Samacheer Kalvi 7th English Prose Exercise Solutions

The children were curious and adventurous. They had heard stories about the hill being haunted and wanted to find out the truth themselves. Their sense of adventure and desire to prove their bravery drove them to visit despite warnings from the villagers.

The children discovered that the "haunted" hill was not haunted at all. The mysterious sounds and sights had natural or human explanations. The story teaches that fear of the unknown often creates superstitions, and rational inquiry dispels them.

Courage, curiosity, and rational thinking overcome superstition. The "haunted" elements all had logical explanations — fear made them seem supernatural. We should investigate before believing superstitions.

Don Quixote is a man so obsessed with reading tales of chivalry and knighthood that he believes himself to be a real knight. He is idealistic, brave but deluded — he mistakes windmills for giants, inns for castles, and peasant girls for noble ladies. His squire Sancho Panza is his practical, down-to-earth companion.

Don Quixote mistook the windmills for fierce giants threatening the land. In his imagination, shaped by chivalric romances, he saw enemies everywhere. He charged at the windmills to defeat them and save the people — showing how imagination untethered from reality can lead to absurd actions.

Imagination is valuable, but it must be grounded in reality. Don Quixote's excessive romanticisation of the world made him unable to see things as they truly are. The story (from Cervantes' novel) satirises blind idealism and warns against living entirely in a fantasy world.

Alice falls down a rabbit hole while chasing a White Rabbit who is anxiously checking a pocket watch. She falls for a long time and lands in Wonderland — a bizarre, dream-like world where nothing follows normal logic.

Alice meets talking animals and strange characters: the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat (that disappears leaving only its grin), the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts ("Off with their heads!"), Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and the Caterpillar. All behave in absurd, illogical ways.

Lewis Carroll's story explores a child's curious, questioning mind. Alice never accepts the absurdity around her without question — she challenges, reasons, and stands up for herself. The story celebrates curiosity, logical thinking, and the courage to question authority.

A man falls overboard from a ship in the middle of the sea. The story deals with the desperate rescue attempt, the fear and helplessness of being adrift in open water, and the courage of those who attempt the rescue. It captures the raw danger of the sea.

Courage, quick thinking, and selflessness. Despite the danger of jumping into the open sea or navigating a rescue in rough conditions, the rescuers act without hesitation. The story shows that true bravery is acting despite fear, not the absence of fear.

Hamid is a young orphan boy who lives with his elderly grandmother Amina. They are very poor. On the occasion of Eid, Hamid is given just three paise (a very small amount) to spend at the fair. Other children have much more money.

Other children bought sweets, toys (a soldier, a water-carrier, a lawyer — clay figurines), and enjoyed rides. Hamid spent all his three paise on a pair of iron tongs (chimta).

Hamid's reason: his grandmother burns her fingers every day taking bread off the fire. With tongs, she can handle the hot bread safely. He thought of her comfort rather than his own pleasure.

Amina first scolded him for not buying sweets or toys like the other children. But when she understood why he bought the tongs — for her protection — she was overwhelmed with emotion. She wept, realising her little grandson had shown more wisdom and love than children twice his age.

Selfless love and wisdom beyond one's years. Hamid sacrifices childish pleasures to protect his grandmother. The story contrasts material desire (other children's toys) with emotional maturity (Hamid's love). Premchand shows that true richness lies in caring for others.

The Red Headed League was a fake organisation set up by a criminal gang. Red-headed men were recruited and paid generously to copy out encyclopaedia entries every day — the real purpose was to keep the shop owner away from his premises so the criminals could secretly dig a tunnel to a nearby bank vault.

Holmes used careful observation and logical deduction. He noticed: the shop assistant had worn knees (from digging), the shop was close to a bank, and the "League" had suddenly dissolved. He deduced that the League was a ruse and set a trap at the bank tunnel. Holmes' method: observe everything, assume nothing.

Sharp observation, logical reasoning, deduction from small clues, patience, and confidence. Holmes never jumps to conclusions — he gathers facts, reasons through them, and arrives at the truth. The story teaches that intellect and observation are more powerful than physical force.