Must listen this Song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaFXDYG_YGk&hd=1

5 Steps to Score Very Good in Board Exams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEOAqhCenQk&feature=youtu.be

DEEP WATER

Summary

The story, “Deep Waters” tells us how the writer overcame his fear of water and learned swimming with sheer determination and will power. He had developed a terror of water since childhood. When he was three or four years old the writer had gone to California with his father. One day on the beach, the waves knocked the child down and swept over him. The child was terrified but the father who knew there was no harm laughed. The experience bred a permanent fear of water in the child’s sub-conscious mind. Still another incident, more serious, increased his terror. The writer was trying to learn swimming in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool in Yakima. One day while he was waiting for other boys, a big boy suddenly played a dangerous prank and pushed him into the water. The writer was terribly frightened. He went down nine feet into the water. His lungs were full of the unreleased air. When he reached the bottom, he jumped upward with all his strength. He came up but very slowly. He tried to catch hold of something like a rope but grasped only at water.He tried to shout but no sound came out. He went down again. His lungs ached, head throbbed and he grew dizzy. He felt paralyzed with fear. All his limbs were paralyzed. Only the movement of his heart told him that he was alive. Again he tried to jump up. But this time his limbs would not move at all. He looked for ropes, ladders and water wings but all in vain. Then he went down again, the third time. This time all efforts and fear ceased. He was moving towards peaceful death. The writer was in peace. When he came to consciousness, he found himself lying on the side of the pool with the other boys nearby. The terror that he had experienced in the pool never left him. It haunted him for years and years to come. It spoilt many of his expeditions of canoeing, swimming and fishing. It spoilt his pleasures in Maine Lakes, New Hampshire, Deschutes, Columbia and Bumping Lake etc. The experiences of the writer throw some important lights on certain aspects of life. Experiences of pain or pleasure in childhood remain in the sub-conscious mind and influence our feelings later too. The fear of water acted on the writer in that way. Even after being an expert in swimming, the writer felt terror. There was no reason at all. Once he took courage, the fear vanished. That shows most of our fears are baseless. Fear creates dangers where there is none. The writer’s experiences further confirm the proverbial truth, “Where there is a will, there is a way. But the writer was determined to conquer his terror. He took help of a swimming instructor to learn swimming. The instructor taught him various actions necessary in swimming part by part. He put his face under water and exhaled and inhaled raising it above water. He practiced it for several weeks. He had to kick with his legs a few weeks on the side of the pool. At last he combined all these actions and made the writer swim. He learned swimming but the terror continued. So deep goes our childhood experiences! So fearful is the fear of fear! Whenever he was in water the terror returned. Hence forward the writer tried to terrorize terror itself. He tried to face the new challenge. When terror came, he confronted it by asking it sarcastically as to what it can really do to him? He plunged into the water as if to defy the fear. Once he took courage the terror vanquished. He faced the challenge deliberately in various places like the Warm Lake. He conquered it at last.

THE LAST LESSON

Summary

 Franz didn’t want to go to school that day as his French teacher Mr. Hamel had announced that he would take a test on French Participles and Franz was not prepared for it. Franz was afraid of M Hamel’s ruler and being scolded.  Although Franz was more interested in spending day out of school but eventually he decided to go to the school. On the way he passed through the Town Hall where he noticed a huge crowd was there around the notice board. Franz didn’t stop there as he was well aware that this board had always been serving bad news about the war. Blacksmith told him no need to hurry for school but Franz thought he was making fun of him.On Reaching School he was surprised to see the sea change in daily environment.  There was no noise as usual, no lesson chanting sound by students. It seemed as a Sunday morning. All students were already in their class room. M Hamel was walking with his iron ruler under his arm. Franz was frightened  to enter in class as he thought that he would be scolded badly as he was very late but to his surprise, M Hamel did not say anything to him, rather welcomed him politely “Go to your place quickly little Franz, we were beginning without you”.  After sitting on his seat Franz noticed that teacher was wearing his beautiful green coat, frilled shirt with a little black silk cap having embroidery on it, this type of dress usually he wore on functions or prize ceremonies only.  Franz also noticed that the other villager including old Hauser, former Mayor and former post master were also presented in class they were in last benches. He couldn’t understand until M Hamel announced the notice which was served from Berlin that now onwards no French would be taught in schools of Alsace and Lorraine, only German would be taught in the schools of these two French cities and he emotionally requested students to be more attentive for their last French lesson.  Franz now realized that what was there on notice board in Town Hall. These words of notice fell on Franz like a thunder clap. He couldn’t believe it would be his last lesson that day. He was badly repenting that why he didn’t learn, never paid attention to his lessons. He hardly knew how to read and write French. He was repenting that instead of studying he would go for other pleasant activities.  His book that seemed always burden to him now to same appeared to him like old friends. Even his thoughts for his teacher M. Hamel changed thinking as realized that he would never see him again as it was his last day in the school.  He forgot about his cranky nature and his cruel ruler. Now he could that the teacher had wore this dress in honor of his last lesson. He also understood why older people were presented in class as they were repenting why they never worry to go to school and they were there to show their respect to their teacher, who served them for forty years. When Franz’s name was called to recite the lesson, he made mistake and could even speak few words just opposite to his thinking teacher did not scold him rather he preached him that one should not waste his precious time just by live in impression that there is plenty of time and postponing the important things for next day. How would they feel when someone will make fun of them that they were not able to speak or write the French despite of being Frenchmen? Teacher did not put all blame on him but he also blamed the parents who never bothered to send their children to school to study instead they put their children to work on farms and in mill to earn extra money. Even he blamed himself that he often would send his pupils to water his plants instead of study at school and he would declare a holiday whenever he wanted to go to fishing.Teacher further said about the French language that it was the most beautiful, clearest and most logical language of the world. People should stick with their language it will be proven as the key to their prison in case they are enslaved.   A magic had happened that day in class the students understood everything very well, because they were more attentive and teacher was more patient and polite on that day. Finally with very heavy heart, M Hamel stood up, he was very sad as he walked to the black board, took a chalk and wrote on it “Vive La France” which means “Long Live France” and declared the class was dismissed. 

GOING PLACES

Summary

• Sophie
  Sophie belonged to a poor family. She had a lot of unfulfilled dreams. She wanted to own a beautique, she wanted to be an actress, she wanted to be a fashion designer and much more. She longed to be anything that was beyond her reach. When she could not achieve them she satisfied herself by telling lies and enjoying when people believed her.
• Sophie Tells a Lie
  After an interval Sophie came with another sophisticated lie: She met Danny Casey, a popular football player from Ireland now a distraction for the English youth. As usual she made her brother Geoff believe this story by reminding him he was always the first one she told her secrets.
• The Lie Spreads
  Geoff took the story to their father and then proudly to his friends. The story reached many and people started asking Sophie about her relations with their great hero, Casey. They were also told that Sophie was to meet Danny in a park on a certain day.
• Lie or Truth?
  Days passed and everyone forgot Sophie and her Casey. By this time the effect of telling the lie continuously made Sophie believe her own lie. She could not think of it in clear lights. In a way Sophie became the victim of her own repeated lies.
• Victim of a Lie
  The Saturday on which Sophie was to meet Casey finally arrived. Sophie found her walking to the park to meet Danny Casey. She sat there and began waiting for Casey’s coming. Minutes ticked away and Danny delayed his coming. Sophie’s excitement gave way to doubts. She began to doubt if he would really come or not. She grew sad for his not coming. And then, when she thought the other way, she realized that it was all a lie. Realization came to her. She saw how big a burden it was for her to put herself in such a situation. She rose and walked back.
• 
  
• Read here the ten effective ways by which Sophie made her lies appear real.
  • Introduce the lie to a simple, trusted person. Remember, she told the lie to Geoff.
  • In case the first listener is suspicious of you, tell him that he was the first one you broke the news to and also pretend that you are pretty wounded by his question, "Have you told this to anyone else?".
  • Wait for some time. Geoff will spread the news to his friends, not the entire news, but half of it. Do not be impatient.
  • Soon, one of your friends will come to you, anxious, curious, and will ask you, "Sophie, I heard that you and he are in relation..." or just kind of.
  • Do not admit it. On the contrary, pretend that you are broken, scattered because Geoff should not have told that "secret" to any one. (In fact you have been waiting for this!)
  • When your drama takes effects, just ask the second person, "Well, how much did he tell you?"
  • She will tell you half of your lie, because Geoff had told only this much to his friends. Then you have to say, "Thank god! He didn't tell you everything. After all, there are people whom I can trust!"
  • This will intensify the curiosity in Jansie. She will insist upon telling the "other half of the story."
  • Pretending you are unwilling to tell anymore, tell the other part of the lie. This will definitely work.
  • Now, Jansie will do the rest.

EVANS TRIES AN O‐LEVEL

Summary

• Evans was put in the Oxford Prison at Carfax for his criminal records including the three jail breaks that he had successfully committed. Anyway we do not exactly know what were the charges against him. It is most likely he was the master brain of a gang of robbers or was just a one man robber who was greatly skilled at impersonating other people and thus made an income out of that.
• However, London Police had no other choice than putting him in the most secure Oxford Prison where jail breaks were not at all common.
• Evans was aware of it, too. Seeing that he was in all sense trapped for life, Evans made a new plan to escape and it was very complicated and it involved many people at the same time.
• In the first week in the jail, Evans requested the Governor of the jail that he was genuinely interested in learning some German lessons to acquire sort if academic degrees. Suspicious as he always was, the governor arranged a German tutor for Evans and watched how things proceeds. With a microphone hidden in the study room or in his cell where Evans took classes, the governor waited to hear if Evans would ask the tutor to help him.
• It so happened but no one knew how Evans managed to do such a risky thing while the mic was listening to him. Probably Evans communicated with the tutor through a letter which the latter was asked to read silently. I believe it was what Evans wrote - "Mr. Tutor, do not raise your voice on reading this letter. I have requested for German tuition with an entirely different purpose. You have been called to act like my mediator with my friends. You will carry similar messages to my friends and help me escape this prison for which I will pay you more than you can count." After reading the letter, the tutor must have smiled and agreed, for, Evans was so charming a personality.
• At the end of the six months' coaching, the tutor informed the Governor that his student was ready for an ordinary level exam. Suspicious as always, the Governor contacted the examination board and arranged an O'level exam for Evans. The board contacted St. Mary Mags and requested Rev. Stuart McLeery to go to the prison to invigilate the exam. The parson agreed and began his preparation for the exam.
• Today is the exam. Rev. McLeery was getting ready to go to the prison early in the morning when two of Evans' friends came to visit him. They gagged and tied the parson while one of them dressed himself as him. After half an hour they went out - one of them as Stuart McLeery.
• At the same time, at the prison, officer Jackson and a newly appointed - or specially appointed - officer, Mr. Stephens, were making sure if Evans had any potential weapon to make a jail break during the exam. Evans had put on a bobble hat and hadn't shaved. Inside the hat he had hidden his makeup stuff for his escape plan and he delayed shaving for the smart purpose of keeping its blade with him. Thus, while giving the razor back to Stephens in the most artificial haste, Evans took out its blade. When Jackson ordered him to remove that hat, Evans requested the kind hearted officer Mr. Jackson to let him keep it as he considered the cap to be his lucky charm. Well, Jackson was always like that. He was full of sympathy and the hat was full of what Evans needed for transformation!
• It was already 9am when the invigilator reached the prison. He was shown his way into Evans' cell and the exam was about to start but the Governor felt something... something wrong. He asked Jackson to get the parson frisked. Accordingly it was done and the officers confiscated a pair of scissors that the parson had brought with him - well, it was for Evans. Having done so, they went on frisking and searching till they found that the parson - do not forget that it was Evans' friend who made himself up as the parson - had got a semi inflated rubber tube in his briefcase. On enquiring the reason for which the tube was brought, the parson replied it was a cure for his extremely painful disease of piles. Having made a decent parson disclose a secret in such a shameful manner, the two officers felt embarrassed. They didn't want to search any more. The parson was allowed to resume his seat. The exam began; three men - Evans to write the exam, the parson to invigilate Evans and and Stephens to keep watch.
• At the start of the exam, Evans had to get rid of officer Stephens and get a covering for himself. These he required because he was not going to write any German O'level Exam. He was only going to make himself as the parson who had come to invigilate him! Height for height, beard for beard, dress for dress and accent for accent to create confusion in the prison once the exam was over. By complaining it was extremely cold inside and he was not able to concentrate in his exams because of Stephens, Evans managed to get a blanket for him and get Stephens out of the cell.
• Exam began in full swing. The Invigilator remained reading his magazine, Stephens went up and down the corridor, the Governor himself listened to the loud speaker that caught conversations from Evans' cell and Jackson kept a watch of all the rest. Keeping a pen between his lips, Evans observed Stephen's position in the corridor with the help of the shining, bulbous head of the pen. The closer Stephens came, the dimmer was the brightness of the pen-head.
• Well, there remains just five more minutes for the examination to call off and Evans and his friend, the invigilator, did all that was part of the plan. Evans trimmed his long hair with a razor blade, put on the extra pair of clerical dress - cassock, front, collar, etc. - that his friend had brought in and glued a fake beard. Just five minutes and then Stephens heard Jackson shouting from the other end of the corridor, informing that the Governor was on the telephone line, wanting to talk to him. Stephens was more than excited. He was feeling proud of himself because the Governor wanted to talk to him!
• Stephens attended the call - well, it was not the Governor who talked to him nor was it Jackson who yelled from the other end! Excitement brings wise men to unforgivable errors. As per the call, Stephens carried out the Governor's orders - took the invigilator from the cell and led him out of the prison and once again returned to Evans' cell to make sure he was really there. Looking through the peep hole, Stephens saw the most unbelievable sight in his life - the invigilator, not Evans, inside the cell!
• Even you believed that, eh? No, guys, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Underline this – Evans was still inside and his friend, the dupe invigilator was out. You can just imagine him laughing out in great amusement. Half is done and the next half began.

INTERVAL.......

• A complete chaos! In utter disbelief, Stephens called for Jackson and in no time the entire prison was roused. Officers rushed to Evans’ cell and saw the tortured parson, the poor invigilator, all bleeding and weak. If you remember the rubber tube that the invigilator had brought, you can now guess how Evans was bleeding!
• Well, everyone reached the one and only conclusion – Evans escaped after beating the parson and fooling Stephens.
• Governor had, by this time, called in detective Carter to find the escaped prisoner and in no time the famous detective arrived and offered to help the Governor. He got a vague idea about the state of the affairs and was ready to run out to get the escaped prisoner when the “bleeding” invigilator made an unusual offer to help the police and the detective – he said he knew where Evans could be found!
• That made sense. If a parson (Priest), especially one beaten and dying, offered to help the police, there is some sense. Governor allowed the parson (Evans) accompany the detective and together they went out in the latter’s car.
• What is this Evans doing! He had a good chance to escape from the prison but he didn’t. Now, is he planning to knock the detective down and escape? God Evans knows!
• Back in the prison, the Governor abused Jackson and Stephens as much until he was a little less dejected. Having dispatched them, he examined Evans’ cell and got hold of a very important evidence to find Evans. It was the correction slip that Evans, so foolishly, left behind and it had a hidden message written on its back! Evans is heading to Newbury! So the correction slip was part of Evans’ plan. Heavens, but the plan backfired.
• This is what happens to the very smart people. I think this will serve you a good moral. The very very smart Evans made a mistake. Shame, man. We all thought you had made it.
• So the Governor contacted the detective for updates and was told that he had spotted Evans twice. Governor could not believe that. He believed the correction slip and decided to reach Golden Lion Hotel, Newbury, before Evans got there.
• In the meanwhile, the Governor was informed that the parson was admitted at Radcliff hospital under emergency. So far so good but when the Governor contacted the ambulance section, he was told that the ambulance could not locate a bleeding parson as was told by detective carter.
• Gone! With no clues about the disappearance of the parson, the Governor telephoned Mary Mags (where the parsons live) and on breaking Rev. Stuart Mcleery’s room, they found out that the real parson had never got out!
• The truth mostly out, the Governor knew what was to be done. With a skilled assistant, he drove to Golden Lion Hotel. He was excited. Sale, Kameenei! Evans! I am coming for you!
• Poor Evans, it took him six months to arrange everything but now he is running into trouble again. Not knowing how his correction slip had deceived him, he reached the Hotel, made his special orders at the reception and got into his room. He locked the door and moved to the bed to rest and sleep but… You got it?
• Sitting in the bed was the Governor, laughing out beaming with pride. Of course, he deserves a pat!
• “Don’t try anything, Evans,” said he and Evans was not in any mood to try. He had tried enough. Defeated, he sat down on the floor and this sign of defeat thrilled the Governor. You can imagine him giving out orders to the police and traffic department to stop searching for Evans.
• Then the Governor walked down to the prison vehicles parked outside and Evans followed, handscuffed. On the way the Governor asked Evans to explain how he managed to get the blood and all the other makeup and Evans had his humble answers, still accepting his defeat.
• Evans was handcuffed with a prison officer and was taken to the prison van. (Remember a call from the magistrate’s court for a prison van?) The van moved and the Governor followed it with an ebbing heart, imagining his consequent honor and awards in getting the smartest prisoner in the world.
• Post Script – Evans escaped! The prison officers in the van were Evans’ friends, disguised. An over confident Governor had never anticipated this. He will soon learn that it was part of Evans’ plan that he left the correction slip in his cell and walked into the Hotel room clearly knowing that the Governor was waiting for him.

THE TIGER KING

Summary

• A prince was born to the king and queen of Pratibandapuram, probably a place in Tamilnadu, erstwhile British India, before 1900 AD. His astrological sign was Taurus, the bull, the enemy of tiger.
• When the prince was only 10 days old, astrologers predicted that a tiger will one day kill the prince at the height of his glory. Because the prince' life was associated with a tiger, he was given the name Tiger King!
• Years rolled by. The little tiger-prince grew up and became the king, succeeding his father. The new astrologer reminded him of the prediction made by his predecessor, the old astrologer. The king laughed at him and decided to kill a tiger.
• Having hunted a tiger down, the king brought the dead tiger to the palace and sent for the astrologer. "Now, see who died and who killed." The astrologer said with a smile that the king could likewise kill 99 tigers but he would never kill the hundredth tiger. The hundredth tiger is the King's murderer. Whether he refrains from killing another tiger to keep the bar down or not, fate is determined.
• To overcome his fate, the Tiger King began a series of tiger hunt in his forest. Several tigers were butchered by the king, with his gun or, when the gun misfired, by his mighty hands. Everytime it was the tiger that died.
• Pratibandapuram, you may recall, is the name of the country that the king ruled. Pratiband means obstacle. During his tiger hunt the king faced several obstacles, among which the arrival of a British officer is noteworthy. This high ranking officer was greatly fond of hunting tigers and then getting photographed with the dead tiger for popularity. On reaching Pratibandapuram forest the officer was informed by the King's men - no hunting here; tiger hunting is reserved for the king.
• The officer was either a coward or was non violent in nature, he didn't punish the king. He sent his secretary with this compromise - let the king hunt and the officer is happy with his photograph taken. Everyone hoped the king would comply, but he didn't.
• Having turned down the officer entirely, the king stood in big trouble but he knew how to get out of troubles. He sent message to a Calcutta diamond dealer to send 50 diamond rings to the officer's wife. The king expected the good lady take one or two of the rings and return the rest but the lady sent the king a note of thanks, accepting all the 50 rings. Guess the price!
• Thus he neutralized such a hazardous pratiband. Having killed a large number more of tigers, touching a tally of 70, the king found him in another crisis - extinction of tiger population in his forest. You may think that he would now attack his neighboring nation and hunt in that fresh forest. No, he had brains. He simply married a girl whose father's forest had the required number of tigers.
• The story comes to the biggest of the crises - the king has killed 99 tigers and what he needs is just one more. You can imagine the depth of his anxiety and madness. Having determined to have killed the hundredth tiger before returning to his palace, the king and his men remained in the forest waiting for the last of the tigers.
• After a while, everyone in the palace began to feel the King's wrath. Many officers lost their jobs and the others cursed the king for their impending disaster. They just hated the king, wished if the hundredth tiger had killed the king. Not surprisingly, it was what the Diwan, prime minister of the king, himself wished. When he saw that his own office was at stake, the old Diwan planned a funny ending to the story. He brought an aged, infirm tiger from the People's Park, Madras and secretly heaved it out of his car in the jungle where the king was hunting. 
• The king shot the tiger and triumphantly went home. He thought that he had annihilated his enemy and rejoiced as one who got his life back. A few days later, while playing with his three-year old son, the king's finger got pierced by the sharp, needle-like sliver of the wooden tiger toy they were playing with. Though the king ignored the sliver, soon he fell ill. The king's health quickly fell, puss filled his body and three surgeons were called from Madras. After an extended surgeory, the three surgeons emerged from the operation theatre and announced that the operation was successful but the king died. 
• People wondered and lost faith in astrology. How can the king die after killing the hundredth tiger? Only a few knew how the it happened. In fact the tiger was not killed by the king's gun. The king's bullet had missed the target and the tiger fell to sound of the the gunshot. See what had happened, the king's men shot the tiger and decided against informing the king of the nature of the tiger's death. The king never killed the hundredth tiger. He was killed by a wooden toy tiger.