First Flight - Class X
Reprint 2025-26
This lesson takes you on a journey through three distinct regions of India: Goa, Coorg, and Assam. Each part offers a unique glimpse into India's diverse cultures, traditions, and landscapes.
Through these three narratives, you'll experience the rich tapestry of Indian life - from traditional Goan bakers to the coffee plantations of Coorg to the sprawling tea gardens of Assam.
Before we begin exploring the stories, let's think about our own ideas and perceptions of India.
1. What images — of people and of places — come to your mind when you think of our country?
2. What parts of India have you lived in, or visited? Can you name some popular tourist destinations?
3. You may know that apart from the British, the Dutch and the French, the Portuguese have also played a part in the history of our country. Can you say which parts of India show French and Portuguese influences?
4. Can you say which parts of India grow (i) tea, (ii) coffee?
Certain words 'go together'. Such 'word friends' are called collocations. The collocation of a word is 'the company it keeps'.
For example, look at the paired sentences and phrases below. Which is a common collocation, and which one is odd? Strike out the odd sentence or phrase.
(a) • 'How old are you?'
• 'How young are you?'
(b) • a pleasant person
• a pleasant pillow
Here are some nouns from the text:
culture, monks, surprise, experience, weather, tradition
Work with a partner and discuss which of the nouns can collocate with which of the adjectives given below:
unique, terrible, unforgettable, serious, ancient, wide, sudden
1. tales of
2. coastal
3. a piece of
4. evergreen
Look at these words: upkeep, downpour, undergo, dropout, walk-in. They are built up from a verb (keep, pour, go, drop, walk) and an adverb or a particle (up, down, under, out, in).
1. A heavy has been forecast due to low pressure in the Bay of Bengal.
2. Rakesh will major surgery tomorrow morning.
3. My brother is responsible for the of our family property.
4. The rate for this accountancy course is very high.
5. She went to the Enterprise Company to attend a interview.