NCERT Textbook: From the Diary of Anne Frank | English Class 10 PDF Download

 Page 1


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;
UNIT 
4
From the Diary o F 
a nne Frank Let ’s Begin The World Wars fought in the past stand testimony to the fact 
that fighting wars brings severe human suffering. The sufferers, 
including women and children are left behind with trauma and 
indelible impressions on their minds. You have read in the  
Class X English textbook the account of one such war in the 
diary of Anne Frank who captured the miseries of war in her 
diary. Discuss how you may relate to Anne Frank’s feelings of 
alienation and isolation.
Reading Comp Rehension 
t ext i The following excerpt is from the diary of Lena Mukhina, a 
teenage girl who had undergone the atrocities of Germans when 
they fortified the city of Leningrad. The siege of Leningrad is 
an important landmark in the history of Russia. The siege of 
Leningrad lasted from September 1941 to 1944. The city was cut 
off from the rest of Russia. The Germans continuously bombarded 
the city which resulted in death, destruction, and starvation of 
the people. However, the resolute Russians were warned in the 
beginning that the enemy was at the gate and it was a question 
of life and death. They fought bravely and failed the Germans in 
their evil designs.
Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow.
Foreword from The Diary of Lena Mukhina
No one could possibly have known that the city would remain in 
the grip of siege for 872 days and nights. But Leningrad’s citizens 
had begun to feel the breath of war as early as September. Daily 
 aftermath
apathy
appalling
inclement
severely
siege
Look Up 
and Understand Unit-4.indd   45 27-Jun-2019   04:19:28 PM
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Page 2


?
;
UNIT 
4
From the Diary o F 
a nne Frank Let ’s Begin The World Wars fought in the past stand testimony to the fact 
that fighting wars brings severe human suffering. The sufferers, 
including women and children are left behind with trauma and 
indelible impressions on their minds. You have read in the  
Class X English textbook the account of one such war in the 
diary of Anne Frank who captured the miseries of war in her 
diary. Discuss how you may relate to Anne Frank’s feelings of 
alienation and isolation.
Reading Comp Rehension 
t ext i The following excerpt is from the diary of Lena Mukhina, a 
teenage girl who had undergone the atrocities of Germans when 
they fortified the city of Leningrad. The siege of Leningrad is 
an important landmark in the history of Russia. The siege of 
Leningrad lasted from September 1941 to 1944. The city was cut 
off from the rest of Russia. The Germans continuously bombarded 
the city which resulted in death, destruction, and starvation of 
the people. However, the resolute Russians were warned in the 
beginning that the enemy was at the gate and it was a question 
of life and death. They fought bravely and failed the Germans in 
their evil designs.
Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow.
Foreword from The Diary of Lena Mukhina
No one could possibly have known that the city would remain in 
the grip of siege for 872 days and nights. But Leningrad’s citizens 
had begun to feel the breath of war as early as September. Daily 
 aftermath
apathy
appalling
inclement
severely
siege
Look Up 
and Understand Unit-4.indd   45 27-Jun-2019   04:19:28 PM
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Words and Expr Essions 2 – Class x 46
air raids and artillery bombardment of residential 
neighbourhoods drove the city’s inhabitants into 
bomb shelters, several times a day, and for hours at 
a time. People’s initial curiosity in the aftermath 
of the first bomb attacks soon gave way to fear 
and then, in conditions of appalling hunger 
and cold, to apathy. Leningraders welcomed 
inclement weather for the reduced visibility 
it brought. They came to dread sunny days 
and moonlit nights, when the Germans 
would be sure to bomb their city. Cloud 
cover, however, offered no protection 
from artillery fire: in just over six 
months from the start of the siege there 
were only thirty-two days when shells 
did not explode on the city’s streets.
Hunger soon set in. Between September 
and November 1941 the bread rations that had been announced 
in July were reduced five times, reaching their lowest point on 20 
November — 125 ‘blockade grams’ for children, dependents and 
white-collar workers and 250g for manual workers, technicians 
and engineers. Rations of meat, butter, sugar and other food 
items were severely reduced. The summer months and the 
beginning of autumn, when it was still possible to buy food 
without ration cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no 
more than a distant memory.
Lena Mukhina
Q.1. Infer the meanings of the following expressions. 
The first has been done for you as an example.
 (a) to feel the breath of war: there were indications 
that war was going to start soon
 (b) appalling hunger and cold: ________________________
  ________________________________________________.
 (c) start of the siege: ________________________________
  ________________________________________________.
 (d) blockade grams: _________________________________
  ________________________________________________.
Unit-4.indd   46 27-Jun-2019   04:19:29 PM
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Page 3


?
;
UNIT 
4
From the Diary o F 
a nne Frank Let ’s Begin The World Wars fought in the past stand testimony to the fact 
that fighting wars brings severe human suffering. The sufferers, 
including women and children are left behind with trauma and 
indelible impressions on their minds. You have read in the  
Class X English textbook the account of one such war in the 
diary of Anne Frank who captured the miseries of war in her 
diary. Discuss how you may relate to Anne Frank’s feelings of 
alienation and isolation.
Reading Comp Rehension 
t ext i The following excerpt is from the diary of Lena Mukhina, a 
teenage girl who had undergone the atrocities of Germans when 
they fortified the city of Leningrad. The siege of Leningrad is 
an important landmark in the history of Russia. The siege of 
Leningrad lasted from September 1941 to 1944. The city was cut 
off from the rest of Russia. The Germans continuously bombarded 
the city which resulted in death, destruction, and starvation of 
the people. However, the resolute Russians were warned in the 
beginning that the enemy was at the gate and it was a question 
of life and death. They fought bravely and failed the Germans in 
their evil designs.
Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow.
Foreword from The Diary of Lena Mukhina
No one could possibly have known that the city would remain in 
the grip of siege for 872 days and nights. But Leningrad’s citizens 
had begun to feel the breath of war as early as September. Daily 
 aftermath
apathy
appalling
inclement
severely
siege
Look Up 
and Understand Unit-4.indd   45 27-Jun-2019   04:19:28 PM
Reprint 2024-25
Words and Expr Essions 2 – Class x 46
air raids and artillery bombardment of residential 
neighbourhoods drove the city’s inhabitants into 
bomb shelters, several times a day, and for hours at 
a time. People’s initial curiosity in the aftermath 
of the first bomb attacks soon gave way to fear 
and then, in conditions of appalling hunger 
and cold, to apathy. Leningraders welcomed 
inclement weather for the reduced visibility 
it brought. They came to dread sunny days 
and moonlit nights, when the Germans 
would be sure to bomb their city. Cloud 
cover, however, offered no protection 
from artillery fire: in just over six 
months from the start of the siege there 
were only thirty-two days when shells 
did not explode on the city’s streets.
Hunger soon set in. Between September 
and November 1941 the bread rations that had been announced 
in July were reduced five times, reaching their lowest point on 20 
November — 125 ‘blockade grams’ for children, dependents and 
white-collar workers and 250g for manual workers, technicians 
and engineers. Rations of meat, butter, sugar and other food 
items were severely reduced. The summer months and the 
beginning of autumn, when it was still possible to buy food 
without ration cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no 
more than a distant memory.
Lena Mukhina
Q.1. Infer the meanings of the following expressions. 
The first has been done for you as an example.
 (a) to feel the breath of war: there were indications 
that war was going to start soon
 (b) appalling hunger and cold: ________________________
  ________________________________________________.
 (c) start of the siege: ________________________________
  ________________________________________________.
 (d) blockade grams: _________________________________
  ________________________________________________.
Unit-4.indd   46 27-Jun-2019   04:19:29 PM
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Unit 4 – From the Diary oF a nne Frank 47
Sentences
Q.2. List the words from the passage which are related 
to the war, for example ‘bombardment’.
  ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
Q.3. Answer the following questions:
 (a) Who were the captives as stated in the above 
passage?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (b) Why did the people under siege welcome the bad 
weather conditions?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (c) What were the fears in the mind of the people?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (d) Have the people lost hope or reconciled to the 
existing situation?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
Q.4. Tick the correct answer
  ‘…when it was still possible to buy food without ration  
  cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no more  
  than a distant memory.’ It means:
 (a) There was hope of getting ration soon.
 (b) Citizens under siege had to show their ration cards 
for buying food.
 (c) There were shops and canteen for buying food for 
the people under siege. 
 (d) The possibility of buying the food without a ration 
card as in the past, was no more than a memory 
now.
Unit-4.indd   47 27-Jun-2019   04:19:30 PM
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Page 4


?
;
UNIT 
4
From the Diary o F 
a nne Frank Let ’s Begin The World Wars fought in the past stand testimony to the fact 
that fighting wars brings severe human suffering. The sufferers, 
including women and children are left behind with trauma and 
indelible impressions on their minds. You have read in the  
Class X English textbook the account of one such war in the 
diary of Anne Frank who captured the miseries of war in her 
diary. Discuss how you may relate to Anne Frank’s feelings of 
alienation and isolation.
Reading Comp Rehension 
t ext i The following excerpt is from the diary of Lena Mukhina, a 
teenage girl who had undergone the atrocities of Germans when 
they fortified the city of Leningrad. The siege of Leningrad is 
an important landmark in the history of Russia. The siege of 
Leningrad lasted from September 1941 to 1944. The city was cut 
off from the rest of Russia. The Germans continuously bombarded 
the city which resulted in death, destruction, and starvation of 
the people. However, the resolute Russians were warned in the 
beginning that the enemy was at the gate and it was a question 
of life and death. They fought bravely and failed the Germans in 
their evil designs.
Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow.
Foreword from The Diary of Lena Mukhina
No one could possibly have known that the city would remain in 
the grip of siege for 872 days and nights. But Leningrad’s citizens 
had begun to feel the breath of war as early as September. Daily 
 aftermath
apathy
appalling
inclement
severely
siege
Look Up 
and Understand Unit-4.indd   45 27-Jun-2019   04:19:28 PM
Reprint 2024-25
Words and Expr Essions 2 – Class x 46
air raids and artillery bombardment of residential 
neighbourhoods drove the city’s inhabitants into 
bomb shelters, several times a day, and for hours at 
a time. People’s initial curiosity in the aftermath 
of the first bomb attacks soon gave way to fear 
and then, in conditions of appalling hunger 
and cold, to apathy. Leningraders welcomed 
inclement weather for the reduced visibility 
it brought. They came to dread sunny days 
and moonlit nights, when the Germans 
would be sure to bomb their city. Cloud 
cover, however, offered no protection 
from artillery fire: in just over six 
months from the start of the siege there 
were only thirty-two days when shells 
did not explode on the city’s streets.
Hunger soon set in. Between September 
and November 1941 the bread rations that had been announced 
in July were reduced five times, reaching their lowest point on 20 
November — 125 ‘blockade grams’ for children, dependents and 
white-collar workers and 250g for manual workers, technicians 
and engineers. Rations of meat, butter, sugar and other food 
items were severely reduced. The summer months and the 
beginning of autumn, when it was still possible to buy food 
without ration cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no 
more than a distant memory.
Lena Mukhina
Q.1. Infer the meanings of the following expressions. 
The first has been done for you as an example.
 (a) to feel the breath of war: there were indications 
that war was going to start soon
 (b) appalling hunger and cold: ________________________
  ________________________________________________.
 (c) start of the siege: ________________________________
  ________________________________________________.
 (d) blockade grams: _________________________________
  ________________________________________________.
Unit-4.indd   46 27-Jun-2019   04:19:29 PM
Reprint 2024-25
Unit 4 – From the Diary oF a nne Frank 47
Sentences
Q.2. List the words from the passage which are related 
to the war, for example ‘bombardment’.
  ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
Q.3. Answer the following questions:
 (a) Who were the captives as stated in the above 
passage?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (b) Why did the people under siege welcome the bad 
weather conditions?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (c) What were the fears in the mind of the people?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (d) Have the people lost hope or reconciled to the 
existing situation?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
Q.4. Tick the correct answer
  ‘…when it was still possible to buy food without ration  
  cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no more  
  than a distant memory.’ It means:
 (a) There was hope of getting ration soon.
 (b) Citizens under siege had to show their ration cards 
for buying food.
 (c) There were shops and canteen for buying food for 
the people under siege. 
 (d) The possibility of buying the food without a ration 
card as in the past, was no more than a memory 
now.
Unit-4.indd   47 27-Jun-2019   04:19:30 PM
Reprint 2024-25
Words and Expr Essions 2 – Class x 48
Reading Comp Rehension 
t ext ii There are many ways of recording the events, news, and 
personal experiences. Diary writing, logbook, daybook, journal, 
etc. are a few to name. The journal writing is about writing the 
everyday record of an event or writing about an event, activity 
or experience, etc.
The following is an excerpt from the beginning of A Journal of 
the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe.
A Journal of the Plague Year
It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among 
the rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that 
the plague was returned again in Holland; for it had been very 
violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in 
the year 1663, whither, they say, it was brought, some said from 
Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were 
brought home by their Turkey fleet; others said it was brought 
from Candia; others from Cyprus. It mattered not from whence it 
came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again.
We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days 
to spread rumours and reports of things, and to improve them 
by the invention of men, as I have lived to see practiced since. 
But such things as these were gathered from the letters of 
merchants and others who corresponded abroad, and from them 
were handed about by word of mouth only; so that things did not 
spread instantly over the whole nation, as they do now.
But it seems that the Government had a true account of it, 
and several councils were held about ways to prevent its coming 
over; but all was kept very private. Hence, it was that this rumour 
died off again, and people began to forget it as a thing we were 
very little concerned in, and that we hoped was not true; till 
the latter end of November or the beginning of December 1664 
when two men, said to be Frenchmen, died of the plague in Long 
Acre, or rather at the upper end of Drury Lane. The family they 
were in endeavoured to conceal it as much as possible, but as 
it had gotten some vent in the discourse of the neighbourhood, 
the Secretaries of State got knowledge of it; and concerning 
themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain of the truth, 
two physicians and a surgeon were ordered to go to the house 
discourse
inspection
plague
tokens
vent 
Look Up 
and Understand Unit-4.indd   48 27-Jun-2019   04:19:30 PM
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Page 5


?
;
UNIT 
4
From the Diary o F 
a nne Frank Let ’s Begin The World Wars fought in the past stand testimony to the fact 
that fighting wars brings severe human suffering. The sufferers, 
including women and children are left behind with trauma and 
indelible impressions on their minds. You have read in the  
Class X English textbook the account of one such war in the 
diary of Anne Frank who captured the miseries of war in her 
diary. Discuss how you may relate to Anne Frank’s feelings of 
alienation and isolation.
Reading Comp Rehension 
t ext i The following excerpt is from the diary of Lena Mukhina, a 
teenage girl who had undergone the atrocities of Germans when 
they fortified the city of Leningrad. The siege of Leningrad is 
an important landmark in the history of Russia. The siege of 
Leningrad lasted from September 1941 to 1944. The city was cut 
off from the rest of Russia. The Germans continuously bombarded 
the city which resulted in death, destruction, and starvation of 
the people. However, the resolute Russians were warned in the 
beginning that the enemy was at the gate and it was a question 
of life and death. They fought bravely and failed the Germans in 
their evil designs.
Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow.
Foreword from The Diary of Lena Mukhina
No one could possibly have known that the city would remain in 
the grip of siege for 872 days and nights. But Leningrad’s citizens 
had begun to feel the breath of war as early as September. Daily 
 aftermath
apathy
appalling
inclement
severely
siege
Look Up 
and Understand Unit-4.indd   45 27-Jun-2019   04:19:28 PM
Reprint 2024-25
Words and Expr Essions 2 – Class x 46
air raids and artillery bombardment of residential 
neighbourhoods drove the city’s inhabitants into 
bomb shelters, several times a day, and for hours at 
a time. People’s initial curiosity in the aftermath 
of the first bomb attacks soon gave way to fear 
and then, in conditions of appalling hunger 
and cold, to apathy. Leningraders welcomed 
inclement weather for the reduced visibility 
it brought. They came to dread sunny days 
and moonlit nights, when the Germans 
would be sure to bomb their city. Cloud 
cover, however, offered no protection 
from artillery fire: in just over six 
months from the start of the siege there 
were only thirty-two days when shells 
did not explode on the city’s streets.
Hunger soon set in. Between September 
and November 1941 the bread rations that had been announced 
in July were reduced five times, reaching their lowest point on 20 
November — 125 ‘blockade grams’ for children, dependents and 
white-collar workers and 250g for manual workers, technicians 
and engineers. Rations of meat, butter, sugar and other food 
items were severely reduced. The summer months and the 
beginning of autumn, when it was still possible to buy food 
without ration cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no 
more than a distant memory.
Lena Mukhina
Q.1. Infer the meanings of the following expressions. 
The first has been done for you as an example.
 (a) to feel the breath of war: there were indications 
that war was going to start soon
 (b) appalling hunger and cold: ________________________
  ________________________________________________.
 (c) start of the siege: ________________________________
  ________________________________________________.
 (d) blockade grams: _________________________________
  ________________________________________________.
Unit-4.indd   46 27-Jun-2019   04:19:29 PM
Reprint 2024-25
Unit 4 – From the Diary oF a nne Frank 47
Sentences
Q.2. List the words from the passage which are related 
to the war, for example ‘bombardment’.
  ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
Q.3. Answer the following questions:
 (a) Who were the captives as stated in the above 
passage?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (b) Why did the people under siege welcome the bad 
weather conditions?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (c) What were the fears in the mind of the people?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
 (d) Have the people lost hope or reconciled to the 
existing situation?
  ________________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
Q.4. Tick the correct answer
  ‘…when it was still possible to buy food without ration  
  cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no more  
  than a distant memory.’ It means:
 (a) There was hope of getting ration soon.
 (b) Citizens under siege had to show their ration cards 
for buying food.
 (c) There were shops and canteen for buying food for 
the people under siege. 
 (d) The possibility of buying the food without a ration 
card as in the past, was no more than a memory 
now.
Unit-4.indd   47 27-Jun-2019   04:19:30 PM
Reprint 2024-25
Words and Expr Essions 2 – Class x 48
Reading Comp Rehension 
t ext ii There are many ways of recording the events, news, and 
personal experiences. Diary writing, logbook, daybook, journal, 
etc. are a few to name. The journal writing is about writing the 
everyday record of an event or writing about an event, activity 
or experience, etc.
The following is an excerpt from the beginning of A Journal of 
the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe.
A Journal of the Plague Year
It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among 
the rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that 
the plague was returned again in Holland; for it had been very 
violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in 
the year 1663, whither, they say, it was brought, some said from 
Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were 
brought home by their Turkey fleet; others said it was brought 
from Candia; others from Cyprus. It mattered not from whence it 
came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again.
We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days 
to spread rumours and reports of things, and to improve them 
by the invention of men, as I have lived to see practiced since. 
But such things as these were gathered from the letters of 
merchants and others who corresponded abroad, and from them 
were handed about by word of mouth only; so that things did not 
spread instantly over the whole nation, as they do now.
But it seems that the Government had a true account of it, 
and several councils were held about ways to prevent its coming 
over; but all was kept very private. Hence, it was that this rumour 
died off again, and people began to forget it as a thing we were 
very little concerned in, and that we hoped was not true; till 
the latter end of November or the beginning of December 1664 
when two men, said to be Frenchmen, died of the plague in Long 
Acre, or rather at the upper end of Drury Lane. The family they 
were in endeavoured to conceal it as much as possible, but as 
it had gotten some vent in the discourse of the neighbourhood, 
the Secretaries of State got knowledge of it; and concerning 
themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain of the truth, 
two physicians and a surgeon were ordered to go to the house 
discourse
inspection
plague
tokens
vent 
Look Up 
and Understand Unit-4.indd   48 27-Jun-2019   04:19:30 PM
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Unit 4 – From the Diary oF a nne Frank 49
Sentences
and make inspection. This they did; and finding evident tokens 
of the sickness upon both the bodies that were dead, they gave 
their opinions publicly that they died of the plague. Whereupon, 
it was given in to the parish clerk, and he also returned them to 
the Hall; and it was printed in the weekly bill of mortality in the 
usual manner, thus — Plague 2. Parishes infected 1.
Q.1. The above passage is written in the English that was 
prevalent in the eighteenth century. Find some words 
and phrases from the text which seem different as 
compared to the English language usage at present. 
List them and find an appropriate substitute for 
each. Look at the example given below: 
Example: whence — when
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Q.2.  Answer the following questions:
 (a) What is being talked about in the first paragraph of 
Daniel Defoe’s journal?
  _________________________________________________
  _________________________________________________
  _________________________________________________
  _________________________________________________
 (b) How was news about important events circulated 
during those days?
  _________________________________________________
  _________________________________________________
  _________________________________________________
  _________________________________________________
Unit-4.indd   49 27-Jun-2019   04:19:30 PM
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