Ch. 12. Marco Polo
ACTIVITY 1:
Meanings of the words as used in the lesson (noun, verb, adjective, etc.)
Merchant- (noun)
Adventurous- (adjective)
Explorer- (noun)
Caravan- (noun)
Fascinated- (verb)
Grandness- (noun)
Luxury- (noun)
Spy- (noun)
Translated- (verb)
Inspired- (verb)
ACTIVITY 2: Make
sentences of the idioms you have studied.
1. Beat around the bush (avoiding the main topic, not
speaking directly about the problem) – Do not beat around the bush; come to the
point.
2. Every cloud
has a silver lining (be positive, even difficult times will lead to better
days) – You must try again because every cloud has a silver lining.
3. Actions speak louder than words (people‟s
intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say) – Don‟t
tell me how to do it, show me. Actions speak louder than words.
4. Add insult to injury (to further add to a loss with
mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavourable situation) – We were losing the
match. To add insult to injury, opposition scored another goal.
5. The ball is in your court (it is up to you to take
the next decision or step) – I have decided to go on the tour. My friend, the
ball is in your court now.
6. Blessing in disguise (something good that isn‟t
recognized at first) – The lockdown proved to be a blessing in disguise. The
pollution reduced.
7. Cry over spilt milk (when you complain about a loss
from the past) – Do not cry over spilt milk; try again and you will succeed.
8. Kill two birds with one stone (to achieve two
things with one action) – „Dictation‟ will kill two birds with one stone. It
will improve listening and vocabulary.
9. Once in a blue moon (happens very rare) –
Opportunity comes once in a blue moon.
10. Turn over a new leaf (to change one‟s behaviour
usually in a positive way) – She promised to turn over a new leaf and study
harder.
ACTIVITY 3: Read
the lesson and answer the following questions.
Q.a. Who was
Marco Polo?
Ans. He was a merchant and an adventurer.
Q.b. When and
where was Marco Polo born?
Ans. Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254.
Q.c. Why did
Marco Polo visit so many cities?
Ans. He wanted to know about different places and
people.
Q.d. Who
accompanied Marco Polo during his visits?
Ans. His father, Niccolo and his uncle, Maffeo
accompanied him.
Q.e. Which
features of the Chinese cities impressed Marco Polo?
Ans. The wealth and luxury of the Chinese cities
impressed him.
Q.f. How did he
serve the Chinese Emperor?
Ans. He served as a messenger and spy.
Q.g. After how
many years did Marco Polo return to Venice?
Ans. He returned to Venice after twenty-four years.
Q.h. What was
the effect of the war between Venice and Genoa upon Marco Polo?
Ans. He was captured and put in a prison.
Q.i. Name the
book that contains detailed stories about Marco's journeys.
Ans. The book is „The Travels of Marco Polo‟.
Q.j. Who
carried the book, 'The Travels of Marco Polo' along with him on his travels? Why?
Ans. Christopher Columbus carried the book with him
because he was greatly inspired by the book.
ACTIVITY 4: Read the
story and fill in the blanks.
a. Marco Polo set out on his first voyage at the age
of __17__.
b. He visited the holy city of __Jerusalem__.
c. He was released from the prison in__1299__.
d. He was married to __Donata Badoer__.
e. Marco Polo passed away on __8 January 1324__ at the age of __70__.
ACTIVITY 5: Imagine
that you are a traveller. Write the experience of your visit to any place in five sentences.
Answer:
Last year, I visited Amritsar, the historic and second largest city of Punjab.
The people of Amritsar are hardworking and lively. I felt blessed to visit Shri
Darbar Sahib. I also visited Wagha Border and watched the Retreat Ceremony. It
was a wonderful visit.
ACTIVITY 6: Change
the voice of the following sentences.
a. The leader
is making a speech.
A speech is being made by the leader.
b. They are
playing hockey.
Hockey is being played by them.
c. Sudhir is
telling a story.
A story is being told by Sudhir.
d. Randhir is
cleaning his kitchen.
His kitchen is being cleaned by Randhir.
e. The girls
are making chairs.
Chairs are being made by the girls.
f. The workers
are not repairing the road.
The road is not being repaired by the workers.
g. We are not
taking orders.
Orders are not being taken by us.
h. I am not
favouring you.
You are not being favoured by me.
i. Are they
knocking at the door?
Is the door being knocked at by them?
j. Is he
serving his country?
Is his country being served by him?
ACTIVITY 7: Change
the voice of the following sentences.
a. They were
chasing the thief.
The thief was being chased by them.
b. The boys
were making a noise.
A noise was being made by the boys.
c. I was
preparing my lesson.
My lesson was being prepared by me.
d. We were
helping the poor.
The poor were being helped by us.
e. She
purchased a book named „The Patriot‟.
A book named „The Patriot‟ was purchased by her.
f. The children
were not reading books.
Books were not being read by the children.
g. He was not
closing his shop.
His shop was not being closed by him.
h. The servant
was not cleaning the room.
The room was not being cleaned by the servant.
i. They were
stealing our books.
Our books were being stolen by them.
j. Who was
insulting the beggar?
By whom was the beggar being insulted?
ACTIVITY 8: Change
the voice of the following sentences.
a. She has torn
my book.
My book has been torn by her.
b. You have
cheated everybody.
Everybody has been cheated by you.
c. We have said
our prayers.
Our prayers have been said by us.
d. Seema has
written a poem.
A poem has been written by Seema.
e. Kavita has
missed the bus.
The bus has been missed by Kavita.
f. She has not
stolen my camera.
My camera has not been stolen by her.
g. The teacher
has not scolded us.
We have not been scolded by the teacher.
h. I have not
told the entire story.
The entire story has not been told by me.
i. Have you
seen a zoo?
Has a zoo been seen by you?
j. Has the
teacher marked you absent?
Have you been marked absent by the teacher?
ACTIVITY 9: Change
the voice of the following sentences.
a. Abdul had
lost his bag.
His bag had been lost by Abdul.
b. He had
posted the letter.
The letter had been posted by him.
c. She had made
a frock.
A frock had been made by her.
d. I had learnt
my lesson.
My lesson had been learnt by me.
e. The gardener
had watered the plants.
The plants had been watered by the gardener.
f. We had not
plucked the flowers.
The flowers had not been plucked by us.
g. He had not
killed the snake.
The snake had not been killed by him.
h. I had not
seen a lion before.
A lion had not been seen by me before.
i. Had you
hidden the books?
Had the books been hidden by you?
j. Had our team
won the match?
Had the match been won by our team?
ACTIVITY 10: Change
the voice of the following sentences.
a. Radha will
have said her prayers.
Her prayers will have been said by Radha.
b. You will
have bought a new house.
A new house will have been bought by you.
c. Gurpreet
will have painted the doors.
The doors will have been painted by Gurpreet.
d. They will
have caught the train.
The train will have been caught by them.
e. Nobody will
have betrayed you.
You will not have been betrayed.
f. The tiger
will not have killed the deer.
The deer will not have been killed by the tiger.
g. I shall have
taken my lunch.
My lunch will have been taken by me.
h. Will the
letter have been posted by him?
Will he have posted the letter?
i. Will they
have checked the accounts?
Will the accounts have been checked by them?
j. Will you
have received the money?
Will the money have been received by you?
ACTIVITY 13: Study
the figure below. It is a conversation between a travel agent and his client. Read all the
sentences given in the bubbles and mark them with numbers from 1to 18 in the order
they should occur in a conversation.
1. Travel agent: Good morning. What can I do for you?
2. Client: Good morning. Well, I‟d like to book a
holiday in Venice.
3. Travel agent: I see. Are you interested in a
holiday package?
4. Client: Oh, a package would be good. What would you
suggest?
5. Travel agent: If you‟re travelling alone, I
recommend “Tulip Inn”.
6. Client: What does “Tulip Inn” have?
7. Travel agent: They have got a special offer for
single people. 10 days in Venice for Rs. 72000.
8. Client: For ten days?
9. Travel agent: Yes, that‟s right. For ten days.
10. Client: That sounds reasonable. What does the
price include?
11. Travel agent: It includes airfare, stay with
breakfast and dinner.
12. Client: Is it a nice hotel?
13. Travel agent: Oh yes, very nice. On the Grand
Canal, with a restaurant and pool.
14. Client: It‟s just what I‟m looking for! All right.
I‟ll take it.
15. Travel agent: Certainly. When would you like to
go?
16. Client: From 1 to 10 August.
17. Travel agent: And for how many people?
18. Client: Oh, just one. For me. I would be going
alone.
Lesson-12 Marco Polo
Pre-reading
Dictionary
Reference : Learning New Words
Activity 1
Look up the
following words in a dictionary. You should seek the following information about the words and
put them in your WORDS notebook.
1, Meaning of the word as used in the lesson
(adjective/fnoun/verb, etc.)
2. Pronunciation (The teacher may refer to the
dictionary or a mobile phone for correct pronunciation.)
3. Spellings
Reading
Let us read
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a merchant and an adventurer. He
travelled
with his father and uncle from Venice (Italy) to
China. Marco Polo a
spent 17 years in China before retuming to Venice. Let
us read and
learn more about this adventurous explorer.
Long, long ago when there were no planes and trains,
no a
cars and buses, people had to travel to other
countries by ship or
caravan. Marco Polo was one such traveller who went to
many
countries because he wanted to learn about the people,
their food habits and their culture.
Marco Polo was bor in Venice in 1254. When he was 17,
he set out on his first voyage with his father, Niccolo and his uncle, Maffeo,
He wanted to visit China to find out about the country and its people. It took
him three years to reach China. Along the way he visited many great cities and saw
many sites including the holy city of Jerusalem. He also saw the mountains of
the Hindu Kush, Persia and the Gobi Desert. He met a lot of different people
and had many adventures.
The wealth and luxury of the Chinese cities impressed
Marco Polo. He was fascinated by the grandness and the greatness of Kublai
Khan's court. It was nothing like he had experienced in Europe. The capital
city of Kinsay was large but well organised and clean. The roads were wide. All
this was well beyond anything he had experienced in Venice. Everything from the
food to the people to the animals, like orangutans and rhinos, were new and
interesting.
Marco Polo lived in China for many years and learnt to
speak the local language. He travelled throughout China. He served as a messenger
and spy for the emperor. He visited a lot of countries in Westem Asia, North
Africa and Southern Europe.
During these visits he learnt about different
cultures, foods and people. He saw many places and things that nobody from
Europe had ever seen before.
After travelling for twenty-four years, Marco along
with his father and uncle decided to retum to Venice. They had left home in
1271 and finally returned in 1295. A few years after returning home, Venice
fought a war with the city of Genoa. Marco was captured and put in a Genoese
prison. He was released from prison in 1299. He became a wealthy merchant. He
matried a lady named Donata Badoer and had three children. He died on 8 January
1324 at the
age of 70 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo
in Venice.
It was in the prison that Marco met a well-known story
writer. Marco narrated detailed stories of his journeys to the writer, who
wrote all the staries in a book called The Travels of Marco Polo. It became a
very popular book. It was translated into many
languages and read throughout Europe. It is said that Christopher
Columbus, another explorer was greatly inspired by the book. It is believed
that he carried it along with him on his travels.
