Class 7 Lesson 3 Honeycomb NCERT Questions and Answers CBSE part Gopal and the Hilsa-fish and The Shad.
Lesson 3 Gopal and the Hilsa-fish
Working with text
Answer the following questions.
1. Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
The king was tired of hearing about the hilsa-fish because it seemed to be the only topic of conversation throughout the entire kingdom, and this constant chatter annoyed him.
2. What did the king ask Gopal to prove that he was clever?
Answer: The king challenged Gopal to prove his cleverness by ensuring that, during his mission, people would refrain from mentioning the hilsa-fish as much as possible.
3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Answer: Before going to buy the hilsa-fish, Gopal did three unusual things:
i) He half-shaved his face.
ii) He covered his body with ash.
iii) He dressed in rags.
4. How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?
Answer: When Gopal reached the palace, he asked the guards to let him meet the king. However, they refused to let him in. In response, Gopal started dancing and singing loudly. Hearing the commotion, the king ordered that the man be brought inside, which is how Gopal gained entry into the palace.
5. Explain why no one seemed to be interesting n talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.
Answer: No one seemed interested in talking about the hilsa-fish Gopal had bought because they were far more astonished by his appearance—his half-shaved face, body covered in ash, and ragged clothes. This unusual sight left them wondering what had happened to him.
6. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.
(i) The king list his temper easily. __________
(ii) Gopal was a madman. ________
(iii) Gopal was 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) The king lost his temper easily. True
(ii) Gopal was a madman. False
(iii) Gopal was a clever man. True
(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. False
(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. False
Question 2. 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 done for you.
For e.g., (i) How much did you pay 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 _____________.
Answer:
(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.
Question 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: Radhika challenged Kshama to the debate competition.
Mystic: Some sages are considered to have mystic powers.
Comical: Shinchan is a comical character.
Courtier: The courtier had to obey the orders of the king.
Smearing: Smearing oil before playing holi helps in getting the colour off the skin easily.
Picture Reading
Question 1. Now ask your partner questions about each picture.
(i) Where is the stag?
Answer: The stag stood beside the pond.
(ii) What is he doing?
Answer: He gazed at his reflection in the pond’s water.
(iii) Does he like his antlers (homes)?
Answer: Yes, he liked his antlers.
(iv) Does he like his legs?
Answer: He dislikes his legs because they are too thin.
(v) Why is the stag running?
Answer: The stag is running because hunters are pursuing it.
(vi) Is he able to hide in the stag?
Answer: He is unable to hide in the bushes because his horns keep getting stuck.
(vii) Where are the hunters now?
Answer: The hunters are pursuing the stag.
(viii) Are they closing in on the stag?
Answer: : Yes, they were getting closer to the stag.
(ix) Is thee stag free?
Answer: Yes, the stag is unharmed and free.
(x) What does the stag say about his horns and his legs?
Answer: The stag reflects that while it once took pride in its horns, they could have led to its death. The very legs it was ashamed of ended up saving its life.
Question 3. Now write the story in your own words. Give it a title.
Answer: Horns and the Legs
Once upon a time, there lived a stag. One day, as he was about to drink from a pond, he noticed his reflection in the water. Admiring his magnificent horns, he felt proud of their beauty. But when he looked at his legs, he thought they were thin and unattractive.
One day, hunters entered the jungle and began chasing the stag. He immediately started running, but his horns got caught in the bushes. With great effort, he managed to free himself and sprinted away.
Once he was safe, the stag realized that the horns he had been so proud of nearly cost him his life, while the legs he had once considered ugly had saved him.
The Shad
Working with the Poem
1. Answer the following questions.
(i) Who is the speaker in the poem?
(ii) Is she/he afraid or curious, or both?
(iii) What is she/he planning to do soon?
(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 the following questions:
(i) Who is the speaker in the poem?
The speaker in the poem is a child who is curious about the shed at the bottom of the garden.
(ii) Is she/he afraid or curious, or both?
The speaker is both afraid and curious. While they are intrigued by the shed and want to explore it, they also feel some fear due to their brother’s story about the ghost and their own imagination.
(iii) What is she/he planning to do soon?
The speaker is planning to open the door of the shed and explore inside one day soon, though they haven’t done it yet.
(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.
The phrase “But not just yet…” suggests hesitation. The speaker is unsure about entering the shed despite their curiosity. They are hesitant because of the lingering fear of the unknown, perhaps influenced by their brother’s stories and their own imagination. They want to explore, but they are not quite ready to face their fear.
Solution- All Chapters: English Grammar Exercises for Class 7 with Answers