Smashing the Glass Ceiling
Pre-reading: Activity 1 (Learning New Words)
- smashing (verb): ज़ोर से तोड़ना (यहाँ, “smashing the glass ceiling” का अर्थ है अदृश्य बाधाओं या पूर्वाग्रहों को तोड़ना)।
- hugged (verb): गले लगाना।
- memories (noun): यादें।
- regret (noun/verb): पछतावा (Geet spoke with regret – गीत ने पछतावे के साथ कहा)।
- arthritis (noun): गठिया (जोड़ों की सूजन और दर्द का रोग)।
- charitable (adjective): धर्मार्थ या परोपकारी (एक संस्था जो जरूरतमंदों की मदद करती है)।
- skills (noun): कौशल (प्रशिक्षण से प्राप्त योग्यता)।
- publishing (noun): प्रकाशन (किताबें, पत्रिकाएं आदि छापने का व्यवसाय)।
- opportunity (noun): अवसर या मौका।
- sole (adjective): एकमात्र (sole owner – एकमात्र मालिक)।
- role-model (noun): आदर्श (वह व्यक्ति जिसे देखकर दूसरे प्रेरणा लें)।
- qualification (noun): योग्यता (शिक्षा या अनुभव के आधार पर)।
- inspiration (noun): प्रेरणा।
- promote (verb): प्रचार करना; बढ़ावा देना (promote the business)।
- foreign (adjective): विदेशी (foreign customers – विदेशी ग्राहक)।
Post-reading: Activity 2 (Vocabulary Expansion – Alphabetical Order)
- arthritis
- charitable
- joy
- memories
- opportunity
- poverty
- promote
- prosper
- publishing
- qualification
- regret
- role-model
- skills
- sole
Activity 3 (Meaningful Sentences)
poverty (noun)
- Sentence: Her childhood was spent in poverty but later, she worked hard to become a successful business owner.
prosper (verb)
- Sentence: With hard work, his small business began to prosper.
regret (verb)
- Sentence: He did not study for the test and began to regret it.
skills (noun)
- Sentence: Cooking requires practice and good skills.
curiously (adverb)
- Sentence: The students listened curiously to the teacher’s story.
empty (adjective)
- Sentence: The glass jar was empty after she ate all the cookies.
Activity 4 (Reading and Comprehend)
- How many years had passed before Geet could meet Paramjeet in India?
- Answer: Twenty-five years had passed before Geet could meet Paramjeet.
- What was different about Paramjeet that Geet noticed this time?
- Answer: Geet noticed Paramjeet’s good clothes, her costly mobile phone, and her polished way of talking.
- Which new skills did Paramjeet learn at the charitable agency?
- Answer: Paramjeet learned computer and internet skills, desktop publishing, and money skills.
- What help did Paramjeet seek from Geet at the end of the story?
- Answer: Paramjeet asked Geet to help grow her business abroad by telling and writing stories about the women working there, promoting the business, and helping her get more work from foreign customers.
- Who was able to smash the glass ceiling in the story? How?
- Answer: Paramjeet was able to smash the glass ceiling. She did this by overcoming her poverty, getting training in new skills (computer, publishing), starting her own business, and becoming a successful, independent, and respected role model in her area.
Activity 5 (Fill in the blanks)
- Geet had gone abroad after marriage.
- Paramjeet’s mother, a widow, had been a trusted house help at Geet’s house.
- They also got me to attend evening classes run by a charitable agency.
- The agency trained Paramjeet in computer and internet skills.
- You have earned the highest qualification through your work and set up a successful business.
Activity 6 (Who said these words to whom?)
- “Didi, you still look the same.”
- Paramjeet said to Geet. (Done)
- “Can you give me something to do?”
- Geet said to Paramjeet.
- “I think I have found my nest again.”
- Geet said to Paramjeet.
- “You have earned the highest qualification through your work and set up a successful business.”
- Geet said to Paramjeet.
Activity 7 (Learning Language – Prepositions)
- The dog jumped over the fence. (place)
- Meena was seen playing on the street. (place)
- The airplane flew over the mountains. (place)
- The earth revolves around the sun. (direction)
- She went into the classroom when I saw her. (direction)
- I will meet her at 9 o’clock. (time)
- The function was held on last Monday. (time) (नोट: पाठ के नियमों के अनुसार “last Monday” के साथ किसी preposition की आवश्यकता नहीं होती, लेकिन यदि खाली स्थान भरना अनिवार्य है, तो “on” का प्रयोग किया जाएगा।)
- She was sitting between her father and mother. (place)
- It is extremely hot in the month of June. (time)
- It is usually very cold at night in deserts. (time)
Activity 8 (Role-play)
यह एक बोलने की गतिविधि (speaking activity) है। आपको अपने साथी (partner) के साथ मिलकर परमजीत और गीत के बीच हुई बातचीत का अभ्यास करना है।
Activity (Learning to Write – Letter Writing)
प्रश्न: You are Harnoor Kaur, living at A-29 Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar. Write a letter to your aunt thanking her for the laptop she has gifted you.
उत्तर:
A-29 Ranjit Avenue Amritsar
November 19, 20XX
Dear Aunty,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to thank you for the wonderful laptop you gifted me on my birthday. I received it yesterday, and I was absolutely thrilled and surprised! It is the best gift I have ever received.
This laptop is going to be incredibly helpful for my studies. I can now easily attend my online classes, research for my projects, and complete my assignments much faster. It is exactly the one I needed.
It was very thoughtful of you to send such a generous and useful gift. Thank you once again. Please give my love to Uncle and Rohan.
Yours lovingly, Harnoor Kaur