Summary: How Old is Muttajji?
In the story “How Old is Muttajji?” Putti and Putta visit their greatgrandmother (Muttajji) in Mysuru on her birthday, but nobody seems to know
how old she is. With the help of their family members, Putta and Putti set out
to solve this mystery. They ask Muttajji if she remembers any important events
in the year she was born. Muttajji tells them about the grand party, thrown in
honour of a visiting British king, that happened five years before she was born,
as well as the ‘clean trains’ that were introduced when she was nine or ten.
She also tells them that the year she got married, the KRS dam was
inaugurated for public. Putta and Putti build upon these clues, and find out
more at the Central Library. They find out that the Delhi Durbar (in honour of
King George V) happened in 1911 (five years before Muttajji was born); that
clean trains were introduced in 1925 (when Muttajji was around nine or ten);
that the KRS dam was open to public in 1932 (when Muttajji got married in
1932, at the age of sixteen). Thus, putting together all the information, Putta
and Putti figure out that Muttajji was born in 1916, and turned exactly a
hundred years old in 2016!
At the heart of the story is the question “How old is Muttajji?” The kids set out
to solve this mystery through the course of the story. They seek help from the
elders of the family and even do their own research. They find out about the
historical events that happened in the country while Muttajji was growing up;
then make a connection between the two to deduce the exact year in which
main events in Muttajji’s life took place. They use maths and history to know
more about their family.
UNIT 1: HOW OLD IS MUTTAJJI?
Embedded questions
1. free response
2. Muttajji’s uncle from Mumbai told her about ‘clean trains’ when she was nine or ten.
3. The family members are talking about the KRS dam because they are trying to figure out which
year it was built in, so that they can figure out which year Muttajji had got married.
4. The twins go to the library and find out which year the KRS Dam was built. This way they figure
out which year Muttajji had got married, as both happened in the same year, according to Muttajji
herself.
5. So far, five characters have appeared in the story—Putta, Putti, Muttajji, Ajji, Ajja.
6. In 1911, the British Emperor George V visited India. There were several grand parties organised in
his honour. The Gateway of India was also built in 1911 to welcome him.
7. Free response.
Comprehension
A. 1. The twins were in Mysore with their family to celebrate their great-grandmother’s birthday.
2. The ‘clean trains’ mentioned by Muttajji were nothing but electric trains. The twins were surprised
to hear that people used to get dirty while travelling on trains, because they did not know about
the old trains that used to run on coal.
3. a. This happened in 1911.
b. The British king mentioned here is King George V.
c. The speaker, Muttajji, refers to the Maharaja as ‘our’ Maharaja, because the Maharaja was the
prince/king of Mysore where she lived before she got married.
4. a. Muttajji said these words to Putta and Putti.
b. She calls them clever because they used events in history and matched them with the events in
Muttajji’s life to find out her age.
5. The first clue was the British king and queen visiting and a grand party thrown for Indian
maharajas and maharanis five years before Muttajji was born.
The final clue was the fact that the Maharaja of Mysore inaugurated the KRS dam the year Muttajji
got married.
B. 1. a. Muttajji said these words to Putta and Putti.
(Suggested answers. Accept any logical answer.)
b. Muttajji does not know how old she is probably because for her, age is not that important any
more. Also, back in her time, people were less particular about birthdays.
c. I think it probably matters more to her family than her. It matters to them, because she has lived
a long life. It needs to be celebrated and talked about. Her experiences need to be shared, and
her memories need to be passed on.
2. (Suggested answer. Accept any logical answer.)
The entire family helped the twins put together pieces of information available from Muttajji’s
life. Muttajji tried to remember whatever she could about important events in her life, and shared
them with the twins. Ajji helped them with information about the KRS Dam and the Brindavan
Gardens. She advised them to go to the library and look up specific information. Ajja accompanied
them to the library, and answered their questions about ‘clean trains’. Amma praised them for
figuring out Muttajji’s real age.
C. (Suggested answer. Accept any logical answer.)
Yes, as Putta and Putti discovered more about Muttajji’s life, they discovered a lot about history too.
They learned that Muttajji got married very young, but that back then, sixteen was the legal age for
girls to get married. This way, they also learned that the country had made progress since those old
days. They learned that during the British rule, there were several other events that were going on too,
like the KRS dam inauguration, or the electric trains coming to India. They learned that so many things
that they had taken for granted, like electric trains, weren’t available to the older generations. They
learned that a country, just like people, keeps growing.
Grammar
A. 1. Putta and Putti are twins .
2. Where is your notebook , Rameez?
3. The dam was built on the banks of the Kaveri.
4. Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone is the first book of the series .
5. I have named my cat Jerry.
6. Both my parents were born in March.
B. 1. pride 2. class 3. litter 4. bunch 5. herd 6. bouquet
C. 1. Our teacher shows a lot of patience when teaching us.
2. Rashi gave the speech with confidence.
3. It is a pleasure to meet you.
4. I admire your courage and honesty.
5. Did my behaviour upset you?
6. He is driving the car with great care.
Vocabulary
A. 1. b 2. a 3. d 4. c
B. 1. grinning 2. shrugged 3. pouted 4. frowned
Listening
A. 1. ingredients 2. bread 3. butter 4. cheese 5. cover 6. sandwich
Writing
A. a. 3 b. 5 c. 1 d. 4 5. 2
B. At first, Putta and Putti gathered information from the family members at home. Then, they went
to the central library, where they looked up a book on the history of Mysore. Next, they found out
that the KRS dam was inaugurated in 1932, which must be the year Muttajji got married. So, they
subtracted 16 years from 1932, because Muttajji had told them that she was 16 when she had got
married. Finally, they found out that Muttajji was born in 1916.
Listening text
Let us learn how to make a tomato, cucumber and cheese sandwich. First of all, keep all the
ingredients ready and at hand. Now, begin by arranging two slices of bread on a plate. Spread some
butter on both the slices. Then, add cheese on top of one slice of the bread. Next, put the slices of
tomatoes and cucumbers on top. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Cover this arrangement with the
other slice of bread. Lastly, heat the sandwich on a medium flame until the bread is slightly brown on
both sides. Your sandwich is ready!
HOW OLD IS MUTTAJJI?
A. Answer in brief.
1. What happened five years before Muttajji was born?
Ans: The Maharaja of Mysore went to a grand party for Indian Maharajas and Maharanis in Delhi.
King George V and his queen had come to visit and the Maharaja got a gold medal.
2. What dam was inaugurated when Muttajji got married and what is the name of the gardens
attached to the dam?
Ans: The Krishnarajasagar Dam was inaugurated when Muttajji got married during the Dasara
festival that year and the Brindavan Gardens are the gardens attached to it.
B. Answer in detail.
How did the twins find out when the Krishnarajasagar Dam and Brindavan Gardens were
inaugurated? What did they find out?
Ans: The twins went with their Ajja to the central library to find out when the Krishnarajasagar Dam
and the Brindavan Gardens were inaugurated. They found a book on the History of Mysore. The
event was mentioned in the book. They found out that the dam and the gardens were inaugurated
in the year 1932.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. “Happy birthday, Muttajji! How old are you today?”
a. Who wanted to know this?
b. Who is Muttajji?
c. What did Muttajji answer?
Ans: a. Putta wanted to know this.
b. Putta and Putti’s grandmother.
c. She answered that no one knew how old she was and it did not matter.
2. “Of course! It is the dam built across the Kaveri.”
a. Who is the speaker?
b. Name the dam mentioned here and the gardens next to it.
c. What is Kaveri?
Ans: a. Putta and Putti's great-grandmother, Muttaji.
b. Krishnarajasagar Dam is built across river Kaveri. The gardens next to it are the Brindavan
Gardens.
c. It is a river.
D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)
1. What did the twins learn through the quiz their great grandmother made them solve?
Ans: The twins learned their family history and its connection with the historical events that
happened during that time. They also learned about the history and the important places of
Mysore.
2. Do you think Muttajji really did not know how old she was? How can you say that?
Ans: Muttajji knew how old she was. She remembered many important events that happened
long ago and had very good memory,which tells us that she remembered her birth date too.
E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)
Which events led the twins to find out their great-grandmother’s age?
Ans: The twins found out that the Maharaja of Mysore got a gold medal from King George V in 1911.
The KRS Dam and the Brindavan Gardens nearby, were opened to the public in 1932 and India’s first
electric train came to Bombay in 1925. From all this, they found that Muttajji was born in 1916 and
she was exactly 100 years old on that birthday.
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