1.1 An Astrologer’s Day
SECTION ONE
1.1 An Astrologer’s Day
BRAINSTORMING
(A1) (i) Given below are some descriptions. Discuss them with your partner and find out one word for each of them. An example is given for you.
a) The scientific study of the universe and the objects in it, including stars,planets, nebulae and galaxies
Ans- Astronomy
(b) The study of the movements of the planets, Sun, Moon, and Stars in the belief that these movements can have an influence on people’s lives
Ans- Astrology
(c) A prediction of what will happen in the future
Ans- prophecy
(d) Scientific discipline that studies mental states and processes and behaviouri n humans and other animals
Ans- psychology
(ii) In the story we are told that the Town Hall Park was a remarkable placei n many ways for an astrologer to build his business. Discuss it in a group and list the exceptional qualities of the place.
Ans . The exceptional qualities of the place were :
1) A surging crowd
2) magicians
3) Auctioneers of cheap cloth
4) Lack of municipal lighting
5) Flare from the groundnut heap
6) A Vociferous vendor of fried groundnuts
(iii) The astrologer never opened his mouth till the other had spoken for at least ten minutes. Discuss the reasons behind his act.
(a) He is good at reading the people.
(b) He obtained a lot of information about their lives from their talk.
(c) He could analyses their character and understand their problem.
(d) He could easily frame his statements to their satisfactions.
(A2) (i) The tactics used by the astrologer to earn his wages are…
Ans –
– Analysis of human troubles
– Perception of the WOES of his customers
– shrewd guess work
(ii) An astrologer’s appearance helps to create an impression on his clients.Complete the following.
(a) The turban on his head
(b) The sacred ash and vermilion on his forehead
(c) dark whiskers covering the face
(d) a sparkle in his eye accompanied by an abnormal gleam
(iii) Read the following sentences and choose the correct one.
(a) The astrologer says that if Nayak does not leave his village again, he would –
(1) return the money
(2) face danger
(3) go back home and stop looking for the man who tried to kill him
(4) not find the killer.
(b) According to the narrator the astrologer’s success in his profession is primarily due to –
(1) luck
(2) the bargains he drives
(3) his appearance
(4) his understanding of people.
(c) The story suggests that the astrologer’s comments and observations please people by –
(1) promising them success and good fortune
(2) proving, as time passes, to have been true
(3) flattering them or supporting their own views
(4) helping them to learn to solve their own problems.
(d) Guru Nayak consults the astrologer because he wants to –
(1) understand the past
(2) find out who the astrologer is
(3) make some money through a bet
(4) get the answer to a specific question.
(e) Guru Nayak is looking for the man who tried to kill him –
(1) to take revenge
(2) to get an apology
(3) to demand an explanation
(4) to prove that the man was unsuccessful.
(f) The astrologer’s remark makes Guru Nayak feel all of the following
except-
(1) relieved
(2) suspicious
(3) impressed
(4) disappointed.
(g) Reactions of the astrologer’s wife to his news suggest that she –
(1) was unaware of his past
(2) has been worried about his safety
(3) has known him since he was young
(4) is concerned about her future with him.
(iv) Read the following sentences and find out True and False sentences. Correct the False sentences.
(a) The astrologer gave a correct prediction to the client about his past that he was stabbed, thrown into a well and left for dead.
Ans.- True
(b) When the astrologer came to know that the man whom he killed is alive he felt that he was relieved of his guilt.
Ans.- True
(c) The astrologer tried to back out of the deal and talked about the client’s past.
Ans.- False
– Corrected sentence . The astrologer struck a bargain with the client and then talked about the client’s past.
(d) The astrologer rescued himself from Guru Nayak’s revenge.
Ans .- True
(e) The moral of the story is that we must be responsible about what we have done and should not run away from our mistakes.
And .- False
– Corrected sentence . The moral is that we should never believe in superstition.
(v) The astrologer has changed his appearance and his persona when he arrived in the city. Give specific reasons.
Ans- The astrologer thought that he had killed a man after a quarrel. He was afraid that he would be arrested and jailed for this crime. Hence, to avoid detection he changed his appearance and his persona when he arrived in the city.
(v) “The darkness load that was inside the astrologer has disappeared’. Through this sentence, explain the significance of the title ‘An Astrologer’s Day’.
Ans. The astrologer thought that he had killed a man after a quarrel. Hence he had run away from his village, changed his appearance and his persona when he arrived in the city, and become an astrologer. However, he still felt guilty for what he had done. When he came to know that the man he thought he had killed was actually alive, the dark load inside him disappeared, and it made his day, i.e. he felt relieved and happy. This is the significance of the title ‘An Astrologer’s Day’.
(vi) The astrologer feels relieved that Guru is not dead as it relieves a great burden from him. Critically justify the statement and explain it.
Ans. The astrologer thought that he had killed a man after a quarrel. Hence he had run away from his village, changed his appearance and his persona when he arrived in the city, and become an astrologer. However, he still felt guilty for what he had done. When he came to know that the man he thought he had killed was actually alive, the dark load inside him disappeared, and it made his day, i.e. he felt relieved and happy. This is the significance of the title ‘An Astrologer’s Day’
(vii) The astrologer wins/gets the sympathy of criticism of the reader in the end. Express your opinion with the support of the main story.
Ans. I think I sympathize with the astrologer. He did not try to intentionally kill Guru Nayak; it had happened in the heat of the moment. Of course, he should not have tried to run away but should have accepted responsibility for his crime. However, he is genuinely sorry for what had happened. His words a great load is gone from me today. I thought I had the blood of a man on my hands all these years’ indicates this. Hence, I sympathize with him and am happy that he can now live in peace.
(viii) If we have to eradicate the superstitions and other ill practices from our society, what steps would you like to suggest?
Ans. To eradicate superstitions and other ill practices from our society the first and most important step is education. Schools and colleges must help their students to develop a scientific attitude and think logically and rationally. Secondly, as people in India tend to listen to their religious heads, all religious heads should send out clear messages to their followers about the eradication of superstitions. And lastly, the older generation should change their opinions and ideas and get rid of silly superstitious beliefs.
(x) In the story, astrologer has a great listening power. Listening helps in developing good relations with people. Express your opinion.
Ans.Yes, listening helps in developing good relations with people. When we listen, we indicate to the speaker that we care about him/her and are interested in his/her problems/joys. We show that we are ready to help him/her if necessary. We share his/her ideas. We also realize how can deal with people successfully by listening to their
(A3) (i) In the story, the following characters reveal their qualities through words and actions. Pick out the words that describe them from the box and write in the appropriate columns.
| Astrologer | Guru Nayak | Astrologer’s wife |
| (1) shrewd | manipulative | caring |
| (2) | ||
| (3) | ||
| (4) |
Answer
| Astrologer | Guru Nayak | astrologer’s wife |
|---|---|---|
| Shrewd | Shrewd | Demainding |
| Clever | Arrogant | Caring |
| Suspicious | Overconfident | Protective |
| Mean | Cunning | Rational |
| Manipulative | Aggresive | Humanistic |
| Worried | Antagonist | |
| Cunning | Quarrelsome | |
| Intuitive | Gullible | |
| Skeptical | ||
| Mystical |
(ii) Match the suffixes with the words and make nouns. One is done for you.
| Word | suffix | noun |
| auction | eer | auctioneer |
| enchant | ure | |
| know | ment | |
| prepare | able | |
| proceed | ance | |
| appear | ledge | |
| remark | tion | |
Answer :
| Word | suffix | noun |
| auction | eer | auctioneer |
| enchant | ment | enchantment |
| know | ledge | knowledge |
| prepare | tion | preparation |
| proceed | ure | procedure |
| appear | ance | appearance |
| remark | able | remarkable |