[Raintree 6] A Walk to Remember

 Summary: A Walk to Remember

Jerome and his friends, Harris and George, are on a holiday in Germany. They have

decided to walk and cycle their way through the Black Forest area. They have

planned to walk to the village of Todtmoos, which they have been told is a short but

beautiful trek.

On the day of the trek, they have breakfast at four thirty and they set off at five. The

three friends had been told that the road they were supposed to follow lay over the

mountain. It was not a road that they could miss. A few miles further, the road would

divide into three. However, they faced several problems because one of the arms of

the sign-post had disappeared and the road to the left of the old sign-post indicated

a place they had never heard of. The road to the right of the sign-post led them back

to the village from where they had begun their journey.

Jerome says that he has a talent for finding his way in strange places. But he also says

that mountains, rivers, and other such obstacles get in his way. But he leads them

down the middle road but the road ended suddenly in a wasps’ nest. Harris and

George are annoyed and Jerome gets upset because his friends are not grateful or

appreciative of his initiative.

Harris said that he had an idea and that his idea was more scientific than the rest. So

he took out his watch and started turning round and round. Then he explained to his

friends that if one points the short-hand of the watch towards the sun and divides

the part between the short-hand and the twelve, one will surely be able to

understand which the north is. Once he said this, he took the map from his friends

and started to lead them in what he thought was the correct way to Todtmoos.

The friends followed Harris’ plan and walked for half an hour before coming to an

opening. From this point, they could see below them the village from where they had

started their journey. It was a pretty church with an outside staircase which was

quite an uncommon feature. Jerome felt sad because even after walking for so long

they reached the same position from where they had started. On the other hand,

Harris felt delighted and George was disappointed.

George felt that he had done everything that his friends had asked even though they

had not heeded his advice. He also felt annoyed that instead of doing the most practical thing, they were trying out ideas that had a good chance of going wrong. So

he tells his friends that he is going to offer a man he sees below the worth of the hay

he is cutting to lead him straight to Todtmoos. He also tells his friends that they could

follow him, if they wanted.

Jerome and Harris could not think of a better plan so they did follow George. And so,

the three friends did reach Todtmoos that day but four hours later than they had

calculated to reach it.

This is a funny story and the writer brings out the humour both by the events in the

story and by making use of the friendship between the three men. Jerome, Harris

and George seem to have a close friendship. They fight amongst themselves and they

try to correct one another when they realise that one of them is making a mistake.

But despite this, they never really get angry with each other. Also, the way they

bicker shows us that they are comfortable enough with each other to argue without

fear of really hurting someone else. Therefore, since we know that no one is really

going to get hurt, the bickering is funny to read about.

UNIT 1 A WALK TO REMEMBER

Embedded Questions 1

● The three friends are talking about hills because an old man at the village had told them to keep

straight on round the hill while they were walking to Todtmoos.

● Germany does not have as many as people in India. If the three friends had been in India, they

would have been surrounded by people and could have asked for directions as soon as they saw

the broken signboard.

Embedded Questions 2

● No, he does not, but he thinks that he does.

● Free Response

Embedded Questions 3

● NT

● NT

Embedded Questions 4

● Their plans had not worked and they thought George’s plan, which was simple and was the most

logical thing to do, was not very clever.

● Suggested answer (Accept any logical answer). They probably knew a few words in German and

combined it with a lot of hand gestures and pointing.

Comprehension

A. 1. The one of the arms of the old sign-post had disappeared.

2. When Jerome tried to lead them to the village of Todtmoos, the road suddenly ended in a large

wasp’s nest.

3. Harris wanted to use science to solve the problem. He believed that science was exact and hence

he could easily find the north and pinpoint their location with respect to the north.

4. George wanted to go back to the village as he thought that if they went back to the village and

hired a guide to help them that it would save them a lot of time.

5. Everyone remembered the church because it was not only beautiful but also had an outside

staircase which was an unusual feature.

6. In the end, it was George who solved the problem. He decided to pay the man they had seen the

worth of the hay that he was cutting so that he could help them reach Todtmoos.

B. 1. a. George did not feel the old man’s directions were particularly helpful because there were so

many hills and it was not possible to understand which hill the old man had spoken of.

 b. Harris emphasised that the old man had said that they would come to a wood.

2. a. Jerome was sad because they had been walking nearly for three and a half hours and they were

still very close to the place where they had begun their walk.

 b. Harris felt happy because he thought that they were at least certain about their location

though they did not know the name of the place. He thought he would be able to finally find

the correct direction with the help of science.

3. a. George felt that he had done everything that his friends had asked even though they had not

heeded his advice. He also felt annoyed that instead of doing the most practical thing, they

were trying out ideas that had a good chance of going wrong. Yes, he was right to feel in this

way.

 b. George’s plan is practical and it would save all three men time and energy.

C. 1. The three friends had been told that the road they were supposed to follow lay over the mountain.

It was not a road that they could miss. A few miles further, the road would divide into three.

However, they faced several problems because one of the arms of the sign-post had disappeared

and the road to the left of the old sign-post indicated a place they had never heard of. The road to

the right of the sign-post led them back to the village from where they had begun their journey.

So what was supposed to be an easy route and a pleasant walk turned into the three friends

walking around for about four hours while lost in a foreign country.

2. Jerome says that he has a talent for finding his way in strange places. But he also says that

mountains, rivers, and other such obstacles get in his way. This tells us that Jerome only thinks

that he is good at finding his way in strange places. In reality, he is easily confused and in fact is no

better than his friends at figuring out the correct route to take.

3. Harris thought that his idea was more scientific than the rest. So he took out his watch and started

round and round. Then he explained to his friends that if one points the short-hand of the watch

towards the sun and divides the part between the short-hand and the twelve, one will surely be

able to understand which the north is. Once he said this, he took the map from his friends and

started to lead them in what he thought was the correct way to Todtmoos.

4. The friends followed Harris’ plan and walked for half an hour before coming to an opening. From

this point, they could see below them the village from where they had started their journey. It

was a pretty church with an outside staircase which was quite an uncommon feature. Jerome felt

sad because even after walking for so long they reached the same position from where they had

started. On the other hand, Harris felt delighted and George was disappointed.

D. 1. Jerome, Harris and George seem to have a close friendship. They fight amongst themselves

and they try to correct one another when they realise that one of them is making a mistake.

But despite this, they never really get angry with each other. Also, the way they bicker shows

us that they are comfortable enough with each other to argue without fear of really hurting

someone else. They also care for each other and think collectively, instead of thinking about

their personal gain. While each of them boasts about their individual skills, they also listen to

the others. They do not leave each other’s company even when there are several hindrances/

obstacles in their way.

2. The friends could have appointed a guide from the village where they had initially begun from

so that they could reach Todtmoos easily and on time. They should have also asked the old man

about the name of the hill. Also, if they had turned back as soon as they saw the broken sign-post

and asked for more directions, they might not have got lost. Perhaps, they should have also carried

a compass to avoid any confusion.

E. Suggested answers (Accept any logical answer).

1. You can advise his/her brother about the value of getting permission before taking someone else’s

possession. Also, you can suggest that he can help you repair the bicycle.

2. You can speak to your friend and tell him/her that you were hurt and angry. Have a conversation

about how why your friend did what they did and come to an understanding about how to

behave in situations like this in the future.

Grammar

A. 2. proper noun 3. abstract noun 4. compound noun 5. compound noun

6. common noun

B. 2. a large amount of (uncountable) 3. a lot of (uncountable) 4. many (countable)

5. enough (uncountable) 6. plenty of (countable)

C. 2. Houses are built with bricks and cement.

3. The moon is so beautiful tonight.

4. The tomato is a fruit not a vegetable.

5. A solid education can give you a good start in life.

Vocabulary

1. hopeless 2. friendly 3. fearful 4. cleverness 5. highest 6. backward

Writing

Suggested answer (Accept any logical answer).

Date: 03 August 2018

Day: Friday

Time: 6 p.m.

 I cannot believe the day I’ve had! It all began this morning. After a long day, I finally reached

Todtmoos. It was very hectic and I feel very tired/ exhausted now. I got very angry at Harris and

Jerome. They led me to unknown paths and never took any suggestion from me—they did

not for once seek my advice and completely ignored all that I said. We were supposed to reach

Todtmoos by ten in the morning but we couldn’t because we lost our way and got confused.

Jerome further added to the confusion by saying that he knew how to find his way in strange

places but he lead us down a road that ended in a wasp’s nest! We nearly began to quarrel

among ourselves when finally Harris insisted on following his plan. So we followed Harris and we

came to a clearing in the wood from where we could see the village from where we had started

off this morning. After some arguing, we set off again only to find that we could once again see

the village and the village church. I just couldn’t bear it at this point. I saw a man cutting hay in

the distance. I told Jerome and Harris that I was going to ask the man to guide me to Todtmoos

whether they wanted to follow me or not. They decided to come with me though they grumbled.

The man was willing to help us for a rather handsome sum of money and finally, after a beautiful

walk, that I might have appreciated better if I had not been so tired and annoyed, we finally

reached Todtmoos. I am so relieved that this day is over. Jerome want to cycle through the

Southern Black Forest Nature Reserve tomorrow. It sounds like fun but I must make sure we take

a compass this time!

Listening

Listening Text

1. Well, what shall we do?

2. It’s as simple as ABC.

3. I thought you said it didn’t matter.

4. This is very strange.

5. I suppose you are satisfied with what you have done?

6. Don’t you think my plan will save time?

Answers:

1. question 2. statement 3. statement 4. statement 5. question 6. question

Speaking

1. Maybe we could visit the book fair. That sounds good.

2. What about surprising him/her with a

gift?

Are you sure that’ll help? Maybe we can invite him/her to

spend some time with us during the weekend.

3. I suggest we go to Athirapally Falls

for our class picnic.

Why don’t we ask the other section for their suggestions

as well?

Punctuation

1. The Mehtas have owned this house for nine-and-a half-years.

2. My aunt gave me a beautiful, full-sleeved dress for my birthday.

3.  right

4. right

5. Pavitra re-read all her old English textbooks during the summer holidays.

6. My uncle was very angry when he saw the half-eaten food on the plates.

Life Skills

2. backup batteries (in case we cannot charge our phones and for our torches)

3. list of emergency contacts 4. torches 5. hiking shoes 6. ropes and cords

7. jackets 8. bottles of water 9. medicines and band-aids 10. maps and compass

A WALK TO REMEMBER

A. Answer in brief.

1. Why were the three friends confused when they came near the hill?

 Ans: The friends, who were on their way to the village of Todtmoos, were asked by the man in

the inn to keep straight on round the hill to reach the road leading to the village. But when they

reached the hill they were confused as there were many hills, some of them little and some of

them big.

2. What role does Jerome play in finding the way? Was he of any help?

 Ans: Jerome was confident that he had the gift for finding his way in strange places and that

mountains, rivers or any such obstacles rarely got in his way. But here they had to traverse along

similar obstacles and Jerome’s gift didn’t help them. In the end he could lead his friends only to a

wasp’s nest.

B. Answer in detail.

1. What was the problem the three friends faced and how did they finally reach Todtmoos?

 Ans: The three friends lost the way to the road to Todtmoos and tried all different methods to

reach there with their own efforts. Harris in particular was very confident that he would somehow

guide his friends to the village. They were unsuccessful as they found themselves making rounds

of the same place again and again. George’s suggestion of taking help from villagers did not go

well with Harris and he wanted to experiment on his own. Finally he gave up as well and they

had to get help from the man they saw nearby. With his help they found the road and reached

Todtmoos four hours later than what they had calculated.

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

1. “I would continue to lead you further but no one can work without encouragement. Go your own way

– I am done with you both.”

 a. Where are the three men going?

 b. What encouragement is he talking about?

 c. Why was he annoyed with his friends?

 Ans: a. The three men are going to the village of Todtmoos.

 b. Jerome expected some encouragement which would help him correct his route and find

the way.

 c. He was annoyed because his friends were equally unsuccessful but they got irritated

with him for his mistake. Perhaps he felt that they were being unfair.

2. “It may be where it should be, according to you and science, or it may not.”

 a. Who is the speaker?

 b. What is he talking about?

 c. Why does the speaker sound irritated?

 Ans: a. The speaker is George.

 b. He is talking about the sun which he said he could see.

 c. His friend Harris wanted to find a way to the road that led to the village with the help of

the position of the sun but is still confused. Hence George makes the above remark in

irritation.

D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)

1. What do you understand about Harris from the text?

 [Free response] Suggested answer: Harris comes across as a confused person but one who

believes in himself. Even when he is unsure, he acts as if he is on the right track and refuses to

listen to the others. He ignores George’s sensible suggestions but finally he has to give in.

2. Who do you think is the sensible one of the three men going to Todtmoos? Why?

 [Free response] Suggested answer: George appears to be more sensible than the others.

When Harris confidently states that they should head straight on round the hill which would

lead them to a wood, George sensibly points out that there are too many hills covered by

thick woods. In the end, it is his suggestion that they make use of a guide that helps them find

the way.

E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)

 Though the friends were excited to walk their way through the black forest area, they were not well

prepared for the journey. Elaborate.

 [Free response] Suggested answer: Jerome, Harris and George were on a holiday in Germany.

They planned to walk to the village of Todtmoos, which they were told was a very short and a

beautiful trek. The friends were excited to take up the journey and ventured out without proper

preparation. All the three knew they were in a new place. They should have planned well and

carried a map with them, as they were walking on a hilly region or could have got clear guidance

from people who were familiar with the place and should have been well prepared for the journey.

The discord among them made it even more difficult for them to continue with their journey

peacefully.