Educating Mother Class 7 Summary, Meanings and Solutions

Educating Mother is a lesson in the textbook for class 7. The writer is Suganthy Krishnamachari. The story is filled with examples showing the fancy and inquisitiveness of children who keep on interrupting the story teller with questions and even doubts. Here are given meanings of difficult words, summary and solutions to book exercises.

Educating Mother Class 7, Difficult Word-Meanings

get on – to continue doing something, to perform and progress successfully

insist– to say or demand firmly or repeatedly

ignore – avoid or disregard

strayed – moved away from a familiar place (भटक जाना )

ante-diluvian days – very old fashioned, antiquated

staple – basic or main important part of something

thriller – a suspenseful exciting adventure story or play or movie based on mystery, crime, espionage etc

macabre – frightening, fearful, horrible

indulgent – lenient and kind and very permissive allowing others to do or have what they want

approve of – to consider right and agree to support

heiress – a female heir having right of inheritance (उत्तराधिकारी )

bits – pieces and parts of something

awe – wonder, a feeling of respect mixed with slight fear

encroach – to intrude or cross limit (अतिक्रमण )

frighten off – frighten away, to make so afraid or nervous that they rum away or keep distance (डरा के भागा देना )

presently – happened after a short time

air of hostility – feeling of unfriendliness

of course – obviously, naturally, agreeing with others (बिल्कुल , निःसंदेह, क्यों नहीं)

charming – pleasant and attractive

simpering – foolish, silly and affected smile to please others, lacking courage

daft – silly

indignantly – with anger, in wrath

protagonist – the main character, hero, champion

genetically modified – an organism or plant whose DNA has been altered (change in genes) for improvement. (example- genetically modified seeds that are more resistant to diseases or pests)

propel – to move forward

Summary: Educating Mother Class 7 English

In the past, grandparents were the ones who told stories to children with the aim of improving their vocabulary and imparting moral values. However, today’s children are more technologically inclined and cannot be entertained with old-fashioned tales. This story revolves around a mother who is urged by her own mother to entertain her children, including her twelve-year-old daughter Ambu, four-year-old son Ramu, six-year-old niece Janaki, and three-year-old nephew Venku, with a story. The narrator begins with the classic tale of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, but the children are unimpressed and ask uncomfortable questions. Ambu and Janaki analyse the story and offer their own improved versions, which capture the attention of the younger children. Frustrated, the narrator switches to ‘Red Riding Hood’, but the children once again find flaws in the plot and suggest alternatives. Cinderella’s story is also met with criticism, forcing the narrator to move onto ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. However, the children’s questioning continues, and the narrator ultimately switches to the folktale of Patala Bhairavi. Exhausted by the children’s endless questioning, the narrator gives up and flees at the very first opportunity.

Textbook Question Answers

Comprehension

A. Mark these sentences as true (T) or false (F).

1. Ambu was a twelve year old boy. – False (F)
   (Ambu was a twelve-year-old girl.)
2. The children loved the stories told by their mother. – True (T)
   (Yes, they enjoyed the stories.)
3. The mother told the children five stories. – False (F)
   (She told them four stories.)
4. Ambu told the children a modified version of ‘Goldilocks’. – True (T)
   (Yes, Ambu changed the story to make it more fair.)
5. The mother did not manage to entertain the children well. – False (F)
   (She did entertain them well with her stories.)
6. The mother was trying to teach the children science through her stories. – True (T)
   (She added scientific ideas to the stories.)
7. The children thought the stories told by their mother were difficult to believe. – True (T)
   (Yes, they felt the stories didn’t always make sense.)

B. Answer these questions with reference to the context.

1. ‘The names parents come up with/ muttered Ambu. ‘Thank God you didn’t choose to call
   me Long Nose or Saucer Eyes. ’
   a. Who was Ambu?
   b. Which name was she referring to?
   c. What does Ambu’s reaction tell us about her personality?
2. ‘If she’d had a cell phone, she could have called her mother.’
   a. Who is the speaker here?
   b. Who does ‘she’ refer to here?
   c. Why is ‘she’ without a cell phone?
3. The little ones were drinking in her words with awe. Clearly, her version excited them
   more than mine did.
   a. Whose words are being referred to here?
   b. Whose version excited whom?
   c. What does ‘drinking in her words with awe’ mean?

Answers:

1. (a) Ambu was a twelve-year-old daughter of the narrator.

(b) She was referring to Goldilocks.

(c) It tells us that she had an independent, creative and curious and curious mind.

2. (a) Janki is the speaker here.

(b) ‘She’ refers to Goldilocks.

(c) Because there were no cell phones in those days.

3. (a) The words of Ambu are being referred here.

(b) Ambus’s version of story excited them more than that of the mother.

(c) It means that the children were listening to her with keen interest. She was narrating the story in such a way that she held the interest of the children with her storytelling.

C. Answer these questions.

1. What does being ‘politically correct’ mean? Give an example.
2. Who asked the mother to tell a story and to whom?
3. How many children were listening to the story? What were their names?
4. How did Ambu change the story of Goldilocks?
5. Why didn’t Ambu like the story of Cinderella?
6. How according to Ambu, could Cinderella have saved herself?
7. What are the stories with ‘gender bias’? Why did Ambu say that the stories
   had a gender bias?
8. Why did the author give up trying to tell the children stories?
9. Why did the mother feel that ‘an air of hostility was gathering’ against her?
10. Do you think it was the first time that the mother was telling a story to these
    children? Why?
11. Do you think the mother failed as a storyteller? Comment.

Answers:

1. The Grandmother requested that her daughter tell a story to the children.
2. Venku, Ambu, Ramu, and Janaki were the attentive listeners of the story.
3. Ambu interpreted Goldilocks’ story as a murder mystery. She believed that the protagonist was an heiress and the owner of the forest house intended to kill her. She also thought the bears were not real but were made up by the storyteller.
4. Ambu did not appreciate the Cinderella story as she considered the protagonist to be a helpless, unintelligent girl waiting for a prince to rescue her.
5. Ambu suggested that Cinderella could have liberated herself from her stepmother by pursuing education and getting a job instead of doing household chores. She could have enrolled in a night school to achieve this.
6. Ambu referred to stories that portray women as powerless, foolish, and lacking choices as having “gender bias.”
7. The author gave up telling stories to the children because they were quick to question the norms and come up with their own interpretations.
8. The mother felt hostility when she could not entertain the children with her stories. When telling the Cinderella story, her younger child questioned why grandmas did not resemble wolves. The mother struggled to keep the children interested.
9. I think that the mother was telling story to these children for the first time. We reach this conclusion by observing the behaviour of the children. She was not accustomed to such questioning and reactionary behaviour of children otherwise she would have known how to entertain the children.
10. The mother knew many stories so we cannot say that that she was a failed storyteller altogether. We can say that the children failed her as a good storyteller as they raised critical questions and the mother failed to answer them properly. So, we can conclude that she was a good storyteller but this time she failed to entertain the children.
11. Here ‘Politically Correct’ means that if anyone is sticking to telling the truth or facts even then he may not be accepted well. It is sometimes needed to manipulate the stories or facts or words to suit or convince the audience. For example- the mother wanted to start a story in which a boy was the protagonist but he was a daft.

Another Set of Answers:

1. Who asked the mother to tell a story and to whom?

Ans. Ambu, a twelve-year-old girl, asked her mother to tell a story. She wanted her little cousins—Kiran, Kabir, and Asha—to enjoy her mother’s storytelling, as they were visiting during the school holidays.

OR

Ambu asked her mother to tell a story to her younger cousins.

2. How many children were listening to the story? What were their names?

Ans. There were four children listening to the story. Their names were Ambika (Ambu), Kiran, Kabir, and Asha. They all sat together and listened to the stories told by Ambu’s mother during their holiday time.

OR

Four children were listening. Their names were Ambika (Ambu), Kiran, Kabir, and Asha.

3. How did Ambu change the story of Goldilocks?

Ans. Ambu changed the story to make Goldilocks more responsible. Instead of running away, Goldilocks said sorry to the bears and helped them clean up. She also gave Baby Bear her own chair to make things right.

OR

Ambu made Goldilocks smarter and more responsible. She made Goldilocks say sorry and clean up her mess.

4. Why didn’t Ambu like the story of Cinderella?

Ans. Ambu didn’t like that Cinderella waited quietly for the prince to save her. She thought Cinderella could have taken charge of her own life instead of depending on others, which made the story unfair to girls.

OR

Ambu didn’t like that Cinderella waited for a prince to save her. She felt Cinderella was shown as weak.

5. How according to Ambu, could Cinderella have saved herself?

Ans. Ambu said Cinderella could have opened a shoe shop with the glass slipper. That way, she wouldn’t need a prince to rescue her and could live happily by becoming successful on her own.

OR

Ambu said Cinderella could have opened her own shoe shop and become independent.

6. What are the stories with ‘gender bias’? Why did Ambu say that the stories had a gender bias?

Ans. Stories that show boys as heroes and girls as helpless have gender bias. Ambu felt that many fairy tales showed girls as weak and quiet while boys were shown as strong and brave, which was unfair.

OR

Stories where men are strong, and women are helpless have gender bias. Ambu said the stories showed boys as heroes and girls as weak.

7. Why did the author give up trying to tell the children stories?

Ans. The mother gave up telling stories because the children kept questioning everything. They asked smart questions, changed the stories, and didn’t accept the usual ideas. So, the mother got tired and stopped telling them stories.

OR

The children kept asking questions and correcting the stories. So the mother felt tired and gave up.

8. Why did the mother feel that ‘an air of hostility was gathering’ against her?

Ans. The mother felt uncomfortable because the children were not happily listening. They kept correcting her and pointing out problems in the stories. She felt they were judging her and not enjoying the stories like before.

OR

She felt the children were not happy with her stories and were judging her, so she sensed some tension.

9. Do you think it was the first time that the mother was telling a story to these children? Why?

Ans. No, it didn’t seem like the first time. The children were very comfortable with her and spoke freely. They had heard her stories before, but this time they were older and thought more deeply about them.

OR

No, it didn’t seem like the first time because the children were comfortable with her and talked freely.

10. Do you think the mother failed as a storyteller? Comment.

Ans. No, the mother didn’t fail. She told fun and interesting stories. But the children had grown up and started thinking differently. They wanted fairness in the stories and asked questions that made the mother feel unsure.

OR

No, the mother didn’t fail. The children enjoyed her stories but were just more aware and asked smart questions.

11. What does being ‘politically correct’ mean? Give an example.

Ans. Being politically correct means using language that is respectful and does not offend anyone. For example, saying “firefighter” instead of “fireman” is politically correct because it includes both men and women in the role.

OR

Being politically correct means speaking in a fair and respectful way (without hurting anyone’s feelings) to all groups.
Example: Saying “police officer” instead of “policeman” so both men and women are included.

Think and Answer (From another Book)

1. What do you learn about the children from the kinds of questions they asked?

Ans. The children asked smart and curious questions. This shows that they were thinking deeply about what they were hearing. They were not just listening to the stories, but also trying to understand them better.
Their questions show that they noticed what was fair and unfair, and they were not afraid to ask about it. They were bold, thoughtful, and honest.

OR (Short Ans.)

The children were thoughtful and curious. Their questions showed they were paying attention, thinking deeply, and trying to understand right and wrong in the stories. They were not afraid to ask bold questions.

OR (Shorter Ans.)

The children were smart and curious. They thought deeply and asked honest questions.

2. Why did Ambu think that the stories had a gender bias?

Ans. Ambu thought the stories were unfair to girls and women. In many stories, the hero was always a brave man and the woman was shown as weak or helpless.
She felt that the stories made it look like only men could be strong and save the day, while women needed saving.
Ambu believed that this was not right and that girls should also be shown as smart, brave, and strong in stories.

OR (Short Ans.)

Ambu felt the stories mostly showed men as brave and strong, while women were weak or helpless. She thought this was unfair and believed that girls should also be shown as smart, strong, and important.

OR (Shorter Ans.)

Ambu felt the stories showed men as strong and brave, but women as weak. She thought this was unfair.

Vocabulary

A. Fill in these blanks with the words and phrases given in the box. You may consult a dictionary where necessary.

1. Some people would consider using a typewriter …………………………………
2. My younger brother and his friends like only mystery stories and …………………………
3. My grandmother thinks that my mother is an ………………………………….. as she is always on our side.
4. Dal and roti is the ………………………………… of many people in our country.
5. Though the fight took place a week ago, there was still an …………………………………… between the two teams.
6. Not allowing girls to take up jobs in the armed forces is exhibiting ………………………..
7. Many ……………………………… people are working hard to preserve the Earth.
8. The use of……………………………….. seeds is not approved universally.
9. Many tigers become man-eaters as humans ………………………………….. on the forest.

Answer:

1. ante-diluvian 2. whodunits 3. indulgent mother 4. staple diet 5. air of hostility 6. gender bias 7. environmentally conscious 8. genetically modified 9. encroach

B. Now, make sentences with each of these words and phrases.

1. Ante-diluvian: The old radio in my grandfather’s house looked like an ante-diluvian object from a museum.
   (ante-diluvian = very old or outdated)
2. Indulgent mother: Rita’s indulgent mother always gave her extra sweets even when she didn’t finish her homework.
3. Genetically modified Some fruits in the market are genetically modified to grow faster and look perfect.
4. Gender bias: The teacher removed the story from the textbook because it showed gender bias against girls.
5. Whodunits: My brother loves reading whodunits because he enjoys guessing who the real thief is.
6. Air of hostility: There was an air of hostility in the room when the two teams argued about the rules.
7. Staple diet: Rice and dal are a staple diet for many people in India.
8. Environmentally conscious: Tara is environmentally conscious and always carries a cloth bag to avoid using plastic.
9. Encroach: The big building started to encroach on the small park, leaving less space for children to play.

Grammar

A. Pick out the adverbs in these sentences and state their type.

1. The novel was very interesting.
2. Ronnie rarely drives to his club.
3. My father gifted me a poetry book yesterday.
4. They searched for the little pup everywhere.
5. The baby slept soundly after eating the porridge.
6. The bell rang, so he rushed for home.
7. My brother always reaches on time for his guitar classes.
8. The little bird fell down from the nest.
9. Vipin had nearly missed the flight to Toronto.
10. Tushar replied to my email quickly.
11. Atul is too good at solving puzzles.
12. Manasi is only sixteen years old, and therefore not eligible to drive.

Answer:

1. The novel was very interesting.
   Adverb: very — Adverb of Degree (tells how much)
2. Ronnie rarely drives to his club.
   Adverb: rarely — Adverb of Frequency (tells how often)
3. My father gifted me a poetry book yesterday.
   Adverb: yesterday — Adverb of Time (tells when)
4. They searched for the little pup everywhere.
   Adverb: everywhere — Adverb of Place (tells where)
5. The baby slept soundly after eating the porridge.
   Adverb: soundly — Adverb of Manner (tells how)
6. The bell rang, so he rushed for home.
   Adverb: home — Adverb of Place (tells where)
7. My brother always reaches on time for his guitar classes.
   Adverb: always — Adverb of Frequency (tells how often)
8. The little bird fell down from the nest.
   Adverb: down — Adverb of Place (tells where)
9. Vipin had nearly missed the flight to Toronto.
   Adverb: nearly — Adverb of Degree (tells how much)
10. Tushar replied to my email quickly.
    Adverb: quickly — Adverb of Manner (tells how)
11. Atul is too good at solving puzzles.
    Adverb: too — Adverb of Degree (tells how much)
12. Manasi is only sixteen years old, and therefore not eligible to drive.
    Adverbs: only — Adverb of Degree, therefore — Adverb of Reason

Writing

A. Look at this picture. Write a short story entitled ‘A gift of the Family’. (See the book for the picture)

Answer. A sample story is given here.

A Gift for the Family

It was New Year’s Eve, and the Sharma family was excited. They had decorated the house and were wearing green paper crowns. Papa had been planning a surprise gift for weeks. He had saved money, searched many shops, and finally found the perfect present.

As everyone gathered in the living room, Papa brought out a shiny red box with a blue ribbon. “A gift for my wonderful family!” he said with a smile. Mummy, Ria, and Aman clapped their hands in surprise and joy. Their eyes sparkled with happiness.

Inside the box was a photo album full of their family pictures and special memories. It made everyone laugh, smile, and even tear up a little. They hugged Papa tightly.

The gift was not expensive, but it was filled with love. Everyone felt happy and thankful. It was a perfect gift that made their family bond even stronger.