Q1 of 39 Page 97

Read the following passage about tea.

India and tea are so intertwined together that life without the brew is unimaginable. Tea entered our life only in the mid-nineteenth century when the British started plantations in Assam and Darjeeling. In the beginning, though, Indians shunned the drink as they thought it was a poison that led to umpteen diseases. Ironically, tea colonized Britain where it became a part of their social diary and also led to the establishment of numerous tea houses. Today, scientific research across the world has attempted to establish the beneficial qualities of tea - a fact the Japanese and the Chinese knew anyway from ancient times, attributing to its numerous medicinal properties.


[Source: ‘History: Tea Anytime’ by Ranjit Biswas from Literary review, The Hindu, 1 October 2006]


Collect information about tea, e.g. its evolution as a drink, its beneficial qualities. You can consult an encyclopedia or visit Internet websites. Then form groups of five and play the following roles: Imagine a meeting of a tea planter, a sales agent, a tea lover (consumer), a physician and a tea shop owner. Each person in the group has to put forward his/her views about tea. You may use the following words and phrases.


- I feel…… - It is important to know….


- I disagree with you - I think that tea


- I would like you to know - I agree with


- It is my feeling… - I suggest…


- May I know why you… - I am afraid…

Views About Tea - Tea has become a very important part of our life. It is significant to know that tea can be found in every Indian household which is also a must in all functions. Tea plantation is the main occupation in Assam. Tea is a beverage as well as possesses medicinal qualities. It reduces blood pressure and provides instant relief from tiredness. Thus one can see that tea has become a necessity for all.


NOTE – Students can attempt it and put in various additional details about tea.


More from this chapter

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2

Notice how these -ing and -ed adjectives are used.

(a) Chess is an interesting game. -I am very interested in chess.

(b) Going trekking in the Himalayas this summer is an exciting idea. –We are very excited about the trek.

(c) Are all your school books this boring? -He was bored as he had no friends there.


The –ing adjectives show the qualities that chess, trekking, or these books have: they cause interest, excitement, or boredom in you. The –ed/ -en adjectives show your mental state or your physical state: how you feel in response to ideas, events or things.


A. Think of suitable –ing or –ed adjectives to answer the following questions. You may also use words from those given above.


How would you describe


(i) a good detective serial on television? __________

(ii) a debate on your favorite topic ‘Homework Should Be Banned’? ___________

(iii) how you feel when you stay indoors due to incessant rain? ___________

(iv) how you feel when you open a present? _________

(v) how you feel when you watch your favorite programme on television? _________

(vi) the look on your mother’s face as you waited in a queue? ___________

(vii) how you feel when tracking a tiger in a tiger reserve forest? __________

(viii) the story you have recently read, or a film you have seen? ___________

2

Now use the adjectives in the exercise above, as appropriate, to write a paragraph about Coorg.

2

You are sales executive of a famous tea company and you have been asked to draft an advertisement for the product. Draft the advertisement using the information you collected for the role play. You can draw pictures or add photographs and make your advertisement colorful.

1

Find in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.