NCERT English Class 8 | Chapter 8 | Jalebis | Question Answer |

COMPREHENSION CHECK I                                                       PAGE 65

1. Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to school?

Answer: His master Ghulam Mohammad who collected the fees was on leave that day, so he didn’t pay the fees on the day he brought money to school.

2. (i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?

Answer: The coins were saying to buy hot and crisp Jalebis.

    (ii) Do you think they were misguiding him?

Answer: Ye, they were misguiding him. The money was to pay his school fees but they insisted him to buy Jalebis.

3. Why didn’t he take the coins’ advice? Give two or three reasons.

Answer: The reasons are – He was an honest boy.

If he spent school fee on jalebis, how he would face his master Ghulam Mohammad in school and Allah Miyan in Qayamat.

He was also aware of the punishment for not paying fees on time.

4. (i) What did the oldest coin tell him?

Answer: The oldest coin said that he could spend that money on Jalebis, and the next day when he got his scholarship amount, he could pay his school fees. Hence, he should spend the coins on Jalebis.

    (ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?

Answer: Initially the boy did not follow the advice because he remembered that he was the most promising student. He had also won a scholarship of four rupees per month. He belonged to a well-to-do family. Also, he knew the punishment for spending his school fee to buy Jalebis. Hence, he didn’t want to ruin his prestige or dignity.

5. He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?

Answer: Once he reached home, the coins started speaking again. They began to shriek that made him completely fed up and he rushed to the market/bazaar barefoot. He asked halwai for a rupee worth of Jalebis. The halwai heaped a pile of Jalebis on the whole newspaper and gave it to the boy.

 

COMPREHENSION CHECK II                                                     PAGE 68

1. (i) Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought?

Answer: He didn’t eat all the Jalebis, but he ate a lot and he was completely full. If anybody pressed his stomach a little, Jalebis would have popped out of his ears and nostrils.

    (ii) What did he do with the remaining jalebis?

Answer: He distributed the remaining Jalebis among the children in the gali.

2. “The fear was killing me.” What was the fear?

Answer: The boy had eaten a lot of Jalebis. He was burping with almost every breath. So, there was a risk of bringing out Jalebis with his burp. This was the fear that was killing him.

3. “Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” What do you understand by that? Do you agree?

Answer: Yes, I agree that children’s stomachs are like digestion machines because they are very active and perform a lot of activities every day such as running, jumping, games, etc. Even if they overeat sometimes, they have the capacity to digest it.

4. How did he plan to pay the fees the next day?

Answer: He planned to his school fees by his scholarship money the next day.

5. When it is time to pay the fees, what does he do? How is he disobeying the elders by doing so?

Answer: At the time of paying fees, he leaves his school. He keeps walking straight thinking help from God so he can pay his school fees. He doesn’t even notice but he reaches the railway station where he was not supposed to go. His elders had warned him not to cross railway tracks, but he crossed. Also, his elders had warned him not to eat sweets but he ate. This is how he disobeyed his elders.

 

COMPREHENSION CHECK III                                                    PAGE 72

1. What was the consequence of buying Jalebis with the fees money?

Answer: The consequence of buying Jalebis with the fees money was that the boy had to be absent in his school for the first time. Also, he disobeyed his elders for the first time.

2. His prayer to God is like a lawyer’s defence of a bad case. Does he argue his case well? What are the points he makes?

Answer: He doesn’t argue his case. He admits his mistake and trying to impress God with the namaaz he memorized entirely. He mentions that he knows the last ten surats of the Quran too. However, in his defence, he adds that he didn’t eat all the Jalebis. He shared with other children and beggars as well. If he knew the delay in scholarship, he wouldn’t have spent school fees on Jalebis. He promises that if he repeats this mistake he should deserve a thief’s punishment.

There are other points that he makes such as there is no shortage of anything in god’s treasury. A chaprasi also takes home a lot of money for his work. He is the nephew of a big officer. So, god should give him just four rupees.

3. He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game?

Answer: The game is that he will go up to signal, touch it and return. Meanwhile, the god will secretly put four rupees under the big rock. He’ll lift the rock and get four rupees underneath.

4. Did he get four rupees by playing the game? What did he get to see under the rock?

Answer: No, he didn’t get four rupees by playing the game. He got to see a big hairy worm underneath the rock. It was curling, twisting and wriggling towards him.

5. If God had granted his wish that day, what harm would it have caused him in later life?

Answer: If God had granted his wish, he would never have learnt a lesson from his mistake. He would have continued doing such mistakes believing that God would save him after his persuasion.

 

EXERCISE                                                                                      PAGE 72

Work in small groups

1. Select and read sentences that show

. that the boy is tempted to eat Jalebis

. that he is feeling guilty

. that he is justifying a wrong deed

Answer:

. that the boy is tempted to eat Jalebis

Jalebis are meant to be eaten, and those with money in their pocket can eat them.

But then, these jalebis are no common sort of jalebis either. They’re crisp, fresh and full of syrup.

My mouth watered.

Thoroughly fed up, I rushed out of the house barefoot and ran towards the bazaar.

 

. that he is feeling guilty

My head started to spin.

When the recess bell rang I tucked my bag under my arm and left the school.

Now for the crime of eating a few jalebis, for the first time in my life I was absent from school.

Sitting there under the tree, at first, I felt like crying.

 

. that he is justifying a wrong deed

I didn’t eat them all by myself, though I fed them to a whole lot of children too.

‘Allah Miyan! I’m a very good boy. I have memorised the entire namaaz. I even know the last ten surats of the Quran by heart

 

2. Discuss the following points.

. Is the boy intelligent? If so, what is the evidence of it?

Answer: Yes, he is intelligent. The first evidence is that he has got a scholarship at his school. The second evidence is that he knows what is right and what is wrong. The third evidence is that he is a regular student in his school.

. Does his outlook on the jalebis episode change after class VIII? Does he see that episode in a new light?

Answer: Yes, his outlook changes after class VIII. Up to class VIII, he kept wondering how it would harm anyone if God had sent him four rupees.  Later, he realizes and concludes that if god gives everything for asking, no one will do anything.

. Why are coins made to ‘talk’ in this story? What purpose does it serve?

Answer: The purpose of making coins to ‘talk’ in this story is to show the greedy nature of the boy. His good nature stops him to spend money on Jalebis. However, his inner greed pushes him to get the Jalebis and eat them eagerly, is brought out in words by the coins.