Class 8 English — Chapter 1: The Best Christmas Present in the World

What you'll learn

• ▸The Narrator's Discovery
• ▸The Christmas Truce of 1914
• ▸The Friendship of Jim and Hans
• ▸Theme: The Futility of War and Shared Humanity
• ▸The Narrator's Quest for Connie
• ▸Connie Macpherson's Christmas Present
• ▸Historical Context and Vocabulary
• ▸Narrative Structure

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- 1 The Best Christmas Present in the World 0849CH01 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a) 4 July 1776 (b) 17 December 1903 (c) 6 August 1945 (d) 30 January 1948 (e) 12 April 1961 (f) 20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the ma…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Explain the Christmas Truce simply. Get Solution →
2. How did letters travel in 1914? Get Solution →
3. Describe a soldier's life in a trench. Get Solution →
4. Where did the author find the roll-top desk? Get Solution →
5. What did the author find in a secret drawer of the desk? Get Solution →
6. Who wrote the letter found inside the tin box? Get Solution →
7. What was Jim Macpherson's profession before he became a soldier? Get Solution →
8. What common English name was used in the letter to refer to the British soldiers? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 Christmas Truce football games were often played with makeshift balls.
• 💡 During World War I, some soldiers exchanged gifts and sang carols.
• 💡 The average WWI soldier sent and received many letters from home.
• 💡 Pigeons delivered urgent messages during World War I battles.
• 💡 The first Christmas cards were sent in England in 1843.

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