Grade-6 ENGLISH
Supplementary Reader –Lesson-1
Father’s Room (R.K.Narayanan).
A. Complete these sentences.
1.Swami requested his mother to prepare something very nice for afternoon tiffin,
to make good coffee,to send the food to his room and to ask Father to lend him his
room
2. Swami talked to his father to let him use his room to receive Rajam.
3. Swami was enjoying the visit till Rajam asked him which was his own room and
whether the room they were sitting in was really his room.
4. To distract Rajam from asking more questions, Swami offered to introduce his
grandmother to Rajam.
B. Answer these questions.
1.Probably in his own 'room'; but his father often came in to dress and undress.
a. Why was Swami thinking of his own room?
Ans. Rajam was supposed to visit Swaminathan's place on Saturday afternoon.
Swami was thinking of his own room because he was very excited about the visit
and was wondering where to entertain Rajam.
b. What was the problem with his own room?
Ans. The problem with his own room was that his father often came in to dress
and undress there.
c. What was the solution to this problem?
Ans. As a solution to this problem, Swami asked his father if he could use Father’s
room to receive Rajam. His father agreed that Swami could use his room, but
warned him not to mess up the things on the table.
2. Swaminathan made a gesture of despair. When and why did Swami do this?
Ans. Swami made a gesture of despair when his grandmother could not
remember Rajam. She kept confusing Rajam with someone else-Swami's other
friends, like Mani and the Pea.
3."...you must not call me or come to my room.
"a. Who said this to whom?
Ans. Swami said this to Granny.
b. What was the speaker's reason for saying this? What do you think of this
reason?
Ans. Swami said this because he thought that his grandmother was too old to
meet his friend. He thought that Rajam would be bored to meet Granny or
Granny might say something that would embarrass Swami in front of Rajam.
c. How did the listener respond to this?
Ans. Granny, the listener, accepted Swami's reason calmly and cheerfully.
4.a. Was Rajam's visit a success for Swami? How do you think Swami felt during
and after the visit?
Ans. The first part of Rajam's visit went quite smoothly. They could sit in Father's
room. Mother had prepared a great tiffin. Coffee was also good. Granny had kept
her promise and did not show herself in front of Rajam. The two boys chatted
about many things for a long time. Swami was having a good time until Rajam
asked him whether the room they were sitting in really belonged to him. Swami
tried to avoid telling the truth and finally distracted Rajam by taking him away to
meet Granny. This plan worked and Rajam chatted with Granny untilit was time
for him to leave. Thus, during Rajam's visit, Swami must have been excited and
happy as well as nervous (when Rajam began questioning him). After he left,
Swami must have felt both satisfied as well as a little relieved, because he had
been a little nervous about what Rajam would think or say.
b. What would you say was Swami's attitude towards Rajam? Give examples from
the text to support your answer.
Ans. Swami thought quite highly of Rajam. Rajam came from a city background,
was wealthy and spoke fluent English. All this seemed to have impressed Swami.
He believed Rajam had killed tigers, and was not only excited, but also anxious
about the visit-anxious that Rajam should be equally impressed with him. He
spoke to all the members of his family to make sure the visit would be a success.
He did not think his own room was good enough; he thought Granny might
embarrass him; he wanted food to be served the way it was served in Rajam's
house-he wanted to show he was Rajam's equal. These things suggest that Swami
admired Rajam a lot; in fact, he may not have felt as comfortable and easy with
him as we usually do with friends. If they had been really close friends, then
Swami would not have needed to lie to Rajam about his room.
Think and Answer.
Based on this text, what can you understand about-
Support your answer with examples from the text.
a.Swami’s father.
Ans. Swami’s father was probably a lawyer, as he went to Court and had large law
books on his table. He seemed strict, which is why Swami was hesitant to speak to
him directly and asked his mother to do so. However, his father appreciated
Swami’s effort in cleaning the table and arranging the books. When Swami
explained that Rajam was not an ordinary friend, his father understood and
allowed him to use his room. This showed that although he appeared strict, he
was kind, supportive, and had a sense of humor.
b. Rajam.
Ans. Rajam came from a city background, was wealthy and spoke English like a
European. He was also the Police Superintendent’s son. He seemed proud and wanted
to appear important, often exaggerating stories—like claiming to have killed tigers or
that his mother had trunks of jewels. During his visit, he doubted Swami’s room was
truly his and kept asking questions that embarrassed Swami. This suggests Rajam liked
being admired and may not have been very considerate of Swami’s feelings.
