Chapter 6. Once Upon a Time by Toni Morrison – Complete Solutions (BSEB Class 10 English Chapter 6 / Panorama)
Looking for easy, complete solutions of “Once Upon a Time” by Toni Morrison for Bihar Board Class 10 English? This chapter is from the Panorama textbook and is based on Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize speech. Here you will find every question answered in simple language – from short answers, sentence completion, long answers, discussion points, word study, grammar, translation, to composition. All exercises (A to G) are covered without skipping anything so you can prepare perfectly for exams.
About the Chapter
Toni Morrison was the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1993). In this speech she uses a simple story about a blind but wise old woman and some young people to explain the power and responsibility of language. The story shows how language can be used to control, to free, or to create meaning.
A. Work in small groups and pairs and discuss the following
1. How often did you listen to stories when you were a child?
Answer: (Sample answer – students can write their own)
When I was a child, I listened to stories almost every night. My grandmother or parents used to tell me folk tales and stories from our village before I slept.
When I was a child, I listened to stories almost every night. My grandmother or parents used to tell me folk tales and stories from our village before I slept.
2. Who told you stories?
Answer: Mostly my grandmother, mother, and sometimes my elder sister or teachers at school.
3. How did those stories usually begin?
Answer: Almost all stories began with the famous words “Once upon a time…” or “Ek tha raja…” in Hindi.
B.1. Answer the following questions briefly
1. How was the old woman?
Answer: The old woman was blind but wise.
2. Is this folklore present in one culture or many?
Answer: This folklore (or a similar story) is present in the lore of several cultures.
3. Who is the father of that old woman?
Answer: The old woman is the daughter of slaves. (Her father is not named; she is of slave origin.)
4. Where does the old woman live?
Answer: She lives alone in a small house outside of town.
5. How is her reputation for wisdom?
Answer: Her reputation for wisdom is without peer and without question.
6. What is her position in the neighbourhood?
Answer: Among her people she is both the law and its transgression. She is held in high honour and awe that reaches even far away places.
7. Why did some young people visit her?
Answer: They visited her to disprove her clairvoyance and to show her up as a fraud. They wanted to test her because of her blindness.
8. What does the old woman know about those people?
Answer: She does not know their colour, gender or homeland. She only knows their motive.
9. For what are the young visitors reprimanded?
Answer: They are reprimanded for parading their power and her helplessness, and for being responsible not only for the act of mockery but also for the small bundle of life (the bird) sacrificed to achieve their aims.
10. What does ‘bird’ and ‘woman’ signify to the speaker?
Answer: The speaker reads the bird as “language” and the woman as a “practiced writer”.
B.2. Complete the sentences on the basis of the unit you have just studied
- A sentence that gestures towards possibility.
- The future of language is yours.
- Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names.
- The boy will have a gun in three years, but now he carries a lamp and a jug of warm cider. They pass it from mouth to mouth.
- I trust you with the bird that is not in your hands because you have truly caught it.
C.1. Long Answer Questions
1. Enumerate the traits of the old woman.
Answer: The old woman is blind, wise, the daughter of slaves, Black and American. She lives alone outside the town. Her reputation for wisdom is unmatched. She is both the law and its transgression among her people. She is held in great honour and awe even in distant places. She is calm, patient, and finally speaks with a soft but stern voice. She understands the motive of the young people and shifts the focus from power to responsibility.
2. Have you recently heard a story which is interesting? Write that story in 100 words.
Answer: (Sample answer)
Last week my grandmother told me a story about a poor woodcutter. One day he found a magic lamp in the forest. When he rubbed it, a genie appeared and granted him three wishes. The woodcutter wished for a big house, lots of food, and a happy family. The genie fulfilled all wishes. The woodcutter lived happily and always helped other poor people. The story taught me that true happiness comes from sharing and kindness, not just from getting wealth.
Last week my grandmother told me a story about a poor woodcutter. One day he found a magic lamp in the forest. When he rubbed it, a genie appeared and granted him three wishes. The woodcutter wished for a big house, lots of food, and a happy family. The genie fulfilled all wishes. The woodcutter lived happily and always helped other poor people. The story taught me that true happiness comes from sharing and kindness, not just from getting wealth.
3. Do you think that language is crucial to a writer? Give any three reasons.
Answer: Yes, language is very crucial to a writer.
- Language is the only tool a writer has to express thoughts, feelings and ideas.
- Good language makes the writing clear, powerful and beautiful so that readers can understand and feel the message.
- Language protects us from the scariness of unnamed things and helps create new meanings and possibilities.
4. Quote a few lines from the text which highlight the plight of the woman and the depressed class.
Answer:
“In the version I know, the woman is the daughter of slaves, black, American, and lives alone in a small house outside of town.”
“What it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man… What it is to have no home in this place. To be set adrift from the one you knew. What it is to live at the edge of towns that cannot bear your company.”
“Tell us about a wagonload of slaves, how they sang so softly their breath was indistinguishable from the falling snow.”
5. Write a paragraph on a character, in this story, that has impressed you most.
Answer: The character that impressed me most is the old blind woman. Even though she cannot see, she is full of wisdom and understanding. She does not get angry at the young people’s trick. Instead, she answers calmly and makes them responsible for their action. She teaches that real power lies in language and responsibility, not in mocking others. Her soft but stern voice and deep insight make her a truly wise and strong character.
C.2. Discussion
1. The art of story telling is dying down.
Points for Discussion:
Yes, because of mobile phones, television and internet, fewer people sit together to listen to stories. Children prefer cartoons and games. However, storytelling still lives in books, podcasts and family gatherings. We should keep the tradition alive.
Yes, because of mobile phones, television and internet, fewer people sit together to listen to stories. Children prefer cartoons and games. However, storytelling still lives in books, podcasts and family gatherings. We should keep the tradition alive.
2. Stories have been a great source of information since time immemorial.
Points for Discussion:
Stories teach history, culture, values and life lessons in an easy and interesting way. From ancient epics to folk tales, stories have passed knowledge from one generation to another.
Stories teach history, culture, values and life lessons in an easy and interesting way. From ancient epics to folk tales, stories have passed knowledge from one generation to another.
C.3. Composition
1. Speech on Receiving a Prize for Story Writing
Acceptance Speech: Story Writing Prize
Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends,
I feel very happy and grateful to receive this prize for story writing. Writing stories has always been my favourite activity. Through stories we can share our thoughts, dreams and experiences. I thank my teachers who encouraged me and my parents who always supported me. This prize inspires me to write more and better stories in future. Thank you all.
2. Notice Writing: Story Writing Competition
Govt. Secondary School, Ramgarhwa
Cultural Society
NOTICE
Date: 28 August 2026
Story Writing Competition
All students of Classes 9 and 10 are informed that a Story Writing Competition will be held on 10 September 2026 in the school auditorium at 11:00 a.m.
Eligibility: Students of Classes 9 and 10 only.
Word limit: 150–200 words.
Theme: Any moral or folk story.
Interested students must give their names to the undersigned by 5 September 2026.
Eligibility: Students of Classes 9 and 10 only.
Word limit: 150–200 words.
Theme: Any moral or folk story.
Interested students must give their names to the undersigned by 5 September 2026.
Snigdha / Amandeep
Secretary, Cultural Society
Secretary, Cultural Society
D. Word Study
D.1. Correct the spelling of the following words
assertion
instrument
speculation
motive
reputation
each
silence
version
D.2. Word Meaning – Match Column (A) with Column (B)
| Column A (Word) | Column B (Correct Meaning) |
|---|---|
| amusement | pastime |
| version | statement of account |
| violate | to break |
| speculation | mental view |
D.3. Phrases from the Text – Sentences
without peer:
Her knowledge is without peer in the class.
Her knowledge is without peer in the class.
soft but stern:
The teacher’s voice was soft but stern.
The teacher’s voice was soft but stern.
small bundle of life:
The bird was a small bundle of life in his hands.
The bird was a small bundle of life in his hands.
the future of language is yours:
The teacher said, “The future of language is yours, so use it carefully.”
The teacher said, “The future of language is yours, so use it carefully.”
E. Grammar (Punctuation Marks)
Ex.1. Locate (identify) the punctuation marks from the passage
Raman: Hello! How do you do?
Ali: Hello! I am fine, Raman. Well done! You have brought a laurel for the school.
Raman: Ali, I always remember your advice, perfection is essential for success in every walk of life. My grandfather told me, “True devotion bears a delicious fruit, it means (true) result.”
Ali: Hello! I am fine, Raman. Well done! You have brought a laurel for the school.
Raman: Ali, I always remember your advice, perfection is essential for success in every walk of life. My grandfather told me, “True devotion bears a delicious fruit, it means (true) result.”
Punctuation marks used:
- ! (Note of Exclamation)
- “ ” (Inverted commas)
- , (Comma)
- . (Full stop)
- ( ) (Brackets)
Ex.2. Identify the punctuation marks in the sentence
“Old woman, I hold in my hand a bird. Tell me whether it is living or dead.”
Marks used: Inverted commas, comma, full stop, question mark (in subsequent dialogue).
Use the punctuation marks to make meaningful sentences:
She does not answer, and the question is repeated: “Is the bird I am holding living or dead?” Still she does not answer. She is blind and cannot see her visitors, let alone what is in their hands.
F. Activity
Prompt: Collect at least three stories in your local dialect, translate these stories into English and tell them in your class.
(Students have to do this activity themselves.)
G. Translation (Translate into Hindi)
English Passage:
"One day the woman is visited by some young people who seem bent on disproving her clairvoyance and showing her up for the fraud they believe she is. Their plan is simple: they enter her house and ask the one question the answer to which rides solely on her difference from them, a difference they regard as a profound disability: her blindness. They stand before her, and one of them says, “Old woman, I hold in my hand a bird. Tell me whether it is living or dead.”"
"One day the woman is visited by some young people who seem bent on disproving her clairvoyance and showing her up for the fraud they believe she is. Their plan is simple: they enter her house and ask the one question the answer to which rides solely on her difference from them, a difference they regard as a profound disability: her blindness. They stand before her, and one of them says, “Old woman, I hold in my hand a bird. Tell me whether it is living or dead.”"
Hindi Translation (हिंदी अनुवाद):
एक दिन कुछ युवा लोग उस महिला से मिलने आते हैं जो उसकी दूरदृष्टि को झूठा साबित करने और उसे धोखेबाज दिखाने के इरादे से आए लगते हैं। उनकी योजना बहुत सरल है: वे उसके घर में प्रवेश करते हैं और एक ऐसा प्रश्न पूछते हैं जिसका उत्तर पूरी तरह उसकी उनसे भिन्नता पर निर्भर करता है, एक भिन्नता जिसे वे एक गंभीर अक्षमता मानते हैं – उसकी अंधापन। वे उसके सामने खड़े होते हैं और उनमें से एक कहता है, “बूढ़ी औरत, मैं अपने हाथ में एक पक्षी पकड़े हुए हूँ। बताओ कि वह जीवित है या मरा हुआ।”
एक दिन कुछ युवा लोग उस महिला से मिलने आते हैं जो उसकी दूरदृष्टि को झूठा साबित करने और उसे धोखेबाज दिखाने के इरादे से आए लगते हैं। उनकी योजना बहुत सरल है: वे उसके घर में प्रवेश करते हैं और एक ऐसा प्रश्न पूछते हैं जिसका उत्तर पूरी तरह उसकी उनसे भिन्नता पर निर्भर करता है, एक भिन्नता जिसे वे एक गंभीर अक्षमता मानते हैं – उसकी अंधापन। वे उसके सामने खड़े होते हैं और उनमें से एक कहता है, “बूढ़ी औरत, मैं अपने हाथ में एक पक्षी पकड़े हुए हूँ। बताओ कि वह जीवित है या मरा हुआ।”
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