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Karnataka State Board Class 9 English Prose Chapter 6 All Stories are Anansi’s
All Stories are Anansi’s Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes
Comprehension:
C1. Answer the following questions:
Question 1.
Who owned the stories in the beginning?
Answer:
In the beginning, Nyame, the Sky God, owned the stories.
Question 2.
Who wanted to own them later?
Answer:
Anansi, the spider, wanted to own them later.
Question 3.
What was the price to be paid to own all the stories in the world?
Answer:
Mmoboro – the hornets, Onini – the python and Osebo – the leopard, had to be given to Nyame – the Sky God as the price to own all the stories in the world.
Question 4.
Did Anansi agree to pay the price?
Answer:
Yes, Anansi agreed to pay the price.
Question 5.
Why did Anansi pour water on himself and over the hornets?
Answer:
Anansi poured water on himself and over the hornets because he wanted to make the hornets believe that it was raining.
Question 6.
What did Anansi capture the hornets in?
Answer:
Anansi captured Mmoboro, the hornets, in a gourd by making a small hole in it.
Question 7.
What dispute did the spider have with his wife?
Answer:
Anansi’s wife felt that the python Onini was not longer, but shorter and weaker than a bamboo pole. Anansi disagreed with this and it led to a dispute.
Question 8.
What suggestion did Onini give to find out the truth about his length and strength?
Answer:
Onini suggested that Anansi measure him against the length of the bamboo pole to find out the truth about his length.
Question 9.
Why did Anansi tie Onini at one end of the pole?
Answer:
Anansi tied Onini at one end of the pole because when Onini stretched at one end he was getting shorter at the other. So Anansi suggested that the python be tied to the bamboo pole to ensure that he was straight and there was no mistake being made about his length.
Question 10.
Where and why did Anansi dig a pit?
Answer:
Anansi dug a deep pit in the forest to capture the leopard Osebo.
Question 11.
Why did Anansi bend a tall green tree over the pit? Anansi bent a tall green tree towards the ground over the pit in order to pull out Osebo from the pit.
Question 12.
Why did the Sky God offer Anansi all the stories?
Answer:
Anansi was offered all the stories by the Sky God Nyame because he had fulfilled all the conditions of Nyame. He had brought Mmoboro – the hornets, Onini – the python and Osebo – the leopard to Nyame.
Question 13.
What should anyone acknowledge before telling a story?
Answer:
All should acknowledge that the stories belonged to Anansi before telling a story because all the stories and tales now belonged to Anansi who had successfully won them over from the Sky God.
C2. Answer the following questions:
Question 1.
Describe how Anansi captured the hornets for the Sky God.
Answer:
Anansi was clever at cheating the hornets. He made them believe that it was raining and that they needed protection from the rain. Anansi first cut a gourd from a vine and made a small hole in it. He took a large calabash and filled it with water. He went to the tree where the hornets lived. He poured some of the water over himself so that he was dripping. He threw some water over the hornets making them all wet.
Then he put the calabash on his head, as though to protect himself from a storm and called out to the hornets and asked them why they were staying in the rain. When the hornets said that they had nowhere else to go, he told them to go into the gourd through the small hole. When the last of them had gone in, Anansi plugged the hole with a ball of grass. He took the gourd full of hornets to Nyame, the Sky God.
Question 2.
Explain how the python got trapped.
Answer:
We see that the python got trapped because of his vanity. Anansi used this weakness of the python to trap it. Anansi went “v to the forest and cut a long bamboo pole and some strong vines.
Then he walked towards the house of Onini, the python. All the while he kept talking to himself that his wife was stupid to say that Onini was shorter and weaker than that bamboo. Hearing this, Onini offered to be measured against the bamboo to solve the dispute. Anansi laid the pole on the ground and the python came and stretched himself out beside it. Anansi remarked that the python was a little short. When the python stretched at the head he was shorter at the tail and vice-versa.
So, with his consent, Anansi tied Onini’s head and tail firmly to the pole. He wrapped the vine around Onini until he was unable to move on the pretext of stretching him out against the bamboo. When the python was thus constricted, Anansi took the python to the Sky God as prisoner.
Question 3.
What method did the spider Kwaku Anansi adopt to get the leopard demanded as a price for the ownership of all tales and stories of the world?
Answer:
As we can see, the leopard was the most formidable of all the opponents of Anansi. Clever Anansi knew that if he had to deal with the leopard, he should ensure that the leopard was already in a disadvantageous position. That is why he thought of a clever ploy. Anansi went into the forest and dug a deep pit where the leopard was accustomed to walking.
He covered it with small branches and leaves and put dust on it so that it was impossible to know where the pit was. Osebo came prowling in the black night, stepped into the trap, and fell to the bottom. The next morning Anansi went to the pit and saw the leopard there.
Osebo asked for help from Anansi. Anansi bent a tall tree towards the ground so that its top was over the pit and he tied it that way. Then he tied a rope to the tree and dropped the other end of it into the pit. Anansi asked Osebo to tie the rope to his tail. When Osebo did as he was told, Anansi took his knife and cut the rope that held the tree bowed to the ground. The tree straightened up with a snap, pulling Osebo out of the hole and ‘ he hung in the air upside down. Anansi then easily killed him and took his body to Nyame, the Sky God.
C3. Read the following statement carefully and in pairs discuss the points you would like to include in your justification. Elaborate each point.
“With wisdom and knowledge, one can achieve the impossible” – Justify the statement with reference to Kwaku Anansi, the spider.
Answer:
Interestingly, we see that Anansi who wanted to buy all the stories from the Sky God was already a storyteller. With each of his victims, he used a story to cheat them. Anansi used his imagination to weave convincing stories and his insight made it possible for him to look into the weaknesses of the hornets, the python, and the leopard to catch them.
When Anansi, the spider, wanted to be the owner of all the stories in the world, he went to Nyame, the Sky God, to purchase the stories. Nyame said that he was willing to sell the stories, but the price was very high. Nyame added that even the rich and powerful families were not able to pay the price. The Sky God then asked three things as price: Mmoboro – the hornets, Onini – the python and Osebo – the leopard. Anansi agreed. Though he did not have the physical strength to capture them, he used his wisdom and knowledge and achieved the impossible.
He made the hornets get into the gourd, tied the python to the pole and he tied the leopard to the tree using his wisdom and knowledge. Thus Anansi, though physically not as strong as his opponents, could achieve what others were not able to. Thus, we see that the power of the brain is stronger than the strength of the brawn.
Additional Questions:
Question 1.
Why did people not buy the stories from the Sky God?
Answer:
Because the price was too high for them.
Question 2.
Why did Anansi call his wife stupid?
Answer:
Anansi wanted to draw the attention of the python. So, he said that his wife was stupid to say that the python was shorter and weaker than a piece of bamboo.
Question 3.
What did Anansi mean when he said, “I give him more respect. She gives him less respect”?
Answer:
Anansi wanted to impress the python. He wanted the python to react and so he said that while he respected the python. his wife did not.
Question 4.
What did Osebo request of Anansi?
Answer:
Osebo requested Anansi to help him come out of the pit.
Question 5.
Why did Anansi refuse to help Osebo at first?
Answer:
Anansi said that Osebo would be thankless. As soon as he was out of the pit, he would be hungry and would want to eat Anansi and his children. So, he refused to help Osebo come out of the pit.
Question 6.
What made Anansi agree to help Osebo?
Answer:
Osebo swore not to kill Anansi and his children. Therefore, Anansi agreed to help Osebo.
Question 7.
Why did Anansi call them all ‘foolish’?
Answer:
Each of them – the hornets, the python, and the leopard fell into the trap of Anansi as expected by him. Therefore, Anansi called them ‘foolish’.
Multiple Choice Questions:
Question 1.
Originally all the stories belonged to
A) Kwaku Anansi
B) Mmoboro
C) Osebo
D) Nyame.
Answer:
D) Nyame.
Question 2.
………….. wanted to buy all the stories known in the world.
A) Osebo, the leopard
B) Onini, the python
C) Anansi, the spider
D) Mmoboro, the hornets.
Answer:
C) Anansi, the spider
Question 3.
Rich and powerful families could not buy the stories because
Answer:
A) the Price was too high for them
B) the Price was too low for them
C) the stories were Priceless
D) Nyame refused to sell them
Answer:
A) the Price was too high for them
Question 4.
Anansi tricked the hornets into entering ……………. and caught them.
Answer:
A) a calabash
B) a dry gourd
C) a bottle
D) a box
Answer:
B) a dry gourd
Question 5.
The dispute the spider had with his wife was about
A) the intelligence of the hornets
B) the intelligence of Onini
C) the strength and length of Onini
D) the price of the stories.
Answer:
C) the strength and length of Onini
Question 6.
Anansi caught the python
A) with a net
B) by making it enter a basket
C) by tying it to a pole
D) with the help of a calabash.
Answer:
C) by tying it to a pole
Question 7.
Anansi went into the forest and dug a deep pit where
A) Onini used to crawl often
B) the hornets flew
C) Osebo was accustomed to walk
D) nansi used to go for a walk.
Answer:
C) Osebo was accustomed to walk
Question 8.
Whenever a man tells a story, he must acknowledge that it is
A) Onini’s tale
B) Osebo’s tale
C) Nyame’s tale
D) Anansi’s tale.
Answer:
D) Anansi’s tale.
Question 9.
The Sky God had set things as the price.
A) five
B) two
C) three
D) one
Answer:
C) three
Question 10.
Anansi cut a ………….. to catch the hornets.
A) pumpkin
B) gourd
C) cucumber
D) bamboo.
Answer:
B) gourd
Question 11.
The hornets lived in a
A) tree
B) thicket
C) building
D) nest
Answer:
A) tree
Question 12.
The python stretched beside the
A) pole
B) tree
C) gourd
D) Vine
Answer:
A) pole
Question 13.
Anansi wrapped the python with
A) rope
B) cloth
C) vine
D) bamboo
Answer:
C) vine
Language Activities:
A) Vocabulary:
V1. Use the following words in sentences of your own:
- yearn
- plug (v)
- accustomed
- onward
- acknowledge
- measure.
Answer:
- Yearn: to long for
I yearn to possess an i-pad in which I can store many interesting stories. - Plug: to fill
We were able to plug the hole with cement. - Accustomed: habituated
I am accustomed to drinking green tea in the morning. - Onward: forward
While booking for the onward journey, we also booked for our return journey. - Acknowledge: recognize
It is decency to acknowledge the help of others when we write our success stories. - Measure: to find the size, quantity, speed etc.
The tailor can tell the length of a piece of cloth by just looking at it.
V2. Which of the following expressions do you think are appropriate? Choose/tick the right one.
- a shining star/a glittering star
a shining star. - busy traffic /heavy traffic
heavy traffic. - a stomach ache/a stomach pain
a stomach ache. - backside the house /behind the house
behind the house. - a severe fever/a high fever
a high fever.
B) Grammar And Usage:
G1. Here are some sentences from the lesson. Can you supply a suitable question tag to each one of them, choosing from the box given below?
- I can do it,…………….?
- I should first have Mmoboro,……………..?
- I will bring them,……………..?
- Osebo, you are half foolish,…………..?
- My wife is stupid,………….?
- I give them more respect,…………….?
- My opinion was not good as my wife’s,……………?
Answer:
- can’t I?
- shouldn’t I?
- won’t I?
- aren’t you?
- isn’t she?
- don’t I?
- was it?
G2. Identify the verbs and conjunctions and fill in the blanks:
1. They shouted loudly.
Verb: ………….. |
2. He tried his best but he failed. Verb: ……………. Conjunction: ………….. Type of conjunction: Coordinating conjunction |
3. He worked as if he was in a hurry. Verb: ………….. Conjunction: ………….. Type of conjunction: ………………. |
Answer:
- They shouted loudly.
Verb – shouted
Conjunction – none - He tried his best but he failed.
Verb – tried; failed
Conjunction – but - He worked as if he was in a hurry.
Verb – worked, was
Conjunction – as if
Type of conjunction – adverb clause.
Sentence 1 is a simple sentence.
Sentence 2 is a compound sentence.
Sentence 3 is a complex sentence.
Now compare the three sentences and list the differences:
Simple sentence | Compound sentence | Complex sentence |
1. has only one finite ……… 2. can be divided into ………. and predicate. |
1. has two or more ………… 2. Has …………… conjunctions. 3. has (one/ two) parts that can stand independently. |
1. has two or more ……….. 2. Has …………… conjuction.3. has (one/ two) main Clauses. 4. has one or more subordinating clauses that depend on the main clause for their meaning. |
Answer:
- Simple sentence:
- Has only one finite verb.
- Can be divided into subject and predicate.
- Compound sentence:
- Has two or more finite verbs.
- Has coordinating conjunctions.
- Has two parts that can stand independently.
- Complex sentence:
- Has two or more finite verbs.
- Has subordinating conjunction.
- Has one main clause.
- Has one or more subordinating clauses that depend on the main clause for their meaning.
G3. State whether the following sentences are simple, compound or complex sentences:
- Either take it or leave it.
- Rome was not built in a day.
- People who are given to quarreling cannot be happy.
- Many are called but few are chosen.
- No one can harm us as long as we remain friends.
- God made the country and man made the town.
- I will read that book if you advise me to do so.
- We returned when sunset.
- There is no hope of her recovery.
- The president appointed him governor.
Answer:
- Compound
- Simple
- Complex
- Compound
- Complex
- Compound
- Complex
- Complex
- Simple
- Simple
Speaking And Reading:
S1. Write a sentence for each of the following situations ‘making a polite request’. You can use any polite phrase suitable to the situation.
Answer:
- Could you please give me a ticket to Delhi?
- I would be grateful to have the exam time-table.
I would appreciate it if I could have the exam time-table. - May I have the bottle of pickle please?
- May I have an ice-cream please?
- Could you please tell me a story grandma?
S2. Read the graph and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1.
What data does the graph represent?
Answer:
The graph represents the data of C02 emission from the transport sector in Delhi, India.
Question 2.
What was the pollution level in 2005?
Answer:
In 2005, the pollution level was more than 4500 metric tons, but less than 5000 metric tons.
Question 3.
What is likely to happen in 2020?
Answer:
In 2020, the pollution level is likely to increase to almost 10000 metric tons.
Question 4.
When was the pollution level the lowest?
Answer:
The pollution level was the lowest in 1997.
Question 5.
Is this situation prevalent only in Delhi?
Answer:
No, this is the case in all cities.
S3. Writing Activity:
Imagine yourself to be a walking stick and write down some of your experiences. Use the clues given below to write the ‘Autobiography of a Walking Stick’.
- birth
- place of birth
- life in the outside world
- first owner/other owners – interesting or strange experiences
- last days.
Answer:
Autobiography of a walking stick
I had my birth when people were nearing their death. It is said that it had to be so. But I suppose, birth and death are not in our control. Anyway, I am happy that I got the chance to come into the world of men after a woodcutter brought a piece of log to a businessman who makes walking sticks in his factory. The businessman bought me for a pretty cheap price but sold me for an attractive amount to a wealthy old lady who asked him for a special walking stick.
The businessman sang my praises, talking about my durability and lightweight, and made me swell with pride. But alas! The old lady died within a few days of buying me and I was confined to the darkness and loneliness of the loft. My gilded handle rested in a comer until the old woman’s granddaughter had a fall and started limping.
Since the doctor advised her not to put weight on her right foot, she started using me. She dusted me and made me shine all over again. How nice it was to take care of the young and pretty girl! Not many walking sticks that were around had the privilege. But lo! The young are not as careful as the old… She threw me around so carelessly that on a fateful day I was broken into two unequal parts…
I lay in a comer again waiting for a carpenter to join me and bring me back to circulation. But that did not happen. When the family shifted to a new place, they dumped me with all the other useless stuff… Oh! How I wish I were a branch on the tree, alive and kicking, instead of lying slump in a comer!
All Stories are Anansi’s by Harold Courlander About The Writer:
This story is written by an American writer named Harold Courlander (1908-1996). He was a novelist, folklorist, anthropologist and an expert in the study of Haitian life. He specialized in the study of African, Caribbean, Afro-American and American Indian cultures. The following is a fable from an ancient culture.
All Stories are Anansi’s Summary in English
Background:
In the language of the Ashanti people, Anansi means ‘spider’. The word ‘nan’ means ‘to spin’. Ashanti folktales are known as Ananisem, which means ‘story’ and which may or may not be about spiders.
Anansi is an African folktale character. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories. He is also one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. The prescribed lesson is an Anansi story that explains the phenomenon of how his name became attached to the whole corpus of tales.
Summary:
Once there were no stories in the world. The Sky God, Nyame, had them all. Anansi went to Nyame and asked how much the stories would cost to buy. Nyame set a high price. He had three conditions: Anansi must bring back the Mmoboro Hornets, Onini the python and Osebo the leopard.
Anansi set about capturing these. First he went to catch the hornets. Anansi filled a calabash with water and poured some over himself and some over the nest, calling out that it was raining. He suggested that the hornets get into the empty calabash, and, when they obliged, quickly sealed the opening. Then, he went to where the python lived carrying a long bamboo pole and some strong vines.
He debated out loud whether the python was really longer than the bamboo pole or not as he and his wife had debated over. The python overheard him and, when Anansi explained the debate, agreed to lie along the bamboo pole. Because the python could not easily make himself completely straight, a true impression of his actual length was difficult to obtain. When he stretched at one end, he got shorter at the other end. So the python agreed to be tied to the pole. When he was completely tied, Anansi took him to Nyame.
To catch the leopard, Anansi dug a deep hole in the ground. When the leopard fell into the hole, Anansi offered to help him out with a strong rope. He bent a tall tree towards the ground so that its top was over the pit, and he tied it that way. Then he tied a rope to the tree and dropped the other end of it into the pit.
“Tie this to your tail”, he said. Osebo tied the rope to his tail. “Is it well-tied?”Anansi asked. “Yes, it is well-tied”, the leopard said. “In that case”, Anansi said, “you are not merely half-foolish, you are all-foolish”.
And he took his knife and cut the other rope, the one that held the tree bowed to the ground. The tree straightened up with a snap, pulling Osebo out of the hole. He hung in the air head downward, twisting and turning. And while he hung this way, Anansi killed him with his weapons.
Then he took the body of the leopard and carried it to Nyame, the Sky God, saying: “Here is the third thing. Now I have paid the price.”
Nyame said to him: “Kwaku Anansi, great warriors and chiefs have tried, but they have been unable to do it. You have done it. Therefore, I will give you the stories. From this day onward, all stories belong to you.
From the story we see that there are two kinds of people on earth: The tricksters and the ones who are tricked. If we are not intelligent enough, we will fall prey to the cleverer lot. And that is why, in parts of Africa, people love to narrate, and love to hear the stories they call ‘spider stories’.
Though it is a simple story of a trickster, a few insights can be gathered from the story:
When one is very determined, nothing is impossible.
- Since Anansi really wanted to own all the stories in the world, he did everything he could to acquire his goal.
Strength is not measured by size. - Anansi was just a small spider but he conquered animals bigger than he was.
Glossary:
yearn: have a strong feeling of longing for something
hornet: a kind of large wasp
gourd: the large hard-skinned fruit of a climbing or trailing plant
plugged: blocked.