Wonder Book 4

Vocabulary

1. Here are some words. Find their opposites in the lesson and write
them in the space below.

a. short ......................................................
b. foolish ......................................................
c. young ......................................................
d. sad ......................................................
e. ugly ......................................................

2. Now write a sentence of your own using each of the five words that
you wrote above.

......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................

A course in English literature Book - 4 51

Comprehension Activities

1 Who said the following statements and to whom?
a. “What future do you see for my son?”
……………………………… said this to
……………………………… .
b. “Your son could become a great king one day...”
……………………………… said this to
……………………………… .
c. “I’ll look after you until your wing is better.”
……………………………… said this to
……………………………… .
d. “Hey, that’s my swan! I shot it. Give it to me.”
……………………………… said this to
……………………………… .
e. “It’s a wild swan. It doesn’t belong to you.”
……………………………… said this to
……………………………… .

2 Write the answers to these questions.
a. Who was Sudhodhana?
b. What question did the king ask the wise fortune-teller?
c. Why did Siddhartha take off his shawl?
d. What did the boys do to the swan when its wing completely
healed?
e. If you had been in Siddhartha's place, what would you have done
to the wounded swan?

52 A course in English literature Book - 4

3 Are the following statements true? Write ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ next to each
statement.
a. The young prince Siddhartha grew up as a poor boy.
b. One evening, Siddhartha saw three beautiful wild
swans flying overhead.
c. Siddhartha removed the arrow and took off his
shirt and wrapped it around the swan.

d. Devadatta was Siddhartha’s father.

4 Choose the words from the box to complete the sentences.

ministers quietly kingdom baby silent

a. Many people came to see the new …………………….
b. He will rule the …………………… after me.
c. Siddhartha went very …………………… up to where the swan

lay and began to stroke it gently.
d. All this time, Devadatta had stood …………………….
e. Let’s go and ask the king and his wise …………………… to help

us settle this.

Leisure Activity

Collect the pictures of five birds. Paste them on a piece of paper and show
it to the class. Ask your friends to guess the names of the birds and write
them below the pictures.

Think, Pair and Share

What would you do if you found a wounded animal? Think and gather the
ideas from the friends and share in the class.

A course in English literature Book - 4 53

9 The Competition,
Athena and Poseidon

Before you proceed

Do you know the names of the legendary characters in ancient Nepal?

New Words - land nearby the seashore.
- to ask for as a right.
Coastal: - an act of leaping or jumping
Claim: - lick, taste
Sprang up: - setting on fire
Nibble: - announce
Kindling:
Proclaim:

The Competition, Athena and Poseidon

Nearly every town in ancient Greece had a god that looked after the town
people. Towns rarely had more than one god to keep an eye on their best
interests. Most gods did not share well. So usually, it was one town and if
the town was lucky, one god to watch over it.

Poseidon loved watching over towns. He usually picked coastal towns since
he was the Lord of the Sea. Poseidon was a very powerful god. Poseidon was
a moody fellow, but he loved his wife and children and he loved attention.
His brothers were Zeus and Hades. He liked having people build temples

54 A course in English literature Book - 4

in his honor and bring him gifts. They were not very useful gifts for a

god, but he enjoyed getting

them anyway. Poseidon was most notably the
God of the sea and the protector
As Greece grew and of all waters; sailors relied upon
developed, new towns him for safe passage and Athena
sprang up all the time. was the goddess of wisdom and
`Poseidon was always on the the daughter of Zeus.

lookout for new coastal towns.

He was not the only god who loved to be in charge. Athena, along with
other gods, enjoyed that role as well. One day, both Athena and Poseidon
claimed a new village.

Most of the time, humans
were grateful when they were
selected to be under the care of
a god. But two gods? That was
one too many. Poseidon wanted
them to choose which god they
wanted. But the people did not
want to choose. They could see
only trouble ahead if they did.

Whom did the people select as a god to rule for their village? and
how?

Athena, goddess of wisdom, daughter of Zeus, understood their worry.
She challenged her uncle Poseidon to a contest. Both gods would give the
town a gift. The townspeople could decide which gift was the more useful.

A course in English literature Book - 4 55

Poseidon slapped his
specter against the side of
the mountain. A stream
appeared. The people were
excited. A source of fresh
water was so important!
But when they tried to
drink the water, they
discovered it was not fresh
at all. It was salt water!

Athena waved her arm and an olive tree appeared. The people nibbled at the
olives. They were delicious! The people were excited. The olive tree would
provide wood for building homes. Branches would provide kindling for
kitchen stoves and fireplaces. The olives could be used for food. The fruit
could be pressed to release cooking oil. It was wonderful.

Which gift was more beneficial for the people?

But there was a coastal village. The people could not risk angering the
Lord of the Sea, the mighty Poseidon. As it turned out, they did not have
to choose. Poseidon chose for them. He laughed his mighty laugh, sending
waves crashing against the shoreline. Poseidon proclaimed his niece the
winner!

That’s how a small village gained a most powerful and wise guardian, the
goddess Athena, a guardian who helped them rise to fame. In her honor,
they named their village in Athens.

56 A course in English literature Book - 4

Vocabulary

1. Match the following words of column ‘A’ with their opposite
meanings in column ‘B’

AB

usually feeble

powerful harmful

excited rarely

useful lost

gained cool-headed

2. Make sensible sentences of your own by using the words.

a. Mountain
b. Kindling
c. Trouble
d. Coastal
e. Lucky

Comprehension Activities

1 Answer the following questions.
a. Who was Poseidon and what was his role?
b. When did people feel grateful?
c. What type of conflict was there between Poseidon and Athena?
d. What were the advantages of Athena’s gift?
e. Could people choose their god themselves? Who proclaimed the
winner?

A course in English literature Book - 4 57

2 Choose the correct options.
a. Every town in Greece was ruled by …………..

i. a king ii. god iii. people

b. Poseidon wanted people bring him ………..

i. gifts ii. children iii. luck

c. Poseidon and Athena claimed a new ……….

i. village ii. coastal town iii. temples

d. People were ……… to drink the water.

i. wonderful ii. sad iii. excited

e. Poseidon announced himself to Athena the ………

i. looser ii. niece iii. Winner

Leisure Activity

Compose a dialogue between Poseidon and Athena about their claim in
new coastal town.

58 A course in English literature Book - 4

Mystery

The joker

A mystery is a story that usually includes one of the following:
• A problem that needs to be solved
• An event that cannot be explained
• A secret
• Something that is lost or missing
• A crime that has been committed
You may meet some special characters in a mystery.
• Suspects : Characters believed to have possibly committed the crime
• Detective : Character trying to solve the mystery
• Witnesses : Characters who saw the crime being committed
Clues are what help the reader and the detective solve the mystery. Clues can be
things people say or do, or objects that are found that provide important information.
In the mystery that you are going to read, do not forget to look for the clues!

10 The Joker

New Words

popular - famous
detective - someone whose job is to discover about crimes
anxious - worried
inspector - someone whose job is to inspect something
criminal - someone who commits a crime

The joker

It was summer time. Everyone was enjoying their long days in the pool.
The school, too, was closed for summer holiday.
Four good friends lived in a small town. Their names were Saina, Amar,
Roshan and Sagun. Their group was very popular in the town. Sagun had
a dog named Tommy. He was also a part of the group. Together they were
called STARS. Everyone in the town called them junior detectives. They
liked to solve mysteries.
It was Saina’s birthday. They were waiting for the joker to come. Mr. Sharma
was the town joker. He always went to parties as a joker. He always came
on time. But strangely he was late today.

60 A course in English literature Book - 4

The joker was 30 minutes late! Even at the party, he acted differently. He
did not give sweets to the children like he always did. He did not make
funny animal shapes with the balloons. He left the party early.
He was acting strange!
STARS wanted to ask him about his behaviour at the party. So, they went
to his house. They knocked at the door. The door opened. It was not locked.
They called the joker.
“Are you there, Mr.
Sharma?” said
Amar. No one
spoke.
They looked in the
kitchen. He was
not there.
They heard
something. They
went towards the
direction of the
noise. It was the television set. It was on but there was no one around.
They looked everywhere but no one was there. The house was completely
empty.
“Strange! He always returns home directly from the parties,” said Amar.
“And why would he leave television on?”
Just then, Tommy gave something to Sagun.
“Look! A joker’s nose,” said Sagun. “What is it doing outside the house?”
“I feel like something is wrong,” said Roshan. “Let’s find Mr. Sharma first.”
“I saw him going towards the haunted house after the party,” said Saina.
All the others were shocked. No one went to the haunted house. NEVER!

A course in English literature Book - 4 61

“Let’s go and find him,”
said Roshan.
They ran towards the
haunted house.
They came close to the
house. They stopped near
a tree to catch a breath.
They were huffing and
puffing!
From there, they could see a person moving. It looked like the joker. They
were about to go ahead. But they saw something that stopped them.
There were two people in the house. One was sitting on the chair and
another was standing next to him.

Who do you think the other person was?
“Look! The joker has something in his hand,” said Roshan.
“It looks like the joker is hitting the person with something,” said Amar.
“Let’s call the police. Something is wrong there!” said Sagun.
“Two of you go and call the police and we will stay here to keep a watch,”
said Roshan turning towards Saina and Amar.
The two friends went to a nearby phone booth to call the police. The two
of them returned in no time.
The four friends were very scared and excited at the same time. Even
Tommy seemed to be out of breath. They were waiting for the police to
arrive.
They were watching the house very carefully. The joker was now looking

for something.
They were anxious. The police seemed to take too long to come.

62 A course in English literature Book - 4

“If the police do not come here in two minutes, we will have to go there
ourselves,” said Amar.

Even the thought of entering the house alone terrified them. Just then,
they heard footsteps coming towards them. They felt someone’s hand on
their shoulders. They jumped with fear.

“Don’t be scared STARS, we are the police,” said the inspector. Two other
policemen were standing behind him.

Together, all of
them walked
slowly towards
the house.
They did not
want the
joker to run.
Saina could
feel sweat
trickling down
her forehead.
Roshan was
equally scared.
But they had to do it. They had to find out the truth.

Slowly they crept towards the door. The inspector opened the door. The
joker was standing there with a bag. He was about to run but they caught
him. Mr. Sharma was tied on the chair. He was unconscious.

They found out that the joker was a WANTED criminal. He confessed
everything.

“I was running from the police,” said the criminal. “I had come to this town
to hide from the police. I have been living here for few days. No one knew
about me but this man found out. He recognized me from my picture on
television. So I brought him here.”

A course in English literature Book - 4 63

“But why did you come to the party like a joker?” asked Amar.
“I had to,” said the criminal angrily. “If the joker did not come to the party,
everyone would have come looking for him. I was planning on leaving the

town tomorrow so I had to get a ticket. I needed time. But I did not know
it would be my biggest mistake!”
The criminal went to prison and once again, the junior detectives had done
their job.

Vocabulary

1. Find the missing letters and complete the words.
a. po ___ u ___ ar
b. det ___ ctive
c. an ___ iou ___
d. in ___ pe ___ tor
e. cr ___ m ___ nal

2. Now use each of these words to make a sentence of your own.

Comprehension Activities

1 Answer the following questions.
a. What were the four best friends called?
b. What was strange about the joker in the party?
c. Why did the friends go to the joker’s house?
d. What did they see there?
e. Why did the criminal keep Mr. Sharma in the haunted house?

64 A course in English literature Book - 4

2 Write T for true and F for false statements. Then correct the false
statements.

a. STARS were the junior detectives of the town.
b. The joker acted strange at the party.
c. Amar had a dog named Tommy.
d. Roshan and Sagun went to call the police.
e. The police caught the criminal.

3 Read the extracts below and answer the questions that follow.
a. Four good friends lived in a small town. Their names were Saina,

Amar, Roshan and Sagun. Their group was very popular in town.
Sagun had a dog named Tommy. He was also a part of the group.
Together they were called STARS. Everyone in the town called
them junior detectives. They liked to solve mysteries.
i. Who were the STARS?
ii. Why did everyone call them junior detectives?
b. “I had to,” said the criminal angrily. “If the joker did not come
to the party, everyone would have come looking for him. I was
planning on leaving the town tomorrow so I had to get a ticket. I
needed time. But I did not know it would be my biggest mistake!”
i. Why did the criminal go to the party?
ii. What was his greatest mistake?

A course in English literature Book - 4 65

4 People have different professions. What do people in these
professions do? Match the person with their profession.

a. detective a person who treats sick or ill people

b. comedian a person whose job is to inspect
things

c. doctor a person who discovers about
crimes

d. test pilot a person who performs comic acts

e. inspector a person who flies planes to check if
there are any problems

Literary Terms

All mysteries have a problem to be solved. Which of the following is the
main problem of this mystery? Discuss.

a. Why was the joker acting strange?
b. Where had Mr Sharma gone?
c. Why couldn’t the police catch the criminal?

Think, Pair and Share

Have you ever faced and tried to solve a mystery. It could be anything like
trying to find out something you lost or why someone was acting strange.
Share your experience with friends.

66 A course in English literature Book - 4

Non-fiction

April Fish!
How Do You Say Hello?
Dinosaur Days
The Solar System

Non-fiction gives information and facts about a topic. It tells about real people,
places or things.
The title and the first paragraph usually tell what the text is about. The middle part
tells more about the topic. The last paragraph summarizes the topic or tells what the
author thinks is important.

11 April Fish!

Before you proceed

Have you made the people fool by telling lie and playing tricks?
Is there any special day to celebrate as fool day in Nepal?
.............................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................

April Fish!

Around the world, April 1 is a day when people try to fool their
friends. In France, April Fool’s Day is called “Poisson d’avril.” In English
that means “fish of April.”
A popular joke, especially with schoolchildren, is to hook or stick a
cardboard fish to someone’s back. When the joke is discovered, the trickster
shouts, “Poisson d’avril” (April Fish!)
What does a fish have to do with April Fool’s Day?

This day is celebrated in most of the countries of the world.
People call April Fools’ Day around the world differently, like
April Noddy Day, Gowkie Day, Huntigowk Day and St. All-
Fools Morn, April Fish, Prima Aprilis, Fools Day and so on.

68 A course in English literature Book - 4

Some people think that it is because there were always lots of fish in French
streams and rivers during early April after the baby fish had hatched. These
young fish were easy to fool with a hook and lure, and were very easy
to catch. The French called them “Poisson d’avril” or “April Fish.” It then
became a custom to fool people on April 1, as a way of celebrating all
foolish fish.

Others say the fish custom is related to the zodiac sign of Pisces, which is
represented by a fish, and falls near April.

On “April Fish Day” in France, bakeries are full of cookies and cakes shaped
like fish, and people often give each other chocolate fish.

Vocabulary

1. Rearrange the jumbled letters to make meaningful words. 69

a. latecooch
b. shoilfo
c. rliap
d. icksti
e. larpupo

A course in English literature Book - 4

2. Make sentences of your own by using words.
a. Custom
b. Fool
c. Joke
d. Discovered
e. Celebrate

Comprehension Activities

1 Answer the following questions.
a. How do people celebrate 1st April?
b. What does April Fool’s Day in France called?
c. Why do people stick the card of fish in April Fool Day?
d. What things do people share on that day in France?

2 Correct the false statements
a. It is the festival of fools of the world.
b. French streams and rivers are full of tiny fish in April.
c. People try to fool others as fun.
d. We stick real fish on the back of people.
e. Cakes and cookies are made for this festival in France.

Leisure Activity

Compose any two jokes or tricks to present in April Fool Day.

Think, Pair and Share

Do you have the experience of celebrating April Fool Day? What activities,
especially are done in Nepal. Is there any festival similar to this? Discuss in
Group and present your ideas in the class.

70 A course in English literature Book - 4

How Do You 12
Say Hello?

Before you proceed

How many languages can you speak?
Do you know how to say hello in Japanese?

New Words

Some of the new words and their meanings are given below. Make a guess and

match the words with their meanings.

chatter hit someone accidentally while moving

alert talk; chat

bump aware

flick off switch off; close

How Do You Say Hello?

– Ann Marie Jennings

People communicate in different ways. Sometimes they write notes or
letters. Sometimes they communicate with computers. They send a signal
or a message from their computer. Another computer receives the signal or
message.
The most common way to communicate is by speaking. People talk to
other people face-to-face. People also chatter on their mobile phones.
Of course, people from another country speak a different language. This
can make it difficult for people to communicate unless they know the other
language. Learning some words and phrases in other languages can help
you communicate better.

A course in English literature Book - 4 71

This is Mount Fuji.
It is in Japan. Japan is an island
nation. It is in the Pacific Ocean.
If you go to Japan, be sure to say
Konnichiwa (ko nee chee WAH)
when you meet someone. That means
“Hello”.

Boa sorte (bo UH sore tay)! In Brazil,
that means “good luck”. You may need
good luck in this rain forest.
That’s because there are many animals
and snakes there! Brazil has a lot of
rain forests. People in rain forests must
stay alert.
Suppose you are in India. You get up in the morning and take a walk. If
you pass by someone, they may say Namaste (nah muh STAY) to you. That
is a way to say “Greetings” or “Hello”. You can say Namaste back and smile.
Of course, we greet someone with a Namaste in Nepal too.
If you are in Peru and you meet someone, then you can say Encantado (en
cahn TAH doh). That means “Nice to meet you”.
Over one billion people live in China. It has crowded cities, so you may
bump into someone. If you do, just say Duibuqui (doo EE boo kwee). That
means “Sorry”.
This is the Great Wall of China.
It is almost 4,000 miles (6,437 km)
long. It was built more than 2,000
years ago.
Maybe someday you will visit Russia.
When it’s time to leave, say Do
svidniya (DOH svee duh NEE yuh).
That means “Good-bye”.

72 A course in English literature Book - 4

It is late Sunday afternoon in Italy.
Many people are getting ready for their
evening walk. They put on nice clothes.
They want to look nice when they go
out. When they meet other people,
they may say Buona sera (bwo nuh
SAY ruh). That means “Good evening”.

Here is the Colosseum. It is an old
stadium in Rome, Italy. It could hold
50,000 people! Many people visit the
Colosseum when they are in Rome.

This is Norway.
Norway is a country in Europe. This
country has many mountains. It is
very pretty. Perhaps one day you will
go to Norway. You may need to ask
someone a question. Start by saying
Unnskyld (OONK shill). That means
“Excuse me”.
These are the Great Pyramids.
They are located in Egypt. Egypt is
a country in North Africa. These
amazing pyramids only took about
twenty years to build!
If you meet someone in Egypt, you
might ask Ma ismak (mah ISS mack)?
That is how you say “What is your
name?”

A course in English literature Book - 4 73

This is the Eiffel Tower.
It is located in Paris, France. The Eiffel
Tower is one of the most popular
places to visit in Paris. If you wanted
to climb to the top of this tower, you
would have to climb up 1,652 steps!
When a person leaves Paris, someone
there may say Bon voyage (bon voy AHJ). That means “Have a nice trip”.
Isn’t this a pretty sight?
This place is called Victoria Falls. A
part of this waterfall is in the African
country called Botswana. Just before
bedtime, people flick off the lights.
Then they say Boroko (boh RO ko)
to one another. That means “Good
evening” or “Good night”.
The next time you want to say good
night to someone, how about saying Boroko instead?

Vocabulary

Match the synonyms. beautiful
a. communicate talk with someone
b. pretty journey
c. popular scene
d. trip famous
e. sight

74 A course in English literature Book - 4

Comprehension Activities

1 Answer the following questions.
a. What is the most common way for people to communicate?
b. How do people say ‘hello’ in Japan?
c. How do you say ‘good luck’ in Brazil?
d. What is special about the Great Wall of China?
e. How do you say ‘excuse me’ in Norway?
f. Suppose you are in a foreign country and you do not know how

to greet people. How would you greet someone in that situation?

2 Write how you say the given words in different languages.

a. ................................... means ‘Good luck’ in Brazil.
b. ................................... means ‘Nice to meet you’ in Peru.
c. ................................... means ‘Sorry’ in China.
d. ................................... means ‘Goodbye’ in Russia.
e. ................................... means ‘Good evening’ in Italy.
f. ................................... means ‘What is your name?’ in Egypt.
g. ...................................means ‘Have a nice trip’ in Paris.

3 Write T for true and F for false statements and correct the false
statements.

a. Mount Fuji is in China.

b. Namaste means ‘hello’ in India.

c. It only took about twenty years to build
the Great Pyramids!

A course in English literature Book - 4 75

d. You would have to climb up 2,000 steps to reach
the top of the Eiffel Tower.

e. Boroko means ‘good night’.

4 Match the countries with their people. Japanese
Nepal

China Nepalese

Japan Brazilian

India Chinese

Brazil Indian

Leisure Activity

Collect the new words from other languages spoken in Nepal to express
‘Namaste.’ You can ask with people and search in the Internet and note
them down.

S.N. Language Words

1. ................................... ................................................

2. .................................... ................................................

3. .................................... ................................................

Think, Pair and Share

1. Have you ever met foreigners? Did you speak to them? Share with
your class. How have you started your conversation discuss in group
and share experience with your class

2. Ask your friends if they know some words from other languages.

76 A course in English literature Book - 4

Dinosaur Days 13

Before you proceed

Have you seen dinosaurs?
Do you think dinosaurs still exist?

New Words

evidence - proof
fur - soft animal hair
fierce - angry and dangerous
adapt - to change according to surroundings

Dinosaur Days

Scientists learn about dinosaurs by studying their bones. These bones have
been buried for millions of years and they have turned to stone. They are
called fossils and they tell us what the world was like millions of years ago.
Scientists are like detectives. They look for clues and slowly put together
the evidence. The first dinosaur bones were discovered in 1818.

Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. There are no dinosaurs alive today.
No-one has ever seen a live dinosaur. When dinosaurs were alive, the earth
was a very different place. The weather was much warmer and the land was
covered with forests. There were no animals, such as cows or horses, like
today.

A course in English literature Book - 4 77

There were thousands of different types of dinosaurs. They came in all
shapes and sizes. Some people think all dinosaurs were huge creatures.
This is not true. Of course there were some enormous dinosaurs. These
were the biggest animals which have ever lived. But some were very small,
too. Some were as small as cats!

Most dinosaurs were not very clever. Even the biggest dinosaurs had small
brains. Some dinosaurs had long necks with heavy bodies, and walked on
all fours legs. Others walked on two strong back legs and had two short
front legs with sharp claws. Some dinosaurs had long tails and horns. Many
had skins that were as tough as armour.
Dinosaurs were reptiles. The word ‘dinosaur’ actually means ‘terrible lizard’.
There are reptiles living today, such as snakes and crocodiles. Dinosaurs,
like all reptiles, had scales on their bodies. They did not have fur or feathers.
They laid eggs and breathed with lungs.
Some dinosaurs ate only plants. They were often heavy, slow-moving
creatures. Many of them spent a lot of time in water because water helped to

78 A course in English literature Book - 4

hold them up. It also prevented their enemies from attacking them. Other
dinosaurs were meat-eaters. They hunted for their food. These dinosaurs
were fierce fighters with sharp claws and teeth.
Some scientists believe that the climate gradually changed. They believe
that the weather changed from warm to cold. Many of the plants that the
dinosaurs needed disappeared. Some scientists believe that dinosaurs were
not able to adapt to changes in the environment. They did not like the cold
weather and they could not find enough to eat, so they all died.

Vocabulary

Write the meaning of each of the given words. You can use a dictionary
for help.
a. enormous
b. tough
c. terrible
d. environment
e. gradually

A course in English literature Book - 4 79

Comprehension Activities

1 Answer the following questions.
a. When were the dinosaur bones first discovered?
b. Describe what the earth was like when dinosaurs were alive.
c. Were all the dinosaurs huge in size?
d. What is the meaning of ‘dinosaur’?
e. Describe the feature of the plant eating dinosaur.
f. Why do you think dinosaurs died out?

2 Fill in the blanks.
a. Scientists look for .............................. and slowly put together the

evidence.
b. Dinosaurs lived .............................. of years ago.
c. Even the biggest dinosaurs only had small .....................
d. They laid ...................... and breathed with .......................
e. Some scientists believe that dinosaurs were not able to

.............................. to changes in the environment.

3 Tick the correct answer.
a. Scientists are like
i. police.
ii. detectives.
iii. army.
b. Some dinosaurs were as small as
i. cats.
ii. rats.
iii. ants.

80 A course in English literature Book - 4

c. Dinosaurs were
i. mammals.
ii. birds.
iii. reptiles.
d. Scientists believe that the weather changed from
i. warm to cold.
ii. cold to warm.
iii. warm to freezing.

4 Correct these sentences and write them in your notebook.
a. Scientists learn about dinosaurs by studying their nails.
b. Everyone has at least once seen a live dinosaur.
c. There were only two types of dinosaurs.
d. Dinosaurs had feathers.
e. Dinosaurs liked the cold weather.

Creative Writing

Write a paragraph about your favourite animal. Include the following
points:
– where it lives
– what it does
– what it eats
– what it looks like
– how it is useful

A course in English literature Book - 4 81

Leisure Activity

Join the dots and dashes to complete the picture. Don’t forget to colour it.
Also, write the name of the animal below the picture.

82 A course in English literature Book - 4

The Solar System 14

Before you proceed

Do you know the names of the eight planets?
Do you know why there is change of seasons?

New Words

chunk - a roughly cut piece

hollow - empty

boulder - a large rock

The Solar System

We all live on a planet. Our planet is called Earth. It is one of eight planets
that go around the sun.

You probably know the names of some of the planets. Maybe you know all
of them. The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, and Neptune. The eight planets are an important part of the solar
system.

The most important part of the solar system is the sun. The word “sol”
means “sun” in Latin. So the solar system means “the sun system”. After
the sun, the most important parts of the solar system are the eight planets.

A course in English literature Book - 4 83

Have you ever tried to locate the planets in the sky? Uranus and Neptune
are very dim. You need a telescope to see them. You don’t need a telescope
to see Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They look like bright stars, but they
don’t twinkle. They glow. You may have seen them and thought they were
stars.

You don’t need a telescope
to see Mercury. You can
see it in early evening
just after sunset. The sky
is not very dark then, so
you have to be a good
sky observer to find the
Mercury.

There is also another part
of the solar system that
you can see easily. It is the moon. The moon goes around Earth. It’s called
Earth’s satellite. Most of the other planets also have satellites.

84 A course in English literature Book - 4

Asteroids are also a part of the solar system. So are comets and meteoroids.
Asteroids are big chunks of rocks that go around the sun. Many are as
big as a house. Some are as big as a mountain, or even bigger. Comets
are collections of ice, gas and
dust. Meteoroids are bits of rocks
and metals. Some are as large as
boulders. But most are as small as
grains of sand. Have you ever seen
a shooting star? It is not really a
star. It is a meteoroid falling toward
Earth.

The solar system has many parts—
the sun, the eight planets, the satellites of the planets, asteroids, comets,
and meteoroids. Six of the planets have one or more satellites. Four of them
have rings. The eight planets move around the sun. They move in paths
called orbits. Mercury takes only 88 days to go around the sun. Neptune
takes much longer than that. It takes about 165 years.

Mercury is closer to the sun than any other planet, but even Mercury is
millions of miles from the sun.

Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun. That is why it is the coldest
planet. It’s much colder than any
place on Earth. Even the South Pole
never gets that cold.

Neptune

A course in English literature Book - 4 85

Mercury and Venus are the hottest planets. Plants and animals cannot live
on Mercury or Venus. They would burn up. They cannot live on Neptune
either. They would freeze. Jupiter and Saturn are also very cold.

Of all the planets, Earth is the only one where people live. Earth is the “life

Mercury Venus

planet”.

Earth is a middle-sized planet. Three of the planets are smaller than Earth.
They are Mercury, Venus and Mars. Four of the planets are larger than
Earth. They are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Jupiter is the biggest of all the planets. It is much bigger than Earth. Suppose
Jupiter was a large, hollow ball.
Over 1,000 Earths could fit inside it.

Jupiter Mercury is the smallest planet. It
is less than half the size of Earth.
Mercury is only a little larger than
our moon.

Earth is the most important planet
to you and to all of us. That’s because

86 A course in English literature Book - 4

it’s the planet where we live. It is
not the biggest planet in the solar
system, nor is it the smallest. It is
not the hottest or the coldest. Earth
is about in the middle. And it’s just
right for us.

Earth

Vocabulary

1. Rearrange the letters and write the correct words.
a. LESTEPOCE
b. WINTLEK
c. EVREN
d. EEZFRE
e. STESYM

2. Find five words from the text that end with ‘er’. Put them here.
a. ........................... er
b. ........................... er
c. ........................... er
d. ...........................er
e. ...........................er

A course in English literature Book - 4 87

Comprehension Activities

1 Answer the following questions.
a. How many planets are there in the solar system?
b. When can we see Mercury?
c. What are asteroids?
d. What are the different parts of the solar system?
e. Do you think there is life on other planets in the solar system?

Give a reason.

2 Choose the correct answer.
a. The ............................ goes around the Earth. (sun, moon)
b. ............................ is a meteoroid falling toward Earth. (Shooting

star, Comet)
c. Mercury takes only ............................ days to go around the sun.

(90, 88)
d. Mercury and Venus are the ............................ planets. (hottest,

coldest)
e. Over 1,000 Earths could fit inside ............................. (Neptune,

Jupiter)

3 The words in the following sentences are all jumbled up. Rearrange
the wordsand make correct sentences.

a. planets the eight part solar of the system are the
b. ice, dust are comets collections of gas and
c. sun the is the Neptune planet farthest from
d. Earth than Jupiter much bigger is

88 A course in English literature Book - 4

Creative Writing

Write a few lines about our planet Earth in your own words.

Leisure Activity

Draw a picture of the solar system and colour it as you like.

A course in English literature Book - 4 89

Biography

MarkElliotZuckerberg

A biography is a story about someone’s life written by someone else. The word
biography is a combination of two words – bios and graphien. Bios means life and
graphien means to write.
A biography tells important things about a person. It tells about when and where
they were born. It tells about what great things they did. It says how the person became
famous.
Do you know the biography of any famous person?

Mark Elliot 15
Zuckerberg

Before you proceed

Do you know about facebook?
Have you created facebook ID?

New Words

attached: joined

psychiatrist: a person who studies and treats mental illness.

aggressively: attacking, actively

wed: married

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg

Nowadays people are busy on posting messages and uploading photos in
mobile phones.You may not know about the inventor of Facebook,a social
networking program.

Certainly the man is Mark Elliot Zuckerberg . He was born on May 14,
1984, in White Plains, New York. He was from well-educated family. His
father, Edward Zuckerberg, ran a dental practice attached to the family’s
home. His mother, Karen, worked as a psychiatrist before the birth of the
couple’s four children—Mark, Randi, Donna and Arielle.

Zuckerberg developed an interest in computers at an early age. At the age of
12, he used Atari BASIC to create a messaging program named “Zucknet.”

A course in English literature Book - 4 91

His father used the program in his
dental office. The family also used
Zucknet to communicate within the
house.

For the graduation, he went
Harvard University. He developed
some computer programs there.
Zuckerberg and his friends created a
site that allowed users to create their
own profiles, upload photos, and
communicate with other users. The group ran the site—first called The
Facebook—out of a dorm room at Harvard until June 2004.

After his sophomore year, Zuckerberg left his college to work himself to
Facebook full time, moving the company to Palo Alto, California. By the
end of 2004, Facebook had 1 million users.

The number of Facebook users are increasing aggressively day by day.
He became very rich in short time because of this social networking.
Zuckerberg wed his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Chan in May 19,2012.
He met her at Harvard University. Now they have two daughters, Maxima
and August.

Nowadays whoever use facebook will certainly thank to Mark for his
invention.It has reached 2 billion monthly users in 2017 A.D.

Zuckerberg suffers from red-green colorblindness
and sees the color blue best, which is why blue
dominates Facebook’s color scheme. During his life
he announced to donate 50 percent of his property
for the welfare of the society.

92 A course in English literature Book - 4

Although his inventions were great successes, Thomas had to experiment
hundreds of times before he succeeded. Thomas Edison proved that success
is not easy and failure does not mean end of everything. It takes hard work
and determination to become successful. It is an important lesson for all of
us to learn from Thomas Alva Edison’s life.

Vocabulary

1. Choose an appropriate similar word from the bracket

a. Creator ( trainer, inventor, sailor)

b. Attached ( joined, sealed, needed)

c. Allowed ( submitted, permitted,told)

d. Developed ( raised, played, formed

e. Rich ( prestigious, famous well-off)

2. Make sensible sentences by using the following words in your own

language. d. message
a. create

b. well-educated e. e. facebook

c. communicate

A course in English literature Book - 4 93

Comprehension Activities

1 Answer the following questions.
a. When and where was Mark Zuckerberg born?
b. What was the profession of his father?
c. What did he invent at the age of 12?
d. Why did Mark leave the work at Harvard University?
e. How did he become rich and famous?

2 Correct the following statements if necessary.
a. He was from poor family background.
b. He had keen interest in computer in his childhood.
c. His father was a psychiatric.
d. They had two babies,a girl and a boy.
e. His greatest invention was Facebook.

3 Fill what had happened on the following date.

a. May 14, 1984 the birthdate of Mark

b. 1996 A.D. ………………………...

c. June, 2004 A.D.………………………….

d. May 19 2012 …………………………

e. In 2017 A.D. …………………….........

Leisure Activity

Facebook is one of the social network that people are using nowadays. What
other can you find ? You can ask with people in your locality or search from
Internet through google. List of them.

Think, Pair and Share

Write about yourself in at least ten sentences. Do not forget to mention
when and where you were born. It is your mini biography. Read it out loud
in front of the class.

94 A course in English literature Book - 4

Play

Momo EatingCompetition

THIRD ANNUAL MOMO
EATING COMPETITION

A play is a story that is meant to be performed for an audience, a group of people.
A play is told mainly through the words the characters speak. It can be read aloud or
acted out. When you take part in a play, remember to read the character’s words the
way you think the character might say them.
The people who play the parts of the characters are called actors. Some plays have a
narrator. The narrator tells the audience what is happening in the play.
A play has a setting. It is where and when the play takes place. Many plays have more
than one setting.
The dialogue is the lines of text the characters speak in the play. The characters’
names appear before the lines they speak.
Have you acted in a play before?

A course in English literature Book - 4 95

16 Momo Eating
Competition

Before you proceed

Have you ever participated in any eating competition?
Do you think you can win such competitions if you ever participate?
How many plates of momo can you eat in 10 minutes?

New Words

distract - to make someone stop giving their attention

starving - hungry

commanding - strong

disgusting - horrible

gross - unpleasant; disgusting

Momo Eating Competition

Narrator 1 : Pokhara was holding its third annual momo eating contest.
This year there were three kids competing. The winner would
get the mystery prize.

Narrator 2 : Rashmi was way smaller than the other two kids. She could not
eat nearly as much. She could not eat nearly as fast. But she knew
she needed to find a way. Rashmi wanted to win.

96 A course in English literature Book - 4

Announcer : Welcome everyone to this year’s momo eating contest. Let’s
go over the rules. You have five minutes to eat as many momos
as you can.

Each of you will start with a plate of momos. It has exactly 50
momos on it. If you finish one plate of momos, we will bring you
another plate. The winner is the one who eats the most momos.
That person will win a fantastic mystery prize.

Remember, no vomiting. That’s an automatic disqualification.
If momo comes out of your nose, you will also be disqualified.
Finally, you may not hide a hungry dog under the table and
secretly feed him your momos.

THIRD ANNUAL MOMO
EATING COMPETITION

Rashmi : I don’t even know how I can finish one plate. But I’ll have to find
a way. I want that prize!

Motu : For me, one plate of momo is a tiny snack. I usually eat about five
plates in one sitting. I also have two plates of chowmein, some
chicken, a bowl of soup, an apple, and a lot of bread. That’s just
my breakfast. I’m going to win this contest.

A course in English literature Book - 4 97

Sangita : This is too easy. I can eat a whole plate in about one minute. I don’t
just mean the food. I mean the plate as well. I’m hungry today. I
may have to eat the table.

Announcer : Are you ready, contestants? On your mark, get set, go!

Crowd : Eat those momos! Eat those momos! Chew, chew, chew! Yum,
yum, yum!

Narrator 1 : Sangita finished her first plate of momo at record speed.
Rashmi wondered if she really would eat the plate. Motu was
right behind Sangita.

Narrator 2 : Rashmi was in the last place. She was eating very slowly. She
had to think of some way to catch up with the others. Rashmi
decided to make a funny face.

Rashmi : Hey, look at me. I’m crossing my eyes, taking out my tongue, and
making a pig nose all at the same time. Check out the tip of my
tongue. There’s a little piece of half-chewed momo.

Motu : (mouth full) Nice try, Rashmi. There’s no way you can distract me.
I’m in the eating mood right now.

Sangita : (mouth full) I am doing so well that I think I will stop and look
at your funny face. That is pretty good, Rashmi. Now someone
bring me two new plates at the same time! I am still starving!

Announcer : Sangita is leading at this point. Motu is second. Rashmi is far-
away. She is last.

Two minutes have gone, contestants. Three minutes remaining.

Crowd : Eat more momos! Eat more momos! Stuff your mouths! Eat them
up!

98 A course in English literature Book - 4

Narrator 1 : Rashmi was falling further and further behind. The contest was
nearly halfway over. Even if Sangita and Motu stopped eating
right then, Rashmi would never catch them. But she wanted that
prize.

Narrator 2 : Rashmi knew she needed to come up with another plan. She
decided to say some really disgusting things about the food.
Maybe that would make the other two kids sick. They might not
be able to eat anymore. Then Rashmi could win.

Rashmi : Have you ever noticed that momos look kind of like big white
snails? They even taste like snails. You may get sick if you eat
these momos. These momos are made from snails. Just think
about it! It’s really gross!

Motu : (mouth full) Nice try, Rashmi. I have a really strong stomach. I
remember one time I ate a dish called ‘ghungi’ in Chitwan. It
tasted really good. Later I found out that ‘ghungi’ was a dish of
snails. Yummy, yummy. I like snail momos.

Sangita : (mouth full) I am so far in the lead that I think I will stop and
think about what you just said. Let’s see, Rashmi. Do momos
look like snails? Maybe snails taste great! I am really not sure. I
really do not care. What I do know is that I am hungry! Someone
bring me three more plates!

Announcer : This is unbelievable, audience! There is exactly one minute
left. Sangita has a chance to eat a thousand momos. She may
set a new record. Motu is still in the second place and Rashmi
remains third.

Crowd : Eat, eat, eat! Munch, munch, munch! Crunch, crunch, crunch!

A course in English literature Book - 4 99

Questioner : What will happen next? Will Rashmi think of a new plan?
Will it work? Is there any way that Rashmi can catch up? Will
she use ketchup? And what if she actually won? Would she be
the eating champion? What is the mystery prize anyway? Do I
ask too many questions?

Narrator 1 : The clock was ticking. There was less than a minute left and
Rashmi was very much behind.

Narrator 2 : But then an idea came to Rashmi. Tell a joke! That might just
work. It sure was worth a try.

Rashmi : Listen to this. What did the snail say when he was riding on the
tortoise’s back? Think about it. Are you ready for the answer?
The snail said, “Slow down or the traffic police will catch you.”

Motu : (mouth full) Ha-ha-ha-ha.
Sangita : (mouth full) Ha-ha-ha-ha.
Announcer : Ha-ha-ha-ha.
Crowd : Ha-ha-ha-ha.

THIRD ANNUAL MOMO
EATING COMPETITION

100 A course in English literature Book - 4