8th class-cbse english (Honeydew) Chapter-1 (The best Christmas present in the world) (Michael Morpurogo)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What did the author find in a Junk shop?

Ans1) The author found in a junk shop a roll-top desk.

Q2)  What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?

Ans2) In the secret drawer he found a small tin box. It contained Jim‘s last letter. According to me it had been kept there by Mrs. Macpherson.

Q3) Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?

Ans3) The letter was written by Jim Macpherson to his wife, Connie, on Christmas from the battlefield.

Q4) Why was the letter written –what was the wonderful thing that had happened?

Ans4) The letter was written at wartime to describe a unusual event which happened on the Christmas eve. It was wonderful as fritz celebrated Christmas in the terrible sight of war, they were joined by the German. They enjoyed together drinks and sausage. Enemies became friends for sometime in the battlefield.

Q5) What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?

Ans5) Hans Wolf played a cello in the orchestra and Jim Macpherson was a school –teacher when they were not soldiers.

Q6) Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?

Ans6) No, he had never gone to Dorset. He learnt about it from school by reading books in English. So he said he knew it.

Q7)  Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?

Ans7) Jim Macpherson did not return from the war. We know this because on the box. , It was written “Jim’s last letter, received on January 25, 1915 .To be buried with me when the time comes.” These lines shows that Jim never came back from the war.

Q8) Why did the author go to Bridport?

Ans8) The author went to Bridport to meet Mrs. Macpherson to deliver her letter.

Q9) Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?

Ans9) Mrs. Macpherson thought that he was her husband Jim Macpherson.

 Q10) Why do jim and Hans think that games or sports are good way of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?

Ans10) Jim and Hans thought that games or sports are good ways to resolve conflicts because no one dies in a sport. Neither the children got orphaned nor do the wives become widows.

I agree with this concept also as war gives nothing but deaths on both sides

Q11) What is Connie’s Christmas present? Why is it “the best Christmas present in the world”?

Ans11) Connie’s Christmas present was Jim’s last letter. She had been 101 years old. The last letter of her husband brought the sweet memory back after so many years. No other gift could be more pleasing and satisfying.

8th class-cbse english (honey dew) (Poem) Poem -8 (On the Grasshopper and cricket) (John Keats)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) “The poetry of earth” is not made of words. What “The poetry of earth” is made of, as suggested in the poem?

Ans1) The poetry of earth is made of the songs of its inhabitants.

Q2) Which season is mentioned here in first stanza?

Ans2) Summer Season is mention here.

Q3) Who is talking the lead and why?

Ans3) The Grasshopper is talking the lead to continue the poetry of earth.

Q4) Who is representing winter season?

Ans4) The cricket is representing winter season.

Q5) Write the meaning of the phrase ‘The frost has wrought a silence.’

Ans5) In winter, when it falls frost, everything becomes still. It refers to this stillness that is brought about by the frost.

8th class-cbse english (honey dew) (Poem) Poem -7 (When I set out for lyonnesse) (Thomas Hardy)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What time of the day has been mentioned in the poem?

Ans1) The late evening time has been mentioned here.

Q2) How is the weather?

Ans2) The weather is extreme cold as there was frost on the spray.

Q3) Where did the poet go?

Ans3) The poet went to lyonnesse.

Q4) What does the expression, ‘No prophet durst declare ‘ mean ?

Ans4) The expression mean that Even the founder of religion could not declare the results of the poet’s stay there at Lyonnesse.

Q5) What could the wisest wizard not guess?

Ans5) The wisest wizard could not guess what would happen if the poet stayed there at lyonnesse.

Q6) What happened to the poet and where?

Ans6) The poet had changed with magic in his eyes and rare and fathomless radiance on his face.

Q7) Explain –“All marked with Mute surmise!”?

Ans7) It means that everyone noticed something and they made guesses, but didn’t speak a word.

8th class-cbse english (honey dew) (Poem) Poem -6 (The duck and the kangaroo) (Edward Lear)

Answer following questions in short.

 Q1) Why is the duck unhappy?

Ans1) The duck is unhappy because of her boring life in the pond.

Q2) What does the Duck wish?

Ans2) The Duck wishes to hop like the kangaroo.

Q3) What request does the Duck make to the kangaroo?

Ans3) The Duck requests the kangaroo to give her a ride on his back.

Q4) Who is the Duck talking to?

Ans4) The Duck is talking to the kangaroo.

Q5) What requires a little reflection?

Ans5) The kangaroo requires a little reflection on the Duck’s request of a ride.

Q6) Why is the kangaroo worried?

Ans6) The kangaroo worried about duck’s unpleasantly wet and cold feet. He thinks that he will catch ‘rheumatism’ through it.

Q7) What does the Duck think over?

Ans7) The Duck thinks over the problem that the kangaroo has with her wet and cold feet.

Q8) Why and where does the Duck sit?

Ans8) The Duck sits on the rocks to think over the problem of her wet feet.

Q9) What suggestions does the Kangaroo give to the Duck? Does the Duck agree?

Ans9) The kangaroo suggests the Duck to sit steadily at the end of his tail. Yes, the Duck agrees it.

Q10) Where and when do they go?

Ans10) They go round the whole world thrice in the pale Moonlight.

8th class-cbse english (honey dew) (Poem) Poem -5 (The school boy) (William Blake)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What ‘A cruel eye outworn’ refers to?

Ans1) It refers to the dull and uninteresting life at school with lots of work and no play.

Q2) What does the child not like?

Ans2) The child does not like to go to school in a summer morning.

Q3) How does the child remain in the school?

Ans3). The child remains in the school joylessly.

Q4) What does the child say about his attitude in the school?

Ans4) The child was neither interested in his books nor in the boring lectures of his teachers.

Q5) What does the phrase ‘worn thro’ with the dreary shower’ mean?

Ans5) The phrase mean ‘to be tired with the dull and boring shower of continuous lectures of teachers over the child.

Q6) Who are being questioned here?

Ans6) Father and mother are being questioned here by the child.

Q7) What does the phrase ‘plants are striped of their joy’ mean?

Ans7) The phrase means that the joy is taken away from the children.

8th class-cbse english (honey dew) (Poem) Poem -4 (The last Bargain) (Rabindranath Tagore)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. Why did he turn down the offer?

Ans1) The offer of the old man did not seem attractive to the speaker therefore he turned it down. Even he was not happy with it.

Q2) How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach ?

Ans2) After talking to the child on the beach the speaker felt extremely happy.

Q3) Why and how did the king come?

Ans3) The king came to hire the speaker with his power. He came in his chariot having sword in his hand.

Q4) What did the old man want? Was he successful in his bargain?

Ans4) He wanted to hire the speaker with his money. No, he was not successful in his bargain.

Q5) Who did the speaker meet at last?

Ans5) At last, the speaker met a child.

Q6) What was the child doing and where was he?

Ans8) The child was playing with shells on the beach.

Q6) Explain, “I hire you with nothing”?

Ans9) It means that the child has no material thing. He has only goodwill and cheer to hire the speaker.

8th class -cbse english(honey dew) (Poem) Poem -3 (Macavity- The mystery cat) (T. S. Eliot)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) Is Macavity a cat really?

Ans1) It seems that Macavity is not really a cat.

Q2) If not, who can Macavity be?

Ans2) Macavity can be a master criminal.

Q3) Why is the Scotland yard baffled?

Ans3) The Scotland yard is baffled because they are not able to catch the master criminal, Macavity.

Q4) What is the reason of flying Squad’s despair?

Ans4) The reason of flying Squad’s despair is that when the flying Squad reach at the scene of crime, Macavity is not there.

Q5) What is the attitude of Macavity?

Ans5) Macavity behaves like a master criminal. He breaks human law as well as the law of gravity.

Q6) Which powers does Macavity posses?

Ans6)  Macavity possess the powers of levitation.

Q7) Where can Macavity be found ?

Ans7) Macavity can be found in the basement or in the air above.

Q8) Who has Macavity been compared with?

Ans8) Macavity has been compared with a snake.

8th class-cbse english (honey dew) (Poem) Poem -2 (Geography lesson) (Zulfikar Ghose)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What was the view of the city, as seen from the windows of the aero plane?

Ans1) The city looked haphazard, unplanned and without style from the window of the aero plane.

Q2) What is the logic behind the establishment of cities?

Ans2 The logic behind the establishment of cities is that land and water attracted man.

Q3) What could the poet not understand?

Ans3) The poet could not understand why the men on the earth had found cause to hate each other, to build walls across cities and to kill one another.

Q4) What facts about the earth have been mentioned?

Ans4)Earth is round and It has more sea than land. These facts about the earth are mentioned here.

8th class-cbse english (honey dew) (Poem) Poem -1 (The ant and the cricket) (Adopted from Aesop’s fables)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) The cricket says: “ oh! What will become of me?” When does he say it, and why?

Ans1) When winter comes and the cricket has nothing to eat, he cannot find even crumb. He is worried now for his food and shelter so he says “oh! What will become of me?”

Q2)What is you opinion of the ant’s principles?

Ans2)The ant’s principles are appropriate to some extents. But, we should not be so harsh to overlook ones starvation. Instead, we can make one realize one’s mistake.

Q3)The ant tells the cricket to ‘dance winter away’. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so, why?

Ans3) The word ‘dance’ is appropriate here because it clearly make fun of the light and careless attitude of the cricket.

Q4) Why could the cricket not save anything?

Ans4)The cricket was in gay mood. He spent all his summer in singing and dancing.

6th class-cbse english (honeysuckle)Poem8(Whatif)(Shel Silverstein)

Answer following questions in short.

Q1) What do you mean by ‘What ifs’?

Ans1) ‘Whatifs’ mean that what would happen if this or that happens.

Q2) Can words crawl into one’s ears?

Ans2)  No, words can’t crawl into ears. It is just a poet’s imagination..

Q3) Give two fears that haunt him?

Ans3) “If his pants are torn ‘and ‘if he never learns to dance’ are the two fears.

Q4) What does the poet want to learn?

Ans4) The poet wants to learn to dance.

Q5) What is he most afraid of?

Ans5) He is most afraid of ‘what ifs‘at night.