Summary & Question-answers of The Chapter:3-Two Stories about Flying with the concerned video

Summary of Two Stories about Flying

This lesson has two stories about flying in two parts. The author of the part-1 titled ‘His First Flight’ is Liam O' Flaherty, while the author of part-2 titled ‘Black Aeroplane’ is Frederick Forsryth. In the first part, the readers come to know about the younger bird seagull. The bird is much afraid to fly for the first time. It feels that its wing will not support while flying. The writer gives a beautiful narration of the story about how the bird overcomes this fear. In the second part, the writer narrates the story about a student who is returning back to England on a flight. The story describes the events that happen on the way and his narrow escape from death with the help of a mysterious Aeroplane.

Two Stories about Flying Summary in English

The story of His First Flight is based on a young seagull which is afraid to fly because of distrust on its wings. All his younger siblings can fly fearlessly despite their shorter wings. On the other hand, the young bird cannot gather the courage to trust his wings. He always becomes afraid when coming forward to the brink of the ledge and attempting to fly. His mother and father come around calling him and threatening him starve on the ledge unless he flies. Despite all the upbraiding and calling to him shrilly, he could not move. All-day long he watches his parents fly with his siblings and teaching them how to skim the waves.

One day the whole family flies to a big plateau and on the opposite cliff, the seagull is sitting hungry. He begs his mother to bring him some food. His mother picks a piece of fish and flies across to him. Maddened by hunger, he jumps at the fish with a loud shout. He falls outward and downward into space and he can feel his wings cutting through the air. The next moment he is flying fearlessly and his siblings are soaring and diving with him.

The narrator of the story, Black Aeroplane is a pilot who elaborates on his misjudgment and how it creates problems. In the lesson, the pilot is flying from Paris to London and dreams about the holiday with his family. He is flying over a city and thinks about the tasty breakfast after landing. After crossing Paris he gets a look of the dark clouds, signifying the upcoming storm. For the sake of safety, he should turn back to Paris but he decides otherwise. To fulfil his dream of a holiday, he risks the life of passengers and heads the plane into the storm.

Everything gets dark and all the instruments stop working. He loses control of the plane and the hope of their survival becomes bleak. The much less amount of fuel is left and the pilot starts panicking in the situation. Suddenly he sees another plane flying next to him through the storm. The pilot turns his plane to the north in order to follow the strange Aeroplane. The pilot starts frightening again as the fuel is getting low. The anonymous pilot guides them out of the storm and disappears. After landing, the pilot asks about the other plane but is left in shock to know that there was no other plane in the sky, except his.

NCERT Solutions for His First Flight

By Liam O' Flaherty

Page No: 36

Thinking about Text

1. Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?

Answer

The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was its first flight. It is a well known fact that doing something for the first time is challenging. Therefore, all young birds must be afraid to make their first flights. Similarly, a human baby would also find it a challenge to take its first step.

2. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?

Answer 

The young seagull was very hungry. It was this hunger that ultimately compelled it to fly. Its hunger only intensified when it saw its mother tearing at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. It cried to her, begging her to get some food. When its mother came towards it with food in her beak, it screamed with joy and anticipation. However, she stopped midway. It wondered why she did not come nearer. Not being able to resist or control its hunger any longer, it dived at the food in its mother’s beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Finally, this plunge was followed by the natural reaction of its body, i.e., to fly.

3. “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. “Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?

Answer 

The young seagull was afraid to fly. Even when it saw its brothers and sisters flying, and its parents helping and teaching them, it could not gather enough courage to make that first flight. That is why its father and mother were calling to it shrilly and scolding it. They threatened to let it starve on its ledge if it did not fly. They did so because they wanted it to leave its fear behind and learn to fly.

NCERT Solutions for The Black Aeroplane

By Fredrick Forsyth

Page  No: 40

Thinking about the Text

1. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

Answer 

The risk was to fly through the black storm clouds. The narrator took the risk because he wanted to reach Paris to celebrate Christmas with his family.

2. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.

Answer 

As he flew into the storm, everything went black. It was impossible to see anything outside the plane. It jumped and twisted in the air. When he looked at his compass, he saw that it was turning round and round. It was dead. Along with it, the other instruments, including the radio, were also dead. Suddenly, he saw another aeroplane. Its pilot waved at him, asking him to follow. He was glad to find a helper. He was using his last fuel tank and there was only enough fuel to fly five or ten minutes. Then, the other pilot started to go down and he followed. He suddenly came out of the clouds and saw the runway, on which he then landed his plane safely.

3. Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?

Answer 

He was delighted to land safely out of dark stormy clouds, therefore, he was not sorry to walk away for his plane. He felt bad, when he was not able to thank his guide, his mentor who saved him from from frightening situations, but he was so happy after landing that he didn't feel sorry for not being able to thank the guide pilot.

4. What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?

Answer

The woman in the control room was surprised when the narrator asked about the other aeroplane and its pilot. She said that there was no areoplane seen on the radar.

Summary & Question-answers of The Chapter:3-The Little Girl with the concerned video

Summary

Kezia was a little girl, who lived with her mother, her father and her grandmother. She was afraid of her father and used to avoid him. She used to feel relieved on seeing her father go to his office. Kezia was so afraid of her father that she stuttered in front of him. He appeared to her as harsh, rude and critical. Her grandmother wanted her to understand her parents better and would ask her to go to the drawing room to chat with her parents. But she found them indifferent towards her.

One day grandmother suggested that she should prepare a pin cushion for her father’s birthday.

Kezia stitched the three sides of the pin cushion casing. Now she wanted to stuff it with something. In her mother’s room on the bed table she found many sheets of fine paper. She tore them off into small pieces and filled the pin cushion and stitched the fourth side. By mistake she had used the very papers which contained her father’s very important speech for the Port Authority. Though she accepted her mistake and tried to explain the reasons behind it, her father was too angry to listen to anything and punished her with a ruler on her palms. She failed to understand the punishment met out to her when she had already accepted her mistake. Bitterly she said,” What did God make fathers for ?”

One evening she saw Mr. McDonalds, playing with his 5 children, laughing and enjoying  with them. This convinced Kezia that all fathers are not alike. Some are loving and caring like. Mr. McDonald and some are cruel like her father.

But soon her attitude towards her father also changed. One day, her mother had to be taken to the hospital and her grandmother accompanied her. Kezia was left alone in the house with the cook. The day was fine. But night was a different issue. She Woke up in the middle of the night screaming as she had a horrible nightmare. She was weeping out of fear. When she opened her eyes, she saw her father beside her bed. He carried her to his bedroom, and made her warm and comfortable on his bed. Father told him to rub her feet with his legs and set them warm. She felt very safe and comfortable with him.

It was now she realized that her father was not all that of a-giant. That he loved and cared for her in his own way. That he had to work the whole day to provide for his family and was too tired by that evening to play with her.

Thinking about the text 

(Page 38)

I. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in Column A with the items in Column B.

A B

1. fear or terror

2. glad sense of relief

3. a‘funny’ feeling, perhaps of understanding (i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss

(ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter

(iii) father comes home

(iv) speaking to father

(v) going to bed when alone at home

(vi) father comforts her and falls asleep

(vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring

Answers:

1. — (iii)

2. — (ii)

3. — (vi)

II. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences:

Question 1.

Why was Kezia afraid of her father?

Answer:

Kezia was afraid of her father because he used to talk to her harshly. He was in a habit of finding out her mistakes.

Question 2.

Who were the people in Kezia’s family?

Answer:

Kezia’s family had her grandmother, mother and father.

Question 3.

What was Kezia’s father’s routine(I)

before going to his office(ii)

after coming back from his office(iii)

on Sundays?

Answer:

He used to kiss Kezia casually before going to his office.

He would ask for the newspaper and tea after coming back from his office.

On Sundays, he would take rest. He would enjoy sound sleep on the sofa.

Question 4.

In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?

Answer:

Kezia’s grandmother sent her to her father’s room to have a nice talk with him. Besides, she asked her to make a gift of a pin-cushion on her father’s birthday.

III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each. 

Question 1.

Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?

Answer:

Kezia used to be afraid of her father because her father talked to her harshly. One day her grandmother told her to make a pin-cushion to gift him on his birthday which was approaching. Kezia took it an opportunity to please him. So, she stitched cotton cloth three sides and looked for the things that could be stuffed into the stitched cloth. Soon she found out many sheets of paper. Actually they contained her father’s speech for the Port Authority. She tore them into pieces and stuffed her case.

One day when her father looked for the papers, he did not find them. After some time, he came to know that Kezia had torn them into pieces to make a pin-cushion. He got infuriated and beat her with a ruler. Thus, her efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much.

Question 2.

Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?

Answer:

In Kezia’s opinion, her father was very harsh. He did not talk to her affectionately but rather he used to speak to her stringently. So she avoided him. She did not want to be in front of him because she was afraid of him. Moreover, her father never spent time with her.

Macdonald family lived next door to her house. One evening she saw him playing tag with his children. A baby was on his shoulders and two little girls were hanging on to his coat pockets. They were laughing. Also, she saw some boys turn the hose on Macdonald and he tried to catch them laughing all the time. She found them feel friendly with their father. So, she wished if her father were like them.

Summary & Question-answers of The Poem:3-The Shed with the concerned video

The Shed Summary In English

There is a shed at the bottom of the poet’s garden and the poet wishes to visit it one day. There is a spider’s web on the door of the shed and its hinges are rusty and creak when the wind blows. The poet often thinks about it while lying in his bed. On one side of the shed, there is a dusty window and three of its window panes are broken. The poet feels as if someone stares at him through the window and whenever the poet visits the shed he would like to find out who lives there.

The poet’s brother informs him that a ghost lives inside the shed and if the poet dares to enter the shed, the ghost would chop off his head. Despite these warnings, the poet wishes to visit the shed and peep inside. The poet believes that his brother tells him imaginative stories about the ghost as he wants to keep the shed for himself. The poet no longer feels anyone staring at him or hears any strange noises coming from the shed. The spider, too, is no longer there. Thus, very soon he would go inside the shed.

Page No: 49

A Working with the Poem

Question 1:

Answer the following questions.

Who is the speaker in the poem?

Is she/he afraid or curious or both?

What is she/he planning to do soon?

“But not just yet…” suggests doubt, fear, hesitation, laziness or something else. Choose the word which seems right to you. Tell others why you chose it.

Solution:

It is not very clear who the Speaker is. Perhaps, the speaker is the poet himself.

The speaker seems to be both curious as well as afraid to go inside the shed. He wants to find out what  inside the shed is. At the same time, he is afraid because he thinks that strange voices could be heard from here and there is possibly a ghost who lives inside the Shed.

He/She plans to go inside the shed after some day soon.

“But not just yet…” seems to suggest lack of preparation. The speaker wants to be further certain and prepare himself for this endeavour. He has already overcome his fears, so there is no fear. However, waiting for the right time could be a reason for postponing the act.

Question 2:

Is there a room in your house or a house in your neighbourhood/locality where you would rather not go alone, and never at night? If there is such a place and a story to go with it, let others hear all about it.

Solution:

There is a store room in my house which is in the backyard of the house. It is a little away from the main structure. It is full of odd objects and not even lit properly. Thus, going to the store room, at night, calls for a lot of courage. My mother once asked me to fetch certain things from the store room. When I entered the store room, I felt as if I saw the movement of shadows. Screamed with terror, but later got to know that those shadows were nothing but my mind’s imagination.

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:

Why were the hinges of the door rusty?

Solution:

Hardly anybody went inside the shed. Since the doors were not opened for a long time, its hinges had become rusty.

Question 2:

What does the speaker usually do while lying in the bed?

Solution:

The speaker generally contemplated the idea of going inside the shed.

Question 3:

What does the broken glass window suggest?

Solution:

The broken glass panes of the dusty window suggested lack of maintenance. There was hardly anybody who went inside the shed, so cleaning the shed was a distant possibility.

Question 4:

According to the speaker’s brother, where did the ghost hide himself?

Solution:

According to the speaker’s brother, the ghost hid himself under the rotten floorboards of the shed.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:

What did the speaker’s brother say about the Shed?

Solution:

The speaker’s brother talked about the presence of a ghost inside the shed. He also warned the speaker that if he ever went inside the shed, the ghost might chop off his head. Saying so, the speaker’s brother frightened the speaker.

Question 2:

Comment on the speaker’s resolve to go inside the shed.

Solution:

From our reading of the poem, it becomes amply clear that the speaker is fully determined to go inside the shed. Even when his brother threatens him, he does not give up the idea of going inside to find for himself the truth. His desire to visit only gets postponed and delayed.

Question 3:

What change occurs in the attitude of the speaker?

Solution:

In the first three stanzas the speaker seems to be scared of the shed. He thinks about the strange voices that come from the shed, somebody mysteriously staring at him, he believed in the ghost stories and so on. However, in the final stanza of the poem, there seems to be a major change in the Speaker’s attitude. He has understood that all these ghost stories were a lie told to him. And, therefore, his resolve to go inside the shed becomes further firm.

Question 4:

Why do you think that the spider web hanging on the door was no longer there?

Solution:

The first time when the speaker describes the shed, the speaker talks about a Spider web hanging across the door of the shed. However, the next time when the speaker describes the shed, the speaker shares that it had been a long time since the spider and the Web Were not to be seen. Perhaps, the door of the shed had been opened by the speaker’s brother, thereby displacing the spider’s web that covered the door.

Summary & the Question-answers of The Poem:3-Macavity: The Mystery Cat with the concerned video

Macavity : The Mystery Cat Summary In English

Macavity—A Master Criminal

The poem is about a cat called Macavity. He is also called the “Hidden Paw”. The cat is a great criminal. He has openly disobeyed the law. Yet the police of Scotland Yard is helpless before Macavity. Sometimes the Flying Squad runs after it. However, the squad is always disappointed. The cat is never found by it. Macavity moves much faster than the Flying Squad.

Macavity—A Breaker of the Laws of Nature

The poet is sure that there has been no creature like Macavity. Macavity has broken not only human laws but even the laws of nature. He floats in the air without any support. Thus, he breaks the nature’s law of gravitation. The fakirs are supposed to have some magical powers but even they stare upon Macavity. Yet, the wonder of wonders is that when one rushes to the scene of the crime, Macavity is not found. Those who look after him find him neither in the basement (i.e., under the earth), nor in the air (i.e., sky).

Macavity—Appearance

Macavity is a very special cat. He is very tall and thin. It’s very easy to recognise him. His eyes are deep set in his face. His brow has deep wrinkles as if he is lost in deep thoughts. Due to constant neglect his skin is full of dust. You will find him swaying his head from side to side just as a snake does. He is an expert cheat. When you feel he is asleep, he is only dozing. In fact Macavity is always alert.

Macavity’s Character

Macavity is unique. He is evil incarnate. Ordinarily you can find him anywhere—in a by-street or in a square. However, when you want to punish him for a crime, he is nowhere to be seen.

WORKING WITH THE POEM (PAGE 51)

Question 1:

Read the first stanza and think.

(i) Is Macavity a cat really?

(ii) If not, who can Macavity be?

Answer:

(i) Macavity is a cunning cat.

(ii) If not a cat, he can be an expert thief or criminal or a mysterious creature.

Question 2:

Complete the following sentences.

(i) A master criminal is one who …………………………..

(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because …………………..

(iii) …………………… because Macavity moves much faster than them.

Answer:

(i) evades arrest and escapes from the scene of crime.

(ii) it fails to get a clue about the criminal.

(iii) Flying Squad is not able to catch hold of him.

Question 3:

“A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through”.

(Jules Verne)

Which law is Macavity breaking in the light of the comment above?

Answer: 

Newton’s Law of Gravitation.

Question 4:

Read stanza 3, and then describe Macavity in two or three sentences of your own.

Answer: 

Macavity is a very cunning and cautious cat. He is tall and thin. His eyes are sunken in, his forehead is wrinkled, and his head is dome like. His coat is soiled. Hair on his cheeks is not combed.

Question 5:

Say ‘False’ or ‘True’ for each of the following statements.

(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat.

(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do.

(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers.

(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright.

(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one.

Answer:

(i) True (ii) False (iii) True (iv) False (v) True

Question 6:

Having read the poem, try to guess whether the poet is fond of cats. If so, why does he call Macavity a fiend and monster?

Answer: 

The poet admires the cat for his swift movement, expert criminality and the way he gives a slip to the police. But he is a law breaker at the same time, so the poet calls him a devil and giant.

Question 7:

Has the poet used exaggeration for special effect? Find a few examples of it and read those lines aloud.

Answer: 

The following statements are examples of exaggeration.

• He is the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair.

• His power of levitation.

• A fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.

Summary & Question-answers of The Chapter:2-The Thief's Story with the concerned video

Summary of the Chapter

Anil was a young writer. He was living his life very carelessly. He was writing for the magazines and earning the money to run his life. One day Anil was watching the wrestling match. Hari best knew how to make unknown person a friend. He used an old formula to flatter the person. Hari stayed with Anil. Anil promised him that he would teach him how to write and add numbers. He also taught him how to cook tasty food. Daily Hari Singh was going to buy daily needs and had profit of one rupee daily. Anil knew it but he did not mind it. Both were living together happily.   One month passed, Hari Singh did not perform his business. One day he saw Anil had bought a bundle of notes. He saw him  put them under the mattress. As Hari saw the bundle of notes, his evil spirit awakened in his mind and he decided to rob Anil that night. After taking dinner Anil slept peacefully. Hari could not sleep, he woke up. He crept to the bed and slipped his hand under the mattress. He found the notes and ran away on the road. Hari Singh made up his mind that he would directly go to the railway station and would catch the Lucknow Express. He thought that Anil would not catch him if he ran away from the city.  Hari Singh reached the railway station, Lucknow Express was about to go.

Suddenly the good spirit called him. The inner voice told him not to betray the faith of Anil. The train was moving but Hari did not dare to catch it. He remembered the innocent face of Anil. When Hari Singh thought that what would Anil think about him. Anil would not worry about the money but he might feel bad that a man had broken his faith.  There was conflict in the mind of Hari Singh. He did not want to lose faith of Anil because he knew that Anil was a simple man. Moreover Anil taught him how to write and add numbers which could change his life. He could become a respected person in the society.

He left the railway station. He came to the maidan and sat on the bench. Just then heavy rain started. It was the month of November. Chill wind started blowing. He felt more uncomfortable as he had cheated an innocent person. His shirt and pyjamas stuck to his body because it were wet due to the rain.

Then he went to the Clock Tower to save from the rain. He sat there under the tower. Suddenly he remembered his notes. He searched for it and found that all the notes were wet. He crept again and secretly put back money under the mattress. The next day Anil woke up, prepared tea for Hari and himself. He handed over a fifty rupee note to Hari and told him that he would be regularly paid now. Hari took the note and found that it was still wet. He understood that Anil knew about the last night episode.

Page No 8:

Question 1:

Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

Answer:

In this story, ‘I’ refers to the thief.

Question 2:

What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?

Answer:

He was “a fairly successful hand” at stealing and robbing people.

Question 3:

What does he get from Anil in return for his work?

Answer:

When Hari asked Anil if he could work for him, Anil said that he could not pay him. Finally, the agreement was that if he would cook, then Anil would feed him. However, Anil soon found out that he did not know how to cook. Therefore, he taught him how to cook and later, how to write his name. He promised he would teach him how to write whole sentences and how to add numbers. Apart from this, when Hari went out to buy the day’s supplies, he would make a profit of a rupee a day.

Page No 10:

Question 1:

How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?

Answer:

The thief thought that on discovering the theft, Anil’s face would show a touch of sadness. The sadness would not be for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.

Question 2:

What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?

Answer:

In his short career as a thief, he had made a study of men’s faces when they lost their goods. He said that the greedy men showed fear; the rich men showed anger and the poor men showed acceptance.

Question 3:

Does Anil realize that he has been robbed?

Answer:

Yes, Anil had realized that he had been robbed. He knew this probably because all the notes were wet and damp with the rain. However, he did not say anything to the thief and behaved normally.

Page No 13:

Question 1:

What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education? Do they change over time? (Hint: compare, for example, the thought: “I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve” with these later thoughts: ‘Whole sentences, I knew, cloud one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees. It was a simple matter to steal − and sometimes just as simple to be caught. But to be a really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else.”) What makes him return to Anil?

Answer:

Initially, when Anil offered to educate him, he thought of it as a bright prospect for himself. He knew that once he could write such as an educated man, there would be no limit to what he could achieve in his field. For him, the motivation behind getting educated was robbing people. However, later, when he had stolen Anil’s money and then missed his train in which he would have escaped, he realized that he had completely forgotten about the whole sentence that Anil had promised to teach him to write. He thought about getting educated in a different light. He thought that it was a simple matter to steal and be caught, but to be a really big, clever and respected man was something else. He was inspired by the trusting and simple nature of Anil. This motivation to earn someone’s trust and be respectable made him return to Anil.

Question 2:

Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such employers?

Answer:

Anil does not hand over the thief to the police because he realized that Hari had learnt his lesson and had changed for the better. Otherwise, he would never have come back and kept the money at the same place from where he had stolen it. Anil even knew how Hari cheated him of a rupee a day while buying the day’s supplies. But he never said anything to him. This is such a case where most people would have handed him over to the police. Anil was different from such employers because he was a modest and trusting man. He had offered to teach Hari how to cook and also to educate him. When he found out that Hari had stolen the money, but had kept it back, he knew that it was Hari’s conscience that had made him do so. Hari could have easily run off with the money, but he did not. This made Anil give him another chance & build him into a better person that he could already see him becoming.

Summary & Question-answers of The Chapter:2-The Adventures of Toto with the concerned video

Summary of The Adventures of Toto

The Adventures of Toto by Ruskin Bond is an amusing story highlighting the antics of a mischievous monkey.

The narrator’s grandfather bought Toto, a little red monkey from a tonga driver to add to his collection of animals in his private zoo.

Toto was an attractive monkey with sparkling eyes. He would take special delight in scaring elderly Anglo-Indian ladies. Since grandmother was always averse to grandfather’s collection of animals, he decided to keep the news about Toto hidden from her until she was in better mood.

Toto was temporarily kept in a closet that opened into the narrator’s bedroom. After a few hours of keeping Toto in the closet, when the narrator and the grandfather came to see Toto, they were in for a shock. Toto had torn the wallpaper; the peg with which Toto had been bound, had been wrenched off the wall. The narrator’s school blazer had been torn into pieces.

The grandfather was quite happy at the monkey’s adventures. After this it was decided that Toto would be transferred to the cage where other animals such as a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, a tame squirrel and narrator’s pet goat lived amiably. But Toto would create trouble for all of them.

The grandfather had to go to Saharanpur to collect his pension. He decided to take Toto along in a big canvas bag. Since there was no opening in the bag to allow his hands or face to come out, he would often jump inside the bag, making the bag look like as if there was a spirit in it.

As soon as the train reached Saharanpur, Toto scared the ticket-collector by popping his head out of the bag and grinning at him. The ticket-collector was annoyed at the discovery and asserted that the grandfather would have to pay for Toto’s fare. The ticket-collector assumed Toto to be a dog and would not listen to the grandfather’s argument that it was not a dog.

Once the grandmother accepted Toto, he was shifted to stable where Nana, the family donkey lived. Toto could not get along with Nana as well.

Toto loved to take bath in hot water in winter in the same manner as the narrator would do. He would first check the hotness of water before jumping into the hot water bowl.

Think about it 

(Page 11)

Question 1.

How does Toto come to grand-father’s private zoo?

Answer:

Grandfather loved animals. One day he saw this attractive monkey with a tonga- driver. The monkey was tied to a feeding- trough and seemed out of place there. Grandfather had great liking for animals. So he decided to buy Toto from the tonga- driver and bought it for five rupees.

Question 2.

“Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?

Answer:

Toto had bright eyes sparkling with mischief, pearly white teeth, quick and wicked fingers and a gracious tail which served as a third hand. The smile of Toto was cute and frightened elderly Anglo- Indian ladies. Altogether all these qualities made him pretty.

Question 3.

Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?

Answer:

Toto was a mischievous monkey. He kept disturbing all other animals in grandfather’s private zoo. It seemed that only grandfather could manage him properly. So, he took Toto to Saharanpur in a bag. The ticket collector called Toto a dog as the monkey did not qualify the category of human beings.

Question 4.

How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself alive?

Answer:

Toto cunningly tested the temperature with his hand then gradually stepped into the bath. He stepped first one foot, then the other, until he was into the water up to his neck. He rubbed himself all over with the soap. He learned it all from the author. Some day Toto got in a large kitchen kettle which was on fire to boil. He enjoyed the warm water but when the water turned out to be hot he jumped up and down. Suddenly the grandmother arrived at and pulled him out in half-boiled condition.

Question 5.

Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?

Answer:

The author’s statement about Toto proves itself if we take Toto’s misdeeds into consideration. Nobody could afford the frequent losses. He disturbed all other animals too. Obviously Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long.

Talk about it 

(Page 11)

Question 1.

Do you have a pet? Is your pet mis-chievous? Tell the class about it.

Answer:

Yes, I have a pet dog named Moti. My father had brought him from my maternal uncle’s house when he was very small. Moti is like a member of my family. I have special attachment for him. He is very active and vigilant. He is an epitome of loyalty. He keeps sitting beside the main gate at night. Whenever there is any unknown sound inside my house, he starts barking. All the members of my family love Moti very much. Moti proves to be really a gem many a time. He keeps us safe all the time. Our Moti is not mischievous. He is very sensible and sensitive as well. We feel secure in his presence. I pray to God to keep him healthy.

Summary & Question-answers of The Chapter:3-Gopal & the Hilsa Fish

Gopal and the Hisa Fish Summary In English

Soul of the Chapter 

The Season of Hilsa Fish and a Challenge to Gopal

It was the season for Hilsa fish and it was Hilsa that everyone was talking about. In the market fishmongers were selling only Hilsa fish luring customers to buy it. Even in the royal court, courtiers were talking about Hillsa.

This made the king lose his temper. He believed that no one could stop the people from talking about Hilsa fish not even Gopal who was the wisest man in his court. The king challenged Gopal to buy a huge Hilsa fish and bring it to the palace without anyone asking him about it. Gopal accepted the challenge.

Handing for the Challenge

After a few days, Gopal shaved beard from half of his face and smeared ash on himself. He wore rags and looked disgraceful. His wife was shocked and asked him not to leave home like this, but Gopal kept on telling her that he was going to buy a huge Hilsa fish. She thought Gopal had gone mad. At the market Gopal bought a huge Hilsa fish and started walking towards the palace. No one noticed the fish, but everyone was looking at Gopal walking strangely with his shabby clothes. People called him mystic and mad.

Gopal Won the Challenge

He went to meet the king but was stopped by the guards. He started dancing and singing loudly in front of the royal palace. The king ordered his guards to produce the man before him. Everyone in the court was shocked seeing Gopal dressed up like a mad. The king questioned Gopal about the reason for his weird attire. Gopal reminded the king about the challenge and told him that from the market to the royal palace, no one had asked him a single word about the Hilsa fish. The king burst into laughter and accepted that Gopal had done the impossible once more.

Question 1:

Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?

Answer:

The king did not want any more talk about the hilsa-fish because it was the season for hilsa-fish and no one could stop talking about it for even five minutes. He was getting annoyed with all the talk about hilsa-fish.

Question 2:

What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?

Answer:

In order to prove that he was clever, Gopal was asked to buy a huge hilsa-fish and bring it to the palace without anyone asking anything about the fish.

Question 3:

What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?

Answer:

Before he went to buy hilsa-fish, Gopal half-shaved his face, smeared himself with ash, and wore disgraceful rags.

Question 4:

How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?

Answer:

After he had bought the fish, Gopal reached the palace and told the guards that he wanted to see the king. When the guards did not let him in, he began to dance and sing loudly. When the king heard this, and also the comments of the people watching the man sing and dance, he asked for the man to be brought before him.

Question 5:

Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.

Answer:

No one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had brought because of Gopal’s ridiculous appearance. Some people found him comical, others thought he was a mad man, still others thought he was a mystic. They were so engrossed in discussing his appearance that the hilsa-fish went unnoticed.

Question 6:

Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.

(i) The king lost his temper easily.___________

(ii) Gopal was a mad man. ____________

(iii) Gopal was a clever man. _____________

(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. ____________

(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. _______________

Answer:

(i) True

(ii) False

He was just acting as a mad man so that people’s attention would be diverted from the hilsa-fish he was carrying.

(iii) True

(iv) False

He wore rags so that people would notice them, and not talk about the hilsa-fish.

(v) False

The king laughed and congratulated Gopal for achieving the impossible yet again.

Summary & Question-answers of the Chapter:3-Glimpses of the Past with the concerned video

Glimpses of the Past Summary In English

1757-1849

In India of 1757, the East India Company was in a strong position. Compared to the Indian Princes, they had superior weapons. Besides Indian Princes were short-sighted in their approach to the events of the time. Indian princes were fighting with each other. They often sought the help of the Company to defeat other princes. This worked in favour of the Company. It could easily subdue these princes one after the other. However, the brave Tipu Sultan of Mysore fought with the British. He died in the battle-field fighting with the English.

The general reaction to the British rule was not the same everywhere in India. There were some who thanked British for ushering in an era of peace. Others bemoaned that the country was subjected to foreign rule.

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 3 Glimpses of the Past

Comprehension Check (Page 45)

Questions:

Look at picture 1 and recall the opening lines of the original song in Hindi. Who is the singer? Who else do you see in this picture?

In picture 2 what do you understand by the Company’s ‘superior weapons?

Who is an artisan? Why do you think the artisans suffered? (Picture 3)

Which picture, according to you, reveals the first sparks of the fire of revolt?

Answers:

The opening lines of the Hindi Song are “Aye Mere Waten Ke Logon, Tum Khub Lagao Nara: Ye Shubh Din Hai Hum Sab Ka Lehralo Tiranga Pyara, Par Mat Bhulo Seema Par Viron Ne Hain Pran Ganwayen.” It was sung by Lata Mangeskar. We see Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Lai Bahadur Shastri and Mrs. Indira Gandhi in this picture.

The East India Company conquered India by using their superior weapons, the guns and diplomacy.

An artisan is a craftsman, skilled in some trade. They suffered because the goods that they produced lost demand in the Indian market.

Picture 7 reveals the first spark of the fire of revolt.

Working With the Text (Page 45)

Answer the following questions.

Question 1:

Do you think the Indian princes were short-sighted in their approach to the events of 1757?

Answer: 

Yes, the Indian princes were short-sighted in their approach. They fought against each other with the help of the British. Thus the British became the virtual rulers.

Question 2:

How did the East India Company subdue the Indian Princes?

Answer: 

The East India company spread their wings in India to promote their trade. They supported one Indian Princes to finish the other. As a result power passed onto their hands.

Question 3:

Quote the words used by Ram Mohan Roy to say that every religion teaches the same principles.

Answer: 

The words of Ram Mohan Roy spoken to his wife were: “Cows are of different colours, but the colour of their milk is the same. Different teachers have different opinions but the essence of every religion is the same.”

Question 4:

In what ways did the British officers exploit Indians?

Answer: 

The British rulers passed a resolution under which an Indian could be sent to jail without trial in a court. The goods manufactured in England were exempted from custom duty. The officers prospered on the company’s loot and their private business flourished.

Question 5:

Name these people.

The ruler who fought pitched battles against the British and died fighting.

The person who wanted to reform the society.

The person who recommended the introduction of English education in India.

Two popular leaders who led the revolt (choices may vary.)

Answer:

Tipu Sultan of Mysore.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy of Bengal.

Lord Mecaulay

Nana Sahib Peshwa, Kunwar Singh, Begum Hazrat Mahal.

Question 6:

Mention the following.

Two examples of social practices prevailing then.

Two oppressive policies of the British.

Two ways in which common people suffered.

Four reasons for the discontent that led to the 1857 War of Independence.

Answer:

Untouchability and child marriage.

The British masters allowed imports in India tax free. They ruined Indian cottage industries,

The farmers were taxed heavily and the thumbs of skilled workers were cut.

(a) Santhals who lost their land became desparate and they revolted.

(b) The sepoys in the English army were paid much less than the white soldiers. So they were discontented and angry.

(c) The Brahmins were furious when they came to know that the bullets they had to bite, contained cow fat and pig-fat.

(d) Many landlords were sore because the British policies deprived them of their land and estate.