Activity 1
Fill in the blanks with suitable words the passage above:
(a) Goddess ___________ lived in the beautiful island of _______________.
Ans: Goddess Ceres lived in the beautiful island of Sicily.
(b) _____________ was the king of the land of the _____________ .
Ans: Pluto was the king of the land of the dead.
(c) Everyone said that ____________ was the ________________.
Ans: Everyone said that Proserpine was the Spring herself.
(d) Pluto was __________________ when he saw ______________.
Ans: Pluto was charmed when he saw Proserpine.
(e) Pluto struck ground with his ______________ and it ______________ instantly.
Ans: Pluto struck the ground with his sceptre and it opened instantly.
Activity 2
Identify which of the following statements are True and Which are False. Give supporting statements for each of your answers.
(a) Ceres had little role to play in the lives of the people on earth.
Ans: False
Supporting Statement: She was the goddess of crops, plants and trees; so on her depended the health and happiness of all the people of this wide world.
(b) Ceres was extremely fond of her fair daughter.
Ans: True
Supporting Statement: Ceres had a fair daughter, Proserpine, whom she loved more than her life.
(c) When Pluto first saw Proserpine, she was helping her mother in the field.
Ans: False
Supporting Statement: There he saw Proserpine laughing and playing with her companions who formed a circle round her.
(d) Pluto thought Proserpine’s beauty would brighten his dark kingdom.
Ans: True
Supporting Statement: He looked at Proserpine and thought, “I must make her my queen. Her bright face will make even my dark kingdom look bright and beautiful.”
(e) Proserpine threw away her girdle because she did not require it in Pluto’s kingdom.
Ans: False
Supporting Statement: She thought that the girdle might reach Ceres, and her mother would be able to trace her lost daughter.
Activity 3
Fill up the following chart with information from the text:
| Cause | Effect |
| 1. No goddess was willing to live with him. | Pluto led a lonely life. |
| 2. Pluto heard voices and laughter behind some bushes. | He was curious. |
| 3. Pluto stepped into the circle and carried Proserpine to his chariot. | The companions of Proserpine got frightened and ran away. |
| 4. Pluto was afraid that Proserpine’s mother Ceres would soon appear there in search of her daughter. | Pluto drove his chariot very fast. |
| 5. The river was full to the brim. | With his sceptre Pluto struck the ground. |
Activity 4
Some words or phrases are given below. Find words from the text having meanings similar to these:
(a) a young unmarried girl:
Ans: a young unmarried girl: maiden
(b) a horse driven to know:
Ans: a horse driven carriage or car: chariot
(c) eager to know:
Ans: eager to know: curious
(d) flowers :
Ans: flowers: blossoms
(e) grasped or caught tightly:
Ans: grasped or caught tightly: captive
(f) a waistband :
Ans: a waistband: girdle
Activity 5
Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the list below. Change the form of the words where necessary. There are some extra words. (one is done for you) :
Plunged, departed, trace, lovely, bank, drove, curls
(a) The rose is said to be the ______________ of all flowers.
Ans: The rose is said to be the loveliest of all flowers.
(b) Kolkata is situated on the ______________ of river Hooghly.
Ans: Kolkata is situated on the bank of river Hooghly.
(c) I could not ______________ the advertisement in yesterday’s newspaper.
Ans: I could not trace the advertisement in yesterday’s newspaper.
(d) When it rains, ____________ a car is not easy.
Ans: When it rains, driving a car is not easy.
(e) Please note the time of his ___________ from office last Saturday.
Ans: Please note the time of his departure from office last Saturday.
Activity 6
Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
(a) From the first of a volcano ________________________________.
Ans: From the fires of a volcano Ceres lighted a torch.
(b) People thought of praying to Jupiter because ________________________________.
Ans: People thought of praying to Jupiter because Ceres could not take care of the earth until I get back my lost daughter.
(c) the nymph of the fountain lived ________________________________.
Ans: The nymph of the fountain lived in the dark depths of the earth.
(d) Jupiter said that Proserpine might return to earth if ________________________________.
Ans: Jupiter said that Proserpine might return to earth if she had not tasted any food in Pluto’s kingdom.
(e) Ceres would to grieve for six months when ________________________________.
Ans: Ceres would begin to grieve for six months when the time came for Proserpine to rejoin Pluto in his dark underground kingdom.
Activity 7
Fill up the following chart with information from the text:
| WHO | DID WHAT | WHEN |
| Searched for Proserpine in all the rooms | ||
| People | They were starving | |
| Found the girdle of her daughter | ||
| Had eaten six pomegranate seeds | ||
| The earth | Proserpine would come back to her mother for six months |
Ans:
| WHO | DID WHAT | WHEN |
| Ceres | searched for Proserpine in all the rooms | Ceres did not find her daughter in the evening. |
| People | They came to Ceres and implored her to bring back plenty, and save their lives. | they were starving |
| Ceres | found the girdle of her daughter | she was passing by a river, waves carried something to her feet. |
| Proserpine | had eaten six pomegranate seeds | she was destined each year to spend six months in the realm of the dead. |
| The earth | flowers bloomed, birds sang and the earth smiled to welcome the young queen | Proserpine would come back to her mother for six months. |
Activity 8
Answer the following questions:
(a) Why did Ceres feel very sad in the morning ?
Ans: She searched for Proserpine a lot for the whole night about the fields and valleys but did not find out Proserpine.
(b) Why was there a severe famine all over the world?
Ans: Ceres could not take care of the earth until she get back her lost daughter Proserpine.
(c) Briefly narrate what the nymph of the fountain told Ceres.
Ans: The nymph had seen Proserpine on a throne in the kingdom of Pluto. Her cheeks were pale and her eyes were heavy with weeping. Ceres should go to Jupiter and pray to him to send Proserpine back to her.
(d) Why was Proserpine bound to live for six months in the underground kingdom?
Ans: Proserpine had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and for every one of those seeds she was destined each year to spend a month in the underground kingdom.
Activity 9
Rearrange the following sentences and make a paragraph on how Proserpine returned from the underworld to her mother on earth:
Ans:
(a) Suddenly one day Ceres picked up Proserpine’s girdle by the riverside. 4
(b) Ceres visited Jupiter and sought his help to get back her daughter. 6
(c) Pluto took away the beautiful maiden Proserpine to his underground kingdom. 1
(d) Ceres went underground to find that Proserpine had already eaten six pomegranate seeds there. 8
(e) Ceres, her mother, was much surprised not to find her at home in the evening. 2
(f) The nymph of the fountain told Ceres about her daughter’s whereabouts. 5
(g) Jupiter said that Proserpine might return to earth if she had not eaten any food in the land of the dead. 7
(h) The mother searched for her daughter everywhere in vain. 3
(i) Proserpine was destined to spend six months every year in Pluto’s underworld and the remaining six months on earth with her mother. 9