Std 8 English chapters › Unit 2 · Question Answers ↓ · Take the lesson test ↓
In short: Ritesh comes very late to school and tells his teacher a long, exciting story of thieves, a dog and a lost puppy; the teacher suggests that, with such imagination, he should enter a story-writing competition.
(रितेश शाळेत खूप उशिरा येतो आणि शिक्षिकेला चोर, कुत्रा आणि हरवलेल्या पिल्लाची लांब, रंजक गोष्ट सांगतो; एवढी कल्पनाशक्ती आहे तर कथालेखन स्पर्धेत भाग घे, असे शिक्षिका त्याला सुचवतात.)
- Type: Skit
- Characters: Ritesh, a student, and Mrs Sen, his class teacher
- Unit: 2
Summary in English
Ritesh arrives late, and Mrs Sen says he is 'too early for the second period'. He explains that on the way he heard a scream, found a man groaning near the pavement, and then saw a thief running out of a shop. To his surprise, the groaning man jumped up and ran away with the thief. Ritesh chased them, but they vanished.
He then remembered that he had left his bag at the shop. A huge, hairy brown dog was sitting on it and would not move. Finally he lured it away with biscuits from the shopkeeper. The dog followed him; now he described it as a small, lost puppy, and he tried to find its owner until the puppy itself ran to someone across the road.
Mrs Sen calls him a good boy and suggests he enter the story-writing competition. Ritesh says he could not, because he is not good at making up stories. The joke is that the teacher has guessed his excuses were made-up stories.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
रितेश उशिरा येतो, तेव्हा मिसेस सेन म्हणतात, 'दुसऱ्या तासासाठी तू खूपच लवकर आलास!' तो सांगतो की वाटेत त्याला किंचाळी ऐकू आली, फुटपाथजवळ एक माणूस कण्हत पडलेला दिसला आणि मग एका दुकानातून चोर पळताना दिसला. आश्चर्य म्हणजे कण्हणारा माणूसही उठून चोरासोबत पळाला. रितेशने त्यांचा पाठलाग केला, पण ते गायब झाले.
मग त्याला आठवले की दप्तर दुकानात राहिले. त्यावर एक मोठा, केसाळ तपकिरी कुत्रा बसला होता आणि हलत नव्हता. शेवटी दुकानदाराने दिलेल्या बिस्किटांनी त्याने कुत्र्याला दूर नेले. कुत्रा त्याच्या मागे आला; आता तो त्याचे वर्णन लहान, हरवलेले पिल्लू असे करतो. त्याने मालकाचा शोध घेतला, शेवटी पिल्लूच रस्त्यापलीकडच्या एका व्यक्तीकडे धावले.
मिसेस सेन त्याला 'शाब्बास' म्हणतात आणि कथालेखन स्पर्धेत भाग घ्यायला सुचवतात. रितेश म्हणतो, मला गोष्टी रचता येत नाहीत! गंमत अशी की त्याच्या सबबी म्हणजे रचलेल्या गोष्टीच आहेत, हे शिक्षिकेने ओळखलेले असते.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
Excuses rarely fool anyone; punctuality and honesty are better than clever stories.
सबबींनी कोणीही फसत नाही; हुशारीने रचलेल्या गोष्टींपेक्षा वक्तशीरपणा आणि प्रामाणिकपणा अधिक चांगला.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| investigate | चौकशी करणे | The police came to investigate the theft. |
| groaning | कण्हत | The injured man lay groaning. |
| vanished | नाहीसा झाला | The magician's rabbit vanished. |
| budge | जागचे हलणे | The heavy box would not budge. |
| lured | आमिष दाखवून नेले | We lured the cat inside with milk. |
| relieved | (चिंतेतून) सुटका झालेला | I was relieved to find my phone. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- Language study: direct and indirect speech. ‘Ritesh said, “I am sorry.”‘ becomes ‘Ritesh said that he was sorry.’ See Reported Speech.
- Notice how Ritesh describes the same dog as huge and later as small: that is how the teacher knows the story is not true.
2.4 Excuses! (A Skit): English Workshop Question Answers
Every English Workshop activity for this skit, as games. Score points, earn stars and challenge a friend on WhatsApp! (खेळा, गुण मिळवा आणि मित्रांना आव्हान द्या!)
😂 Warm-up: Excuse jokes
👉 Tap the excuse word in each joke.
Asif crawled into class because the teacher had warned him not to ___ in late.
Answer: So he ‘crawled’ instead! A clever twist on the words.
Sharvari was late because the road sign said ___.
Answer: She claimed she was only following the road sign.
🤔 Think as you read
In what sense was Ritesh ‘early’?
Answer: Mrs Sen was being sarcastic.
Why did Ritesh refuse the story-writing competition?
Answer: Funny, because his excuses were clearly made-up stories!
Q1. Complete with words from the skit
👉 Tap the correct word.
(1) The heavy load would not ___.
Answer: budge = move slightly.
(2) The police arrived to ___ the crime.
Answer: investigate = find out the truth.
(3) My friend ___ me to eat chocolates in the classroom.
Answer: lured = tempted.
(4) I was ___ to find my lost notebooks.
Answer: relieved = no longer worried.
(5) The injured child kept ___ with pain.
Answer: groaning = making painful sounds.
(6) He stole the cash and ___ in the dark night.
Answer: vanished = disappeared.
🎬 Q2. Put Ritesh’s story in order
As Ritesh tells it
- Ritesh heard a scream from the main road.
- A man, groaning with pain, was lying near the pavement.
- A thief came running out of a shop.
- The groaning man joined the thief and ran away.
- A huge dog was sitting on Ritesh's school bag.
- The dog refused to move.
- The dog began to follow Ritesh to school.
- The dog itself found its owner.
Q3. Discuss and answer
👉 Tap the best answer.
(1) Were Ritesh’s excuses true?
Answer: Too many dramatic events, and he contradicted himself.
(2) Did the teacher believe him?
Answer: ‘Nothing short of an earthquake, I’m sure.’ ‘Interesting! A dog on a bag in a shop!’
(3) Why did the teacher suggest the story-writing contest?
Answer: A polite way of saying she knew his excuses were invented.
✍️ (4) Best way to correct regular late-comers? Try, then compare
Instead of punishing them in front of the class, the teacher should talk to them privately to find the real reason. Parents can help them plan their morning. Giving them a small responsibility at the start of the day, like taking attendance, can make them want to come on time.
Q4. Indirect speech
👉 Tap the correct indirect speech.
Ritesh: May I come in, Madam?
Answer: Question → asked if; may → might; I → he.
Mrs Sen: Ritesh, you are too early for the second period.
Answer: you → he; are → was.
Ritesh: I had left my bag at the shop.
Answer: Past perfect stays past perfect; I → he; my → his.
(4) and (5)
(4) Ritesh apologised to Ma’am. / Ritesh told Ma’am that he was sorry.
(5) Mrs Sen said that there was a story-writing competition.
Q5. Notice for a story-writing competition
✍️ Write the notice, then compare
New English School, Latur
NOTICE
15 November 2026
Inter-class Story-writing Competition
All students are informed that a story-writing competition will be held for two groups: Std 5-7 and Std 8-10.
Date: 25 November 2026 Time: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Venue: School Hall
Judging: originality, language, presentation.
Prizes: First, second and third in each group, plus certificates.
Give your names to the class teacher by 20 November.
Mrs A. Sen
Cultural Secretary
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- Did Mrs Sen believe Ritesh? How do you know?
- Write a notice for a story-writing competition in your school.
- What is the best way to help students who are always late?
Online test · 15 questions
2.4 Excuses ! (A Skit): Lesson Test
Multiple choice · instant score with answers · certificate for 80% and above · free, no login
शिक्षकांसाठी: धडा शिकवून झाल्यावर ही test वर्गाला पाठवा. प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याचे गुण तुम्हाला आपोआप मिळतील.
These are original study notes by englishresources.in to help you revise. Read the lesson in your Balbharati textbook first: these notes do not replace it and do not reproduce its text.