NCERT English Class 7 | Chapter 3 | Gopal and the Hilsa-fish | Question Answer |

WORKING WITH THE TEXT                                                                          PAGE 42

Answer the following questions.

1. Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?

Answer: Everyone in the entire kingdom talked about nothing but the Hilsa fish. Even the king’s courtiers would talk about nothing but Hilsa fish. This irritated the king a lot as he did not want his courtiers to waste their time on such small talks.

2. What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?

Answer: The king was frustrated that the people of his kingdom would talk about nothing but Hilsa fish, he gave Gopal a challenge to test his intelligence. He asked Gopal to prove his intelligence by buying a hilsa-fish from the market and then bringing it to the palace without anyone asking anything about the fish throughout the way.

3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?

Answer: Gopal half-shaved his face, smeared ash on his body, and wore rags before he went to buy Hilsa fish.

4. How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?

Answer: After reaching the king’s palace Gopal told the guards that he wishes to meet the king. As the guards were not able to recognise him and thought that he was a madman, they stopped him from going inside. To attract the king’s attention, Gopal began to sing and dance loudly. The king, hearing his voice, ordered to get the man inside. That’s how he got inside the palace.

5. Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.

Answer: Gopal had dressed in a very funny way and his funny appearance attracted the attention of people much more than the Hilsa fish. Everyone in the kingdom was busy talking about his comical appearance, half-shaved face and torn rags.

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


WORKING WITH LANGUAGE                                                                      PAGE 42

1.       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.

(i) How much did you pay for that hilsa?

Ans: 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.

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 for the debate competition.

Mystic: The Gods are considered to be mystic.

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

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 is a 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.

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. Then he 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 gotten him killed. And the legs which he considered to be ugly, were his saviour.

4. Complete the following word ladder with the help of the clues given below. 

NCERT Solutions Class 7 English Unit 3 Gopal and the Hilsa-Fish - 1

Clues

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:

NCERT Solutions Class 7 English Unit 3 Gopal and the Hilsa-Fish - 2

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.


Poem: The Shed                               By Frank Flynn

WORKING WITH THE POEM                                                                       PAGE 49

1. Answer the following questions.

(i) Who is the speaker in the poem?

Answer: The speaker in the poem is the poet himself when he was a small child.

(ii) Is she/he afraid or curious, or both?

Answer: The poet was both curious and afraid. Being a child, he was curious to enter into the shed and also afraid as he felt that someone was staring at him from inside the shed.

(iii) What is she/he planning to do soon?

Answer: He is planning to go inside the shed 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: “But not just yet…” suggests the poet’s hesitation about going inside the shed of his garden. It suggests that the poet wants to take some more time to clear his thoughts about the shed. Though he says he is confident there are no ghosts inside the shed, he wants to deal with the matter in the future when he would have gathered more courage.

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: Students should answer this question by themselves. Thank You.

1. Three Questions ; The Squirrel Question Answer

2. A Gift of Chappals ; The Rebel Question Answer

3. Gopal and the Hilsa Fish ; The Shed Question Answer

4. The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom ; Chivvy Question Answer

5. Quality ; Trees Question Answer

6. Expert Detectives ; Mystery of the Talking Fan Question Answer

7. The Invention of Vita-Wonk ; Dad and the Cat and the Tree Question Answer

8. Fire: Friend and Foe ; Meadow Surprises Question Answer

9. A Bicycle in Good Repair ; Garden Snake Question Answer

10. The Story of Cricket Question Answer

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