7th class-cbse english (Honeycomb) Chapter-10 (The story of cricket) (Ramachandra Guha)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) Name some stick –and-ball games that you have witnessed or heard of.

Ans1) Cricket, hockey, table-tennis, lawn –tennis, baseball are some stick –and-ball games.

Q2) The paresis were the first Indian community to take to cricket. Why?

 Ans2) The Parsies were in close contact with the British due to their interest in trade. They were the first Indian community to westernize. So, they formed the first Indian community of cricket.

Q3) The rivalry between the Parsis and the Bombay Gymkhana had happy ending for the former. What does ‘a happy ending’ refer to?

Ans3) The Parsis won the match and got the revenge of their dispute regarding the use of Public Park.

Q4)Do you think cricket owes its present popularity to television? Justify your answer.

Ans4)I think cricket owes its present popularity to television. Television has expanded the audience by broadcasting cricket into small towns and villages. Satellite television has the worldwide reach and it has created a global market for cricket.

Q5) Why has cricket a large view ship in India, not in China or Russia?

Ans5) Cricket is popular mostly in those countries which were earlier under the British rule. India is one of them. Moreover TV companies have created a global market for cricket in India. Thus a large viewer ship developed in India and not in China or Russia.

Q6) What do you understand by the cricket’s ‘equipment’?

Ans6) The material used for playing cricket such as ball , bat, stumps, bails , protecting equipments such as helmets , guards etc. are called the cricket’s ‘equipment’.

Q7) How is test cricket a unique game in many ways?

Ans7) Test cricket is a unique game in many ways. It is the longest duration game. It is played for five days and still the result can be undecided. It has the playing pitch area of 22 yards irrespective of the length and shape of the entire ground. In other games the dimensions of the playing area is specified

Q8) What was common between cricket bat and a hockey stick?

Ans8)The shape of cricket bat was roughly the same as of hockey sticks, curving outwards at the bottom.

Q9) Why the cricket bat used to curve outward at the bottom of a cricket?

Ans9) The cricket bat used to curve outward at the bottom of a cricket because the ball was bowled underarm, along the ground. With the curve at the end the chance of contact of bat and ball was the best.

7th class-cbse english (Honeycomb) Chapter-9 (A bicycle in good repair) (Jerome K. Jerome)

Answer following questions in short.

 Q1) Did the front wheel really wobble? What is your opinion? Give a reason for your answer ?

Ans1) The front wheel was perfectly all right. It wobbled only if the man shook it violently. It began to wobble only after repair because some of the balls were lost.

Q2) In what condition did the author find the bicycle when he returned from the tool shed?

Ans2) When the author returned from the tool shed he found that the man was holding the front wheel between his legs. He was moving it round between his fingers. The remaining part of the bicyle was lying on the stony path beside him.

Q3) What special treatment did the chain receive?

Ans3) Firstly he tightened the chain too much that it refused to move. Then he loosened it a little too much.

Q4) Describe ‘the fight’ between the man and the machine.  Find the relevant sentences in the text and write them.

Ans4) Cycle was in good working condition but the friend set to repair it. He worked to refix the gear case. He put the bicycle in different positions. He lay on the ground to work at it from below. He lost his balance and cycle slid over on to his head. There was a fierce fight between him and the machine. Sometimes he was on top the machine, the next moment, he lay on the gravel path with the bicycle on him.

Q5) How did the narrator feel when his friend shook his bicycle violently?

Ans5) The narrator felt hurt when his friend shook his bicycle violently  because his friend was hurting his bicycle for no apparent reason.

Q6) Was the man repairing the bicycle as a trained mechanic?

Ans6) He did not know anything about the cycle repairing. He was no way an expert. He made a mess and took the machine to pieces. But he was able to refit the bicycle for use.

7th class-cbse english (Honeycomb) Chapter-8 (Fire: Friend and foe)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What do you understand by the ‘flash point’ of a fuel?

Ans1) The Flash point or kindling temperature of the fuel is the temperature at which fuel like paper, coal or wood begins to burn.

Q2) What are some common uses of fire?

Ans2) The common uses of fire are to cook food, warm our homes in winter and to generate electricity.

Q3) In what sense is fire a “bad master”?

Ans3) Fire a bad master if it gets out of control. It can burn homes, shops and vast areas of forests. It can also kill and injure hundreds of people every year.

Q4) What are the three main ways in which a fire can be controlled or put out?

Ans4) The three main ways in which a fire can be controlled or put out are based on taking away one of the three things needed for burning

a) stop supply of fuel..

b) Prevent oxygen from reaching it. This can be done by throwing a damp blanket or spraying carbon dioxide or sand.

c) Bring down the temperature below the flash point.

Q5) Why does a burning candle go out when you blow on it?

Ans5) We remove the hot air around the flame when we blow on a burning candle. This brings down its temperature below the flash point and candle goes out.

Q6) Spraying water is not a good way of putting out an oil fire or an electrical fire? Why not ?

Ans6) Oil is lighter than water and floats to the top of water. Hence oil fire cannot be put out by spraying water on it.  In fact the fire spreads as water can flow quickly carrying the burning oil. Similarly water should not be used on electrical fire. Water is good conductor of electricity. The person spraying water can get electric shock.

Q7) Why was early man frightened of fire?

Ans7) Early man was frightened of fir because it was powerful and dangerous. He was not able to control it.

Q8) Which is the best thing to put out on electrical fire?

Ans8) The best thing to put out on electrical fire is a carbon extinguisher.

Q9) Fire is a good servant but a bad master. Elaborate?

Ans9) Fire is a good servant. It has a number of uses. It cooks our food, warms our homes in winter and produces electricity. But it is a bad master if it gets out of control. Then it burns our houses and forests, it kills and injures hundreds of people.

7th class-cbse english (Honeycomb) Chapter-7 (The Invention of vita –wonk)(Roald Dahl)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) Can anyone’s age be as minus number? What does “minus 87” mean?

Ans1) Anyone’s age cannot be a minus number. Here “minus 87” means a person who have to wait for 87 years to born.

Q2) What trees does Mr. Wonka mention? Which tree does he say lives the longest?

Ans2) Mr. Wonka mentioned about the Douglas fir, Oak Cedar and the Bristlecone pine. He says that the Bristlecone pine lives the longest.

Q3) How long does the Bristlecone pine live? Where can you find it?

Ans3) The Bristlecone pine lives for over 4,000 years and one can find them upon the slopes of wheeler Peak in Nevada, U.S.A

Q4) Why does Mr. Wonka collect items from the oldest things? Do you think this is the right way to begin his invention?

Ans4 ) Mr. Wonka collected the items from the oldest things in order to invent a medicince – Vita Wonk to make people live longer. But this is not the right way to begin inventions.

Q5) What happens to the volunteer who swallows four drops of the new invention? What is the name of the inventions?

Ans5) The volunteer who swallows four drops of the new invention became old. He began wrinkling; his hair started drooping off and his teeth falling out. He turned into a fellow of 75. The name of the invention was vita-Wonk.

7th class-cbse english (Honeycomb) Chapter-6 (Expert Detectives)(Sharda Dwivedi))

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What did Nishad give Mr. Nath? Why?

Ans1) Nishad gave a bar of chocolate to Mr. Naphtha thought that Mr. Nath was poor and hungry.

Q2) What is ‘strange’ about Mr. Nath‘s Sundays?

Ans2) On Sundays, a tall, fair, stout men wearing spectacles came meet Mr. Nath and he used to talk a lot.

Q3) Why did Nishad and Maya get a holiday?

Ans3) The monsoon broke and a heavy downpour flooded the streets. Therefore, no traffic could move and thus Maya and Nishad got an unexpected holiday.

Q4) What does Nishad find out about Mr. Nath from Ramesh?

Ans4) Nishad finds out from Ramesh that Mr. Nath takes two meals in a day and he drinks two cups of tea, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. He is not particular about what he eats. He always took the same food- two chapattis, some Dal and a vegetable. He pays cash and tips well.

Q5) Does Nishad agree with Maya about Mr. Nath? How does he feel about him?

Ans5) Nishad did not agree with Maya. He felt that Mr. Nath was not a crook or a criminal as he was very thin and looked poor and starving. He thought he was lonely and wanted some friends.

Q6) How did Maya and Nishad come to know about Mr. Nath?

Ans6) Mr. Nath was the patient of Maya and Nishad‘s mother. They saw him at her clinic.

Q7) What according to Maya, was there in the trunk kept in the room of Mr. Nath?

Ans7) Maya thought that trunk must contain money, silver, gold, jewels and so on.

Q8) What was Maya opinion about Ramesh?

Ans8) She thought that Ramesh probably knew something about Mr. Nath‘s past. So, Mr. Nath must be bribing him to keep quiet in the form of tips.

7th class-cbse english (Honeycomb) Chapter-5 (Quality)(John Galsworthy)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What was the autho’s opinion about Mr. Gessler as a bootmaker?

Ans1) The author thought that Mr. Gessler was the best shoemaker in the city. He had skill, pride and respect for his trade as any other artist. So, the author considered him a perfect artist.

Q2) Why didn’t the author visit the shop frequently?

Ans2)  The shoes made by Mr. Gessler were always long lasting. Therefore, he visited the shop very infrequently.

Q3) What was the effect on Mr .Gesseler when the author complained about a certain pair of boots?

Ans3) Once the author told Mr. Gesseler that there was creaking on a pair of boot.  Mr. Gesseler was taken by surprised and asked him to get the pair back. He said if he could not do anything with them he would return the money.

Q4) What was Mr. Gessler’s complaint against “big firms”?

Ans4) Mr. Gessler complained that the big firm got business by advertisement and not by work. They didn’t have self –respect. Because of them the workers like Mr. Gessler were facing lack of work.

Q5) Why did the author order so many pairs of boots? Did he really need them?

Ans5) The author filled with sorrow and grief when he came to know about the death of Mr. Gessler’s elder brother. He wanted to help him. So, he ordered several pairs of boots although he didn’t really need them.

Q6) Do you think Mr. Gessler was a failure as a boot maker or as a competitive businessmen?

Ans6)  Mr. Gessler was a brilliant boot maker but bad competitive businessmen. He took a lot of time to complete the order and people could not wait so long. Moreover he never advertised. Hence he was a failure in business.

Q7) Why had Mr. Gessler let out part of his shop to another boot maker?

Ans7) Mr. Gessler was old and he had very less work. He was not able to meet his expenses. So, he let out part of his shop to another boot maker.

Q8) What was distinct about Mr. Gessler’s shop?

Ans8) There was no sign upon the shop other than the name of Gessler Brothers. The window displayed only few pairs of boots in the window.

7th class -cbse english(Honeycomb) Chapter-4 (The Ashes That made Trees bloom)(William Elliot Griffis)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) The old farmer is a kind person. What evidence of his kindness do you find in the first two paragraphs?

Ans1) The old farmer was a kind person. He had no children. He and his wife reared a little dog named Muko, as his baby. They fed him fish from their own chopsticks and all the boiled rice he wanted. They treated him very nicely. The farmer also gave food to the birds.

Q2) What did the dog do to lead the farmer to the hidden gold?

Ans2) The dog took the old man to a place and began scratching the ground. The old man dug the earth and found the hidden gold.

Q3) How did the couple spend the gold?

Ans3)The couple bought a piece of land, arranged a feast for their friends and gave plentifully to their poor neighbours.

Q4) What did the greedy neighbours find on digging the ground?

Ans4) The greedy neighbours found a dead kitten whose smell made them drop their tools and shut their noses.

Q5) How did the spirit of the dog help the farmer first?

Ans5) The spirit of the dog came in the dream of the farmer and asked him to cut down the pine tree over his grave and make a mortar for rice pastry and a mill for bean sauce from it.

Q6) How did the spirit of the dog help him next?

Ans6) The spirit of the dog informed the farmer that the wicked neighbours had burnt the mill. He adviced him to take the ashes of the mill and sprinkle them on the withered trees, and they would bloom again.

Q7) What was the custom in the day of the daimios when their lord passed by?

Ans7) In the days of the daimios when their lord passed by all the loyal people had to shut up their high windows. All the people along the road had to fall upon their hands and knees until the procession passed by.

Q8) Why did the daimio reward the farmer but punish the neighbour for the same act?

Ans8) The farmer had the magical ashes. He sprinkled it on the withered cherry tree that bloomed. That made the daimio very happy and he rewarded the farmer. But his neighbour didn’t have magic in the ashes. When he sprinkled the ashes on a withered cherry tree it went into the eyes and nose of the diamio and his wife. The daimio got angry and punished the neighbour.

7th class-cbse english (Honeycomb) Chapter-2 (A Gift of Chappals)(Vasantha Surya)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What is the secret that meena shares with Mridu in the backyard?

Ans1) Meena told Mridu about the small kitten that they found a kitten outside the gate. Their mother did not know about it. They put it inside a torn football lined with sacking and filled with sand. It took milk from a coconut half –shell.

Q2) How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?

Ans2) Ravi told his mother that he was feeling hungry and wanted to drink milk. Mother gave him milk. and asked him to keep the tumbler back. Ravi promised her that he would wash it after finishing the milk.

Q3) Who does he say the kitten’s ancestors are? Do you believe him?

Ans3) He said the kitten’s ancestors was the Mahabalipuram  Rishi-Cat, which was the emblem of the Pallava dynasty. And the mahabalipuram Rishi –cat was descendants of the cat-goddess of Egypt. We do not believe him.

Q4) What was the noise that startled mridu and frightened Mahendran?

Ans4) Lalli was learning to play violin. The sound of kreech coming from it startled Mridu and frightened Mahendran.

7th class-cbse english (Honeycomb) Chapter-1 (Three questions) (Leo Tolstoy)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) Why did the king want to know answers to three questions?

Ans1) The king thought that if he knew the right answers to his three answers he would never fail in any work.

Q2) Some said the king should go to magicians. Why?

Ans2) The king was looking for the answers of his three question. One of the questions was to find right time for doing something. This needed looking into the future. That’s why some said the king should go to magicians

Q3) In answer to the second question whose advice would be important to the king?

Ans3) The advice of priest, doctor and soldiers would be important to the king. The priests would seek the blessings of God against natural calamities. The doctors would help the king fight diseases and live long. The soldiers would save the country from foreign invaders.

Q4) What suggestions were made in answer to the third question?

Ans4) Suggestions made in answer to the third question were that The king should work strictly according to a set timetable and he should seek guidance from a council of ministers.

Q5) Did the wise men win the reward? If not, why?

Ans5) The answers of wise men were very different and unsatisfactory. Hence  none of them won the reward.

Q6) What was the king‘s problem?

Ans6) The king wanted to avoid a failure in any venture. For that he needed a clear cut answers to his three questions –the right time to do something, the right thing and the right persons for his guidance.

Q7) Why did the king go to the hermit? Why did he go alone?

Ans7)The king was desperately searching for right answers for his three questions. All the wise men failed to satisfy him. So, he decided to visit the hermit for advice because he was famous for his wisdom. The hermit lived in the forest and never come to the town.  Moreover he met only common people. So, the king put on simple clothes, left his horse and bodyguard behind, and walked to the hermit’s hut alone.

Q8) How did the king and the hermit help the wounded man?

Ans8) The king and the hermit removed the wounded man’s clothing and washed his wound. They covered the wound with a cloth. When the bleeding did not stop, the king redressed the wounded.

Q9) Who was the bearded man?

Ans9) The bearded man was the sworn enemy of the king. The king had put his brother to death and taken away all his property. He wanted to take revenge and kill the king on his way home.

Q10) The king forgave the bearded man. What did he do to show his forgiveness?

Ans10) The king was happy to make peace with his enemy. He promised to send a doctor to look after him and return his property.

Q11) What were the hermit‘s answers to the three questions? Which answer you like the most?

Ans11) The hermit‘s answers to the three questions were

a) The most important time is ‘now’ or present.

b) The most important business is the service rendered to others.

c) The most important person is with whom one is at the moment

I like the first answer the most. Present is the only time when we can act. We should live in the present moment.