The story, “The Shepherd’s Treasure” is an Iranian folklore in which a wise and honest shepherd is rewarded by the king for his honesty, wisdom and goodness. The purpose of this chapter is to guide students and help them to realise the significance of maintaining kindness, humility, wisdom and sympathy for others.
NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 2 The Friendly Mongoose
The Shepherd’s Treasure
Exercise Questions (Page 10)
Question 1:
The shepherd hadn’t been to school because
(i) he was very poor.
(ii) there were very few schools in those days.
(iii) he wasn’t interested in studies.
Choose the right answer.
Answer:
(ii) there were very few schools in those days.
Question 2:
Who visited the shepherd one day, and why?
Answer:
The king of Iran had come to visit the wise shepherd when he heard about his wisdom and friendly nature. The king disguised himself as a shepherd and, riding on a mule, came to visit the humble shepherd.
Question 3:
Why did the other governors grow jealous of the shepherd?
Answer:
The king was pleased with the wise shepherd’s warm reception and appointed him as the governor of a small district. People loved and honoured him for his wisdom, sympathy and goodness. His fame spread far and wide throughout the country. So, the governors of other provinces grew terribly jealous of him and began to talk to the king against him.
Question 4:
Why was the new governor called to the palace?
Answer:
The governors of other provinces were extremely jealous of the newly appointed governor, who was renowned for his wisdom, sympathy and goodness. They poisoned the king’s ears against the humble governor and reported that he was dishonest. They complained that he kept part of the money in an iron chest that he collected as tax from the people. Hearing all these, finally, the king called the new governor to the palace and ordered him to explain why he always carried an iron chest along with him.
Question 5:
Why was everyone delighted to see the iron chest on the camel’s back?
Answer:
Everyone in the palace was delighted to see the iron chest on the camel’s back when the new governor arrived because they thought that the iron chest contained gold, silver and jewels it. They knew if the king found the treasure inside the chest, he would dismiss the new governor from his duties and punish him for his bad deeds.
Question 6:
(i) What did the iron chest contain?
(ii) Why did the shepherd always carry it?
(iii) Is it an example of the shepherd’s humility or wisdom or both?
Answer:
- The iron chest contained an old blanket inside it.
- The shepherd always carried an old blanket in an iron chest because it was his oldest friend. He said that it would still protect him if someday the king took away his position and power.
- Yes, it is an ideal example of the shepherd’s humility, wisdom and goodness.
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Question 7:
How did the king reward the new governor? (The Shepherd’s Treasure)
Answer:
The king was extremely pleased with the new governor’s humility, wisdom and honesty. He immediately rewarded the wise man and promoted him to the position of governor of a bigger district the same day.