The Story of Proserpine – Activity Question Answer
Summary: Long ago, Ceres, the goddess of crops and fertility, lived happily with her
daughter Proserpine on the beautiful island of Sicily. Proserpine was known
for her beauty and charm, and everyone said she was like spring itself.
One day, Pluto, the king of the underworld, saw Proserpine and was
captivated by her beauty. Without warning, he kidnapped her and took her to
his dark kingdom underground to make her his queen. Ceres was devastated
and searched everywhere for her daughter. In her sorrow, she neglected the
earth, causing crops to fail and famine to spread.
Finally, Jupiter, the king of the gods, intervened. He declared that Proserpine
could return to her mother only if she had not eaten anything in the
underworld. Unfortunately, Proserpine had eaten six pomegranate seeds, so
she was bound to spend six months each year in Pluto’s realm and the
remaining six months with her mother.
This myth explains the changing seasons,when Proserpine is with Ceres, the
earth flourishes spring and summer, but when she returns to Pluto, the world
becomes cold and barren autumn and winter.
Activity – 1: Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the passage above:
- (a) Goddess Ceres lived in the beautiful island of Sicily.
- (b) Pluto was the king of the land of the Dead.
- (c) Everyone said that Proserpine was the Spring herself.
- (d) Pluto was amazed when he saw Proserpine.
- (e) Pluto struck the ground with his spear and it opened instantly.
Activity – 2: Identify which of the following statements are True and which are False. Give a supporting statement for each of your answers.
- (a) [False] – Supporting Statement: Ceres had a big role in the lives of the people because she was the goddess of harvest.
- (b) [True] – Supporting Statement: Ceres was very fond of her daughter Proserpine.
- (c) [False] – Supporting Statement: Proserpine was helping her mother in the field when Pluto first saw her.
- (d) [True] – Supporting Statement: Pluto believed Proserpine’s beauty would brighten his dark kingdom.
- (e) [False] – Supporting Statement: Proserpine did not throw away her girdle; it was found and helped her mother know what happened.
Activity – 3: Fill up the following chart with information from the text:
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1. No goddess was willing to live with him. | Pluto led a lonely life. |
| 2. Pluto heard voices and laughter behind some bushes. | He was curious. |
| 3. Pluto stepped into the circle and carried Proserpine to his chariot. | The companions of Proserpine got frightened and ran away. |
| 4. Pluto was afraid that Proserpine’s mother Ceres would soon appear there in search of her daughter. | Pluto drove his chariot very fast. |
| 5. The river was full to the brim. | With his scepter Pluto struck the ground. |
Activity – 4: Some words or phrases are given below. Find words from the text having meanings Similar to these:
- A young unmarried girl
- A horse driven carriage
Answer :- Chariot.
- Eager to know
Answer :- Curious.
- Flowers
Answer :- Blossoms.
- Grasped or caught tightly
Answer :- captive.
- A waistband
Answer :- Girdle.
Activity – 5: Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the list below. Change the form of the words where necessary. There are some extra words. (One is done for you):
-
(Plunged, departed, trace, lovely, bank,
drove, curls)
- (a) The rose is said to be the loveliest of all flowers.
- (b) Kolkata is situated on the bank of river Hooghly.
- (c) I could not trace the advertisement in yesterday’s newspaper.
- (d) When it rains, driving a car is not easy.
- (e) Please note the time of his departure from office last Saturday.
Activity – 6: Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
- From the fires of a volcano Ceres lighted a torch.
- People thought of praying to Jupiter because Ceres could not take care of the earth until I got her lost daughter back.
- The nymph of the fountain lived in the dark depths of the earth.
- Jupiter said that Proserpine might return to earth if she had not tasted any food in Pluto’s kingdom.
- Ceres would begin to grieve for six months when the time came for Proserpine to rejoin Pluto in his dark underground kingdom.
Activity – 7: Fill up the following chart with information from the text:
| Who | Did What | When |
|---|---|---|
| Ceres | Searched for Proserpine in all the rooms | In the evening |
| People | Implored Ceres to bring back plenty | They were starving |
| Ceres | Found her daughter’s girdle | While passing by a river |
| Proserpine | Had eaten six pomegranate seeds | Destined to stay six months underground |
| The earth | Flourished with flowers and joy | When Proserpine returned |
Activity – 8: Answer the following questions:
- (a) Why did Ceres feel very sad in the morning?
Answer :- Ceres was very sad because her daughter Proserpine was missing. She looked for her everywhere but could not find her. - (b) Why was there a severe famine all over the world? Answer :- There was a famine because Ceres was too sad to care for the plants. Nothing grew, and people had no food.
- (c) What did the nymph of the fountain tell Ceres? Answer :- The nymph told Ceres that she saw Pluto take Proserpine in his chariot and go underground.
- (d) Why did Proserpine have to live in the underground for six months? Answer :- Proserpine had to live underground for six months because she ate six seeds of a pomegranate while she was there.
Activity – 9: Rearrange the following sentences and make a paragraph on how Proserpine returned from the underworld to her mother on earth:
- Suddenly one day Ceres picked up Proserpine’s girdle by the riverside Answer :- Pluto took away the beautiful maiden Proserpine to his underground kingdom.
- Ceres visited Jupiter and sought his help to get back her daughter. Answer :- Ceres, her mother, was surprised when she did not find Proserpine at home in the evening.
- Pluto took away the beautiful maiden Proserpine to his underground kingdom. Answer :- Ceres searched everywhere for her daughter but could not find her.
- Ceres went underground to find that Proserpine had already eaten six pomegranate seeds there. Answer :- One day, Ceres found Proserpine’s girdle by the riverside.
- Ceres, her mother, was much surprised not to find her at home in the evening. Answer :- The nymph of the fountain told Ceres where her daughter was.
- She sought Jupiter’s help.
- The nymph of the fountain told Ceres about her daughter’s whereabouts. Answer :- Ceres went to Jupiter and asked for help to get Proserpine back.
- Jupiter said that Proserpine might return to earth if she had not eaten any food in the land of the dead. Answer :- Jupiter said Proserpine could return to earth only if she had not eaten any food in the land of the dead.
- The mother searched for her daughter everywhere in vain. Answer :- Ceres went to the underworld and found that Proserpine had eaten six pomegranate seeds there.
- Proserpine was destined to spend six months every year in Pluto’s underworld and the remaining six months on earth with her mother Answer :- Because of this, Proserpine had to spend six months every year in Pluto’s underworld and the other six months on earth with her mother.
Activity – 10: Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B:
Answer :-| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| Realm | Kingdom |
| Ceaseless | Endless |
| Pale | Dull or whitish in colour |
| Grief | Deep sorrow |
| Implored | Begged |
| Gloomy | Dark or depressing |
Activity – 11: Make sentences with the following pairs of words to show the difference in their meanings:
- Meet – I can't wait to meet you at the library.
- Meat – She prefers chicken over red meat.
- Wandered – The puppy wandered in the garden.
- Wondered – She wondered what was inside.
- Leap – The frog can leap high.
- Lip – She put lipstick on her lip.
- Whole – He ate the whole cake.
- Hole – There is a hole in my sock.
- Cease – The rain will cease soon.
- Seize – The police will seize the goods.
Activity – 12: Solve the word puzzle by putting suitable letters in the blank boxes. You will find The words in the text :
- Answer :- Girdle, Plunged, Sceptre, Realm, Lovely, Nymph, Grief, Flowers, Gloomy, Curious, Coach, Playmate, Banquet
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Activity – 13 (a): Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals:
[may, would, will, should, must, can, could]
- (a) I must finish my homework before going to school.
- (b) He may give you a solution.
- (c) Rajesh planned that he would make a kitchen garden.
- (d) He could help me if he wished.
- (e) We should save trees for a better future.
- (f) The teachers expect that all the students will pass the examination.
- (g) Students should treat their teachers with respect.
- (h) It may rain today.
Activity – 13 (b): Fill in the blanks with the negative forms of modals.
- (a) I can’t help you. I am sorry.
- (b) Your bed is ready. Can’t you lie down now?
- (c) One should not go for swimming when the sea is rough.
- (d) The student got poor marks because he could not solve a few sums.
- (e) They may not be able to supply the materials on time.
Activity – 14 (a): Now match the clues with the pictures. Write the matching picture numbers in the brackets.
-
Answers :-
- A cart-man driving a cart. (1)
- The wheels sank in mud. (2)
- He started praying. (3)
- God appeared and advised. (4)
- Cart-man pulled the wheel. (5)
- The cart moved. (6)
Activity – 14 (b): Write a story based on the above clues in about 75 words. Add a title to your story.
Title: The Stuck Cart
Activity – 15: In each group there are three sentences. One of them has some grammatical errors. Identify that sentence and underline it. One is done for you:
- Group A –
(i) Ranit has taken my pen.
(ii)This house is our.
(iii)They live happily in their village. - Group B –
(i) I always enjoy reading children’s books.
(ii) Sunita studies in Nivedita Girl’s High School.
(iii)The children is crying. - Group C –
(i) The bird on the cage has flew away.
(ii) Take out that book from the shelf.
(iii) The man arrived at the station on time. - Group D –
(i) She left the place quietly.
(ii) The cart-man is driving his cart in a slowly manner.
(iii) Alam is known for his gentle manners. - Group E –
(i) Would you like to have a cup of coffee?
(ii) If you wanted to perform well, you shall work hard.
(iii)We can reach Delhi by road.
Activity – 16: Write a paragraph on a recent Tree Plantation Drive undertaken by your school. Your paragraph should be in about 80 words. Give the following details:
Answer :-
Tree Plantation
Our school, Sunshine Public School, held a Tree Plantation programme on September 15th at 10 a.m. in the school playground. The Head Master started the programme by planting the first tree. Many studentsand teachers took part in planting trees. Some guests from the local community also came. We had a small cultural show with speech and awareness about nature. I helped plant trees and enjoyed the day very much.It was a fun and important event.
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