NCERT Textbook: Say the Right Thing

 Page 1


70
s Ay the r ight t hing Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs and discuss. 
 1. What does ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ mean?
 2. Why is it important to be polite to guests?
 II Choose the statements that display polite behaviour when you have 
guests at home.
 1. Offer the guests a glass of water.
 2. Enquire about the well-being of the guests.
 3. Ask the guests when they would leave.
 4. Comment critically about the habits of guests.
 5. Accompany the guests to the door when they leave.
 III Sometimes you ??nd that a few friends in class are rude while disagreeing 
with each other on certain issues. Work in groups. How would you deal 
with such a situation? Share at least three ways in which you can do this.
vfrfFknsOkks HkOk
Poorvi Unit 2.indd   70 Unit 2.indd   70 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Page 2


70
s Ay the r ight t hing Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs and discuss. 
 1. What does ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ mean?
 2. Why is it important to be polite to guests?
 II Choose the statements that display polite behaviour when you have 
guests at home.
 1. Offer the guests a glass of water.
 2. Enquire about the well-being of the guests.
 3. Ask the guests when they would leave.
 4. Comment critically about the habits of guests.
 5. Accompany the guests to the door when they leave.
 III Sometimes you ??nd that a few friends in class are rude while disagreeing 
with each other on certain issues. Work in groups. How would you deal 
with such a situation? Share at least three ways in which you can do this.
vfrfFknsOkks HkOk
Poorvi Unit 2.indd   70 Unit 2.indd   70 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Wit and Humour 71
 Let us read
This is a humorous play in which a mother advises her 
daughter to say the right thing at the right time. However, 
when guests arrive, the daughter hilariously forgets her 
mother’s guidance.
Read the play to ??nd out how she commits blunders and 
embarrasses the guests as well as her mother. 
Characters
m ary SHa W : a young girl
m r S. SHa W : Mary’s mother
m r S. Harding : the wife of Mr. Harding, a wealthy man
m r S. Lee : Mr. Harding’s married sister
hilariously: in 
a very funny 
way
blunders: 
careless 
mistakes
embarrasses: 
makes (the 
guests) 
uncomfortable
Scene I
m r S. SHa W : The room looks cleaner now. Put that coat away in 
your bedroom. This room isn’t the place for coats. 
Unit 2.indd   71 Unit 2.indd   71 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Page 3


70
s Ay the r ight t hing Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs and discuss. 
 1. What does ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ mean?
 2. Why is it important to be polite to guests?
 II Choose the statements that display polite behaviour when you have 
guests at home.
 1. Offer the guests a glass of water.
 2. Enquire about the well-being of the guests.
 3. Ask the guests when they would leave.
 4. Comment critically about the habits of guests.
 5. Accompany the guests to the door when they leave.
 III Sometimes you ??nd that a few friends in class are rude while disagreeing 
with each other on certain issues. Work in groups. How would you deal 
with such a situation? Share at least three ways in which you can do this.
vfrfFknsOkks HkOk
Poorvi Unit 2.indd   70 Unit 2.indd   70 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Wit and Humour 71
 Let us read
This is a humorous play in which a mother advises her 
daughter to say the right thing at the right time. However, 
when guests arrive, the daughter hilariously forgets her 
mother’s guidance.
Read the play to ??nd out how she commits blunders and 
embarrasses the guests as well as her mother. 
Characters
m ary SHa W : a young girl
m r S. SHa W : Mary’s mother
m r S. Harding : the wife of Mr. Harding, a wealthy man
m r S. Lee : Mr. Harding’s married sister
hilariously: in 
a very funny 
way
blunders: 
careless 
mistakes
embarrasses: 
makes (the 
guests) 
uncomfortable
Scene I
m r S. SHa W : The room looks cleaner now. Put that coat away in 
your bedroom. This room isn’t the place for coats. 
Unit 2.indd   71 Unit 2.indd   71 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Poorvi 72
Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee will soon be here, and 
they don’t want to see that.
m ary : You’re always telling me to put things away.
m r S. SHa W : Yes, I am. You leave your clothes all over the house.
m ary : I’m not a child!
m r S. SHa W : No, you’re not. So please keep your clothes in your 
own room.
m ary : Why are those two women coming here? Who’s Mrs. 
Harding?
m r S. SHa W : She’s the wife of a wealthy man, Mr. Harding. He 
has just bought a big house in Lan??eld. They lived in 
London before. She’s coming to have a talk. I met her 
in a shop and asked her to come.
m ary : Oh, I’ve seen her children. They often come along the 
road. Who’s Mrs. Lee?
m r S. SHa W : She’s Mr. Harding’s sister. She has been staying with 
them for a while.
m ary : What are you going to talk about?
m r S. SHa W : I don’t know. All kinds of things. One day you’ll have 
to go to some of these houses yourself and talk to the 
people there.
m ary : I can talk now. I’ve been able to talk for a long time.
m r S. SHa W : Yes, that’s true. You always talk too much. But does 
anyone want to hear the things that you say?
m ary : I can talk very well when I like. I’ll stay with you 
today and talk to them when they come.
m r S. SHa W : Oh, I don’t think so. You can go out for a walk. It will 
be better if you do that. 
m ary : Why?
m r S. SHa W : If you stay with me, you may not say the right thing.
m ary : I know the right things to say: “Good afternoon”, 
“How are you?” and things like that. Let me stay 
today. I can do it very well. I’ll show you. Anyone  
can talk.
Unit 2.indd   72 Unit 2.indd   72 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Page 4


70
s Ay the r ight t hing Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs and discuss. 
 1. What does ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ mean?
 2. Why is it important to be polite to guests?
 II Choose the statements that display polite behaviour when you have 
guests at home.
 1. Offer the guests a glass of water.
 2. Enquire about the well-being of the guests.
 3. Ask the guests when they would leave.
 4. Comment critically about the habits of guests.
 5. Accompany the guests to the door when they leave.
 III Sometimes you ??nd that a few friends in class are rude while disagreeing 
with each other on certain issues. Work in groups. How would you deal 
with such a situation? Share at least three ways in which you can do this.
vfrfFknsOkks HkOk
Poorvi Unit 2.indd   70 Unit 2.indd   70 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Wit and Humour 71
 Let us read
This is a humorous play in which a mother advises her 
daughter to say the right thing at the right time. However, 
when guests arrive, the daughter hilariously forgets her 
mother’s guidance.
Read the play to ??nd out how she commits blunders and 
embarrasses the guests as well as her mother. 
Characters
m ary SHa W : a young girl
m r S. SHa W : Mary’s mother
m r S. Harding : the wife of Mr. Harding, a wealthy man
m r S. Lee : Mr. Harding’s married sister
hilariously: in 
a very funny 
way
blunders: 
careless 
mistakes
embarrasses: 
makes (the 
guests) 
uncomfortable
Scene I
m r S. SHa W : The room looks cleaner now. Put that coat away in 
your bedroom. This room isn’t the place for coats. 
Unit 2.indd   71 Unit 2.indd   71 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Poorvi 72
Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee will soon be here, and 
they don’t want to see that.
m ary : You’re always telling me to put things away.
m r S. SHa W : Yes, I am. You leave your clothes all over the house.
m ary : I’m not a child!
m r S. SHa W : No, you’re not. So please keep your clothes in your 
own room.
m ary : Why are those two women coming here? Who’s Mrs. 
Harding?
m r S. SHa W : She’s the wife of a wealthy man, Mr. Harding. He 
has just bought a big house in Lan??eld. They lived in 
London before. She’s coming to have a talk. I met her 
in a shop and asked her to come.
m ary : Oh, I’ve seen her children. They often come along the 
road. Who’s Mrs. Lee?
m r S. SHa W : She’s Mr. Harding’s sister. She has been staying with 
them for a while.
m ary : What are you going to talk about?
m r S. SHa W : I don’t know. All kinds of things. One day you’ll have 
to go to some of these houses yourself and talk to the 
people there.
m ary : I can talk now. I’ve been able to talk for a long time.
m r S. SHa W : Yes, that’s true. You always talk too much. But does 
anyone want to hear the things that you say?
m ary : I can talk very well when I like. I’ll stay with you 
today and talk to them when they come.
m r S. SHa W : Oh, I don’t think so. You can go out for a walk. It will 
be better if you do that. 
m ary : Why?
m r S. SHa W : If you stay with me, you may not say the right thing.
m ary : I know the right things to say: “Good afternoon”, 
“How are you?” and things like that. Let me stay 
today. I can do it very well. I’ll show you. Anyone  
can talk.
Unit 2.indd   72 Unit 2.indd   72 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Wit and Humour 73
m r S. SHa W : You may stay if you like. But take 
care. I want to know Mrs. Harding 
well. I want her to ask me to go to 
their house. There isn’t much to 
do here in Lan??eld, and I want to 
know some more people. I want 
some more friends here. So take 
care when you say anything.
m ary : Tell me what to say.
m r S. SHa W : I can’t tell you everything, but 
you’ll always be right if you’re 
kind to people. Say things that 
will please them. Then they’ll like 
you. Laugh a lot, and try to make 
them laugh too. And if everyone stops talking, say 
something to make them talk again. They don’t want 
to sit here and look at the ??oor without speaking. 
Think of something to say.
m ary : I can do that. There’s always something to say. Must I 
do anything else?
m r S. SHa W : When they are ready to leave, don’t jump out of your 
chair and look gladly at the door. You must look sorry 
when they want to leave.
m ary : What shall I do when they want to go?
m r S. SHa W : Ask them to stay a little while longer. Just say, “Must 
you go? Can’t you stay?” or something like that. You 
like them and you want them to stay, and you must 
let them understand that.
m ary : That’s not very hard, is it? I’ll remember that. “Must 
you go? Can’t you stay? Must you go? Can’t you stay?”
m r S. SHa W : That’s right. Now take your coat to your room 
and change into a clean dress. You must look nice 
when they come. And if everyone stops talking, say 
something kind to make them talk again. And don’t 
say anything that will make them angry. 
m ary : I will remember. I’ve often done harder things than this.
Unit 2.indd   73 Unit 2.indd   73 06-Mar-25   2:51:25 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:25 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Page 5


70
s Ay the r ight t hing Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs and discuss. 
 1. What does ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ mean?
 2. Why is it important to be polite to guests?
 II Choose the statements that display polite behaviour when you have 
guests at home.
 1. Offer the guests a glass of water.
 2. Enquire about the well-being of the guests.
 3. Ask the guests when they would leave.
 4. Comment critically about the habits of guests.
 5. Accompany the guests to the door when they leave.
 III Sometimes you ??nd that a few friends in class are rude while disagreeing 
with each other on certain issues. Work in groups. How would you deal 
with such a situation? Share at least three ways in which you can do this.
vfrfFknsOkks HkOk
Poorvi Unit 2.indd   70 Unit 2.indd   70 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:21 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Wit and Humour 71
 Let us read
This is a humorous play in which a mother advises her 
daughter to say the right thing at the right time. However, 
when guests arrive, the daughter hilariously forgets her 
mother’s guidance.
Read the play to ??nd out how she commits blunders and 
embarrasses the guests as well as her mother. 
Characters
m ary SHa W : a young girl
m r S. SHa W : Mary’s mother
m r S. Harding : the wife of Mr. Harding, a wealthy man
m r S. Lee : Mr. Harding’s married sister
hilariously: in 
a very funny 
way
blunders: 
careless 
mistakes
embarrasses: 
makes (the 
guests) 
uncomfortable
Scene I
m r S. SHa W : The room looks cleaner now. Put that coat away in 
your bedroom. This room isn’t the place for coats. 
Unit 2.indd   71 Unit 2.indd   71 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Poorvi 72
Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee will soon be here, and 
they don’t want to see that.
m ary : You’re always telling me to put things away.
m r S. SHa W : Yes, I am. You leave your clothes all over the house.
m ary : I’m not a child!
m r S. SHa W : No, you’re not. So please keep your clothes in your 
own room.
m ary : Why are those two women coming here? Who’s Mrs. 
Harding?
m r S. SHa W : She’s the wife of a wealthy man, Mr. Harding. He 
has just bought a big house in Lan??eld. They lived in 
London before. She’s coming to have a talk. I met her 
in a shop and asked her to come.
m ary : Oh, I’ve seen her children. They often come along the 
road. Who’s Mrs. Lee?
m r S. SHa W : She’s Mr. Harding’s sister. She has been staying with 
them for a while.
m ary : What are you going to talk about?
m r S. SHa W : I don’t know. All kinds of things. One day you’ll have 
to go to some of these houses yourself and talk to the 
people there.
m ary : I can talk now. I’ve been able to talk for a long time.
m r S. SHa W : Yes, that’s true. You always talk too much. But does 
anyone want to hear the things that you say?
m ary : I can talk very well when I like. I’ll stay with you 
today and talk to them when they come.
m r S. SHa W : Oh, I don’t think so. You can go out for a walk. It will 
be better if you do that. 
m ary : Why?
m r S. SHa W : If you stay with me, you may not say the right thing.
m ary : I know the right things to say: “Good afternoon”, 
“How are you?” and things like that. Let me stay 
today. I can do it very well. I’ll show you. Anyone  
can talk.
Unit 2.indd   72 Unit 2.indd   72 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:23 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Wit and Humour 73
m r S. SHa W : You may stay if you like. But take 
care. I want to know Mrs. Harding 
well. I want her to ask me to go to 
their house. There isn’t much to 
do here in Lan??eld, and I want to 
know some more people. I want 
some more friends here. So take 
care when you say anything.
m ary : Tell me what to say.
m r S. SHa W : I can’t tell you everything, but 
you’ll always be right if you’re 
kind to people. Say things that 
will please them. Then they’ll like 
you. Laugh a lot, and try to make 
them laugh too. And if everyone stops talking, say 
something to make them talk again. They don’t want 
to sit here and look at the ??oor without speaking. 
Think of something to say.
m ary : I can do that. There’s always something to say. Must I 
do anything else?
m r S. SHa W : When they are ready to leave, don’t jump out of your 
chair and look gladly at the door. You must look sorry 
when they want to leave.
m ary : What shall I do when they want to go?
m r S. SHa W : Ask them to stay a little while longer. Just say, “Must 
you go? Can’t you stay?” or something like that. You 
like them and you want them to stay, and you must 
let them understand that.
m ary : That’s not very hard, is it? I’ll remember that. “Must 
you go? Can’t you stay? Must you go? Can’t you stay?”
m r S. SHa W : That’s right. Now take your coat to your room 
and change into a clean dress. You must look nice 
when they come. And if everyone stops talking, say 
something kind to make them talk again. And don’t 
say anything that will make them angry. 
m ary : I will remember. I’ve often done harder things than this.
Unit 2.indd   73 Unit 2.indd   73 06-Mar-25   2:51:25 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:25 PM
Reprint 2026-27
Poorvi Let us discuss
 I Complete the table given below based on Scene I of the play. An example 
has been done for you. Share your answers with your classmates and the 
teacher.
Speaker Words of the Speaker Reason
Mrs. Shaw The room looks cleaner 
now. Put that coat away in 
your bedroom.
To instruct Mary to keep 
the room tidy
Mary You’re always telling me to 
put things away.
I’m not a child!
Mrs. Shaw To highlight the 
importance of being kind 
as a way to ensure Mary 
says the appropriate things 
when guests arrive
 II Do you think Mary will be able to follow her mother’s advice successfully 
when Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee visit? Why or why not?
Scene II 
74
Unit 2.indd   74 Unit 2.indd   74 06-Mar-25   2:51:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:51:30 PM
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