The chapter “Gopal and the Hilsa-fish” is a story which exhibits the wit of a courtier named Gopal when he is challenged that even he cannot stop people from talking about the Hilsa-Fish. Gopal accepts the challenge and wins it with flying colours.
GOPAL AND THE HILSA-FISH
Working with the text
Answer the following questions:
Question 1. Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
Answer: The king did not want to listen to any more talk about the hilsa-fish because everyone in the entire kingdom kept talking only about the hilsa-fish and this irritated the king.
Question 2. What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
Answer: The king asked Gopal to prove that he was clever so that while Gopal was on this challenge, he would try as much as possible so that people wouldn’t say anything about the Hilsa-fish.
Question 3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Answer: The three things that Gopal did before he went to buy his hilsa-fish were:
i) He half-shaved his face.
ii) He smeared ash on his body.
iii) He wore rags.
Question 4. How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?
Answer: When he reached the palace, he told the guards that he wanted to meet the king. The guards stopped him from going inside. Gopal began to dance and sing loudly. The king heard the noise and ordered to get the man inside the palace. That’s how he got inside the palace.
Question 5. Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.
Answer: The reason why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought was that people were more surprised by his appearance – half-shaved face, ash on the body and rags instead of proper clothes. This made them wonder what had happened to him.
Question 6. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.
(i) The king lost his temper easily. _________
(ii) Gopal was a madman. _________
(iii) Gopal was a clever man. _________
(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. _________
(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. _________
Answer:
(i) The king lost his temper easily. True
(ii) Gopal was a madman. False
(iii) Gopal was a clever man. True
(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. False
(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. False
NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Unit 2 A Gift of Chappals and The Rebel
Question 2. Notice how in a comic book, there are no speech marks when characters talk. Instead, what they say is put in a speech ‘bubble’. However, if we wish to repeat or ‘report’ what they say, we must put it into reported speech.
Change the following sentences in the story to reported speech. The first one has been done for you.
For e,g, (i) How much did you pay for that hilsa?
The woman asked the man how much he had paid for that hilsa.
(ii) Why is your face half-shaven?
Gopal’s wife asked him _________________.
(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
Gopal told the king _________________.
(iv) I want to see the king.
Gopal told the guards _________________.
(v) Bring the man to me at once.
The king ordered the guard _________________.
Answer:
(ii) Gopal’s wife asked him why his face was half-shaven.
(iii) Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.
(iv) Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the king.
(v) The king ordered the guard to bring the man to him at once.
Question 2. Find out the meaning of the following words by looking them up in the dictionary. Then use them in sentences of your own.
Challenge; mystic; comical; courtier; smearing
Answer:
Challenge: Radhika challenged Kshama to the debate competition.
Mystic: Some sages are considered to have mystic powers.
Comical: Shinchan is a comical character.
Courtier: The courtier had to obey the orders of the king.
Smearing: Smearing oil before playing holi helps in getting the colour off the skin easily.
Picture Reading
Question 2. Now ask your partner questions about each picture.
(i) Where is the stag?
Answer: The stag was by the side of a pond.
(ii) What is he doing?
Answer: He is watching his reflection in the water of the pond.
(iii) Does he like his antlers (horns)?
Answer: Yes, he liked his antlers.
(iv) Does he like his legs?
Answer: No, he does not like his legs as they are very thin.
(v) Why is the stag running?
Answer: The stag is running because hunters are chasing it.
(vi) Is he able to hide in the bushes?
Answer: No, he is not able to hide in the bushes because his horns get stuck in the bushes.
(vii) Where are the hunters now?
Answer: The hunters are behind the stag.
(viii) Are they closing in on the stag?
Answer: Yes, they were getting closer to the stag.
(ix) Is the stag free?
Answer: Yes, the stag is free.
(x) What does the stag say about his horns and his legs?
Answer: The stag says that he was proud of his horns but it could have caused the stag’s death. The legs it was ashamed of saved his life.
The Secret of Padmasana: Unlocking Meditation and Inner Balance with the Lotus Pose
Question 3. Now write the story in your own words. Give it a title.
Answer: Horns and the Legs
Once upon a time, there lived a stag. One day he was about to drink water when he saw his reflection in the water of the pond. He felt proud to have such beautiful horns. Then, he looked at his legs and thought that they were so thin and ugly.
One day, some hunters came into the jungle and began chasing the stag. The stag started to run, but his horns got stuck in the bushes. He then put in more effort and ran away fast.
When he was out of danger, he thought that the horns that he was so proud of, could have got him killed. Moreover, the legs, which he considered to be ugly, saved him.
Question 4. Complete the following word ladder with the help of the clues given below.
1. Mother will be very ________ if you don’t go to school.
2. As soon as he caught ________ of the teacher, Mohan started writing.
3. How do you like my ________ kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?
4. My youngest sister is now a ________ old.
5. Standing on the ________, he saw children playing on the road.
6. Don’t make such a ________. Nothing will happen.
7. Don’t cross the ________ till the green light comes on.
Answer:
1. Mother will be very cross if you don’t go to school.
2. As soon as he caught sight of the teacher, Mohan started writing.
3. How do you like my tiny kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?
4. My youngest sister is now a year old.
5. Standing on the roof, he saw children playing on the road.
6. Don’t make such a fuss. Nothing will happen.
7. Don’t cross the street till the green light comes on.
The Shed
Working with the Poem
Question 1. Answer the following questions:
(i) Who is the speaker in the poem?
Answer: The speaker of the poem is the poet.
(ii) Is she/he afraid or curious, or both?
Answer: He is afraid as well as curious. He is curious to enter the shed, and at the same time, he feels that someone is staring at him.
(iii) What is she/he planning to do soon?
Answer: He is planning to open the door and enter the shed someday soon.
(iv) “But not just yet…” suggests doubt, fear, hesitation, laziness or something else. Choose the word which seems right to you. Tell others why you chose it.
Answer: I think “But not just yet…” suggests hesitation. It shows that the speaker wants to take some more time to be sure of his thoughts about the shed. He currently fears that someone is staring at him and, at the same time, also thinks that his brother’s claim that there’s a ‘ghost’ is just a lie. So, he is hesitating to take any further steps for now.
Question 2: Is there a room in your house or a house in your neighbourhood/locality where you would rather not go alone and never at night? If there is such a place and a story to go with it, let others hear all about it.
Answer: Yes, there is a room in my house where I do not go alone and never at night. That room is the store room in the backyard. We keep the things that are not in use currently. We open that room very rarely, and I feel scared to go alone there. Once I had gone there alone, and there was a power cut. I screamed and started shivering with fear. I also heard some noise, which made me even more frightened. Due to my screams, my family members came running towards the store room and calmed me down. After some time, the power came back. Then, we saw a rat roaming around, and I understood where the noise was coming from. But I still feel very scared to go there alone, especially at night.