ODISHA ADARSHA VIDYALAYA, BUDAKATA

CLASS VII (ENGLISH ) PRACTICE QUESTIONS .

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Question 1:

What did Patrick think his cat was playing with? What was it really? (2)

Answer:

Patrick thought that his cat was playing with a little doll. In reality it was an elf, i.e., a man of the tiniest size.

Question 2:

Why did the little man grant Patrick a wish? (2)

Answer:

Patrick saved the little man’s life from the cat as he did not hand him over to the cat. Out of gratefulness,
the elf promised to grant a wish to Patrick.

Question 3:

What was Patrick’s wish? (3)

Answer:

Patrick hated doing his homework. So when the little man promised to grant him a wish, Patrick asked the
elf to do all his homework for 35 days, until the end of the semester.

Question 4:

In what subjects did the little man need help, to do Patrick’s homework? (5, 6)

Answer:

The little man was particularly weak in English, Maths and History. Hence, he asked for Patrick’s help while
doing the homework on these subjects.

Question 5:

How did Patrick help him? (7)

Answer:

Patrick sat beside the little man and stayed up late at night to guide him while doing the homework. He
brought books from the library and read out those books to the little man.

Question 6:
Who do you think did Patrick’s homework — the little man, or Patrick himself? Give reasons for your
answer. (9, 10)

Answer:

In reality, Patrick did all the homework by himself. He had to help the little man over and again with proper
guidance and bring books from the library to do the homework.

(i) A house is made of lifeless stone and brick.

(ii) It has glass windows, a courtyard, chimneys, tile floors, doors and a roof.

(iii) A home is made by loved ones comprising caring parents and children.

(iv) It has family members who understand and care for each other selflessly.

Q.1. Why did the dog look for a master ?

Answer:
The dog felt alone and unsafe in the jungle. He was tired of wandering alone for food. He was afraid of
animals stronger than he. So for company and security, he decided to choose a master.

Q.2. Name the animal that the dog went to first of all ?
Answer:
The dog happened to meet a big wolf first of all. The wolf was, in fact, his relative.

Q.3. Why did the dog choose to leave the wolf and join the bear ?
Answer:
Because the bear was stronger than the wolf. And the dog had decided to take up service with the
strongest creature on earth.
Q.4. What did the wolf say about the bear ?
Answer:
"........... and he (the Bear) might eat up both of us - you and me." The wolf thus acknowledged that the bear
was stronger than it.

Q.5. How did the bear come to know about the presence of the lion nearby ?
Answer:
The bear heard a terrible noise. The cows were lowing noisily and also running in panic. This was a sure
signal of the presence of the lion nearby .

Q.6. Did the dog enjoy the company of the lion ? How long ?
Answer:
Yes, the dog and the lion walked together for a long time. it was a good life.The dog had nothing to
complain of. But his company did not last long. The lion also took to heels on seeing the man. The dog at
once accepted man as his master.
Question 1:

Why did Taro run in the direction of the stream? (5)

Answer:

Taro ran in the direction of the stream because he was very thirsty. He had never seen a rushing stream or
heard the sound of falling water in that part of the forest.

Question 2:
How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking saké? (7)

Answer:

Taro’s father was so delighted with the saké that when he swallowed a sip of the liquid, he stopped
shivering and became energetic and did a little dance in the middle of the floor.

Question 3:

Why did the waterfall give Taro saké and others water? (12)

Answer:

The waterfall gave Taro saké and others water because Taro was a very thoughtful and dutiful son to his
parents. He used to serve his parents with dedication and sincerity. The saké from the waterfall was a
reward for his goodness. On the other hand, the people of his village got plain water because they were
greedy.

Question 4:

Why did the villagers want to drown Taro? (10, 11)

Answer:

When the villagers went to the waterfall with big pitchers and vessels to collect saké, they simply got plain
water from the waterfall. They thought that Taro had fooled and tricked them. Hence, they decided to
punish him by drowning him in the same waterfall.

Question 5:

Why did the Emperor reward Taro? (13)

Answer:

Taro was a very dutiful son to his parents and served them with devotion. The Emperor rewarded him with
twenty pieces of gold for being so good and kind to his parents. He also named the fountain after Taro.
Through this reward, the Emperor declared Taro a role model for all children and wanted to encourage all
of them to love, honour and obey their parents.

Question 1. Where was Kalpana Chawla born? Why is she called an Indian – American? (3)

Answer: Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana. She got married to an American citizen and thus
became a naturalized American. So, she is called an Indian-American.

Question 2. When and why did she go to the U.S.? Who did she marry? (2, 3)

Answer: She went to the U.S. for higher studies in aeronautical engineering. She married flight instructor
Jean-Pierre Harrison.

Question 3. How did she become an astronaut? What gave her the idea that she could be an astronaut?
(3)
Answer: She applied for NASA’s space shuttle program and got hired as a research scientist at NASA.
She was then selected for training as an astronaut in 1994.

Question 4. What abilities must an astronaut have, according to the journalist? (6)

Answer: According to the journalist, one needs to know a lot about everything- biology, astrophysics, and
aeronautical engineering to be an astronaut.

Question 5. Describe Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space. (5)

Answer: Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space lasted 15 days, 16 hours and 34 minutes. She went
around the earth 252 times, travelling 10.75 million kilometers. A Ukrainian and a Japanese astronaut were
also among the crew members.

Question 6. What does Kalpana Chawla say about pursuing a dream? Do you agree with her that success
is possible?

Answer: Kalpana says, “The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it,
the courage to get onto it… Wishing you a great journey.”

Yes, I do agree with her that with vision and courage, success is possible.

1. Why do you think the writer visited Miss Beam’s school? (1)

2. What was the ‘game’ that every child in the school had to play? (9)

3. “Each term every child has one blind day, one lame day…” Complete the line. Which day was the
hardest? Why was it the hardest? (9, 11, 15)

4. What was the purpose of these special days? (5, 9)

Answer:

1. The writer had heard a lot of praise about the unique teaching methods of Miss Beam’s school. So,
he visited her school to have a personal experience with the new methods of teaching.
2. In Miss Beam’s school, every child had to play the role of being blind, deaf, mute, injured or lame for
a particular day. This was like a ‘game’ that they had to play and this formed a key part of their
training.
3. “Each term, every child has one blind day, one lame day, one deaf day, one injured day and one
dumb day”. Among all the days, the blind day was the hardest day because that day students had to
act blind without peeping from their blindfolds. They felt as though they were going to be hit or would
bump into things every moment.
4. The main purpose of these special days was to give the students a personal taste of misfortune.
Enacting a disability for a day would help them understand the feelings of people born with such
disabilities and have respect for the needy people in society. This training prepared the students to
become good and responsible human beings.
5. A. Answer the following questions.

6. 1. Peter’s favourite day of the week is Sunday because —————–——————————————

———————————————————————————–—

7. 2. Nasir wants to learn ——————————————————————————————————

———————————————————————————————––––––––
8. 3. Dolma believes that she can make a good Prime Minister because ———————————

9. ————————————————————————––————–————–––————––———
—––————––

10. Answer:

11. 1. the whole family goes to the cinema hall to watch a film.

12. 2. how to preserve seeds so that we can use them again instead of spending money every year.

13. 3. everyone in her class asks her what to do if there is a problem, and her teacher also trusts her
when something needs to be done in the school.

14. 1. “Then the situation changed.” What is being referred to? (2)

15. Answer: The situation of the aunt in Jumman’s house changed. Earlier she was being taken care of
but things changed and she was ill-treated.

16. 2. When Jumman’s aunt realised that she was not welcome in his house, what arrangement did she
suggest? (3)

17. Answer: She suggested that she get a monthly allowance from Jumman as she could not handle
the insult any more. She wanted to cook separately.

18. 3. What was the villagers’ reaction when the aunt explained her case to them? (4)

19. Answer: The villager’s gave mixed reactions. Some sympathized with her, some laughed at her and
some others said that she should try to make up with Jumman and his wife.

20. 4. Why was Jumman happy over Algu’s nomination as head Panch? (6)

21. Answer: Jumman was happy over Algu’s nomination as head Panch because Algu was his friend
and he knew that he would not give a judgement that went against him.

22. 5. “God lives in the heart of the Panch.” the aunt said. What did she mean? (6)

23. Answer: She meant to remind Algu that Panch holds a position equal to God so he should never be
biased. He should be just and fair.

24. 6. What was Algu’s verdict as head Panch? How did Jumman take it? (7, 8)

25. Answer: Algu gave a verdict that shocked Jumman. He asked Jumman to pay a monthly allowance
to his aunt. Jumman was very upset at this judgement and he began to consider Algu as his enemy.

26. 7. Algu found himself in a tight spot. What was his problem? (9)

27. Answer: Algu had sold a bullock to Sahu. Sahu had promised that he would pay for the bullock in a
month. But the bullock died within a month.

28. Algu found himself in a tight spot because Sahu refused to pay money for the bullock as it died.
29. 8. Why was Algu upset over Jumman’s nomination as head Panch? (12, 13)

30. Answer: Algu was upset over Jumman’s nomination as head Panch because he was certain that
Jumman would take revenge of the judgement that Algu has given earlier.

31. 9. What was Jumman’s verdict as head Panch? How did Algu take it? (14, 15)

32. Answer: When Jumman was made the head Panch, he thought for a while if he should take
revenge. But he realized that he was sitting in the position of a Panch. He had to be unbiased.
Jumman’s verdict was that Sahu should pay Algu the amount of the bullock.

33. Algu was extremely happy at the verdict. He began to shout that it was the victory of the Panchayat.

34. 1. The old banyan tree “did not belong” to grandfather, but only to the boy, because

35. ————————————————————————————————————————————
————————

36. 2. The small gray squirrel became friendly when ————————— —————————————
————————————————————————

37. 3. When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel ——————————
———————————————————— ————————————————————————
—————————————

38. 4. In the spring, the banyan tree —————————————–, and —————————————–

would come there.

39. 5. The banyan tree served the boy as a —————————————–—–———————————

——————————————————————————

40. 6. The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree —————————————–————————
—————–—————————————–———–––—

41. Answer:

42. 1. The old banyan tree “did not belong” to grandfather, but only to the boy, because his
grandfather was sixty-five years old and could no longer climb it.

43. 2. The small grey squirrel became friendly when he found that the boy did not arm himself with
catapult or air gun.

44. 3. When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel grew quite bold and
was soon taking morsels from his hand.

45. 4. In the spring, the banyan tree was full of small red figs, and birds of all kinds would come
there.

46. 5. The banyan tree served the boy as a library where he had made a crude platform to sit and
read books.
 47. 6. The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree when it was not too hot, leaning against it and
reading story books.

(ii) What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to show their readiness for the fight?

(ii) To show the readiness for their fight, the cobra hissed defiantly with his forked tongue darting in and out;
he raised half its total length off the ground and spread his broad, spectacled hood. On the other hand, the
mongoose bushed his tail, and the long hair on his spine stood up.

2. Who were the other two spectators? What did they do? (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight?) (10)

Answer:

The other two spectators were a myna and a jungle crow. They settled on the cactus to watch the outcome.
They were not content only to watch the fight. They took part in the proceedings and hurled themselves at
the cobra.

(i) What happened to the crow in the end? (16)

(ii) What did the myna do finally? (17)

Answer:

1. Towards the end of the fight, the crow flung nearly twenty feet across the garden as the cobra
whipped his head back and struck with great force. His snout thudded against the crow’s body and it
fluttered about for a while, then it lay still and dead.
2. The myna dropped cautiously to the ground, hopped about, peered into the bushes from a safe
distance and then with a shrill cry of congratulation flew away.
3. Question 1:

4. How did the two baby birds get separated?

5. Answer:

6. The two baby birds lived with their mother in a nest in a tall and shady tree. One day, there was a
big storm with thunder, lightning and rain. A big, heavy branch hit the nest and killed the mother
bird. The strong wind blew the two baby birds away to the other side of the forest and separated
them from each other.

7. Question 2:

8. Where did each of them find a home?

9. Answer:

10. One of the baby birds came down near a cave where a gang of robbers lived. The other baby bird
landed outside a rishi’s ashram a little distance away. Thus, they found two different homes.

11. Question 3:

12. What did the first bird say to the stranger?

13. Answer:
14. The first bird saw the stranger, i.e., the King. He called the robbers to come quickly and rob the King
of his jewels and his horse. The bird had indirectly warned the stranger of the consequences of
sitting near the cave.

15. Question 4:

16. What did the second bird say to him?

17. Answer:

18. The second bird welcomed the King to the ashram. He requested the stranger to go inside the
ashram, take some rest and make himself comfortable. He further added that the first bird was his
brother, who had made friends with robbers, so he talked like them.

19. Question 5:

20. How did the rishi explain the different ways in which the birds behaved?

21. Answer:

22. The king was surprised about the difference in behaviour between the two birds. The rishi explained
that the first bird imitated the same words that he heard from the robbers, whereas the second bird
repeated the words that he had always heard at the ashram. This implies that the difference in ways
of behaviour between the two birds was the result of the company in which they lived.

23. Question 6:

24. Which one of the following sums up the story best?

25. (i) A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

26. (ii) One is known by the company one keeps.

27. (iii) A friend in need is a friend indeed.

28. Answer:

29. (ii) One is known by the company one keeps.

30. Question 1: Why did the farmer bring a baby mongoose into the house?

31. Answer: The farmer and his wife had a baby. They wanted him to have a companion to play with.
So, the farmer brought a baby mongoose into the house.

32. Question 2. Why didn’t the farmer’s wife want to leave the baby alone with the mongoose?

33. Answer: The farmer’s wife did not want to leave the baby alone with the mongoose because she
was scared that the mongoose might harm her child.

34. Question 3. What was the farmer’s comment on his wife’s fears?

35. Answer: The farmer assured his wife that the mongoose was a friendly animal and it wouldn’t hurt
their baby. The farmer also said that the mongoose was as sweet as their baby, and they were best
friends.

36. Question 4. Why did the farmer’s wife strike the mongoose with her basket?
 37. Answer: When the farmer’s wife reached home with her basket, she saw the mongoose at the door
with his face and paws covered with blood. She thought that the mongoose had killed her baby. In
anger, she hit the mongoose with her heavy basket.

38. Question 5. Did she repent her hasty action? How does she show her repentance?

39. Answer: Yes, she repented her hasty action when she realized that the mongoose had actually
saved her son from a snake. She ran out looking for the mongoose, but it was already dead. She
sobbed and felt extremely sorry for her hasty action.

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 at 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 for himself 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 in 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:

1. The iron chest contained an old blanket inside it.

2. 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.
3. Yes, it is an ideal example of the shepherd’s humility, wisdom and goodness.
Question 7:

How did the king reward the new governor?

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 a governor of a bigger district the same day.

Question 1:

Why did Swami Haridas say Tansen was ‘talented’?

Answer:

Tansen was a very naughty child who could imitate the calls of birds and animals perfectly. One day, a
famous singer named Swami Haridas, along with his disciples, settled down in a shady grove to take rest.
Seeing them, Tansen tried to frighten them away by roaring like a tiger. When the travellers found out it
was Tansen who made the sound, Swami Haridas was impressed by his skill and called him ‘talented’.

Question 2:

Why did Akbar ask Tansen to join his court?

Answer:

Tansen learnt music from Swami Haridas for eleven years and became a great and famous singer. Once
Tansen went to Akbar’s court to sing and soon became a great favourite of the Emperor. Akbar was highly
impressed with his performance, and he asked Tansen to join his court immediately.

Question 3:

How do we know that Akbar was fond of Tansen? Give two reasons.

Answer:

Tansen became a great favourite of Emperor Akbar. The Emperor would often call upon Tansen to sing at
any time of the day for a performance. Akbar would often just walk into Tansen’s house to hear him
practice. Besides that, he would also give the singer various beautiful presents.

Question 4:

What did the other courtiers feel about Tansen?

Answer:

With the increase in Tansen’s popularity, the other courtiers of Akbar’s court became jealous of him. They
decided to ruin his music career and get rid of him forever.
Question 5:

(i) What happens if Raga Deepak is sung properly?

(ii) Why did Tansen’s enemies want him to sing the Raga?

Answer:

1. If Raga Deepak was sung properly, the air and surroundings would become so hot that the singer
would be burnt to ashes.
2. Some courtiers of Akbar’s court were jealous of Tansen and his popularity and soon they became
his enemies. They wanted him to sing Raga Deepak so that he would die out of heat and burn to
ashes.
Question 6:

Why did Tansen agree to sing Raga Deepak?

Answer:

Tansen was afraid to sing Raga Deepak, but agreed to sing it as he dared not disobey the king. Besides,
he also wanted to exhibit his singing ability and talent in music.

Question 7:

(i) What steps did he take to save himself?

(ii) Did his plan work? How?

Answer:

1. Tansen was worried and afraid after being asked to sing Raga Deepak. He requested the king to
allow him some time to prepare for it. In the meantime, he thought of a brilliant idea. He taught Raga
Megh to his daughter, Saraswati, and her friend, Rupvati for two weeks. He told them that soon after
he completes singing Raga Deepak, they should start singing Raga Megh to bring rain and appease
the effect of the heat.
2. Yes, Tansen’s plan worked perfectly. When he sang Raga Deepak, the surroundings became warm
– the leaves of trees dried up, birds fell dead, water of rivers began to boil, people were terrified that
flames shot up out of nowhere and lighted the lamps. Just then, Saraswati and Rupvati began to
sing Raga Megh, the sky filled with dark clouds and the rain came down suddenly and this saved
Tansen’s life and the surroundings from more damage.
3. Question 1: The monkey was happy living in the fruit tree, but his happiness was not complete.
What did he miss?

4. Answer: The monkey was happy living in the fruit tree, but his happiness was not complete. He had
no companion to talk to or share fruits with. He felt lonely.

5. Question 2. What did the two friends generally talk about?

6. Answer: The two friends, the monkey and the crocodile, generally talked about birds and animals,
as well as the nearby villages. They also used to talk about the difficulties villagers faced in raising
good crops because of the lack of rain.

7. Question 3. Why was the crocodile’s wife annoyed with her husband one day?

8. Answer: The crocodile’s wife was annoyed with her husband one day because the crocodile came
home very late that day, and she had to manage the little crocodiles all by herself.

9. Question 4. Why was the crocodile unwilling to invite his friend home?
 10. Answer: The crocodile was unwilling to invite his friend home because his wife wanted to eat the
monkey’s heart. The crocodile did not want to betray his best friend. So, he refused to oblige her
and shouted angrily at her.

11. Question 5. What did the crocodile tell the monkey midstream?

12. Answer: The crocodile told the monkey midstream that he would have to go underwater now so
that he could kill the monkey and give the monkey’s heart to his wife for a meal.

13. Question 6. How did the monkey save himself?

14. Answer: Although he was shocked and distressed, the monkey kept calm. He said that he would do
anything for the crocodile and his family. But unfortunately, he did not bring his heart along with him
and left it on the tree. The foolish crocodile believed the monkey and took him back to the tree. The
monkey jumped to the tree at once and, thus, saved himself.

15. Question 7. What does the last sentence of the story suggest? What would the crocodile tell his
wife?

16. Answer: The crocodile was sadder and wiser. He would have told his wife about all that happened
and how she broke a great friendship because of her insecurity and greed.

Question 1:

What is the most obvious advantage of sleep?

Answer:

The most obvious advantage of sleep is that it helps our body recover from fatigue caused by the day’s
activities. It helps us in relaxing our minds and gives rest to our exhausted bodies. We tend to become alert
and active after taking a nap, and it prepares us to take on the normal activities of the day.

Question 2:

What happens to our body when we sleep?

Answer:

During sleep, the muscles of our body become relaxed, our heartbeat becomes slower, and our
temperature and blood pressure also go down.

Question 3:

Define a dream in your own words.

Answer:

A dream is an involuntary activity of the mind in which we see a succession of pictures, sensations and
emotions that usually occur during different phases of sleep.

Question 4:

Why are dreams important? Mention two reasons.

Answer:

Dreams are important mainly for two reasons. These include the following:
 1. They give us an insight into our subconscious fears and worries.
2. Sometimes they provide us with solutions to certain mental problems that we face.
Question 5:

Why has sleep been called a wonder?

Answer:

Sleep has been regarded as a wonder because nobody has been able to justify or explain what exactly
causes it. It is a state of unconscious rest that transports us to a world of dreams and helps us to escape
from the real world. Good sleep is often considered necessary for the optimal physical, mental and
emotional development of a person.

Question 1: What did the physicians ask Saeeda’s mother to do to get well? Did their advice help her? If
not, why?

Answer: The physicians asked Saeeda’s mother to avoid normal food. She was given strict orders to stay
confined to her small room with doors and windows fastened, in the lack of sunshine and fresh air to
breathe.

Question 2. What did the specialist prescribe in addition to medicine?

Answer: In addition to medicine, the specialist prescribed Saeeda’s mother to sit in the sun from eight to
nine in the morning. He said that sunshine and fresh air are more important than medicine.

Question 3. What did Saeeda tell the sunrays to do?

Answer: Saeeda requested the sunrays to appear the next morning with lots of warmth and brightness so
that her mother could sit in the sun.

Question 4. Why were the sunrays keen to go down to the earth the next day?

Answer: The sunrays were keen to go down to the earth the next day because they had promised Saeeda
to help her mother get better. To keep their promise, they forced their way through the dark clouds.

Frequently Asked Questions on NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Supplementary English Chapter 8
Q1

What did Saeeda tell the sunrays to do according to NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Supplementary
English Chapter 8?

According to NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Supplementary English Chapter 8, Saeeda requested the sun’s
rays to appear the next morning with lots of warmth and brightness so that her mother could sit in the sun.
These solutions will help you in exam preparation.

Why were the sunrays keen to go down to the earth the next day discussed in NCERT Solutions for
Class 6 Supplementary English Chapter 8.

The sunrays were keen to go down to the earth the next day because they had promised Saeeda to help
her mother get better. To keep their promise, they forced their way through the dark clouds.