Working with the text

1. Do you think the Indian Princes were short sighted in their approach to the events of 1757? 

Answer: Indeed, the Indian princes were short sighted in their approach to the events of 1757. The Indian princes were guided by their own interest to occupy a wider area of state and to fight even a small battle they took the help of the British. The British in return started subduing Indian princes. 

2. How did the East India Company subdue the Indian princes? 

Answer: The Indian princes were very short sighted. Even to settle a small battle they sought help from the British. The British took the advantage of such rivalries to subdue the Indian princes. 

3. Quote the words used by Ram Mohan Roy to say that every religion teaches the same principles. 

Answer: Ram Mohan Roy quoted that cows are of different colors but the color of their milk is the same. He metaphorically used to say that different teachers have different opinions but the essence of every religion is the same. 

4. In what ways did the British officers exploit Indians? 

Answer: The British introduced exploitative tax policies to loot the Indian farmers. In 1818 they passed Regulation III under which an Indian could be jailed without a trial in the court. The British officers drew big salaries and also established private business. The British’s import policies ruined the Indian Industries and small artisans. 

5. Name these people: 

i. The ruler who fought pitched battles against British and died. 

Answer: The ruler who fought pitched battles against British and died fighting was Tipu of Mysore. 

ii. The person who wanted to reform the society. 

Answer: The person who wanted to reform the society was Ram Mohan Roy. 

iii. The person who recommended the introduction of English education in India. 

Answer: The person who recommended the introduction of English education in India was Macaulay. 

iv. Two popular leaders who led the revolt. 

Answer: Two popular leaders who led the revolt were Begum Hazrat Mahal of Lucknow and Maulvi Ahmedulla of Faizabad. 

6. Mention the following: 

i. Two examples of social practices prevailing then. 

Answer: Then India’s societies were abandoned with superstition and many other evil practices. Examples of such practices were child marriage, untouchability. 

ii. Two oppressive policies of the British. 

Answer: The British introduced many oppressive policies to ruin the Indian society. Two such policies were tax policies for the farmers, tax free import policy from England to India. 

iii. Two ways in which common people suffered. 

Answer: In the British era, Indian people suffered a lot. The farmers and the landlords lost their lands due to the British policies. The Brahmin, and many other social classes lost their jobs in the British period. 

iv. Four reasons for the discontent that led to the 1857 war of Independence. 

Answer: The discontent that led to the 1857 war of Independence: 

a. The British adopted ruining tax policies and import duty free imports from England which led discontent amongst the farmers and local artisans.

b. The various social class of people lost their jobs who were enjoying good position under the Indian kings. 

c. The Indian soldiers were getting slow promotions and minimum salaries as compared to the British soldiers. So discontent was brewing in the East Indian army too. 

d. The former Indian rulers were dethroned and were discontent. So they also joined the upsurge against the British.

Working with the poem 

1. Find three or four phrases in stanza one or two which are likely to occur in a geography lesson.

 Answer: Stanza 1: scaled six inches to a mile

Stanza 2: the country had cities where the rivers ran, the valleys were populated

2. Seen from the window of an Aeroplan, the city appears 

i. As a haphazard as on ground 

ii. As neat as a map

iii. As developed as necessary 

3. Which of the following statements are examples of “the logic of geography”? 

i. There are cities where there are rivers

ii. Cities appear as they are not from six miles above the ground. 

iii. It is easy to understand why valleys are populated. 

iv. It is difficult to understand why humans hate and kill one another. 

v. The earth is round, and it has more sea than land. 

4. Mention two things that are: 

i. Clear from the height: 

Answer: From the height of the Aeroplane, it is clear why valleys are populated, that there are more seas than land

ii. Not clear from the height: 

Answer: But from the height of the Aeroplane, it is not clear why men on earth hate each other, and why they have built walls across the cities.

Geography Lesson  

In this poem "Geography Path" the poet tries to convey the message of humanity through the logic of geography. The poet recently had the experience of traveling by air. The jet he was in slowly rose to a height of six miles above the ground. This journey was no ordinary journey for the poet as there was a lot to learn in this journey.

Firstly, when the jet soared high into the sky, it revealed many of the fundamentals of a geography lesson. The poet clearly understood the measurement and measurement methods of geography. Random looking cities on Earth are essentially set for the survival of mankind. 

Soon, the jet achieved an altitude of ten thousand feet. The poet opened his senses further to understand the deeper lessons of geography. From that height, the poet gained knowledge about the logic of geography. He understood that mankind developed cities near rivers and more populated in valleys. He also noted a lesson that land and water attracted men to settle civilizations. 

The jet eventually reached an altitude of six miles. At this height, the author explained the secret principles of geography. He clearly learned that the Earth is round. Earth's surface is covered by more sea than land. But the poet still could not understand the reason behind existence of human despises. People living on earth have created boundaries and walls and erected differences in the form of race and countries.

 Geography Lesson Summary in Hindi

इस कविता "जियोग्रीफी लेसन" में कवि भूगोल के तर्क के माध्यम से मानवता का संदेश देने की कोशिश करता है। कवि को हाल ही में हवाई यात्रा करने का अनुभव हुआ। वह जिस जेट में था वह धीरे-धीरे जमीन से छह मील की ऊंचाई तक उड़ गया। कवि के लिए यह यात्रा कोई साधारण यात्रा नहीं थी क्योंकि इस यात्रा में बहुत कुछ सीखने को था। 

सबसे पहले, जब जेट ने आसमान में ऊंची छलांग लगाई, तो इसने भूगोल के पाठ की कई बुनियादी बातों का खुलासा किया। भूगोल की मापन विधियों को कवि ने स्पष्ट रूप से समझा। पृथ्वी पर बेतरतीब दिखने वाले शहर अनिवार्य रूप से मानव जाति के अस्तित्व के लिए निर्धारित हैं। 

 जल्द ही, जेट ने दस हजार फीट की ऊंचाई हासिल कर ली। भूगोल के गहरे पाठों को समझने के लिए कवि ने अपनी इंद्रियों को और अधिक खोला। उस ऊंचाई से, कवि ने भूगोल के तर्क के बारे में ज्ञान प्राप्त किया। वह समझ गया था कि मानव जाति ने नदियों के पास शहरों का विकास किया है और घाटियों में अधिक आबादी है। उन्होंने एक सबक भी नोट किया कि भूमि और पानी ने सभ्यताओं को बसाने के लिए मानवो को आकर्षित किया। 

जेट आखिरकार छह मील की ऊंचाई पर पहुंच गया। इस ऊंचाई पर, लेखक ने भूगोल के गुप्त सिद्धांतों का ज्ञान प्राप्त किया। उन्होंने स्पष्ट रूप से सीखा कि पृथ्वी गोल है। पृथ्वी की सतह भूमि से अधिक समुद्र से ढकी है।

Comprehension Check 

1. Why did Tilly’s family come to Thailand? 

Answer: Tilly’s family came to Thailand to celebrate Christmas. 

2. What were the warning signs that both Tilly and her mother saw? 

Answer: Tilly and her mother saw that the sea water was swelling and coming in.

3. Do you think Tilly’s mother was alarmed by them? 

Answer: No, I do not think that Tilly’s mother was alarmed by them because she became aware only after Tilly’s response. 

4. Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion? 

Answer: Tilly had seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion in her geography class in England. 

5. Where did the Smith family and the others on the beach go to escape from the tsunami? 

Answer: The Smith family and the others on the beach went to the third floor of the hotel escape from the tsunami. 

6. In the tsunami 150,000 people died. How many animals died? 

Answer: In the tsunami 150,000 people died, but not many animals were reported dead. Only two water buffaloes died in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. 

7. How many people and animals died in Yala National Park? 

Answer: In Yala National Park, sixty visitors were washed away, but only two water buffaloes died in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. No, Ignesious was not worried about a tsunami immediately. Because he first took his television down from the table and supposing an earthquake the family ran out. “When the tremors stopped, they saw the sea rising. In the chaos and confusion…..” the entire family separated and ran to different directions. 

Working with the Text

3. How are Meghna and Alma’s stories similar? 

Answer: Meghna was swept away along with her parents and sea spent two days floating in the sea on a wooden door. Similarly Alma also lost her parents in the wave and she saved her life clinging to a wooden log. 

4. What are the different ways in which Tilly’s parents could have reacted to her behaviour? What would you have done if you were in their place?

Answer: Tilly’s parents could have reacted differently to Tilly’s odd fashioned behavior. They could have ignored Tilly’s behavior thinking she was a little girl making childlike noises. But thankfully they took it seriously and they not only saved their life along with many others. 

    If I were in place of Tilly’s parents I might have given attention to her behavior and asked her the reason behind such behavior. 

5. If Tilly’s award was to be shared, who do you think she should share it with— her parents or her geography teacher?

Answer: If Tilly’s award was to be shared, we think that the award should be shared first with her geography teacher because his lessons helped her to recognize the early signals of a killing tsunami. However, Tilly should also be thankful to her parents because they took her odd behavior seriously and escaped along with other visitors before the giant waves reached. 

6. What are the two different ideas about why so few animals were killed in the tsunami? Which idea do you find more believable?

Answer: There are two different ideas regarding why so few animals were killed in the tsunami. According to one idea, animals possess sixth sense which alarm them an approaching disaster. Another thought goes as animals have an acute hearing ability and they can sense the coming disaster with the help of the hearing ability. The second idea is more believable in comparison to the first idea because the reason seems to be more scientific.

Honeydew Class 8 Chapter 1 The Ant and The Cricket Questions from Textbook

Working with the poem: 

1. The cricket says, “Oh! What will become of me?” when does he say it, and why? 

Answer: The cricket says, “Oh! What will become of me?” when the winter comes and there is nothing to be found for eating. 

2. (i) Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”. 

Answer: In the poem “The Ant and the Cricket” the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” are “we ants never borrow; we ants never lend”. 

(ii) What is your opinion of the ant’s principles? 

Answer: The ants are always hardworking and self-dependent. So, they never have to kneel down in front of anybody. The ants’ principle gives a good message too the mankind also. 

3. The ants tell the cricket to “dance the winter away”. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so, why?

Answer: Yes, the word ‘dance’ is appropriate because the ants slam the cricket for his careless behavior. The ants work hard throughout the summer, but the cricket enjoys his summer singing and dancing. So, the ants refuse to help him. 

4. (i) Which lines in the poem express the poet’s comment?

Answer: In the poem, “The Ant and the Cricket”, the lines which express the poet’s comment are “Folks call it a fable, I’ll warrant it true: some cricket have two legs and some have two.” 

(ii) Write the comment in your own words. 

Answer: The poet tries to warn that if people do not work hard they will suffer in the future. By saying two legs cricket, he wants to point out the lazy people.

Honeydew Class 8 Chapter 1 The Ant and The Cricket More Solutions

1. Who is the poet of "The Ant and The Cricket"?

Answer: "The Ant and The Cricket" is a poem adapted from Aesop's fable.

2. Write the Summary of the poem "The Ant and The Cricket".

Answer: "The Ant and The Cricket" is a poetic version of an Aesop's fable. Fables generally narrate a moral through stories run on animals as their main characters. The stories are designed for children in an attracting way with the inherent aim to convey a learning.

In this poem two characters the ant and the cricket live in a cold countryside. The ant is dedicated hard worker bound with duties to obtain foods and for other activities in life longing. But to its opposite the cricket is very careless and short sighted. He spends his summer days singing.

But, soon the winter arrives in the valley. Hard days begin for the cricket. He is left with no stock of food as he did not save enough in his good days. Snow covers the ground and not a crumb was to be found in the valley.

At last, he decides to seek some help from the ant because the ant has enough stock of food.

Comprehension Check 

1. What did the author find in the junk shop?

Answer: The author found a roll top desk in the junk shop. 

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

Answer: The author found a tin box containing a letter in a secret drawer. The letter was addressed to Mrs. Macpherson. So, she might have put it in there. 

3. Who had written the letter, to whom, and when? 

Answer: Jim Macpherson had written the letter to his wife Connie Macpherson on December 26, 1914. 

4. Why was the letter written - what was the wonderful thing that had happened? 

Answer: Jim wrote the letter to describe a wonderful incident that had happened in the middle of the war. The Tommy and the Fritz who were the two opponents in the war, made a grand celebration of the Christmas festival. 

5. What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers? 

Answer: Hans Wolf used to play cello in the orchestra and Jim Macpherson was a teacher in Dorset. 

6. Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it? 

Answer: No, Hans wolf never been to Dorset. He knew it from different English books. His favourite author was Thomas Hardy. 

7. Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?

Answer: No, Jim Macpherson did not come back from the war, because Connie had been keeping the letter very safely for such a long period.

8. Why did the author go to Bridport? 

Answer: The author went to Bridport to find Connie Macpherson and re-deliver the letter to her. 

9. How old was Mrs. Macpherson now? Where was she? 

Answer: Mrs. Macpherson was one hundred and one years old. She was admitted to Burlington House Nursing Home because she met a fire accident at her house in Bridport. 

10. Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was? 

Answer: Connie Macpherson thought her visitor was her husband Jim Macpherson. 

11. Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity? 

Answer: The visitor did not try to hide his identity because he told everything from beginning to the end about the letter. 

Working with the text 

1. For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer. 

Answer: Connie received the letter on January 25, 1915. But she kept it in a tin box hidden in the roll top box, until it caught fire and was sold in a junk shop. 

2. Why do you think the desk had been sold and when? 

Answer: The roll top desk was sold because it got fire damage. The fire totally damaged the house of Connie Macpherson and so the roll top desk was sold. 

3. Why do Jim and Hans Wolf think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree? 

Answer: Jim and Hans Wolf thought that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts because no one dies in a match, no children are orphaned, no wives become widows.

4. Do you think soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other? Find evidence from the story to support your answer. 

Answer: The soldiers of the two armies were not different as they were forced to fight in the war, but both of the captains wanted peace. Hans Wolf knew everything about England and he loved an English author Hardy. They thought the best way to resolve a war is to organize a sport. 

5. Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.

Answer: The German and the British celebrated Christmas making peace in middle of the war. The German came out from their trenches and called the British for celebration. They shared schnapps, marzipan, rum and other foods to celebrate Christmas. They played a football match to make their bond of friendship strong. Hans Wolf and Jim talked about their personal life to become friends.

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

Answer: Connie’s Christmas present was Jim Macpherson returning from the war. Connie thought that the author was her husband who returned from the war after her prolonged wait. Though he was not real Jim, but for her his presence gave her indescribable pleasure. So it was the best Christmas present.