Working with the text…
1. Why did the king want no
more talk about the hilsa- fish?
Ans: It was a season for hilsa –fish. Everyone talked about it.
This bored the king. So he did not want no more talk about hilsa -fish.
2. What did the king ask
Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
Ans: The king asked Gopal to buy a hilsa- fish and bring it
to the court. No one should ask him a word about it.
3. What three things Gopal
do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Ans: Gopal half-shaved his face, smeared himself with ash
and wore disgraceful rags.
4. How did Gopal go inside
the palace to see the king after he had bought the hilsa- fish?
Ans: When the guards did not allow him to go inside the
palace, he began to dance. Hearing the noise, the king ordered the guards to
bring Gopal before him.
5. Explain why no one seemed
to be interested in taking about the hilsa- fish which Gopal had brought?
Ans: Gopal made his
appearance funny. Everyone noticed his appearance. So Nobody gave attention to
the hilsa- fish.
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.
Ans: (i) True (ii) False (iii) True (iv) False (v) False
Working with
Language ...
1. Change the following sentences in the
story to reported speech. The first one has been done for you.
(i) How much did you pay for that hilsa?
The woman asked the man how much he had paid for that
hilsa.
(ii) Why is your face half-shaven? Gopal's wife asked him
----------
(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty. Gopal told
the king---------
(iv) I want to see the king. Gopal told the
guards----------
(v) Bring the man to me at once. The king ordered the
guard--------------
Ans: (i) The woman asked the man how much he had
paid for that hilsa.
(ii) Gopal's wife asked him why his face was half-shaven.
(iii) Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.
(iv) Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the
king.
(v) The king ordered the guard to bring the man to him at
once.
2. Find out the meaning of the following
words by looking them up in the dictionary. Then use
them in sentences of your own.
challenge
courtier mystic smearing comical
(i) challenge – to invite somebody to fight, play, argue against you.
Ram accepted the challenge of his friend.
(ii) mystic -a person who tries to
be united with God through prayer
Saint Kabir was a mystic in the real sense.
(iii) comical – funny
Gopal
looked comical in rags.
(iv) courtiers - persons in attendance
at the court of a king.
The courtiers of the king recognized Gopal.
(v) smearing - covering with
something.
The hermit was smearing ash over his body.
Poem 3
The
Shed
Working
with the poem…
1. Who is the speaker in the
poem?
Ans: The poet is the speaker in the poem.
2. Is she/ he afraid or curious, or both?
Ans: He is only curious. He is curious to go into
the shed.
3. What is she/he planning to do soon?
Ans: He is planning to go into the shed one day.
4. “But not just
yet…”suggests doubt, fear, hesitation laziness, or something else. Choose the
words which means right to you.
Tell others why you choose it.?
Ans: These words suggest
hesitation. The poet has no fear. He has not yet decided to do.