Category: Class 6

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th English Chapter 3 Taro’s Reward

 Working With the Text    (Page 34)

A   Answer the following questions.

1. Why did Taro run in the direction of the stream? (5)
Ans: Taro ran in the direction of the stream because he was thirsty. Secondly, he had never before heard the sound of falling water in that area:

2. How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking sake? (7)
Ans: Sake gave warmth as well as energy to the old man. Taro’s father stopped shivering and started dancing. In this way, he showed his happiness.

3. Why did the waterfall give Taro sakeand others water? (12)
Ans: The waterfall obliged Taro and changed water into sake. The reason was that he was a thoughtful son. He served his old parents sincerely. Sake was the reward for his goodness. Other people were just greedy. So they got only plain water.

4. Why did the villagers want to drown Taro? (10, 11)
Ans: The villagers went to the waterfall to collect sake. But they got only plain cold water. They thought that Taro had tricked them. So they looked for Taro to punish him.

5. Why did the Emperor reward Taro? (13)
Ans: The Emperor of Japan rewarded Taro for being good and kind towards his parents. This was Emperor’s way to encourage all children to respect, obey and serve their parents.

B. Mark the right item.

1. Taro earned very little money because
(i)he didn’t work hard enough.
(ii)the villagers didn’t need wood.
(iii)the price of wood was very low.

2.Taro decided to earn extra money
(i)to live a more comfortable life.
(ii)to buy his old father some sake.
(iii)to repair the cracks in the hut.

3. The neighbour left Taro’s hut in a hurry because
(i)she was delighted with the drink.
(ii)she was astonished to hear Taro’s story.
(iii)she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.
Ans. 1. (iii), 2. (ii), 3. (iii)

Working With Language   (Page 35)

A   Strike off the words in the box below that are not suitable.

Taro wanted to give his old parents everything they needed. This shows that he was ….
                          thoughtful        hardworking         loving          honest
                            considerate       trustworthy           efficient kind
Ans. honest, trustworthy, efficient

B. 1.‘This made Taro sadder than ever.”
This’ refers to
(i)a strong wind that began to blow.
(ii)Taro’s father’s old age.
(iii)Taro’s inability to buy expensive sake for his father.

(Mark the right item.)

2. ‘This, said the emperor was to encourage all children to honour and obey their parents.”
This’ refers to
(i) the most beautiful fountain in the city.
(ii)rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.
(iii)sending for Taro to hear his story. .
(Mark the right item.)
Ans:  1.(iii) 2. (ii)

C.Arrange the words below in pairs that rhyme.

Ans:

D.  Fll in the blanks with words from the box.

A__________ woodcutter lived on a______________ hillside. He was a_____________ son
who worked__________ but earned______________ money. One day he saw a____________
waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it___________________ .
A young woodcutter lived on a lonely hillside. He was a thoughtful son who worked hard but earned little money. One day he saw a little waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it delicious.

2. Find these sentences in the story and fill in the blanks.
(i)This made Taro____________ than ever. (3)
(ii)He decided to work___________ than before. (3)
(iii)Next morning Taro jumped out of bed_____________ than usual. (4)
(iv) He began to chop even____________ . (4)
(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even_____________________ than the morning before. (10)
Ans: (i) sadder                     (ii) harder              (iii) earlier                 (iv)faster
(v) earlier

Speaking and Writing ( Page 36)

A. Speak the following sentences clearly but as quickly as you can learn them by heart.
(i)How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood.
(ii)Betty bought a bit of butter, but the bit of butter was a little bitter so she bought some better butter to make the bitter butter better.
Ans: Do it yourself in the classroom.

B. 1. The story ‘Taro’s Reward’ shows that Taro is thoughtful, hardworking and
also wise. Read aloud the parts of story that show these qualities in Taro.
Ans: (i )…. for he was a thoughtful son and wanted to give his old parents everything they needed. (Para 1)
(ii)Though he worked very hard, he earned very little money. (Para 1)
(iii)But Taro had been wise enough to slip behind a rock…………….. (Para 11)

2. (i) Like Patrick in the story ‘Who did Patrick’s Homework’, Taro is helped bymagic. Do you believe in magic? What are the magical things that happen in these stories?
Ans. My parents say there is no such thing as magic. It is all a matter of playing tricks. But I agree with the elders only partly. Magic is not all sleight of hand or mesmerism. There is some supernatural agency that carries out the tricks.

In the case of Patrick, there was an elf or small man. He was not one like us. In the case of Taro, there appears a waterfall behind the rocks. Secondly, its water tasted like sake. These were magical things.

(ii) Which story do you like better, and why? Do you know such stories in other languages? Discuss these questions in class.
Ans: Truly speaking, I like both the stories because both are interesting and educative. Secondly, both have a touch of magic. Still, Patrick’s story is better than Taro’s. Patrick learns to do homework unknowingly.

3. Now write a paragraph or two about these two stories, comparing them.
Ans: Who did Patrick’s Homework is, in my opinion, better than ‘Taro’s Reward.’. Patrick hated homework. He played hockey and basketball instead. This was something quite natural. All children find doing homework boring and dull. Taro, on the other hand, was a thoughtful, wise and hardworking boy. He was just the opposite of Patrick. Even God favours and rewards such a boy. A magical waterfall gave him an intoxicating drink for his old father. Both the stories teach us lessons.

C. 1.Listen to these children. What are they talking about?

Ans: The three boys are talking about their problems. One finds swimming more difficult than driving. The second disagrees with his view. He thinks that swimming much less difficult than driving. But the third boy says that learning English is much more difficult than swimming and driving.

2. Work in groups. Come to some agreement on each of the activities given below. Decide which is the most interesting, dullest, most dangerous, safest, most rewarding, most exciting.

Ans: 

Dictation  (Page 38)

1. Write against each two new words that rhyme with it.
1.bed ______ shed, led
2.wax ______ axe, fax
3.fast ______ last, cast
4.chop ______ cop, flop
5.young ___________ among, tongue

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

I.SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

l. Who was Taro? What was his most endearing quality?
Ans: Taro was a young woodcutter. He was poor but hardworking. He honestly wanted to serve his old parents, and keep them happy. That was his greatest virtue.

2. What did Taro’s father wish for one cold day?
Ans: Taro’s old father shivered with cold. He wished he had a cup of sake which would warm his body and do good to his heart.

3. How did Taro manage to meet the demand of his father?
Ans.: Taro had no money to buy expensive sake. So he began to work harder at chopping wood. God helped him in getting sake free from a waterfall. The father drank it, felt warm and started dancing.

4. How did the villagers come to know of the magic waterfall?
Ans: The old man offered a cup of sake to a lady and also told her about the discovery of the magic waterfall. She spread the story throughout the whole village.

5. How did the villagers react after tasting the water of the magic waterfall?
Ans: They tasted the water and found it plain cold water. They were angry and disappointed. They decided to drown Taro into the stream for befooling them.

6. How did the Emperor of Japan reward Taro?
Ans: The Emperor rewarded Taro with 20 pieces of gold for his goodness. He also named the most beautiful fountain of the city after Taro.

II.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Bring out some of the sterling qualities of the character of Taro.
Or
Give a character sketch of Taro.
Ans: Taro was a poor young woodcutter. He lived with his parents on a hill-side. He worked very hard but earned very little money. He was deeply devoted to his old parents. One evening his shivering father wished to have a cup of sake. Taro began to work harder to earn money to buy the expensive drink. God came to help. One day he found a waterfall. The water tasted like magic sake. Taro gave the sake to his shivering father and became happy to think that he satisfied his father. When the greedy villagers went to the waterfall they found normal water. The angry villagers wanted to kill Taro for befooling them. But wise Taro slipped behind a rock. He was duly rewarded by the Emperor of Japan.

2.How did Taro meet the demand of his father?
Ans: Taro was a young woodcutter. He honoured, loved and obeyed his parents. But he earned very little money. One cold evening his father wished he had a cup of sake. Taro began to work harder to earn more money and buy sake. He was favoured by fate. He discovered a waterfall, the water of which tasted like sake. He brought a pitcher full of that drink to meet the demand of his father.

3 .Why- did the magic waterfall disappoint other villagers? What reward did Taro get and from whom?
Ans: The waterfall was a magic creation by God. It was to reward Taro’s honest labour, and devotion to his parents. The cold water tasted like sake for the old man. But it disappointed the greedy villagers. They found it like plain cold water. The story of Taro’s great discovery of magic waterfall reached the Emperor of Japan. He rewarded Taro with gold coins for serving his parents so sincerely.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 5 A Different Kind of School

 Working With the Text  (Page 62)

A. Put these sentences from the story in the right order and write them out in a paragraph. Don’t refer to the text.

• I shall be so glad when today is over.
• Having a leg tied up and hopping about on a crutch is almost fun, I guess.
• I don’t think I’ll mind being deaf for a day—at least not much.
• But being blind is so frightening.
• Only you must tell me about things.
• Let’s go for a little walk.
• The other bad days can’t be half as bad as this.

Ans: Let’s go for a little walk. Only you must tell me about things. I shall be so glad when today is over. The other bad days can’t be half as bad as this. Having a leg tied up and hopping about on a crutch is almost fun, I guess. I don’t think I’ll mind being deaf for a day, at least not much. But being blind is so frightening.

B. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do you think the writer visited Miss Beam’s school? (1)
Ans: The writer had heard much about Miss Beam’s new teaching method. So he visited her school to see the new play-way method personally.

2. What was the ‘game’ that every child in the school had to play? (9)
Ans: Every child in the school had to play the role of being blind, deaf, dumb, injured and lame once in a term. It was a sort of game and training.

3. “Each term every child has one blind day, one lame day …”. Complete the line. Which day was the hardest? Why was it the hardest? (9, 11, 15)
Ans:  “… one injured day and one dumb day.” Being blind was the hardest day. The student felt that he/she was going to be hit by something every moment.

4. What was the purpose of these special days? (5, 9)
Ans: The purpose of these special days was to give the children a personal taste of misfortune. They learnt to help the needy in society. Such training made them good citizens.

A.  Match the words and phrases with their meanings in the box below.

paragraph numbers

Ans:

B. Re-word these lines from the story:

1. I had heard a great deal about Miss Beam’s school.
2. Miss Beam was all that I had expected – middle-aged, full of authority.
3. I went to the window which overlooked a large garden.
4.“We cannot bandage the children’s mouths, so they really have to exercise their will-power”.

Ans:
1. The writer had heard people praising the teaching methods at Miss Beam’s school.
2. The writer found Miss Beam a middle aged and dominating woman.
3. The author looked out of the window and saw a large garden.
4. The children had to use their will power to keep quiet.

C. Given below is a page from a dictionary. Look at it carefully and

(i)find a word which means the same as Write down the word and its two meanings.
(ii)find a word meaning a part of the school year.
(iii)find a word that means

Ans:
(i)terrible – (a) causing fear.                            (b) very bad.
(ii)term – (a) a fixed length of time.      (b) a part of the school year
(iii)test – (a) to look at something to see if it is correct.
or will work properly.
(b)to ask someone questions.

2. Now make lists of

(i) all the words on the page (plus any more that you can think of) that begins with terr.
Ans:   terrace, terrible, terrify, territory, terrain
(ii)five words that may follow the last word on the page, that
Ans:   Those, this, theatre
(iii)write down your own meaning of the word Then write down the meaning given in the dictionary.
Ans: The word ‘thank’ means to express gratitude for kindness, gift or service.
Example: There is no need to thank me.
We thanked them for all their help.
She has only herself to thank for what happened.

D.A poem for you to read
      All but Blind

Speaking and Writing   (Page 66)

A.  Make a short list of things you find difficult to do.

For example:

Ans: Attempt yourself.

B. Look at your hands carefully. Now, write down for each finger one action for which that finger is particularly important. For example, the second (or index) finger helps to hold the knife down firmly when cutting.

 MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

I.SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Describe the appearance of Miss Beam.
Ans: Miss Beam was middle-aged, dominating, yet kindly. Her hair was turning grey and she was a little fat.

2. What did Miss Beam teach the children at her school?
Ans: The children were taught simple spelling, adding, subtracting, multiplying and writing.

3. What was the real aim of Miss Beam’s school?
Ans: The real aim of Miss Beam’s school was not to teach so many subjects to make them thoughtful. They were trained to be kind to others and become responsible citizens. The school aimed at teaching ‘thoughtfulness’.

4. What did the author point out about the children in the playground?
Ans: The .author complained that not all children were healthy and active-looking. Some were blind or lame and crippled.

5. What did Miss Beam tell the author about the game being played among the friends?
Ans: Miss Beam explained to the author that no child was lame, blind or crippled. They were, in fact, being made to understand misfortune. Every child had one blind day. one lame day and one dumb day. They were helped by other children.

6. How did the little-bandaged girl make the author much more thoughtful than he ever thought?
Ans: The bandaged girl asked the author to describe things to her. The author had to observe places and persons very carefully. He noticed the colour of the hair or skirt. He discovered after a while that he had become thoughtful.

II.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. In what respect was Miss Beam’s school different from others?
Ans: Miss Beam ran a school. But it was very different from others. The children were taught how to spell words, do sums and write. The teacher taught to them interesting lessons. But the real aim of the school was to make children sensitive and good citizens, kind and responsible. They were given practical training to develop such a character.

2. What did Beam’s school aim to teach? Why?
Ans: Miss Beam’s school was a training ground to turn out good citizens. Bookish knowledge intends to know what is right and what is wrong. But Miss Beam’s school aimed at developing the habit to help the blind, the lame and the needy

3. Which incident made the visitor to the school ten times more thoughtful than ever?
Ans: The narrator had heard a lot about the unique method of teaching in Beam’s school. At first, he saw a blind girl being led out. Then he saw a lame boy. He thought that the students were not at all healthy and active. But soon he came to know that that they were just acting to be blind, lame, crippled etc. Meanwhile, he was asked to lead a blind girl around. The blind girl asked him many questions. And he had to apply his brain to describe people and things. He realised that he had become ten times more thoughtful than ever.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 10 The Banyan Tree

Working With the Text (Page 131)

A .Complete the following sentences.

1.The old banyan tree “did not belong” to the grandfather, but only to the boy, because_____________________________________ .
2.The small gray squirrel became friendly when_____________________________________
3.When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel
4.In the spring, the banyan tree_____________________________________________ and
__________________________________________ would come there.
5.The banyan tree served the boy as a____________________________________________ .
6.The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree____________________________________

Ans.

1. the old man was not strong enough to climb it
2.it found that the boy carried no catapult or air/gun in his hand
3.became bold enough to take pieces of food from his hand
4.was full of small red figs, birds of all kinds
5reading room where he had made a rough platform to sit and read books
6.leaning against the tree, reading story books,

B.Answer the following questions.

1.“It was to be a battle of champions.” (8)
(i)What qualities did the two champions have? Pick out words and phrases from the paragraph above this line in the text and write them down.
Mongoose                                                          Cobm

(a)________________        (a) ______________

(b)_______________            (b) ______________

(c)_______________             (r) ______________

Ans.	(a) a great fighter	(a) skilled and experienced champion fighter
	(b) very clever and swift	(b) had a broad hood and poisonous teeth
	(c) made calculated move	(c) swift in speed and attack

(ii)What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to show their readiness for the fight?

Ans. The cobra produced a hissing sound to challenge the mongoose to a fight. It raised three feet of its body off the ground. It spread its broad hood. The mongoose bushed its tail. The long hair on its back also stood up.

2. Who were the other two spectators? What did they do? (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight?) (10)

Ans. In addition to the narrator, the two other onlookers of the fight were a myna and a wild crow. First of all they sat on the cactus plant to watch the outcome of the fight. In the end, they took part in the game. Both tried to pick up the cobra for their meal.

The crow got bitten and died. The mongoose dragged the snake away into the bushes. The myna also flew away.

3. Read the descriptions below of what the snake did and what the mongoose did. Arrange their actions in the proper order. (11, 16)

(i)	ceased to struggle	‘ •	grabbed the snake by the snout
(ii)	tried to mesmerise	•	dragged the snake into
	the mongoose		the bushes
(iii)	coiled itself around	•	darted away and bit the
	the mongoose		cobra on the back
(iv)	stnick the crow	•	pretended to attack the cobra on one side
	struck again and	•	refused to look into the
	missed		snake’s eyes
(v)	struck on ihe side	•	sprang aside, jumped in
	that the mongoose		and bit
	pretended to attack

 

4.(i) What happened to the crow in the end? (16)
(ii) What did the myna do finally? (17)

Ans. (i) In the end, the crow got bitten by the cobra and it fell dead.
(ii) The myna flew to the ground, looked into the bushes, gave a shrill cry and flew away.

Working With Language  (Page 133)

1.The word ‘round’ usually means a kind of shape. What is its meaning in the story?

2. Find five words in the following paragraph, which are generally associated with trees. But here, they have been used differently. Underline the words. Hari leavesfor work at nine every morning. He works in the local branchof the firm of which his uncle is the owner. Hari’s success is really the fruit of his own labour. He is happy, but he has a small problem. The rootcause of his problem is a stray dog near his office. The dog welcomes Hari with a loud barkevery day.

Ans.

1. The word ‘round’ in the story means ‘the second course of a fight’.
2.leaves, branch, fruit, root, bark.

B.The words in the box are all words that describe movement. Use them to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

dived      gliding        sprang      darting

whipped…back        delving

1.When he began to trust me, the squirrel began_______________________ into my pock­ets for morsels of cake.
2. saw a cobra______________ out of a clump of cactus.
3.The snake hissed, his forked tongue______________________ in and out.
4.When the cobra tried to bite it, the mongoose________________________ aside.
5.The snake _________________  his head ________________  to strike at the crow.
6.The birds __________________ at the snake.

Ans. 1.delving / to delve
2.gliding
3.darting / darted                                                                            /
4.sprang
5.whipped, back
6.dived

C. Find words in the story, which show things striking violently against each other.

1. The cobra struck the crow, his snout th___________ ing against its body. (15)
2.The crow and the myna c _ ll_________ in mid-air. (13) ‘
3.The birds dived at the snake, but b____________ d into each other instead (14)

Ans.
1. thudding
2.collided
3.bumped

D. Look at these sentences.

‘Would’ tells us what the author used to do.                                                         Could’ tells us what the author was usually able to do. or what used to happen.                                                                                                                    grandfather is now not able to do.

 

Choose would and could to replace the italicised words in the following sentences.

Grandfather says, in the old days,

1.elephants were able to fly in the sky, like clouds. They were also able to change their shapes. They used to fly behind clouds and frighten them. People used to look up at the sky in wonder.

2.because there was no electricity, he used to get up with the sun, and he used to go to bed with the sun, like the birds.

3.like the owl, he was able to see quite well in the dark. He was able to tell who was coming by listening to their footsteps.

Ans.

1. elephants could fly in the sky, like clouds. They could also change their shapes. They would fly behind clouds and frighten them. People would look up at the sky in wonder.

2.because there was no electricity, he would get up with sun and he would go to bed with the sun, like the birds.

3.like the owl, he could see quite well in the dark. He could tell who was coming by listening to their footsteps.

Speaking    (Page 135)

Look at these sentences.

• The tree was older than Grandfather.
• Grandfather was sixty-five years old. ‘

How old was the tree? Can you guess?

• The tree was as old as Dehradun itself?

Suppose Dehra Dun is 300 years old. How old is the tree?

When two things are the same in some way, we use as…as.

Here is another set of examples.

• Mr Sinha is 160 centimetres tall.                                                .Mr Gupta is 180 centimetres tall.
• Mrs Gupta is 160 centimetres tall.

Mrs Gupta is as tall as Mr Sinha.

Use the words in the box to speak about the people and the things below, using as., .as or -erthan

       tall – taller cold – colder hot – hotter strong – stronger short – shorter

(Notice that in the word ‘hot’, the letter ‘t’ is doubled when -er is added.)

(i) Shimla is as cold as Gangtok.
(ii) Shimla or Gangtok is not so cold as Srinagar,
(iii)Shimla is not colder than Srinagar.

Writing   (Page 138)

Read again the paragraphs of the story in which the author describes the banyan tree, and what he used to do there. Is there a place in your house, or in your grandparents’ or uncles’ or aunts’ houses, that you especially like? Write a short paragraph about it saying.

• where it is      • what you do there      • why you like it

You may instead write about a place you dislike or are afraid of.

Ans.                                                     My Favourite Place

My favourite place in the house is either the balcony or the cemented platform built round the stem of the peepal tree. I use to sit in the balcony to enjoy the sunshine on winter days and the cool breeze on summer mornings. I learn my lessons and even do my homework there. I like it because it is an isolated, quiet and open place.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

I.SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Why did the speaker find the old banyan tree exclusively his own?

Ans. The old banyan tree became the narrator’s own property because his grandfather was too old to climb it. ‘

2. What did the speaker do while hiding himself in the banyan tree branches?
Ans. The author used to read storybooks and watch the world below.

3. When did the banyan tree become a noisy place?
Ans. The banyan tree became the noisiest place in the garden during the fig season.

4. Where did the author usually spend his afternoons?
Ans. The author usually spent his afternoons on the platform he had built halfway up the tree.

5. What exciting scene did the author enjoy from his platform in the banyan tree?
Ans. The author enjoyed the fight between a mongoose and a cobra, a battle of two champions.

6. What trick did the mongoose apply to overpower and kill the cobra?
Ans. He first bit the snake twice on the back. When the cobra was tired, the mongoose caught it by the snout. He finally dragged the dead snake into the bushes.

7.creatures lost their lives in the classic struggle between the cobra and the mongoose. Who were those victims?
Ans. The Cobra and the crow.

II.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What is the story The Banyan Tree about? Narrate the incident in brief.
Ans. The Banyan Tree is about a deadly fight between a mongoose and a snake. The outcome of such a fight is the death of the cobra. The mongoose is faster in movement than his opponent. The writer witnessed such a fight, sitting on a branch of a banyan tree. He enjoyed the fight. Both the mongoose and the cobra were experienced fighters. They could strike with speed. A myna and a crow also arrived to feed on the dead crew. The crow had hard luck. He was bitten and he fell dead. The cobra got tired in the fight and the mongoose dragged it into the bushes.

2. Bring out the relevance/significance of the banyan tree in the title of Ruskin Bond’s story.
Ans. The banyan tree served as a platform for the writer to sit and watch the thrill­ing fight between a cobra and a wild mongoose. The tree was almost the speaker’s property because his grandfather could not climb it. The fight started under that tree in the sunshine. Two other spectators, a myna and a crow, also arrived to feed on the dead cobra. But they sat on a cactus plant, not the tree.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma