Reading C
Uncle Podge Hangs a Picture
Comprehension
1) Given below is a list of items Uncle Podger used in order to hang the picture. Read the story again and list them in the order in which they are used in the story.
string, nails, ladder, picture, hammer, rule, spirit level, light, picture cord
Correct Order- Nails, hammer, rule, spirit-level, light, picture cord, picture, ladder, string
2) Answer the following questions.
i) Do you think the children in the house were fools? Why did Uncle Podger think so about them?
Answer: Uncle Podger wanted to hang a picture on a wall and for that he made everyone in the family to help him. He made his children help him in doing his job. While doing his work, either he would not find his coat or the nail would fall somewhere and he would make his children search for those things. And when they would not be able to find, he would think that they were fool.
ii) Despite telling that he would hang the picture himself, why was Uncle Podger not able to do it?
Answer: Uncle Podger was firm on hanging the picture. He made everyone involved in his work. While hanging the picture he faces many minor obstacles like losing his coat, dropping the nail, losing the hammer,etc. And when all the things were right order and place he would hurt his thumb while hanging the picture. This is why he could no hang the picture.
iii) The story of hanging the picture is incomplete. Write what happened after Uncle Podger dropped the hammer at the end of the story.
Answer: Even after much chaos Uncle Podger was not able to hang the picture. At the end of the story, his wife told him to inform her while hanging the picture for the next time so that she could make arrangements and go to her mother’s home.
iv) Write down four actions that make Uncle Podger a funny character.
Answer: While trying to hang the picture he forgets that the coat he had been looking for,was actuallythere on which he was sitting. When someone gave him the nail, he would drop it by mistake,and till the nail is found he would lose the hammer. And finally when all the things would be at the right place, he would strike his thumb and drop the hammer .These actions shows how funny Uncle Podger was.
v) What did Aunt Maria say when Uncle Podger used bad language? What does it tell you about her character?
Answer: Aunt Maria would not allow the children to stand round and hear use bad language. She seem to annoyed with the whole chaos.
vi) Did Aunt Maria have confidence that Uncle Podger will hang the picture? Quote the line that makes you think so.
Answer: No, Aunt Maria didn’t have the confidence that Uncle Podger will hang the picture. Aunt Maria would say quietly that, next time Uncle Podger was going to hammer a nail into the wall, she hoped he’d let her know in time, so that she could make arrangements to go and spend a week with her mother while it was being done-this makes it clear that he would hang the picture next time.
vii) How many times did Uncle Podger fail to hang the picture? List the evidences from the story.
Answer: Uncle Podger tried to hang the picture for 6 times. Initially he tries to lift the picture and drop it and it would come out of the frame and in trying to fix it he would hurt himself. After that attempt, he would gather everyone and try to hang but that time, he would lose the nail, the hammer and when he would find everything, he would lost the sight of the mark where he had to hang the picture. So to make it work again he would make everyone stand so that he could make the mark and while doing it, he would miss the spot reaching it and fall on the piano. All these attempts goes in vain and Uncle Podger remains unsuccessful at hanging the picture.
III. Read the incidents given in the table below and pick out adjectives from the box to describe Uncle Podger.
disorganized, forgetful, blames others, careless, clumsy, impatient
Incidents from the story | Adjectives describing UnclePodger’s Character |
| He dropped the picture, hammer and nail. | Clumsy |
| He took off his coat and didn’t know that he was sitting on it. | Forgetful |
| And he would take the rule and measure again, and find that he wanted half of thirty one and three-eighths inches from the corner and would try to do it in his head, and go mad | Disorganized |
| He shouted at all the children for not being able to find the coat when he was sitting on it himself. | Careless |
| He sent the maid to get nails without telling what size. | Impatient |
| He said even a cat can find things that his family cannot. | Blames others |
Vocabulary
In the sentences given below, the underlined phrases can be expressed in one word. Write meanings of the phrases in the space provided.
Underlined Phrases | One word substitution |
| a. A new picture would come and would be standing in the drawing room, waiting to be put up. | hung |
| b. And then he would take off his coat and begin. | Remove |
| c. You can’t find a coat that I put down not five minutes ago. | kept |
| d. We would have to go down on our knees and look for it. | Search |
| e. I never came across such people in my whole life. | met |
| f. Oh, you can give it up, I found it all by myself. | stop |
Grammar
1) Expressing habitual action and states in the past
In this lesson we find the word ‘would’ used several times. Pick out ten
sentences from the text where ‘would’ has been used. We have picked some for you.
- Aunt Podger would ask what was to be done with it.
- Then he would take off his coat and begin.
- He would send the maid out for six pennyworth of nails.
- And then he would lift up the picture
- It would come out of the frame
- He would jump round the room
- While he would dance round and get in their way
- He would try again
- Two people would have to hold the chair
- And we would all have to go down on our knees and look for it
2) For each of the following sentences, choose either ‘used to’ or ‘would’. If both are possible, use ‘would’.
i) When I was a child, my father would pick me up and throw me in the air. I used to love it.
ii) My uncle used to have a bicycle, when I was young. He would take me for a ride .
iii) For years, I used to be afraid of ghosts, as my grandmother wouldtell me stories of them every night .
iv) I would become Krishna during Janmastami every year in childhood,and every year I used to break the matki.
v) I used to know many songs as a child, so my friends wouldask me to sing every time we worked in the fields.
vi) When I was five, I would be able to do incredible stunts. Iused to climb every tree in the neighbourhood and swing like a monkey.
III. Read the conversation and fill in the blanks with used to or would. Use used to to describe states in the past and would to describe habits in the past.
Shahila: Hey guys, how about making biryani on Friday?
Shabana: Hmm, I’m not sure if biryani is such a good idea…
Rajiv: But you used to love biryani? What happened? I remember that we would
eat lots of it when your mother used tomake it for Eid.