“Gopal and the Hilsa-fish” is a lesson from the Textbook“Honeycomb“ approved by NCERT for the Students of Class 7. Here all the Textual Questions are answered by English teachers.
Working with the Text
Answer the following questions.
1. Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
Answer: The king wanted to no more talk about the hilsa-fish because everyone in the kingdom was constantly talking about the fish. So, the king was irritated and tired about it all the time.
2. What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
Answer: The king challenged Gopal to buy a huge hilsa-fish and bring it to the palace without anyone talking about the fish on the way.
3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Answer: Before going to buy the hilsa-fish, Gopal shaved half his beard, smeared ash on his body, and wore torn, shabby clothes.
4. How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?
Answer: The guards didn’t let Gopal in, so he danced and sang loudly until the king ordered him to be brought inside.
5. Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.
Answer: Because Gopal looked so odd and comical that everyone was too shocked by his strange appearance instead of the fish he was carrying.
6. Write “True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.
(i) The king lost his temper easily. ____________
Answer: The king lost his temper easily. [True]
(ii) Gopal was a madman. _____________
Answer: Gopal was a madman. [False]
(iii) Gopal was a clever man. ______________
Answer: Gopal was a clever man. [True]
(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. ____________
Answer: Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes.[False]
(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. ____________
Answer: The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. [False]
Working with Language
1. Notice how in a comic book, there are no speech marks when characters talk. Instead what they say is put in a speech bubble. However, if we wish to repeat or ‘report what they say, we must put it into reported speech.
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 ______________________________
Answer: Gopal’s wife asked him why his face was half shaven.
(iii) I accept the challenge. Your Majesty.
Gopal told the king ______________________________
Answer: Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.
(iv) I want to see the king.
Gopal told the guards ______________________________
Answer: Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the king.
(v) Bring the man to me at once
The king ordered the guard ______________________________
Answer: 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 mystic comical courtier smearing |
Answer:
Challenge: Gopal accepted the king’s challenge confidently.
Mystic: The night felt mystic that day.
Comical: The clown made a comical face.
Courtier: The courtier greeted the king.
Smearing: He kept smearing the colour.
Picture Reading
2. Now ask your partner questions about each picture.
(1) Where is the stag?
Answer: The stag is standing by the side of a pond.
(ii) What is he doing?
Answer: He is looking at his reflection and admiring himself.
(iii) Does he like his antlers (horns)?
Answer: Yes, he loves his antlers.
(iv) Does he like his legs?
Answer: No, he does not like his legs as they are very thin and ugly.
(v) Why is the stag running?
Answer: The stag is running because the hunters are chasing him.
(vi) Is he able to hide in the bushes?
Answer: No, he is not able to hide in the bushes as his horns get stuck in the branches.
(vii) Where are the hunters now?
Answer: The hunters are close behind the stag in the forest, chasing him.
(viii) Are they closing in on the stag?
Answer: Yes, they were getting closer to the stag.
(ix) Is the stag free?
Answer: Yes, the stag is free.
(x) What does the stag say about his horns and his legs?
Answer: The stag says that he was proud of his horns but it could have caused him to die and the legs he was initially ashamed of, saved his life.
3. Now write the story in your own words. Give it a title.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Answer:
The stag learned a lesson
Once there was a stag who was very proud of his beautiful horns. He often admired their shape, but he always felt embarrassed about his legs as they were very thin.
One day, while he was standing by the pond and looking at his reflection, he heard a sudden rustling noise behind him. When he turned, he saw hunters approaching towards him. Terrified, the stag ran as fast as he could to save his life. He tried to hide in the bushes, but his large horns got tangled in the branches. The hunters are getting closer and closer.
With a strong pull, he finally freed himself and sprinted away. His quick thin legs carried him far from danger and kept him safe.
After escaping, the stag finally realised that the horns he felt proud of, had nearly caused him to die, while the legs he disliked had saved his life. He learned never to judge anything’s worth by its appearance.
4. Complete the following word ladder with the help of the clues given below.
Clues
1. Mother will be very ___________ If you don’t go to school.
Answer: Mother will be very cross If you don’t go to school.
2. As soon as he caught ____________ of the teacher. Mohan started writing.
Answer: As soon as he caught Sight of the teacher. Mohan started writing.
3. How do you like my __________ kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?
Answer: How do you like my Tiny kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?
4. My youngest sister is now a __________ old.
Answer: My youngest sister is now a Year old.
5. Standing on the __________ , he saw children playing on the road.
Answer: Standing on the Roof , he saw children playing on the road.
6. Don’t make such a ___________ . Nothing will happen.
Answer: Don’t make such a Fuss. Nothing will happen.
7. Don’t cross the ___________ till the green light comes on.
Answer: Don’t cross the Street till the green light comes on.
The Shed | FRANK FLYNN | Class 7 | Unit 3 | Question Answer | NCERT
Working with the Poem
1. Answer the following questions.
(i) Who is the speaker in the poem?
Answer: The speaker is a young boy.
(ii) Is she/he afraid or curious, or both?
Answer: Yes, he is both afraid and curious.
(iii) What is she/he planning to do soon?
Answer: He is planning to go inside the shed one day.
(iv) “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.
Answer: It suggests fear and hesitation. Even though he wants to go inside the shed, he still isn’t brave enough to do it right away.
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.
Answer: Yes, there is a small unused house in our neighborhood that I don’t like to visit alone. It is always dark, the windows are broken and the doors remain closed. It looks old and spooky. People say strange noises come from there at night. Even though I know that might not be true, the place still feels scary. So, I always avoid going there by myself.