2.4. Excuses! (A Skit) - My English Book - Std 8 - Marathi and Semi-English Medium - Maharashtra Board

Chapter Information / पाठ परिचय

मराठी टीप: हा पाठ शालेय परीक्षेत येतो. हे पाठ्यपुस्तक इयत्ता ८ वी साठी आहे — MSBSHSE च्या मार्गदर्शक तत्त्वांनुसार तयार केलेले.

About the Skit / नाटिका परिचय

This is a funny skit set in a classroom. It has only two characters: Ritesh, a student who is always late, and Mrs Sen, his class teacher. The situation is very humorous because Ritesh makes up an unbelievably long and dramatic story to explain why he is late for school.  

मराठी टीप: ही शाळेतील एका वर्गात घडणारी मजेशीर नाटिका आहे. यात रितेश नावाचा विद्यार्थी उशिरा का आला, याची खूप मोठी आणि खोटी कथा (excuse) त्याच्या शिक्षिकेला सांगतो.

Scene-wise Summary / दृश्य सारांश

Scene 1: Ritesh comes to class very late, during the second period. He tells Mrs Sen that he heard a scream and found a groaning man on the pavement, but then a thief ran out of a shop, and the groaning man ran away with the thief! मराठी: रितेश दुसऱ्या तासाला येतो. तो सांगतो की त्याने एका माणसाला रस्त्यावर विव्हळताना पाहिले, पण तो माणूस चोरासोबत पळून गेला.  

Scene 2: Ritesh says he left his bag at the shop in the rush. When he went back, a huge dog was sitting on it and wouldn't move until Ritesh gave it biscuits. मराठी: रितेश म्हणतो की त्याची बॅग दुकानात राहिली होती आणि त्यावर एक मोठा कुत्रा बसला होता. बिस्किटे दिल्यावरच तो उठला.  

Scene 3: Ritesh then says the huge dog was actually a lost puppy. It followed him until it found its owner. The teacher finally asks Ritesh to enter a story-writing competition because he is so good at making up stories. मराठी: तो सांगतो की तो कुत्रा त्याच्यामागे आला आणि शेवटी मालकाला भेटला. शिक्षिका रितेशला खोट्या कथा बनवण्यात तो हुशार असल्यामुळे 'कथा-लेखन' स्पर्धेत भाग घ्यायला सांगतात.  

Overall Summary: Ritesh arrives very late to class. To avoid punishment, he invents a long, fake story involving a fake injured man, a thief, a chase, and a huge dog sitting on his bag. His teacher, Mrs Sen, listens patiently to his wild excuses. Knowing he is lying, she cleverly suggests he enter a story-writing competition since he is so good at making up fake stories.  

मराठी टीप: रितेश शाळेत उशिरा येतो आणि शिक्षिकेला खोट्या कथा सांगतो. शिक्षिकेला समजते की तो खोटे बोलत आहे. त्यामुळे त्या त्याला त्याच्या या 'कथा बनवण्याच्या' कौशल्यासाठी कथा-लेखन स्पर्धेत भाग घेण्याचा मजेशीर सल्ला देतात.

Characters and Their Traits / पात्रे

Ritesh: He is a school student who is late to class. He is very creative but dishonest because he invents an unbelievable story to avoid punishment. He is funny because at the end, he says he is not good at making up stories!

मराठी टीप: रितेश हा खोट्या कथा बनवण्यात खूप हुशार आहे. तो उशिरा आल्यावर शिक्षिकेला वाचण्यासाठी खोटे बोलतो.  

Mrs Sen: She is Ritesh's class teacher. She is very patient and smart. Instead of scolding Ritesh immediately, she listens to his full story and then uses sarcasm to catch his lie. मराठी टीप: मिसेस सेन या हुशार शिक्षिका आहेत. त्या न रागावता रितेशचे खोटे बोलणे पूर्ण ऐकून घेतात आणि मग त्याला उपहासाने स्पर्धेत भाग घेण्यास सांगतात.  

Moral / Message of the Skit: We should always be punctual and tell the truth, because teachers are smart enough to recognize fake excuses.

मराठी टीप: आपण नेहमी वेळेवर असावे आणि खोटे बोलू नये.  

Vocabulary in Context / शब्दसंग्रह

Practice Questions / सराव प्रश्न

The questions for Types 1 to 6 are based on this extract from the chapter: "Ritesh: Yes, Ma'am... but there was a huge, hairy, brown dog sitting on it... I lured him away from the bag."

TYPE 1 — True/False (1M each)

1. State True or False: 'Ritesh left his bag at the police station.'

   Answer: False  

2. State True or False: 'A huge, hairy, brown dog was sitting on the bag.'

   Answer: True  

3. State True or False: 'The shopkeeper knew where the dog had come from.' Answer: False  

4. State True or False: 'The dog moved away when Ritesh clapped and whistled.' Answer: False  

5. State True or False: 'Ritesh used biscuits to lure the dog away.'

   Answer: True  

मराठी टीप: उताऱ्यातील माहितीवरूनच उत्तर द्या. (उदा. शिट्टी वाजवून कुत्रा हलला नाही, बिस्किटे दिल्यावरच तो हलला.)

TYPE 2 — Choose the Correct Alternative (1M each)

1. Where had Ritesh left his bag? (A) at home (B) on the pavement (C) at the shop (D) at school Answer: (C)  

2. What was sitting on the bag? (A) a cat (B) the shopkeeper (C) a huge dog (D) a thief Answer: (C)  

3. How did the dog react when they tried to move it? (A) it ran away (B) it growled (C) it wagged its tail (D) it slept Answer: (B)  

4. What did they NOT do to make the dog move? (A) whistling (B) clapping (C) showing a stick (D) throwing stones Answer: (D)  

5. What did the shopkeeper give Ritesh to help him? (A) a stick (B) some biscuits (C) a bag (D) some water Answer: (B)  

मराठी टीप: चुकीचे पर्याय ओळखून बरोबर उत्तरापर्यंत पोहोचा.

TYPE 3 — Answer in One Word/Phrase (1M each)

1. What did Ritesh leave at the shop in the mad rush? Answer: His bag  

2. What kind of dog was sitting on the bag? Answer: Huge, hairy, brown  

3. Who was surprised along with Ritesh? Answer: The shopkeeper  

4. What did Ritesh offer to the dog? Answer: Biscuits  

मराठी टीप: उत्तर एका शब्दात किंवा वाक्यांशात द्या.

TYPE 4 — Complete the Sentences (1M each)

1. Complete the sentence: 'I realized that I had left my bag at the shop in the mad _____.' Answer: rush  

2. Complete the sentence: 'He didn't know where the dog had _____ from.' Answer: come  

3. Complete the sentence: 'We tried all kinds of things to make it move — whistling and _____' Answer: clapping  

4. Complete the sentence: 'I offered the biscuits to the dog and _____ him away from the bag.' Answer: lured  

मराठी टीप: उताऱ्यातील अचूक शब्द शोधून वाक्य पूर्ण करा.

TYPE 5 — Answer in 2-3 Sentences (2M each)

1. Why did Ritesh run back to the shop?

   Answer: Ritesh ran back to the shop because he realized he had made a mistake. In the mad rush of chasing the thief, he had left his school bag at the shop.

   मराठी टीप: चोराच्या मागे धावताना रितेश त्याची शाळेची बॅग दुकानात विसरला होता, म्हणून तो परत गेला.  

   
   

2. What problem did Ritesh face when he found his bag?

   Answer: When Ritesh found his bag, there was a big problem. A huge, hairy, brown dog was sitting right on top of his school bag and it was growling.

   मराठी टीप: रितेशला त्याची बॅग सापडली, पण त्यावर एक मोठा कुत्रा गुरगुरत बसला होता. 

    

3. What things did they try to make the dog move?

   Answer: Ritesh and the shopkeeper tried many things to make the dog move. They tried whistling, clapping loudly, and even showing the dog a stick, but it wouldn't budge.

   मराठी टीप: त्यांनी शिट्टी वाजवली, टाळ्या वाजवल्या आणि कुत्र्याला काठीही दाखवली, पण तो हलला नाही.  

   
   

4. How did Ritesh finally get his bag back?

   Answer: Ritesh finally got his bag back using a clever trick. The shopkeeper gave him some biscuits, and Ritesh offered them to the dog to lure it away from the bag. मराठी टीप: दुकानदाराने दिलेल्या बिस्किटांचे आमिष दाखवून रितेशने कुत्र्याला बॅगवरून उठवले.  

   
   

5. Why was the shopkeeper surprised?

   Answer: The shopkeeper was surprised because of the dog's sudden appearance. He did not know where the huge, hairy dog had come from to sit on the bag.

   मराठी टीप: तो कुत्रा अचानक दुकानात कुठून आला हे दुकानदारालाही समजले नाही, म्हणून तो आश्चर्यचकित झाला.  

TYPE 6 — Answer in 4-5 Sentences (3M each)

1. Describe the series of events that happened with the dog according to Ritesh. Answer: According to Ritesh, when he went back to the shop, a huge brown dog was sitting on his bag. The dog growled at them. They tried whistling, clapping, and showing a stick, but the dog refused to move. Finally, Ritesh used some biscuits given by the shopkeeper to lure the dog away. After that, the dog started following him because it was actually a lost puppy.

   मराठी टीप: १) कुत्र्याचे बॅगवर बसणे. २) शिट्टी आणि टाळ्या वाजवूनही न हलणे. ३) बिस्किटांचे आमिष दाखवून त्याला उठवणे. ४) कुत्र्याने रितेशचा पाठलाग करणे.  

   
   

2. Do you think Ritesh's story about the dog is true? Why or why not?

   Answer: No, Ritesh's story is clearly fake and made up. He adds too many dramatic details, like a huge dog suddenly appearing and then later changing his story to say it was just a small puppy. Dogs don't usually guard a stranger's school bag. He is just inventing one excuse after another to explain why he is so late for school.

   मराठी टीप: १) ही गोष्ट पूर्णपणे खोटी आहे. २) रितेश आधी कुत्र्याला 'मोठा' आणि नंतर 'लहान पिल्लू' म्हणतो. ३) तो फक्त उशिरा आल्याचे लपवण्यासाठी खोटे बोलत आहे.  

   
   

3. How does Mrs Sen handle Ritesh's excuses in the play?

   Answer: Mrs Sen handles Ritesh very smartly. Instead of shouting at him to stop lying, she listens to his entire funny story with patience. She asks questions that force Ritesh to make up even more lies on the spot. In the end, she uses his lies against him by asking him to join a story-writing competition, proving she knew he was faking it the whole time.

   मराठी टीप: १) शिक्षिका रागावत नाहीत. २) त्या त्याचे खोटे बोलणे पूर्ण ऐकतात. ३) शेवटी खोट्या कथा सांगण्याच्या त्याच्या कौशल्यावरून त्याला कथा-लेखन स्पर्धेत भाग घ्यायला सांगतात.  

TYPE 7 — Word Meanings / Vocabulary in Context (1M each)

(Questions are based on the whole chapter)

1. The word 'investigate' means...

   Answer: carry out a search to discover truth मराठी अर्थ: तपास करणे मराठी टीप: रितेशने आरडाओरडा ऐकून तपास (investigate) करायला सुरुवात केली. 

2. The word 'pavement' means...

   Answer: a footpath on the sides of a road मराठी अर्थ: फूटपाथ / पादचारी मार्ग मराठी टीप: एक माणूस फूटपाथवर (pavement) पडून विव्हळत होता.  

3. The word 'vanished' means...

   Answer: disappeared मराठी अर्थ: नाहीसे झाले मराठी टीप: चोर आणि तो माणूस पळून गेले (vanished).  

4. The word 'budge' means...

   Answer: move मराठी अर्थ: हलणे किंवा जागा सोडणे मराठी टीप: काठी दाखवूनही कुत्रा जागेवरून हलला नाही (budge).  

5. The word 'lured' means...

   Answer: attracted to do something मराठी अर्थ: आमिष दाखवून बोलावणे मराठी टीप: रितेशने कुत्र्याला बिस्किटांचे आमिष (lured) दाखवले.  

TYPE 8 — Personal Response (2M each)

(Questions are based on the whole chapter)

1. What do you feel when you are late to school? What excuse do you usually give?

   Answer: When I am late to school, I feel very scared and embarrassed. I usually tell the truth, like I missed my school bus or woke up late, because teachers always find out if we lie like Ritesh did.

   मराठी टीप: उशिरा गेल्यावर मला खूप भीती वाटते. मी खोटे न बोलता खरं कारण सांगतो. (तुम्ही तुमचे स्वतःचे मत लिहू शकता).

   
   

2. Why is punctuality so important in life?

   Answer: Punctuality is important because it shows that we respect other people's time. If we are always late, people will stop trusting us, and we will miss out on important opportunities in life and school.

   मराठी टीप: वक्तशीरपणा (punctuality) खूप महत्त्वाचा आहे कारण त्यामुळे लोकांचा आपल्यावर विश्वास बसतो आणि आपण आयुष्यात यशस्वी होतो.

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