NCERT English Class 7 | Chapter 8 | Fire: Friend and Foe | Question Answer |

COMPREHENSION CHECK                                                                       PAGE 118

1.       Mark the correct answer in each of the following.

(i)      Early man was frightened of

(a) lightning and volcanoes.

(b) the damage caused by them.

(c) fire.

Answer: (c) fire

(ii)     (a) Fire is energy.

(b) Fire is heat and light.

(c) Fire is the result of a chemical reaction.

Answer: (c) Fire is the result of a chemical reaction.

2.       From the boxes given below choose the one with the correct order of the following sentences.

(i) That is fire.

(ii) A chemical reaction takes place.

(iii) Energy in the form of heat and light is released.

(iv) Oxygen combines with carbon and hydrogen.

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv)                          (ii) (iii) (i) (iv)

(iv) (iii) (ii) (i)                          (iv) (ii) (iii) (i)

Answer:  (iv) (ii) (iii) (i)


WORKING WITH THE TEXT                                                                      PAGE 119

Answer the following questions.

1.       What do you understand by the ‘flash point’ of a fuel?

Answer: The temperature at which fuel starts to burn is called the ‘flash point’ of the fuel.

2.       (i) What are some common uses of fire?

Answer: Fire is commonly used for cooking purposes, generating electricity, and warming our homes.

(ii) In what sense is it a “bad master”?

Answer: If we cannot control the fire and it gets out of control, it becomes our master. This can be dangerous for us.

3.       Match items in Column A with those in Column B.

                  A                                                                          B

          (i) Fuel                                                                  - lighted match stick

(ii) Oxygen                                                           - air

(iii) Heat                                                               - burning coal

                                                                                        - wood

                                                                                        - smouldering paper

                                                                                        - cooking gas

Answer:

       A                                                                           B

(i) Fuel                                                                  - coal, wood, cooking gas

(ii) Oxygen                                                           - air

(iii) Heat                                                               - lighted match stick, burning coal, smouldering paper

4.       What are the three main ways in which a fire can be controlled or put out?

Answer: The three ways through which fire can be controlled or put out are

(a) By taking away the fuel. If there is no fuel the fire will not burn, we then can control it.

(b) By stopping the oxygen to reach the fire. We cut the supply of oxygen and extinguish the fire. It can be done by using a damp cloth.

(c) By removing the heat, that is, by bringing the temperature below the flash point of the fuel.

5.       Match the items in Box A with those in Box B

                                        A

                   (i) To burn paper or a piece of wood,

                   (ii) Small fires can be put out

                   (iii) When water is spread on fire,

                   (iv) A carbon dioxide extinguisher is the best thing

                   (v) Space left between buildings

                                        B

                   • it absorbs heat from the burning material and

                   • lowers the temperature.

                   • reduces the risk of fire

.                  • with a damp blanket.

                   • we heat it before it catches fire.

                   • to put out an electrical fire.

Answer:

(i) To burn paper or a piece of wood  — we heat it before it catches fire.

(ii) Small fires can be put out             — with a damp blanket.

(iii) When water is spread on fire        — it absorbs heat from the burning material and lowers the temperature.

(iv) A carbon dioxide extinguisher is the best thing         — to put out an electrical fire.

(v) Space left between buildings         — reduces the risk of fire.

6.       Why does a burning candle go out when you blow on it?

Answer: The burning candle goes out of frame when we blow on it because we remove the hot air around it and bring the temperature down below its flash point.

7.       Spraying water is not a good way of putting out an oil fire or an electrical fire. Why not?

Answer: Water should not be sprayed to put out an oil fire and electrical fire. If we spray water on an oil fire, the oil will keep floating on top of the water and continue to burn. If water is sprayed on an electrical fire by a person he will get an electric shock and be killed.

8.       What are some of the things you should do to prevent a fire at home and in the school?

Answer: Things we should do to prevent a fire at home and school are, get the electrical appliances at our home insulated and earthed. The presence of a bucket of sand will prove to be handy in case of a small fire.  Schools must have fire extinguishers on every floor to extinguish the fire immediately. We should be given proper instructions of evacuation in case a fire breaks out.


WORKING WITH LANGUAGE                                                                      PAGE 120

1.   Read the following sentences.

To burn paper or a piece of wood, we heat it before it catches fire. We generally do it with a lighted match. Every fuel has a particular temperature at which it burns.

The verbs in italics are in the simple present tense. When we use it, we are not thinking only about the present. We use it to say that something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general.

Find ten examples of verbs in the simple present tense in the text ‘Fire: Friend and Foe’ and write them down here. Do not include any passive verbs.

_________________    ________________      ________________

_________________    _________________    ________________

_________________    _________________    ________________

Answer:

(i) This is what we call fire.

(ii) Fire is the result of a chemical reaction.

(iii) Oxygen comes from the air.

(iv) Every fuel has a particular temperature at which it begins to burn.

(v) We use it to cook our food, warm our homes in winter and generate electricity.

(vi) There are three main ways in which fire can be put out.

(vii) Vast areas of forest are also destroyed and hundreds of people are killed or injured.

(viii) We spend millions of rupees each year fighting the fire.

(ix) The blanket of water also cuts off the supply of oxygen, and the fire is extinguished.

(x) Thus the candles go out.

2.       Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with words from the box. You may use a word more than once.

carbon        cause                    fire              smother

(i)      Gandhiji’s life was devoted to the ________________________ of justice and fair play.

(ii)     Have you insured your house against _______________________?

(iii)    Diamond is nothing but ______________________ in its pure form.

(iv)    If you put too much coal on the fire at once you will __________________ it.

(v)     Smoking is said to be the main _____________________________ of heart disease.

(vi)    When asked by an ambitious writer whether he should put some _________________________________ into his stories, Somerset Maugham murmured, “No, the other way round”.

(vii)   She is a ____________________________ copy of her mother.

(viii)  It is often difficult to ____________________________ a yawn when you listen to a long speech on the value of time.

Answer:

(i)      Gandhiji’s life was devoted to the cause of justice and fair play.

(ii)     Have you insured your house against fire?

(iii)    Diamond is nothing but carbon in its pure form.

(iv)    If you put too much coal on the fire at once you will smother it.

(v)     Smoking is said to be the main cause of heart disease.

(vi)    When asked by an ambitious writer whether he should put some fire into his stories, Somerset Maugham murmured, “No, the other way round”.

(vii)   She is a carbon copy of her mother.

(viii)  It is often difficult to smother a yawn when you listen to a long speech on the value of time.

3.       One word is italicised in each sentence. Find its opposite in the box and fill in the blanks.

Spending    shut           destroy       subtract      increase

(i)      You were required to keep all the doors open, not __________________

Ans.  shut

(ii)     PUPIL: What mark did I get in yesterday’s Maths test? TEACHER: You got what you get when you add five and five and_____________ ten from the total.

Ans.  subtract

(iii)    Run four kilometres a day to preserve your health. Run a lot more to ___________________ it.

Ans.  destroy

(iv)    If a doctor advises a lean and lanky patient to reduce his weight further, be sure he is doing it to __________________his income.

Ans.  Increase

(v)     The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and _______________________we lay waste our powers.

                                                                                                                      -Wordsworth

Ans.  spending

4.       Use the words given in the box to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

across         along          past            through

(i)      The cat chased the mouse _________________________ the lawn.

(ii)     We were not allowed to cross the frontier. So we drove__________________________ it as far as we could and came back happy.

(iii)    The horse went __________________________ the winning post and had to be stopped with difficulty.

(iv)    It is not difficult to see ___________________________ your plan. Anyone can see your motive.

(v)     Go _________________________ the yellow line, then turn left. You will reach the post office in five minutes.

Answer:

(i)      The cat chased the mouse across the lawn

(ii)     We were not allowed to cross the frontier. So we drove along it as far as we could and came back happy.

(iii)    The horse went past the winning post and had to be stopped with difficulty.

(iv)    It is not difficult to see through your plan. Anyone can see your motive.

(v)     Go along the yellow line, then turn left. You will reach the post office in five minutes.


SPEAKING AND WRITING                                                                           PAGE 122

1.       Look at the following three units. First, re-order the items in each unit to make a meaningful sentence. Next, re-order the sentences to make a meaningful paragraph. Use correct punctuation marks in the paragraph.

(i) and eighteen fire tenders struggled/the fire began on Monday/to douse the blaze till morning.

Answer: The fire began on Monday and eighteen fire tenders struggled to douse the blaze till morning.

(ii) in a major fire/over 25 shops/were gutted

Answer: Over 25 shops were gutted in a major fire.

(iii) but property/was destroyed/worth several lakhs/no casualties were reported.

Answer: No casualties were reported but property worth several lakhs were destroyed.

 2.      Read the following newspaper report given in the box below.

Fire Station Goes Up in Flames

A fire chief was embarrassed when a station without a smoke alarm went up in flames. The building and a fire engine were destroyed in the blaze. Nobody was injured in the fire that was tackled by 30 firefighters in six fire engines from neighbouring towns.

Answer: Read loudly and clearly with correct pronunciation and intonation.


Poem: Meadow Surprises                          By Lois Brandt Phillips

WORKING WITH THE POEM                                                                       PAGE 124

1.       Read the lines in which the following phrases occur. Then discuss with your partner the meaning of each phrase in its context.

(i) velvet grass

Answer: Velvet grass means that the grass is as soft as velvet.

(ii) drinking straws

Answer: drinking straws refers to the long straw-like structure of the butterfly known as proboscis through which it sucks.

          (iii) meadow houses

Answer: Meadow houses indicate the houses made by the animals living there. For example, the burrows of the rabbit and mounds of the ants.

(iv) amazing mound

Answer: Amazing mounds can be explained as the soil collected by the ants to make the amazing anthills.

          (v) fuzzy head

Answer: Fuzzy head indicates the tuft of the dandelion that floats in the air when we blow it.

2.       Which line in the poem suggests that you need a keen eye and a sharp ear to enjoy a meadow? Read aloud the stanza that contains this line.

Answer: The line that suggests that you need a keen eye and a sharp ear to enjoy a meadow is:

“You may discover these yourself if you look and listen well.”

3.       Find pictures of the kinds of birds, insects and scenes mentioned in the poem.

Answer: Do it for yourself. Make your work colourful and diverse

4.       Watch a tree or a plant, or walk across a field or park at the same time every day for a week. Keep a diary of what you see and hear. At the end of the week, write a short paragraph or a poem about your experiences. Put your writing up on the class bulletin board.

Answer: Be creative and honest with your answers.

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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