Clearing in the Sky - Lesson No. 2 -

Clearing in the Sky 

Written by Jess Stuart

Written and Compiled by M. Shaheen

M.A English, B. Ed., Dip. In TEFL, C.T

Lecturer at GIK College Topi Swabi

Words’ Meanings

S. No	Words	Meanings
1	Clearing	Land made cleared of trees
2	Stream of sweat	Continuous flow of sweat
3	Made up his mind	Decided
4	Pasture	Grassland with plants
5	Meadow	A wide area of grassland
6	Protest	Oppose
7	Bragged	Boasted; talked highly of himself
8	Woods	Land with growth of trees
9	Rugged	Rough; uneven
10	A wisp of alfalfa	A thin stem of leafy green hay, used to feed horses and cows
11	Cliffs	Pointed rocks
12	Steep	Difficult to climb
13	Sapling	A young tree
14	Braced	supported
15	Herb	Plant with pleasant smell
16	Fence	Wooden or wired barrier
17	Curtly	Rudely
18	Fertile	Highly productive
19	Loam	A mixture of clay, silt and sand
20	Whiffed	Inhaled
21	Whispered	Spoke softly
22	Patch	A small area of land
23	Oak	An evergreen tree
24	Stump	Short part of tree
25	Weed	Wild plant
26	Bandana	A large handkerchief
27	Motioning	Signaling
28	Vines	Climbing plants
29	Sift	Pass through
30	Bluff	Cliff
31	Wound	Was in a round manner
32	Black gum	A tree having light but black gum
33	Mess of fox	A quantity of fox squirrel enough to cook for a meal

Questions and Answers

Lesson No. 2

Clearing in the Sky

SHORT QUESTIONS

English BOOK I - Inter Part 1

Written and Compiled by M. Shaheen

M.A English, B. Ed., Dip. In TEFL, C.T

Assistant Director at GIK College Topi Swabi

Q1.      Why did not the old man follow the advice of the doctors?

Ans.     The old man did not follow the advice of the doctors because he was very strong-willed, courageous and hard working. It was his habit and nature to make the things possible. He wanted to support his family and wanted to live like a healthy man. He didn’t want to die on bed.

Q2.      What had the doctors told the old man?

Ans.     The doctors had told the old man that the rest of his life was very short. He was suffering from severe heart disease. He badly needed rest because, according to them, he could die any moment.

Q3.      Where did the old man take his son?

Ans.     The old man took his son, Jess, to his farm which was on the top of the mountain where he had cleared that land as a result of his great labour.

Q4.      Had the son been there before?

Ans.     Yes, he had been there for many times.

Q5.      What were the names of the vegetables the old man grew on his farm?

Ans:     The old man grew a number of vegetables on his farm. These vegetables were potatoes, tomatoes and yams.

Q6.      Why did the old man take the steep paths?

Ans:     The old man was very hard working. It was his habit and nature to work hard. He took steep paths to know his physical condition and strength. It gave him surety that he was getting better and better.

Q7.      Why did the son at the age of six cried?

Ans:     When Jess was at the age of six, his father had made a wooden plough for him. It was lost. That is why he had cried. His father made another plough for him but he didn’t love this one.

Q8.      What were the feelings of the old man at the age of seventy?

Ans:     At the age of seventy, the old man was very happy and satisfied about his life. He felt more powerful and wanted to work more hard. He would recall the exciting memories of his past.

Q9.      Why did the old man plant his secret garden?

Ans:     The old man had planted his secret garden because he wanted to grow new things on the new soil and also he wanted to cheat death by thickly involving himself in hard work.

Lesson No. 2

Clearing in the Sky

Long Questions

Written and Compiled by M. Shaheen

M.A English, B. Ed., Dip. In TEFL, C.T

Assistant Director at GIK College Topi Swabi

Q1.      Describe the physical appearance of the old man.

Ans:     Though the old man is seventy years old, he is smart and active even at that age.  He is a heart patient but he never loses his courage. He has a stick in hand to support himself up climbing different paths. Physically he is thin. He has a red wrinkled face and pale blue eyes. He used to wear a bandana to wipe his sweat.

Q2.      How did the old man feel about his hand?

Ans:     He extremely loved his land which he had cleared on the top of mountain. He had also fenced it. In clearing and fencing this piece of land he was greatly helped by his wife. Because of working hard on this farmland, he had a great attachment to it. The soil of this land was very fertile and he used to enjoy its smell. He was a strong believer in the great productive power of his land. 

Q3,      What did the son remember from his childhood? Were these good memories?

Ans:     Jess, the son of the old farmer, remembered how he spent the time of his early childhood on his father’s land. The very story has been written by him. S he remembered most of the events about his early life. He remembered the time when his father had found a coffee tree in the woods. This had made him and Jess very happy as it was the only tree of its kind growing there. When he was six years old, hi father made him a little wooden plough.

Q4.      Write the story in your own words.

Ans:     “Clearing in the Sky” is story which shows the great struggle and strong determination of a man who was the father of the story writer. His father never lost his courage in spite of the fact that he was a heart patient. Forty years ago, the doctors had told him to stop all activities and live the few days at home he had left with him. But in spite of the doctor’s advice, he worked hard because he had to support the family of five children. The old man tells his son how he cleared the land, and grown the best ever plants. He had grown alfalfa, hickory, and pines, tall up to sixty feet high. He hunted rabbits and fox squirrels for their meals. He had coffee trees on his land.  He cleared three to four acres of land where which he had fenced to protect it from animals. He knew that this new soil had a better flavor. He would climb up the steep path to reach this farm. The reason is that climbing makes him fit and smart man in spite of his age and heart disease. Following the old man, we should never sit idle to waste our precious time.

Q5.      What is the moral theme of the story?

Ans:     The story “Clearing in the Sky” teaches an exemplary lesson. It teaches us that a person who exercises his body regularly and works actively remains healthy until his very old age. One who avoids physical exertion and chooses to rest most of the time grows weaker and weaker, and even dies early. In the story, Jess’s father was in the habit of walking long distances and doing work physically, even against the advice of his doctors, and he remained healthy and happy.