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Class 10 · Tamil Nadu State Board

Samacheer Kalvi 10th English Unit 2 Exercise Solutions | KalviGavani

Tamil Nadu Class 10 English Unit 2 exercise solutions for The Night the Ghost Got In, The Grumble Family, The Story of Mulan, vocabulary, grammar, paragraph answers, and writing practice.

Updated 15 June 202625 min read

How to Use This Page

Read each section in order. Start with the Key Concepts recap to refresh what you already know. Then work through the prose, poem, and supplementary answers — read the question first, try answering on your own, and then compare with the solution given here. For grammar, attempt every exercise before looking at the answer. Use the Exam Checklist at the end to make sure you have covered every topic that appears in the board exam.

Key Concepts (Quick Recap)

This unit weaves together three distinct threads: humour born of misunderstanding, the danger of chronic negativity, and courage driven by duty.

  • Prose — The Night the Ghost Got In (James Thurber): A family's panic over night-time noises spirals into absurd comedy. The key idea is how imagination amplifies fear and how miscommunication turns a minor event into chaos.
  • Poem — The Grumble Family (L.M. Montgomery): A cautionary portrait of people who are never satisfied. The key idea is that complaining is a contagious, self-feeding habit that poisons relationships and outlook.
  • Supplementary — The Story of Mulan: A legendary Chinese tale of a daughter who takes her father's place in war. The key idea is that true bravery and filial devotion can override gender expectations.

Common threads across all three: the contrast between appearance and reality, the power of attitude (panic vs. calm, gratitude vs. complaint, courage vs. resignation), and how individual choices shape outcomes.

Prose: The Night the Ghost Got In

Short Answers

1. What strange incident took place in the Thurber house at about one o'clock in the morning?
AnswerThe narrator was reading in bed when he heard footsteps circling the dining-room table downstairs. The sounds were rhythmic and deliberate, as though someone were pacing round and round. Since the family was already upstairs, the narrator assumed an intruder — possibly a ghost or a burglar — had entered the house, and this set off the entire chain of chaotic events that followed.
2. How did the narrator's mother react when she heard about the noise?
AnswerThe narrator's mother immediately concluded that burglars were in the house. She refused to stay quietly in her room; instead, she threw a shoe through the dining-room window to alert the neighbours and then phoned the police. Her instinct was to create a commotion rather than to investigate cautiously, and her dramatic response added to the general confusion rather than resolving it.
3. What did the narrator's brother Herman do when told about the footsteps?
AnswerHerman refused to get out of bed. He pulled the covers over his head and insisted he was not going downstairs to confront anyone. When the mother threw the shoe, Herman was even more alarmed, but his contribution was limited to shouting questions from the safety of his bed. His refusal to investigate is part of the story's humour — each person's reaction is wildly disproportionate but completely uncoordinated.
4. Why did the police arrive at the Thurber house?
AnswerThe narrator's mother called the police after hearing about the footsteps and after her own dramatic attempt to scare the intruder by smashing the window. The police treated the call seriously and sent several officers to investigate. Their arrival only heightened the absurdity because they found no ghost, no burglar, and no evidence of a break-in — only a puzzled family in their nightclothes.
5. What was the result of the police investigation?
AnswerThe police searched the house thoroughly — every room, every closet, the cellar, and the attic — and found absolutely nothing. No intruder, no sign of forced entry, and no explanation for the sounds. The officers were left frustrated and suspicious that the whole thing was a prank. The narrator's mother, however, remained convinced that burglars had been there and had escaped before the police arrived.
6. What explanation does the narrator finally suggest for the noise?
AnswerThe narrator hints that the sounds may have been caused by something utterly ordinary — perhaps the radiator, or a board contracting in the cold, or even the house settling at night. Thurber never gives a definitive answer, and that is the point: the entire pandemonium was triggered by a sound that might have had the most trivial cause, yet the family treated it as an emergency.
7. How does the grandfather complicate the situation when the police arrive?
AnswerWhen the police enter the house, the grandfather — who sleeps in the attic — believes that the officers are deserters or enemies. In his confused state, he gets out of bed, grabs a firearm, and fires a shot, which terrifies everyone including the police. This adds a second layer of chaos to an already out-of-control night and is one of the story's most comic episodes.
8. What role does the mother's phone call play in escalating the confusion?
AnswerBy calling the police, the mother transforms a private family scare into a public incident. Officers arrive with sirens, neighbours wake up, and the situation takes on a life of its own. The phone call also means the family cannot quietly go back to bed even after nothing is found, because the police now expect answers that the family simply cannot give.

Paragraph Answers

1. Describe the chain of events that turned a simple noise into a night of chaos.
Answer

The narrator's discovery of the footsteps is the first link in the chain. He wakes Herman, who refuses to cooperate. He tells his mother, who immediately assumes burglars and throws a shoe through the window. The smashing glass wakes the grandfather, who fires a gun. The mother calls the police, who arrive in force and search the house. At every stage, each character's reaction is more extreme than the situation warrants, and each reaction triggers the next overreaction. No one pauses to verify the original premise — that the sound was actually caused by an intruder. By the end, the house is full of police officers, a window is broken, a gun has been fired, and the original sound remains unexplained. The humour lies in how each step is individually rational (if you assume the worst) but collectively absurd.

2. How does Thurber use the technique of exaggeration to create humour in this story?
Answer

Thurber builds humour by steadily raising the stakes from a minor, ambiguous sound to a full-blown police operation. Each character's response is slightly more dramatic than necessary: the mother does not just look — she smashes a window; Herman does not just hesitate — he refuses to leave bed entirely; the grandfather does not just wake confused — he fires a gun at the police. The exaggeration works because it mirrors real human behaviour under perceived threat, where rational assessment gives way to instinctive panic. Thurber also exaggerates the formal tone of the police investigation against the domestic chaos of a family in pyjamas, creating a contrast that is inherently funny. The final irony — that nothing was ever found — completes the comic arc.

3. Explain how miscommunication among the family members worsens the situation.
Answer

From the moment the narrator first hears the noise, communication breaks down. He tells Herman vaguely, and Herman refuses to engage. He tells his mother, and she leaps to the worst conclusion without asking clarifying questions. The mother acts independently — breaking the window and calling the police — without consulting anyone. The grandfather, half-asleep and misreading the situation, interprets the police as attackers. At no point does the family sit down, share what each person knows, and reach a shared understanding. Instead, each person acts on partial information and worst-case assumptions. Thurber shows how in a crisis, the absence of calm, clear communication turns uncertainty into disaster.

Character Sketch of the Narrator

The narrator is observant, slightly detached, and quietly amused by the madness around him. Unlike his mother, who leaps to action, and Herman, who retreats into denial, the narrator occupies a middle ground — he is the one who first hears the sound and correctly identifies it as footsteps, but he does not charge downstairs with a weapon or barricade his door. Instead, he narrates the unfolding chaos with the dry, understated tone of a person who finds his own family's behaviour more bewildering than any ghost. He is clearly intelligent: he considers multiple explanations for the noise and ultimately suggests the most ordinary one. However, he is also passive; he does not take charge of the situation or try to calm his mother down. His role is essentially that of the bewildered chronicler, watching the storm he helped start but cannot steer. This combination of perceptiveness and passivity makes him a classic Thurber protagonist — a thinking man who is ultimately no more effective than the people he quietly mocks.

Theme Analysis: Humour, Misunderstanding, and Exaggeration

The central theme of The Night the Ghost Got In is the comedy that arises when ordinary events are misread as extraordinary threats. Thurber uses three interlocking techniques. First, misunderstanding: a sound with a mundane cause is interpreted as evidence of a ghost or burglar, and no one verifies this assumption before acting. Second, exaggeration: every reaction is scaled up — from concern to panic, from panic to smashing windows, from smashing windows to armed confrontation. Third, irony: the more seriously the characters take the threat, the more ridiculous the situation becomes, because the threat does not exist. The story also offers a subtle commentary on family dynamics — how each member's personality (the mother's dramatic impulsiveness, Herman's avoidance, the grandfather's combat-ready confusion, and the narrator's detached observation) shapes the collective response. The lesson is that panic is contagious, calm is rare, and most crises dissolve when someone finally asks, What is actually happening?

Poem: The Grumble Family

Central Idea

L.M. Montgomery's The Grumble Family is a satirical portrait of people whose defining trait is dissatisfaction. The family lives in "Complaining Street," and no matter what happens — good weather or bad, a feast or a famine — they find something to criticise. The poem's central idea is that grumbling is a self-reinforcing habit: the more you complain, the more reasons you find to complain, and eventually the habit defines your entire outlook. Montgomery does not merely describe the family; she warns the reader to stay away from such people, because negativity is contagious. The poem implies that happiness is not a matter of circumstances but of attitude, and that choosing gratitude over complaint is both a moral and a practical decision.

Stanza-by-Stanza Explanation

Stanza 1: "There is a family nobody likes to meet..." — The poem opens by introducing the Grumble Family as social outcasts. Nobody wants to meet them because their conversation consists entirely of complaints. They live in "Complaining Street," a metaphorical address that tells us their whole identity is built around dissatisfaction.

Stanza 2: "They growl at the rain and they growl at the sun..." — This stanza shows that the Grumble Family's complaints are not selective. Weather, which no one controls, is their favourite target. If it rains, they want sun; if it is sunny, they want rain. The parallel structure ("growl at the rain... growl at the sun") emphasises the pattern: their grumbling is automatic and unconditional.

Stanza 3: "They growl at the country, they growl at the town..." — The complaints now extend to places, people, and institutions. Nothing geographical or social escapes their criticism. The repetition of "growl" reinforces that this is not thoughtful critique but reflexive negativity — a growl, not an argument.

Stanza 4: "The Grumble Family... the worst is yet to come..." — The poet warns that the family's influence is insidious. Being around chronic complainers can make you start complaining too. The habit spreads like a contagion, and once you catch it, it is very hard to shake off.

Stanza 5: "Don't belong to the family — there's better things to do..." — The final stanza is a direct address to the reader. Montgomery advises us to stay away from grumblers and instead spend our time on positive pursuits. The tone shifts from descriptive to advisory — the poem is not just a portrait but a moral lesson.

Literary Devices

Literary DeviceExample from the PoemEffect
Metaphor"Complaining Street"Reduces the family's entire identity to their habit of complaining; their address is their character
Repetition"They growl at..." repeated across stanzasMimics the repetitive, unending nature of chronic complaint; creates a rhythmic droning effect
PersonificationGrumbling is given a household, a streetMakes an abstract habit feel like a concrete, tangible place — something you can visit and leave
ContrastRain vs. sun; country vs. townShows that complaints are not about real problems but about the habit itself — opposites both draw criticism
Direct Address"Don't belong to the family..."Breaks the descriptive mode and turns the poem into advice; involves the reader directly
Alliteration"growl at the... gloomy"Adds a musical quality that contrasts with the unpleasant content, enhancing the satirical tone
HyperboleThe family complains about literally everythingExaggeration makes the point vivid: grumblers are never satisfied, no matter the circumstances

Important Quotes with Explanations

1. "There is a family nobody likes to meet / They live in Complaining Street" — These opening lines establish the central metaphor and immediately tell the reader that chronic complainers are socially shunned. "Complaining Street" is not a real place; it is the mental neighbourhood where negativity resides.

2. "They growl at that which is good, they growl at that which is bad" — This line captures the essential irrationality of grumbling. The Grumble Family does not evaluate whether something deserves criticism; they complain about good and bad alike, proving that the problem lies in the habit, not in the world.

3. "Don't belong to the family — there's better things to do" — The poem's moral imperative. Montgomery is not content to merely describe; she directly instructs the reader to reject negativity and choose constructive activity instead. It is the line that transforms the poem from observation into guidance.

4. "The worst thing in life is the habit of grumbling / It poisons the life of all who come near" — Grumbling is likened to poison, a substance that harms not just the one who holds it but everyone in proximity. This vivid image drives home the social cost of chronic negativity.

Supplementary: The Story of Mulan

Detailed Story Summary

Hua Mulan was the daughter of a retired soldier in ancient China. When the Emperor issued a decree calling one man from every family to serve in the army against invading forces, Mulan's father — old, frail, and without an adult son — was conscripted. Mulan had no elder brother, and her younger brother was only a child. Faced with the prospect of her father dying in battle, Mulan made a courageous decision: she would take her father's place. She cut her hair, put on her father's armour, and enlisted under his name. For twelve long years, Mulan served in the army, fighting in numerous battles and earning the respect of her comrades and commanders. She was so skilled and brave that she was promoted to the rank of general. Throughout her service, no one discovered that she was a woman. When the war ended, the Emperor offered her high government posts and great wealth as rewards for her service. Mulan refused all honours and asked only for a fast horse so she could return home to her family. When she arrived at her village, she put off her armour, dressed in her old clothes, and combed her long hair. Her fellow soldiers who accompanied her were stunned to discover that their brave general was a woman. The story ends with a reflection on how courage, loyalty, and ability are not determined by gender. Mulan's legend has been told for centuries in Chinese folklore as a symbol of filial piety and female heroism.

Character Analysis of Mulan

Mulan is defined by three qualities: filial devotion, physical and moral courage, and humility. Her filial devotion is the engine of the entire story — she joins the army not for glory or adventure but solely to protect her father from certain hardship or death. This motivation sets her apart from typical warrior heroes, whose goals are personal ambition or national duty; Mulan's duty is familial first. Her courage is both physical — she endures the hardships of military life and proves herself in battle over twelve years — and moral, because she must maintain a deception at great personal risk. If discovered, she would face disgrace or worse, yet she never wavers. Her humility is evident in how she handles her success. When the Emperor offers her wealth and rank, she refuses everything and asks only to go home. She does not want to be celebrated as a hero; she simply wants to be with her family again. Mulan's character challenges the gender norms of her time: she proves that a woman can equal or surpass men in the traditionally male domain of warfare, yet she does not seek to change society — she simply does what duty demands. This combination of strength and modesty makes Mulan one of literature's most enduring heroines.

Short Answers

1. Why was Mulan's father called to serve in the army?
AnswerThe Emperor of China issued a conscription decree requiring one male from every family to join the army because the country was facing invasion. Mulan's father, though old and ailing, was still registered as the male head of his household, so his name appeared on the conscription list.
2. How did Mulan prepare herself to join the army?
AnswerMulan cut her long hair, bound her chest, dressed in her father's old armour, and took his name. She also practiced riding and fighting so that she could pass as a trained soldier. Her preparation was thorough — she knew that any slip in her disguise would expose her identity and put her life in danger.
3. How long did Mulan serve in the army?
AnswerMulan served in the army for twelve years. During this long period, she fought in many campaigns, rose to the rank of general, and earned the deep respect of her fellow soldiers, all while keeping her true identity hidden.
4. What reward did the Emperor offer Mulan after the war?
AnswerThe Emperor offered Mulan high government positions and generous wealth in recognition of her bravery and leadership. These were the highest honours the court could bestow on a military hero. Mulan, however, declined everything.
5. Why did Mulan refuse the Emperor's rewards?
AnswerMulan's only wish was to return home to her family. She had entered the army out of filial duty, not for personal gain. Once the war was won and her father's obligation was fulfilled, she saw no reason to stay. Her refusal shows her humility and her unwavering commitment to her original purpose.
6. How did Mulan's fellow soldiers react when they discovered her true identity?
AnswerThe soldiers who had served alongside Mulan for years were astonished and deeply moved. They had admired her as a brave and skilled general, and the revelation that she was a woman only increased their respect. The story notes that they were humbled by the realisation that a woman had outperformed every man in the army.
7. What does Mulan's story tell us about gender and ability?
AnswerMulan's story demonstrates that courage, intelligence, and physical skill are not limited by gender. She served with distinction in a male-dominated institution and rose to the highest ranks through merit alone. Her success exposes the unfairness of assumptions that women are inherently less capable than men in demanding roles.
8. What is the moral of The Story of Mulan?
AnswerThe moral is that true bravery comes from love and duty, not from the desire for recognition. Mulan acted to protect her father, not to prove herself or seek fame. Her story also teaches that one's value is determined by character and action, not by social categories like gender.

Paragraph Answers

1. Describe the sacrifices Mulan made to take her father's place in the army.
Answer

Mulan sacrificed her identity, her safety, and her life at home. By cutting her hair and disguising herself as a man, she gave up the freedom to be herself for twelve years. She left behind her family and the comfort of home to endure the brutal conditions of military life — long marches, battle injuries, and the constant fear of being discovered. She could not form close friendships without risking exposure, and she carried the psychological burden of deception alone. When the war ended, she sacrificed the rewards she had rightfully earned — rank, wealth, and honour — choosing instead to return quietly to her family. Every stage of her journey required her to put others before herself, making her sacrifices both physical and emotional.

2. Explain how Mulan's story challenges traditional gender roles.
Answer

In the society Mulan inhabited, warfare was exclusively a male domain, and women were expected to remain at home. Mulan's success directly contradicts this expectation: she not only survives in the army but excels, rising to the rank of general and earning the respect of every soldier under her command. The story does not argue that women are the same as men; rather, it shows that the qualities that make a great soldier — courage, discipline, intelligence, and loyalty — are human qualities, not masculine ones. When Mulan's identity is revealed, her comrades are forced to confront their assumptions, and the reader is invited to do the same. The story's power lies in the fact that Mulan does not demand change; she simply demonstrates, through action, that the old boundaries were wrong.

Grammar and Vocabulary

Active and Passive Voice — Exercises with Answers

Change the following sentences from active to passive voice:

1. Active: The mother threw a shoe through the window. Passive: A shoe was thrown through the window by the mother.

2. Active: The police searched every room in the house. Passive: Every room in the house was searched by the police.

3. Active: Mulan led the army to victory. Passive: The army was led to victory by Mulan.

4. Active: The Emperor offered Mulan a high position. Passive: A high position was offered to Mulan by the Emperor.

5. Active: The Grumble Family criticises everything around them. Passive: Everything around them is criticised by the Grumble Family.

6. Active: The narrator heard footsteps downstairs. Passive: Footsteps were heard downstairs by the narrator.

7. Active: The grandfather fired a gun at the police. Passive: A gun was fired at the police by the grandfather.

8. Active: They have built a memorial for Mulan. Passive: A memorial has been built for Mulan by them.

9. Active: The neighbours heard the breaking glass. Passive: The breaking glass was heard by the neighbours.

10. Active: Mulan refused the Emperor's reward. Passive: The Emperor's reward was refused by Mulan.

Reported Speech — Exercises with Answers

Change the following sentences from direct to reported speech:

1. Direct: The mother said, "There are burglars in the house." Reported: The mother said that there were burglars in the house.

2. Direct: Herman said, "I am not going downstairs." Reported: Herman said that he was not going downstairs.

3. Direct: The police officer said, "We have searched every room." Reported: The police officer said that they had searched every room.

4. Direct: Mulan said, "I will take my father's place." Reported: Mulan said that she would take her father's place.

5. Direct: The Emperor said, "You have served the country with great honour." Reported: The Emperor said that she had served the country with great honour.

6. Direct: The narrator said, "I heard someone walking round the dining-room table." Reported: The narrator said that he had heard someone walking round the dining-room table.

7. Direct: The poet says, "Don't belong to the Grumble Family." Reported: The poet advises us not to belong to the Grumble Family.

8. Direct: Mulan's fellow soldiers said, "We never knew she was a woman." Reported: Mulan's fellow soldiers said that they had never known she was a woman.

Synonyms and Antonyms from the Prose

WordSynonymAntonym
commotionuproar, disturbancecalm, quiet
cautiouscareful, waryreckless, impulsive
investigateexamine, exploreignore, neglect
barricadeblock, obstructopen, clear
intrudertrespasser, invaderresident, owner
franticwild, desperatecalm, composed
absurdridiculous, illogicalsensible, rational
perplexedconfused, puzzledclear, certain
deliberatelyintentionally, purposelyaccidentally, casually
concealedhidden, disguisedrevealed, exposed

Comprehension Passage with Questions and Answers

Read the following passage and answer the questions:

The narrator's mother was not a woman who waited for explanations. The moment she heard that something was moving downstairs, she grabbed the telephone and called the police. Then she picked up a shoe and hurled it through the dining-room window. The crash of glass brought the neighbours to their windows and the police to the door. By the time the officers arrived, the entire household was in an uproar — the mother shouting about burglars, the grandfather firing his gun, and the narrator trying to explain that he had only heard footsteps.

1. What does the passage tell us about the mother's personality?
AnswerThe mother is impulsive and action-oriented. She does not wait for facts or seek a calm explanation before acting. Her immediate instinct is to create the maximum possible commotion — calling the police and smashing a window simultaneously. This shows she is brave but also reckless, preferring dramatic action over careful assessment.
2. Why did the mother throw a shoe through the window?
AnswerShe wanted to create a loud noise that would alert the neighbours and frighten the supposed burglar. It was a tactic born of panic rather than strategy — she chose the most dramatic action available to her rather than the most effective one.
3. How many different reactions to the same event are described in the passage?
AnswerThree distinct reactions are described. The mother shouts and throws things (confrontation). The grandfather fires his gun (violent self-defence based on confusion). The narrator tries to explain what he heard (rational but ineffective). Each reaction reveals a different personality and a different way of handling fear.
4. What is ironic about the mother calling the police?
AnswerThe irony is that the mother's own actions — throwing a shoe through the window — have already created more damage and chaos than whatever caused the original noise. By the time the police arrive, the real "crime scene" is the family's own making, not an intruder's.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Writing vague theme answers. Do not write "the story is about humour" and stop. Always explain how humour is created — name the techniques (exaggeration, misunderstanding, irony) and give examples from the text.

2. Confusing the narrator with the author. The narrator is a character in the story, not James Thurber himself. Do not write "Thurber's mother threw a shoe" — write "the narrator's mother threw a shoe."

3. Quoting the poem without explaining the quote. Every quotation must be followed by your own explanation of what it means and why it matters. A quote alone is not an answer.

4. Writing one-sentence paragraph answers. Board exam paragraph answers need 8-10 sentences. Develop your point with evidence, analysis, and a concluding remark. A single sentence cannot earn full marks.

5. Mixing up active and passive voice tenses. When converting to passive, you must match the tense of the original sentence. If the active sentence is in past tense, the passive must also use past tense ("was/were + past participle"), not present tense.

6. Forgetting to mention Mulan's motivation. Mulan did not join the army for adventure or fame. Her sole motivation was filial duty — protecting her father. Answers that ignore this miss the story's central moral point.

Exam Checklist

  • [ ] I can explain how humour is created through exaggeration, misunderstanding, and irony in The Night the Ghost Got In
  • [ ] I can write a character sketch of the narrator covering his observation, detachment, and passivity
  • [ ] I can state the central idea of The Grumble Family and quote at least two lines with explanation
  • [ ] I can identify and explain at least four literary devices used in The Grumble Family
  • [ ] I can summarise The Story of Mulan in 10+ sentences covering her motivation, service, and refusal of rewards
  • [ ] I can write a character analysis of Mulan covering filial devotion, courage, and humility
  • [ ] I can convert sentences accurately between active and passive voice in all major tenses
  • [ ] I can change direct speech to reported speech with correct tense changes and pronoun shifts
  • [ ] I can list at least eight synonym-antonym pairs from the prose vocabulary
  • [ ] I have practised writing 8-10 sentence paragraph answers with clear structure: point, evidence, analysis, conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

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Chapter Notes

Tamil Nadu Class 10 English Unit 2 Poem - The Grumble Family

Chapter Notes

Tamil Nadu Class 10 English Unit 2 Prose - The Night the Ghost Got In

Chapter Notes

Tamil Nadu Class 10 English Unit 2 Supplementary - Zigzag