What is a barrage and why are barrages built?

Ans. A barrage is a kind of wall with gates to block and control the flow of water. They are built on rivers. The barrages are built to ensure the water supply throughout the year and to protect human settlements from the floods during rainy seasons.

Q07: What is the canal system of the Guddu barrage?

Ans. The Guddu barrage has a system of three main canals. Two of these are the right bank and one on the left. The Begari Sindh Feeder and the Dean Pat Feeder are on the right bank. The third canal, the Ghotki Feeder is on oft bank. The three canals are amongst the largest feeder canals in the world.
Q08: How can we benefit from a barrage? What are its functions?

Ans. The benefits of Barrages are given below:

1. It blocks the flow of water.

2. It has gates which regulate water supply to control the water in flood season. 3. It stores water so that canals get water throughout the year.

Q09: How many engineers and labor took part in the construction of Guddu Barrage? When did the construction end?

Ans. Many people took part in this construction. More than 5000 engineers, technicians and laborers worked day and night to complete Guddu Barrage. It was put into action on 4th February, 1962.

Q10: Give a brief description of Guddu barrage?

Ans.   The Guddu barrage is built on the River Indus. It came into operation in 1962. It is about 1355-meter-long and has three canal systems one on the left bank and two on the right bank. The barrage irrigates long and has three canals systems one on the left bank and other two on the right bank. The barrage irrigates the area of 2.7 million acres of land. Its 7 meters wide road bridge has reduced the distance between Lahore and Quetta and the highway distance of Rahimyar Khan and Kashmore has also become half.

Q11: What are the benefits of Guddu barrage?

Ans. The advantage of Guddu barrage can be described as follows:

1. It is designed in such a way that a flood of 1.2 million cusecs can pass through it.

 2. It has shortened the distance between Lahore and Quetta and the distance between Rahim Yar Khan and Kashmor.

3. It supplies water to its system of three main canals. The Guddu 4. It helps in irrigating an area of 2.7 million acres. Most of this area is in Sukkur and Jacobabad district Rivers has and the rest is in the Kalat Division.

 

Q12: What. areas of Sindh are irrigated by the Guddu Barrage?

Ans.  It helps in irrigating an area of 2.7 million acres. Most of this area is in Sukkur and Jacobabad districts of Sindh. The rest is in the Kalat Division.

SOLVED IMPORTANT EXERCISES FROM TEXT BOOK

READING COMPREHENSION:

EXERCISE#01:

Read the diary’s entries quickly and find out the information for filling the following table. One entry is narrative other is descriptive. After filling the table, Discuss with your partner.

Item	Day	Date	Topic	Place Mentioned	No. of Para	Type of text entry
Entry 1	Wednesday	10Feb2015	Village Life	Karachi	07	Narrative
Entry 2	Friday	14July2017	Barrages	Pakistan	08	Descriptive

 

EXERCISE#02:

The following words have been taken from the text. Find them in the reading  text and underline them. (Meaning is also provided)

desperately      siblings              commuting        credit   

gossips          devices               compromised        distanced
                   access                     replaced                  Access

EXERCISE#04:

The following sentences are summary of each paragraph of the entries. Read the text and blank provided, write the number of paragraph to which each sentence is related.

ENTRY 1:

There were no roads and no vehicles.                  4
b. The modern lifestyle has affected our health and our relationships.         7
c. I miss the simple village life.                1
d. Men met and discussed things at the Otaq and women at the village well.      6
e. Three families lived in three rooms.            2
f. The houses were not made of cement.           3
g. People bought things from small shops.         5

ENTRY 2:

a. One of the barrages in Pakistan is the Guddu Barrage.                                  5
b. Construction of more barrages is an important need of Pakistan today.         8
c. The Guddu Barrage irrigates land in two provinces.                 6
d. Rivers has always been important for travel and for growing crops.          2
e. The flow of water is controlled through gates in a barrage.                  4
f. Many different people worked to complete the Guddu Barrage.                  7
g. A way was found to store extra water for later use.                3
h. Rains cause rivers to overflow, leading to flood.                    1

EXERCISE #05:

 How was the village life of the past different from the city life of today, as given in the text? Complete the table to show the difference.

S.NO	ITEMS	VILLAGE LIFE 60YEARS AGO	CITY LIFE TODAY
1	House	Made of wood, straw or mud	Cemented, painted, tiles floor
2	Roads/Streets	Narrow mud lanes	Roads and streets
3	Mode of travel	Walk	Car, bus. Bike Vehicle
4	Atmosphere	Healthy and pollution free	Polluted and unhealthy
5	Shops/Markets	Few small shops	Shops and super Markets
6	Buying from shops	Borrow	Money or credit card
7	Source of news	Otaq	Television
8	Information about people	Gathering	Facebook
9	Source of entertainment	Talking people	YouTube
10	Communicating with people	By people	Devices

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE#06:

Complete the following sentences. After completed discuss with your partner and make changes if necessary.

a.     Very few people had knee problems in the village because people of all ages comfortably sat on the floor, which exercised their knees.
b. The people in the village did not need vehicles because they just walked.
c. People could buy things from the shops without money as the village shopkeepers knew everyone by name and were usually willing to give goods on credit.
d. When the men met at the Otaq in the evening they spent their free time, shared news and gossips, laughed at shared jokes, talked about the weather, their crops, and village issues, and enjoyed folk songs sung to the tune of the Ghaghra and tamboura.
e. The writer wanted a time machine so that he would be taken back to his simple life, simple people, simple interests, and simply wants and needs.
f. Rivers have always been important for two reasons, for growing crops and for traveling from one place to another.
g. The main purpose of barrages is to capture and retain the rainwater for later use and prevent it from flooding.
h. The Guddu Barrage has made a difference in this region by taming the river and putting an end to the damage caused by floods.
i. Pakistan needs more barrages to control flooding during the rainy season and to supply water throughout the year for irrigating more land.
j. Through proper water management we can grow surplus food items, which we can then export and earn foreign exchange.

EXERCISE#07:

Read the text and answer the following questions in your note book. After you have completed, discuss answers with your partner.

a.     What are the things that the writer was missing?

Ans.  The writer was missing his village, the simple, mud house that he lived in, the simple toys that gave him so much pleasure, and the simple, carefree people amongst whom we lived.

b.      Why did the lanes in the village become slippery in the rainy season?
Ans: Village did not have roads or streets; there were just narrow lanes covered with mud, so they became very slippery in the rainy season.

c. Is the writer happy with his present life? Why? Why not?
Ans: No, the writer is not happy with his present life because he feels that luxurious life style of city people has compromised their health. The availability of devices has distanced them from people. The access to technology has replaced the human touch. So, he prefer his village life and wish for a time machine to take him back to his simple life, simple people, simple interests, and simple wants and needs.

d. Why do most parts of Pakistan have flood problem in summer?
Ans: In Pakistan, floods create havoc when rivers over flow their banks during the monsoon season, because there is no proper management to store excess rain water. The population is dense and most of the population is inhabited near rivers.

e. Why did people start building barrages?
Ans: Rivers flood during the rainy season and run dry or have very little water sometime after the rains. So, there is one way that people started building barrages to capture and retain the rain water for later use and to prevent it from flooding.

f. Do you agree / think that we should build bridges? Why? Why not?
Ans: Bridges are very useful for transportation but in the current situation we need more barrages to overcome the water shortage. By building barrages to hold or retain rain water in monsoon or rainy season, floods can be avoided and retained water can be used throughout the year for growing food. By doing so, we will take the country towards development. I think we should build more barrages than bridges.

LANGUAGE PRACTICE:

DEGREES OF ADVERB:

·                     Adverbs often tell us how an action was done.

·                     Like adjectives, adverbs also have three degrees, positive, comparative and superlative.

·                     One syllable adverbs usually take -er to form the comparative degree and -est to form the superlative degree. (e.g. high — higher — highest).

·                     The adverbs that have two or more syllables usually form the comparative degree with 'more' and the superlative degree with 'most'. (e.g. smoothly — more smoothly — most smoothly).

·                     Adverbs can have irregular degrees also (e.g. badly — worse — worst)

S.NO	POSITIVE	COMPARATIVE	SUPERLATIVE
1	Angrily	More angrily	Most angrily
2	Bravely	More bravely	Most bravely
3	Carefully	More carefully	Most carefully
4	Comfortably	More comfortably	Most comfortably
5	Early	Earlier	Earliest
6	Easily	More easily	Most easily
7	Loudly	More loudly	Most loudly
8	Fast	Faster	Fastest
9	Gently	More gently	Most gently
10	Happily	More Happily	Most happily
11	Hard	Harder	Hardest
12	Probably	More probably	Most probably
13	Long	Longer	Longest
14	Far	Farther	Farthest
15	Noisily	More Noisily	Most Noisily
16	High	Higher	Highest
17	Quickly	More quickly	Most quickly
18	Skillfully	More skillfully	Most skillfully
19	Truthfully	More truthfully	Most truthfully
20	Well	Better	Best

EXERCISE #02:

Fill the following blanks with the correct degree of adverb. Select an adverb from the list in Exercise 1. You can use one adverb only once. Discuss your answers with your partner, after both of you have completed, and make changes where needed.
1. My uncle went the farthest from his home during the recent floods.
2. Let's see who runs the fastest in the race.
3. The workers protested angrily at getting low salaries, as compared to long working hours and shorter breaks.
4. The Bolan Express is the earliest train you can take, the rest leave after 10 o'clock.
5. The drivers from Germany drove their cars more carefully than those from Japan.
6. Salim climbed higher than Fazal but Hanif climbed the highest.
7. As compared to the soldiers in the first and middle rows, the soldiers in the last row fought the enemy more bravely.
8. Saima answered more quickly than her friends.
9. Newborn babies should be handled more gently than all other age groups.
10. My father was sitting comfortably in his chair and enjoying the talk show on TV.

EXERCISE#03:

Work in pairs and orally complete the following passage using the correct degree of the adverbs given below. You can use each adverb only once. After you have discussed it orally, write the complete passage in your notebook, underlining all the adverbs.

well, probably, easily, loudly, happily, quickly, long, hard, carefully, noisily

The teacher had to shout loudly the second time, before the students settled down. The reason why the students were working was noisily because they wanted more time to do the work. The teacher said that the student who finishes the most quickly would get two extra marks. Salim wanted to perform better than his friends because he wanted to get the scholarship. He had worked hard for his English paper and wanted to be able to do the paper more easily than he had been able to do in the previous test. He read each section carefully to avoid silly mistakes. He knew that he would probably finish well in time to be able to edit his work. He worked the longest on the writing section because he wanted to write a good essay. He submitted his paper happily when the teacher announced that the time was up.

QUOTATION MARKS: FURTHER PRACTICE

In writing, words that are actually used by speakers are put in quotation marks. They are put in before the first word spoken and after the last spoken word. They are always put in after the quotation mark. The spoken words can be at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. Look at the example below:

1.                 "Have you finished your homework, Zahid?" asked his mother.

2.                 "I can do my work later," replied Zahid.

3.                 His father said, "You will not be allowed to go out until you finish your homework," and went out of the room.

4.                 Zahid was upset but he said, "Okay, I will finish my homework and then go."

 

EXERCISE#04:

In the following exercise, the quotation marks are missing. Write down these sentences in your notebook by putting in the quotation marks. After you have completed, share your work with your partner.
1. We are going to be late for school, Amjad, said his sister.
Ans: "We are going to be late for school, Amjad", said his sister.

2. The students stood up and said, Good morning, teacher.
Ans: The students stood up and said, "Good morning, teacher."

3. The cleaner said, I have cleaned your yard, and then he went away.
Ans: The cleaner said, "I have cleaned your yard", and then he went away.

4. The small child was crying, and kept saying, Where is my mother?
Ans: The small child was crying, and kept saying, "Where is my mother?"

5. Come on in, children, said the gatekeeper, I am going to close the gate.
Ans: "Come on in, children", said the gatekeeper, "I am going to close the gate."

6. All the people were shouting, Pakistan Zindabad! We have won the match!
Ans: All the people were shouting, "Pakistan Zindabad! We have won the match!"

7. I have lost my car keys, said the old man. How can I start my car now?
Ans: "I have lost my car keys", said the old man. "How can I start my car now?"

8. Be careful! There are many bees flying here. They may bite you, said Zahra.
Ans: "Be careful! There are many bees flying here. They may bite you", said Zahra.

 

EXERCISE#05:

Work in pairs and insert quotation marks, capital letters, full stops and commas In the following story, where required. Rewrite the complete story, with all the above additions, in your notebook. The first paragraph has all the punctuation marks.

FROGS:
Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.
the race began no one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower one person said oh way too difficult!

another one said they will never make it to the top

not a chance that they will succeed said an old man the tower is too high!

the tiny frogs began collapsing one by one however some of them kept their spirits high and continued climbing higher and higher the crowd continued to yell it is too difficult! no one will make it!

more tiny frogs got tired and gave up but one frog continued to climb higher and higher and higher this one wouldn't give up.

at the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who after a big effort was the only one who reached the top then all of the other tiny frogs asked each other how did this one frog manage to do it

a contestant asked the tiny frog how did you find the strength to reach the goal

it turned out that the winner was deaf!

the wisdom of this story is: never listen to other people when they are being negative or pessimistic because they take away your most wonderful dreams from you

always remember that words have power and everything you hear and read will affect your actions therefore always be positive have positive friends and listen only to positive people above all be deaf when people tell you what you can do and what you cannot do believe in yourself and always say with God's help I can do this.

Ans: Frogs
Once upon a time, there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

The race began. No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. One person said, "Oh! way too difficult!"

Another one said, "They will never make it to the top."

"Not a chance that they will succeed", said an old man. "The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing one by one. However, some of them kept their spirits high and continued climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult! no one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up but one frog continued to climb higher and higher and higher. This one wouldn't give up.

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who after a big effort was the only one who reached the top. Then all of the other tiny frogs asked each other, "How did this one frog manage to do it?"

A contestant asked the tiny frog, "How did you find the strength to reach the goal?"

It turned out that the winner was deaf!

The wisdom of this story is: never listen to other people when they are being negative or pessimistic because they take away your most wonderful dreams from you.

Always remember that words have power and everything you hear and read will affect your actions. Therefore, always be positive have positive friends, and listen only to positive people. Above all be deaf when people tell you what you can do and what you cannot do. Believe in yourself and always say, "With God's help, I can do this."

EXERCISE #06:

A. Fill the blanks in the following exercise with adjectives formed by using the suffix 'able' with the appropriate given words.

punish, comfort, cure, move, wash

1. We needed space to do our project work so we moved all the movable furniture to one side.
2. When travelling, we should try and washable take easily clothes with us.
3. This is a very comfortable chair.
4. Non-payment of taxes is a punishable crime.
5. We can recover from curable diseases quickly if we go to the doctor.

B. Fill the blanks in the following exercise by using the suffix 'less' with the appropriate given words.

use, bone, home, taste, job

1. This food is tasteless as compared to the food we had yesterday.
2. I asked my mother to buy boneless chicken for the new dish that I wanted to try.
3. This fellow is useless as far as work is concerned.
4. Finally, I have found work after being jobless for six months.
5. Many homeless people sleep on the footpaths.

 

WRITING

SUMMERIZING A POEM

EXERCISE#04:

Write the summary of the poem “The Miller of the Dee”.

THE MILLER OF THE DEE

SUMMMARY

In this poem, the poet presents a comparison between the life of a miller and a king. He explains miller as a healthy and brave person who lives beside the river Dee and runs a mill to earn his living. He is always happy and sings the songs for his happy and carefree life because he does not envy anyone. He performs his duties well as father as well as a husband and  has limited wants. On the other hand, he describes the king as a worried person who lives a life full of problems and difficulties. He does not believe on the happy life of the miller but after miller’s explanation, he realize the importance of simplicity and contentment in life. He appreciated the miller by saying that his mealy cap and mill is worthier than his crown and the kingdom.

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