Q1.
I. Intonation refers to the pitch of the voice while speaking. In questions, intonation can indicate the sentiment or the expected response.
For example:
• What is your name? (In Wh and How questions we use a falling intonation towards the end.)
• Are you feeling okay? (In Yes or No questions we use a rising intonation towards the end.)
• This is your notebook, isn’t it? (When we have an afÏrmative main clause and negative question tag, we use a rising intonation to show we are fairly sure of the answer.)
• You weren’t in the library yesterday, were you? (When we have a negative main clause and afÏrmative question tag, we use a falling intonation to show we are unsure of the answer.)
• Shall we read this storybook or borrow another one? (When we have a question with choices, we use rise-fall intonation.)
Now, revisit the story and select different questions. Work in pairs and practise speaking them aloud according to the examples shared.
Answer
This is a pair-work speaking task, so the marks are for producing the right tune, not for writing anything. Work in this order: sort the questions by type, mark the arrow, then say each one twice — once flat and once with the tune — so you can hear the difference yourself.
Questions from the story, sorted by the five patterns:
| Question from the story | Type | Tune |
|---|---|---|
| “Who are you?” (the little boy’s mother, page 103) | Wh- | falling ↘ on you |
| “What did you both do today?” (Ravi’s mother, page 107) | Wh- | falling ↘ on today |
| “Who’s talking loudly?” (the comb-seller, page 103) | Wh- | falling ↘ on loudly |
| “How dare you shoo my child?” (page 103) | Wh-, spoken in anger | falling ↘, but starting from a high pitch — that is what makes it sound furious |
| “Are you playing hide and seek?” (the small child, page 103) | Yes/No | rising ↗ on seek |
| “Have you forgotten?” (Grandpa, page 108) | Yes/No | rising ↗ on forgotten |
| “Do I look as though I’m selling anything?” (Ravi, page 103) | Yes/No, rhetorical | rising ↗, with extra stress on look — the rise plus the stress carries the sarcasm |
| “Shall we play chess or watch the cricket match on TV, Grandpa?” (Ravi, page 101) | choice question | rise ↗ on chess, fall ↘ on TV |
| “I don’t think he wants to be a detective, do you, Ravi?” (Ravi’s father, page 109) | negative main clause + afÏrmative tag | falling ↘ on the tag — he genuinely does not know the answer |
| “Told you to keep me a prisoner here, has she?” (Grandpa, page 101) | afÏrmative clause + tag | rising ↗ on has she — Grandpa is fairly sure he is right, and wants Ravi to confirm it |
How to practise in pairs: one of you reads the question, the other says only “rise” or “fall” without looking at the page. Then swap. If your partner guesses wrong, exaggerate the last syllable and try again — intonation is carried almost entirely by the final stressed word. Recording yourselves on a phone and playing it back is the quickest way to hear what you are actually doing.
Why intonation matters in this story: the two most important questions in Vitamin-M are the same three words — “Have you forgotten?” Vidya says it to Grandpa, and a few lines later Grandpa says it back to her. On the page they look identical. Said aloud, hers rises quickly and impatiently, while his is slow and level with the rise held back to the very end — because he already knows the answer and is giving her time to arrive at it. The whole reversal of the story is in that difference of tune.