I. Practice the pronunciation of the following proper names:

Delhi, the Yamuna River, Mumbai, Baghpat, Gurgaon, Sonepat, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Indraprastha, Dhillu or Dilu, Mauryan, Red Fort-Qila-i-Mubarak, Connaught Place, Dandiya.

II. Answer the following questions :

1. Where is Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) situated?

2. Is the city the fourth or the sixth most populous metropolis in the world?

3. What does the political administration of the NCT of Delhi today more closely resemble?

4. What is New Delhi jointly administered by?

5. Had Delhi been the site of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas during the times of the Mahabharata?

6. Who built a new walled city in Delhi which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1649 until the Rebellion of 1857?

7. What happened when the British captured Delhi in 1857?

8. What are two prominent features of the geography of Delhi?

9. What was the historical boundary between Punjab and UP?

10. What river is the only major river flowing through Delhi?

11. What river separates Ghaziabad from the eastern part of Delhi?

12. What India's seismic zone is Delhi included in?

13. How long does the monsoon season last?

14. Does Delhi feature a typical or an atypical version of the humid subtropical climate ?

15. How were the coins in circulation in the region under the Tomaras called?

16. Who ordered the construction of a gateway to the fort and later named the fort Dehali?

17. How are the people of Delhi referred to?

18. What do the huge walls of India Gate reveal?

19. What is the official residence of the President of India and where is it situated?

20. Who decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi?

III. Complete the following sentences:

1. The NCT and its urban region have been given the special status of National Capital Region (NCR) …….

2. The NCR includes the neighbouring cities of …….

3. Through most of its history, Delhi has served as …….

4. Delhi has been captured, sacked and rebuilt several times, particularly during the medieval period, and therefore …….

5. Delhi re-emerged as a major political, cultural and commercial city along …….

6. When the British left India in 1947, New Delhi became ……..

7. The Delhi ridge originates from the Aravalli Range in the south and …….

8. Delhi was one of the ten most polluted cities in the world during the 1990s, with …….

9. In 2003, Delhi won the United States Department of Energy’s first ‘Clean Cities International Partner of the Year’ award for …….

10. Delhi receives much of its rainfall during …….

11. Summers are long and the weather is extremely hot from …….

12. There are a number of legends associated with the origin of the name Delhi. One is that …….

13. Another legend holds that the name of the city is based on …….

14. Some historians believe that the name is derived from Dilli, a corruption of …….

15. According to the Bhavishya Purana, King Prithviraj Chauhan, of Indraprastha built a new fort in the modern-day Purana Qila area for …….

16. The important places in Old Delhi include …….

17. Sansad Bhavan or the Parliament House, which is situated on the Sansad Marg holds an important place in …….

18. Raj Ghat is located on the banks of Yamuna River and …….

19. The Purana Quila (Old Fort) is a very good example of Mughal military architecture. Built by Pandavas …….

20. During the British colonial rule, the Red fort was …….