The New School / When she saw the gate of the new school - Multiple Choice & Short Question for HSC English First Paper - English for Today for Class 11 and 12 / Seen Passage for HSC
- Fakhruddin Babar
- Feb 13
- 12 min read
Updated: Feb 16
The New School
When she saw the gate of the new school, Totto-chan stopped. The gate of the school
she used to go to had fine concrete pillars with the name of the school in large
characters. But the gate of this new school simply consisted of two rather short posts
that still had twigs and leaves on them.
"This gate's growing," said Totto-chan. "It'll probably go on growing till it's taller
than the telephone poles ! "
The two "gateposts" were clearly trees with roots. When she got closer, she had to
put her head to one side to read the name of the school because the wind had blown
the sign askew.
"To-mo-e Ga-ku-en."
Totto-chan was about to ask Mother what “Tomoe” meant, when she caught a
glimpse of something that made her think she must be dreaming. She squatted down
and peered through the shrubbery to get a better look, and she couldn't believe her
eyes.
"Mother, is that really a train! There, in the school grounds!"
For its classrooms, the school had made use of six abandoned railroad cars. To Totto-
chan it seemed something you might dream about. A school in a train!
The windows of the railroad cars sparkled in the morning sunlight. But the eyes of
the rosy-cheeked little girl gazing at them through the shrubbery sparkled even
more.
“I Like This School!”
A moment later, Totto-chan let out a whoop of joy and started running toward the
"train school," calling out to Mother over her shoulder, "Come on, hurry, let's get on
this train that's standing still."
Startled, Mother began to run after her. Mother had been on a basketball team once,
so she was faster than Totto-chan and caught hold of her dress just as she reached a
door.
“You can't go in yet,” said Mother, holding her back. “The cars are classrooms, and
you haven't even been accepted here yet. If you really want to get on this train, you'll
have to be nice and polite to the headmaster. We're going to call on him now, and if
all goes well, you'll be able to go to this school. Do you understand?”
Totto-chan was awfully disappointed not to get on the "train" right away, but she
decided she had better do as Mother told her.
"All right," she said. And then added, "I like this school a lot."
Mother felt like telling her it wasn't a matter of whether she liked the school but of
whether the headmaster liked her. But she just let go of Totto-chan's dress, took hold
of her hand, and started walking toward the headmaster's office.
All the railroad cars were quiet, for the first classes of the day had begun. Instead of a
wall, the not very spacious school grounds were surrounded by trees, and there were
flower beds full of red and yellow flowers.
The headmaster's office wasn't in a railroad car, but was on the right-hand side of a
one- story building that stood at the top of a semicircular flight of about seven stone
steps opposite the gate.
Totto-chan let go of Mother's hand and raced up the steps, then turned around
abruptly, almost causing Mother to run into her.
"What's the matter?" Mother asked, fearing Totto-chan might have changed her mind
about the school.
Standing above her on the top step, Totto-chan whispered to Mother in all
seriousness, "The man we're going to see must be a stationmaster!"
Mother had plenty of patience as well as a great sense of fun. She put her face close
to Totto-chan's and whispered, “Why?”
Totto-chan whispered back, "You said he was the headmaster, but if he owns all
these trains, he must be a stationmaster."
Mother had to admit it was unusual for a school to make use of old railroad cars, but
there was no time to explain. She simply said, "Why don't you ask him yourself!
And, anyway, what about Daddy? He plays the violin and owns several violins, but
that doesn't make our house a violin shop, does it?"
"No, it doesn't," Totto-chan agreed, catching hold of Mother's hand.
The Headmaster
When Mother and Totto-chan went in, the man in the office got up from his chair.
His hair was thin on top and he had a few teeth missing, but his face was a healthy
color. Although he wasn't very tall, he had solid shoulders and arms and was neatly
dressed in a rather shabby black three-piece suit.
With a hasty bow, Totto-chan asked him spiritedly "What are you, a schoolmaster or
a stationmaster?"
Mother was embarrassed, but before she had time to explain, he laughed and replied,
"I'm the head-master of this school."
Totto-chan was delighted. "Oh, I'm so glad," she said, “because I want to ask you a
favor. I'd like to come to your school.”
The headmaster offered her a chair and turned to Mother. "You may go home now. I
want to talk to Totto-chan."
Totto-chan had a moment's uneasiness, but somehow felt she would get along all
right with this man. "Well, then, I’ll leave her with you," Mother said bravely, and
shut the door behind her as she went out.
The headmaster drew over a chair and put it facing Totto-chan, and when they were
both sitting down close together, he said, "Now then, tell me all about yourself. Tell
me anything at all you want to talk about."
"Anything I like?" Totto-chan had expected him to ask questions she would have to
answer. When he said she could talk about anything she wanted, she was so happy
she began straight away. It was all a bit higgledy-piggledy, but she talked for all she
was worth. She told the headmaster how fast the train went that they had come on;
how she had asked the ticket collector but he wouldn't let her keep her ticket; how
pretty her homeroom teacher was at the other school; about the swallows' nest; about
their brown dog, Rocky, who could do all sorts of tricks; how she used to go snip-
snip with the scissors inside her mouth at kindergarten and the teacher said she
mustn't do that because she might cut her tongue off, but she did it anyway; how she
always blew her nose because Mother scolded her if it was runny; what a good
swimmer Daddy was, and how he could dive as well. She went on and on. The
headmaster would laugh, nod, and say, "And then?" And Totto-chan was so happy
she kept right on talking. But finally she ran out of things to say. She sat with her
mouth closed trying hard to think of something.
"Haven't you anything more you can tell me?" asked the headmaster.
What a shame to stop now, Totto-chan thought. It was such a wonderful chance.
Wasn't there anything else she could talk about, she wondered, racking her brains?
Then she had an idea.
She could tell him about the dress she was wearing that day. Mother made most of
her dresses, but this one came from a shop. Her clothes were always torn when she
came home in the late afternoon. Some of the rips were quite bad. Mother never
knew how they got that way. Even her white cotton panties were sometimes in
shreds. She explained to the headmaster that they got torn when she crossed other
people's gardens by crawling under their fences, and when she burrowed under the
barbed wire around vacant lots. So this morning, she said, when she was getting
dressed to come here, all the nice dresses Mother had made were torn so she had to
wear one Mother had bought. It had small dark red and gray checks and was made of
jersey, and it wasn't bad, but Mother thought the red flowers embroidered on the
collar were in bad taste. "Mother doesn't like the collar," said Totto-chan, holding it
up for the headmaster to see.
After that, she could think of nothing more to say no matter how hard she tried. It
made her rather sad. But just then the headmaster got up, placed his large, warm
hand on her head, and said, "Well, now you're a pupil of this school."
Those were his very words. And at that moment Totto-chan felt she had met
someone she really liked for the very first time in her life. You see, up till then, no
one had ever listened to her for so long. And all that time the headmaster hadn't
yawned once or looked bored, but seemed just as interested in what she had to say as
she was.
Totto-chan hadn't learned how to tell time yet, but it did seem like a rather long time.
If she had been able to, she would have been astonished, and even more grateful to
the headmaster. For, you see. Mother and Totto-chan arrived at the school at eight,
and when she had finished talking and the headmaster had told her she was a pupil of
the school, he looked at his pocket watch and said, "Ah, it's time for lunch." So the
headmaster must have listened to Totto-chan for four solid hours!
Neither before nor since did any grown-up listen to Totto-chan for as long as that.
And, besides, it would have amazed Mother and her homeroom teacher to think that
a seven-year-old child could find enough to talk about for four hours nonstop.
Totto-chan had no idea then, of course, that she had been expelled and that people
were at their wit's end to know what to do. Having a naturally sunny disposition and
being a bit absent-minded gave her an air of innocence. But deep down she felt she
was considered different from other children and slightly strange. The headmaster,
however, made her feel safe and warm and happy. She wanted to stay with him
forever.
That's how Totto-chan felt about Headmaster Sosaku Kobayashi that first day. And,
luckily, the head-master felt the same about her.
A. Now answers of the following questions.
a) What is the excerpt about?
b) How did Totto-chan react when she realized dial the school had railroad cars as classrooms?
c) How long did Totto-chan talk to the headmaster, Sosaku Kobayashi? What does dial tell you about the headmaster?
Short Questions with Elaborate Answers:
a) What is the excerpt about?
The excerpt is from a story about a young girl named Totto-chan, who visits a new school for the first time. She is amazed to see that the school has railroad cars as classrooms, which sparks her curiosity and excitement. The narrative captures her innocent perspective as she interacts with her mother and the headmaster. The story highlights her joyful nature and her initial impression of the unconventional school.
b) How did Totto-chan react when she realized that the school had railroad cars as classrooms?
When Totto-chan realized that the school used railroad cars as classrooms, she was thrilled and astonished. She couldn't believe her eyes and even thought it was something from a dream. She was so excited that she immediately ran toward the "train school," expressing her delight and joy at the sight of it. The idea of learning in a train was completely novel to her and added to the charm of the school in her eyes.
c) How long did Totto-chan talk to the headmaster, Sosaku Kobayashi? What does that tell you about the headmaster?
Totto-chan talked to the headmaster for about four hours. This shows that the headmaster was very patient, kind, and genuinely interested in what she had to say. He listened attentively, without interrupting or getting bored, which made Totto-chan feel heard and valued. His patience and willingness to engage in conversation reflect his understanding and caring nature, making him a unique and welcoming figure in Totto-chan's life.
MCQs with Answers:
What did Totto-chan see at the gate of the new school?
a) Concrete pillars with the school's name
b) Two short posts with twigs and leaves
c) A large wooden gate
d) A modern steel gate
Answer: b) Two short posts with twigs and leaves
How did Totto-chan describe the gate of the new school?
a) Old and rusty
b) Growing
c) Beautifully painted
d) Sturdy and large
Answer: b) Growing
What was unique about the classrooms in the new school?
a) They were made of wood
b) They were located in old houses
c) They were inside railroad cars
d) They were under trees
Answer: c) They were inside railroad cars
How did Totto-chan feel when she saw the railroad cars?
a) Shocked
b) Excited
c) Confused
d) Scared
Answer: b) Excited
Why did Totto-chan run toward the train?
a) To catch a ride
b) To explore the train
c) Because she thought it was part of the school
d) To talk to the headmaster
Answer: c) Because she thought it was part of the school
What did Mother tell Totto-chan when she tried to enter the train?
a) She could go inside after school started
b) She should wait for the train to start
c) She needed to be polite to the headmaster
d) She could not go in yet because it was locked
Answer: c) She needed to be polite to the headmaster
What did Totto-chan think about the headmaster when she saw him?
a) He must be a stationmaster
b) He was a strict teacher
c) He was a friendly man
d) He was very tall
Answer: a) He must be a stationmaster
How did the headmaster react when Totto-chan asked if he was a stationmaster?
a) He was upset
b) He laughed and explained he was the headmaster
c) He ignored her
d) He told her to leave
Answer: b) He laughed and explained he was the headmaster
What did the headmaster do after Totto-chan talked for a long time?
a) He asked her to stop talking
b) He gave her a break
c) He told her she was a pupil of the school
d) He asked her to tell more stories
Answer: c) He told her she was a pupil of the school
How long did the conversation between Totto-chan and the headmaster last?
a) 30 minutes
b) 1 hour
c) 4 hours
d) 2 hours
Answer: c) 4 hours
Bangla Translation
বাংলা অনুবাদঃ
নতুন স্কুল
নতুন স্কুলের গেট দেখে তোত্তো-চান থমকে গেলেন। স্কুলের গেট
সে আগে স্কুলের নাম বড় বড়
অক্ষর লেখা সূক্ষ্ম কংক্রিটের স্তম্ভে যেত। কিন্তু এই নতুন স্কুলের গেটটিতে কেবল দুটি ছোট খুঁটি ছিল
যেগুলোতে এখনও ডালপালা এবং পাতা ছিল।
"এই গেটটি বাড়ছে," তোত্তো-চান বললেন। "এটি সম্ভবত বাড়তে থাকবে যতক্ষণ না এটি টেলিফোনের খুঁটির চেয়েও লম্বা হয়!"
দুটি "ফটকের" মধ্যে স্পষ্টতই শিকড়যুক্ত গাছ ছিল। যখন সে কাছে এলো, তখন তাকে
স্কুলের নাম পড়ার জন্য মাথা একপাশে রাখতে হয়েছিল কারণ বাতাস বইছিল
সাইনবোর্ডটি উল্টো।
"তো-মো-এ গা-কু-এন।"
তোত্তো-চান মাকে জিজ্ঞাসা করতে যাচ্ছিলেন "তোমো" এর অর্থ কী, ঠিক তখনই তিনি এমন কিছুর
ঝলক দেখতে পেলেন যা তাকে ভাবতে বাধ্য করেছিল যে সে নিশ্চয়ই স্বপ্ন দেখছে। সে বসে পড়ল
এবং ঝোপঝাড়ের মধ্য দিয়ে ভালো করে দেখার জন্য তাকালো, আর সে নিজের
চোখ বিশ্বাস করতে পারছিল না।
"মা, এটা কি সত্যিই একটা ট্রেন! ওখানে, স্কুলের মাঠে!"
তার শ্রেণীকক্ষের জন্য, স্কুলটি ছয়টি পরিত্যক্ত রেলওয়ে গাড়ি ব্যবহার করেছিল। টোটো-
চানের কাছে এটা এমন কিছু মনে হয়েছিল যা তুমি স্বপ্নে দেখতে পারো। ট্রেনের মধ্যে একটি স্কুল!
সকালের সূর্যের আলোয় রেলওয়ে গাড়ির জানালা জ্বলজ্বল করছিল। কিন্তু
ঝোপঝাড়ের মধ্য দিয়ে তাদের দিকে তাকিয়ে থাকা গোলাপী গালওয়ালা ছোট্ট মেয়েটির চোখ আরও
আরও জ্বলজ্বল করে উঠল।
"আমি এই স্কুলটি পছন্দ করি!"
কিছুক্ষণ পরে, টোটো-চান আনন্দের এক ঝলক বের করে
"ট্রেন স্কুল" এর দিকে দৌড়াতে শুরু করল, মাকে কাঁধে ধরে ডাকতে লাগল, "এসো, তাড়াতাড়ি চলো, চলো
এই ট্রেনটি দাঁড়িয়ে আছে।"
চমকে মা তার পিছনে দৌড়াতে শুরু করলেন। মা একবার বাস্কেটবল দলে ছিলেন,
তাই সে তোত্তো-চানের চেয়ে দ্রুত ছিল এবং
দরজায় পৌঁছানোর সাথে সাথে তার পোশাক ধরে ফেলল।
“তুমি এখনও ভেতরে যেতে পারো না,” মা তাকে ধরে বলল। “গাড়িগুলো ক্লাসরুম, আর
তোমাকে এখনও এখানে ভর্তি করা হয়নি। যদি তুমি সত্যিই এই ট্রেনে উঠতে চাও, তাহলে তোমাকে
প্রধান শিক্ষকের সাথে ভালো এবং ভদ্র হতে হবে। আমরা এখনই তার সাথে দেখা করব, এবং যদি
সবকিছু ঠিকঠাক হয়, তাহলে তুমি এই স্কুলে যেতে পারবে। বুঝতে পারছো?”
তোত্তো-চান "ট্রেনে" না উঠতে পেরে ভীষণ হতাশ হয়ে পড়েছিল, কিন্তু সে
সিদ্ধান্ত নিল যে মা তাকে যা বলেছিলেন তাই করা উচিত।
"ঠিক আছে," সে বলল। তারপর যোগ করল, "আমি এই স্কুলটি খুব পছন্দ করি।"
মা তাকে বলতে চাইল যে এটা তার স্কুল পছন্দ কিনা তা নয় বরং
প্রধান শিক্ষক তাকে পছন্দ করেন কিনা তা। কিন্তু সে তোত্তো-চানের পোশাক ছেড়ে দিল,
তার হাত ধরে, এবং প্রধান শিক্ষকের অফিসের দিকে হাঁটতে শুরু করল।
সব রেলগাড়ি নীরব ছিল, কারণ দিনের প্রথম ক্লাস শুরু হয়ে গিয়েছিল।
দেয়ালের পরিবর্তে, খুব প্রশস্ত নয় এমন স্কুলের মাঠ গাছপালা দিয়ে ঘেরা ছিল, এবং সেখানে
লাল এবং হলুদ ফুলে ভরা ফুলের বিছানা ছিল।
প্রধান শিক্ষকের অফিসটি রেলগাড়িতে ছিল না, বরং একটি
একতলা ভবনের ডানদিকে ছিল যা প্রায় সাতটি পাথরের অর্ধবৃত্তাকার উড়ানের উপরে দাঁড়িয়ে ছিল
গেটের বিপরীতে ধাপে ধাপে।
তোত্তো-চান মায়ের হাত ছেড়ে দিয়ে সিঁড়ি বেয়ে উপরে উঠে গেল, তারপর ঘুরে দাঁড়াল
হঠাৎ, প্রায় মা তার সাথে ধাক্কা খেয়ে পড়ে গেল।
"কি ব্যাপার?" মা জিজ্ঞাসা করলেন, ভয়ে তোত্তো-চান হয়তো স্কুল সম্পর্কে তার মন পরিবর্তন করেছেন।
উপরের সিঁড়িতে তার উপরে দাঁড়িয়ে, তোত্তো-চান মাকে সম্পূর্ণ ফিসফিসিয়ে বললেন
গম্ভীরভাবে, "আমরা যে লোকটিকে দেখতে যাচ্ছি সে অবশ্যই একজন স্টেশনমাস্টার!"
মা প্রচুর ধৈর্যের পাশাপাশি মজার অনুভূতিও দেখিয়েছিলেন। তিনি
তোত্তো-চানের দিকে মুখ করে ফিসফিসিয়ে বললেন, "কেন?"
তোত্তো-চান ফিসফিসিয়ে বললেন, "তুমি বলেছিলে সে হেডমাস্টার, কিন্তু যদি সে সব
এই ট্রেনের মালিক হয়, তাহলে সে অবশ্যই একজন স্টেশনমাস্টার।"
মাকে স্বীকার করতে হয়েছিল যে একটি স্কুলের জন্য পুরানো রেলওয়ে গাড়ি ব্যবহার করা অস্বাভাবিক ছিল, কিন্তু
ব্যাখ্যা করার সময় ছিল না। তিনি কেবল বললেন, "তুমি কেন তাকে নিজেই জিজ্ঞাসা করো না!
আর যাই হোক, বাবা সম্পর্কে কী? সে বেহালা বাজায় এবং বেশ কয়েকটি বেহালার মালিক, কিন্তু
এতে আমাদের বাড়ি বেহালার দোকান হয় না, তাই না?"
"না, তা নয়," তোত্তো-চান সম্মতি জানালেন, মায়ের হাত ধরে।
প্রধান শিক্ষক
মা এবং তোত্তো-চান যখন ভেতরে ঢুকলেন, তখন অফিসের লোকটি তার চেয়ার থেকে উঠে দাঁড়ালেন।
তার চুল পাতলা ছিল এবং তার কয়েকটি দাঁত ছিল না, কিন্তু তার মুখের রঙ ছিল সুস্থ
রঙের। যদিও সে খুব লম্বা ছিল না, তার কাঁধ এবং বাহু শক্ত ছিল এবং সুন্দরভাবে
একটি জীর্ণ কালো থ্রি-পিস স্যুট পরেছিল।
তাড়াহুড়ো করে ধনুকের সাথে, তোত্তো-চান তাকে উৎসাহের সাথে জিজ্ঞাসা করলেন, "তুমি কি, একজন স্কুলমাস্টার নাকি
স্টেশনমাস্টার?"
মা লজ্জা পেলেন, কিন্তু ব্যাখ্যা করার সময় পাওয়ার আগেই, তিনি হেসে উত্তর দিলেন,
"আমি এই স্কুলের প্রধান শিক্ষক।"
তোত্তো-চান খুশি হলেন। "ওহ, আমি খুব খুশি," তিনি বললেন, "কারণ আমি তোমার কাছে একটি
অনুগ্রহ চাইতে চাই। আমি তোমার স্কুলে আসতে চাই।"
প্রধান শিক্ষক তাকে একটি চেয়ার দিলেন এবং মাকে বললেন। "তুমি এখন বাড়ি যেতে পারো। আমি
তোত্তো-চানের সাথে কথা বলতে চাই।"
তোত্তো-চানের এক মুহূর্তের জন্য অস্বস্তি হচ্ছিল, কিন্তু কোনওভাবে মনে হচ্ছিল সে এই লোকটির সাথে সব ঠিকঠাক করে নেবে। "আচ্ছা, তাহলে, আমি ওকে তোমার কাছে রেখে যাচ্ছি," মা সাহসের সাথে বললেন, এবং
তার পিছনে দরজা বন্ধ করে দিলেন।
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Vocabulary with Bangla Meaning:
Gate – প্রবেশদ্বার
Pillars – স্তম্ভ
Concrete – কংক্রিট
Twigs – ডালপালা
Shrubbery – গুল্মজাতীয় উদ্ভিদ
Abandoned – পরিত্যক্ত
Classroom – শ্রেণীকক্ষ
Railroad – রেলপথ
Sparkle – ঝিলমিল করা
Hasty – তাড়াহুড়ো
Embarrassed – বিব্রত
Spiritedly – প্রাণবন্তভাবে
Uneasiness – অস্বস্তি
Bravely – সাহসিকতার সাথে
Burrowed – গর্তে প্রবেশ করা
Expelled – বহিষ্কৃত
Disposition – মনোভাব
Absent-minded – মনোযোগহীন
Shabby – পুরনো এবং অবহেলিত
Grateful – কৃতজ্ঞ
Whispered – ফিসফিস করে বলা
Delighted – আনন্দিত
Nodded – মাথা ঝাঁকানো
Rambling – এলোমেলো কথা বলা
Listen – শোনা
Patience – ধৈর্য
Sociable – সামাজিক
Violet – বেগুনি
Impression – ধারণা
Spontaneous – স্বতঃস্ফূর্ত
Reassured – আশ্বস্ত করা
Familiar – পরিচিত
Torn – ছিঁড়ে যাওয়া
Eager – আগ্রহী
Tearful – চোখে জল আসা
Joyful – আনন্দিত
Vibrant – উজ্জ্বল
Curiosity – কৌতূহল
Strange – অদ্ভুত
Adorable – চমৎকার
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