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CBSE (NCERT) Textbook Comprehension Check (Important Questions only) Q.1: Who is an artisan? Why do you think the thumbs of expert artisans were chopped off? Ans: An artisan is a person who is skilled in an applied art; a craftsman. The expert artisans of India worked so well that there was no parallel to their creation. The British feared that the goods which they were importing from their country to sell in India would not stand competition in quality with the goods produced by these expert Indian artisans. So to make them incapable of doing their work the British used to chop off the thumbs of artisans. Working with the Text (Important Questions only) Q.1: Do you think the Indian princes were short-sighted in their approach to the events of 1757? Ans: Indian princes were indeed short-sighted in their approach to the events of 1757. They fought against each other and sought the help of the British. They could not see that this will eventually make the British most powerful. This happ...

NCERT (CBSE) Textbook Solution Important Exercise Questions Q.1: The cricket says: “Oh! What will become me?” When does he say it, and why? Ans: The cricket speaks these words on the arrival of winter. He says so because he finds that there is no food for him in his house. Q.2: (ii) What is your opinion of the ant’s principles? Ans: I agree with what the ant says first that one should save something for the future so that he does not need to borrow or lend. But I don’t agree with the ant’s principle what he told later. If he says he is a friend of cricket then he should also help the cricket at the time of distress. On the other hand I believe that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Q.3: The ant tells the cricket to ‘dance winter away’. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so why? Ans: Yes the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here. It is so because the cricket had spoken of his love for singing. Singing and dancing go together. Q.4: (ii) Write the comment of the poet in y...

NCERT (CBSE) Textbook Exercise Comprehension Check (Important Questions) Q.1: What did the author find in a junk shop? Ans: The author found a very old 19th century roll-top desk in a junk shop. It was made of oak. It was in bad condition. So it was being sold at a cheap price. Q.2: What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? Ans: In a secret drawer of a roll-top desk, the author found a small tin box. There was a letter in that box. There was a piece of lined newspaper pasted on the box on which it was hand-written: “Jim’s last letter received, January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes.” This clearly indicated that it was placed there by the addressee. The address on the envelope revealed that it was for Mrs. Jim Macpherson of 12, Copper Breeches Bridport, Dorset.” So Connie, the wife of Jim Macpherson must have put it there. Q.3: Who had written the letter, to whom and when? Ans: Jim Macpherson, captain of the British army, wrote this l...

NCERT (CBSE) Textbook Exercise Working with the Text (Important Questions) Q.1: How was Earnest different from others in the valley? Ans: Earnest was a humble, hardworking and thoughtful person. Unlike others, he was not an obscure person. By the time he grew old; Earnest had become famous beyond the limits of the valley. College professors and even active men of cities came from far to meet him. Earnest received those people with gentle sincerity and spoke with them freely with open heart. He led a life of good deeds and with self-less love for others. He used to deliver thoughtful words from the depth of his heart. His words had power since they agreed with the reality of his life. While talking to his audience, his face would brighten and shine upon them, as with as mild evening light. In this way Earnest was different from others in the valley. Q.2: Why did Earnest think the poet was like the Stone Face? Ans: The poet wrote songs with lofty thoughts. The poetry of the poet found hi...

NCERT (CBSE) Textbook Working with the Text important questions Q.1: (i) What was the Great Stone Face? (ii) What did young Ernest wish when he gazed at it? Ans: (i) The Great Stone Face was a work of nature. It was formed on the side of a mountain by some huge rocks. They had been thrown together in such a position so that, when viewed from some distance, they resembled the face of a human face. If the spectator approached too near, the outline of the face would disappear into a heap of gigantic rocks. It was the belief of many people that the valley owed much of its fertility to the kind face of the Great Stone that was continually looking over it. (ii) Young Ernest gazed at the Great Stone Face. It smiled to him. Ernest wished that it could speak because it looked very kindly. He thought its voice must be pleasant. He would love the man dearly whoever bore such face. Q.2: What was the story attributed to the Stone Face? Ans: The story attributed to the Stone Face was that a child sh...

Comprehension Check important questions Q.1: What are the two ways in which the hills appear to change when the mist comes up? Ans: When the mist comes up, the hills appear to change. All the birds sitting on the hills fall silent when the mist comes climbing up the hill. When the mist comes up, it conceals not only the hills but blankets them in silence also. Q.2: Which hill-station does the author describe in this diary entry? Ans: In this diary, the author describes the beauty of the lovely hill station named Mussoorie. Q.3: Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter? Why? Ans: The snakes and rodents take place in roofs, attics and godowns in order to save themselves from rain water. Working with the Text important questions Q.1: Look carefully the diary entries for June 24-25, August 2 and March 23. Now write down the changes that happen as the rains progress from June to march. Ans: June 24 is the first day of monsoon mist. The hills are concealed by the mist. It blankets the hi...

NCERT (CBSE) Textbook Comprehension Check important questions Q.1: Why did Tilly’s family came to Thailand? Ans: Tilly’s family came to Thailand to celebrate Christmas. Q.2: What were the warning signs that both Tilly and her mother saw? Ans: Tilly’s mother saw that the water was swelling and the beach was getting smaller and smaller. And Tilly saw that the sea was slowly rising, bubbling and forming a whirlpool. Q.3: Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion? Ans: Tilly had seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion in a video of tsunami which was shown in her class by her geography teacher. Q.4: How do you think her geography teacher felt when he heard about what Tilly had done in Phuket? Ans: Her geography teacher felt very happy because her student and geography lesson saved many people from tsunami waves. Q.5: What do people say about the elephants of the Yala National Park? Ans: The people said that about an hour before the tsunami hit, the elephant...

NCERT (CBSE) Textbook Important Exercise Questions Q.5: The poetry of earth continues round the year through a cycle of two seasons. Mention each with its representative voice. Ans: The poetry of earth continues round the years through the summer and the winter. In summer, the grasshopper’s voice represents the poetry of the earth. While in winter the cricket’s song represents the poetry of the earth. HTTP://CBSEKEY.COM Stanzas Q.1: “The poetry of earth is . . . . . . new-mown mead” a. What does the poet mean by the poetry of the earth? b. What happens to the bird when it is very hot? c. Which voice the poet is referring? Ans: a. By the poetry of the earth, the poet means the different sounds of birds, insects and other creatureswhich reaxh the human ear. b. When it is very hot, the birds stop chirping. They hide in cool trees. c. The poet is referring to the voice of a grasshopper. Q.2: “The poetry of the . . . . . . .. . . . . . warmth increasing ever.” a. What is the poetry of the e...

NCERT Textbook Exercise Questions (Important Only) Q.3: ‘A cruel eye outworn’ (stanza 2) refers to (i) the class room which is shabby/noisy (ii) the lessons which are difficult/uninteresting (iii) the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play Mark the item that you consider right. Ans: (iii) HTTP://CBSEKEY.COM Stanzas for Comprehension (Important Only) Q.1: Stanza: - I love to rise . . . . . . . O! What sweet company. a. Who is the speaker of the above lines? b. What does he like? c. Why does he like it? d. Find out a word in the above stanza that can be replaced by ‘charming’. Ans: a. A school going boy is the speaker of the above lines. b. He likes to be awakened in the beauty of a summer morning. c. He likes it because a summer morning is full of natural beauties. There is music everywhere. The birds sing on the trees, hunter winds his horn, skylark sings in the sky etc. d. ‘Sweet’. Additional Questions with their Answers Q.1: What is the poem ‘The School Boy’? A...

NCERT Textbook (Important Exercise Questions Only) Q.2: Seen from the window of an aeroplane, the city appears . . . . Ans: (iii) as developed as necessary Q.3: Which of the following statements are examples of ‘the logic of geography’? Ans: (i), (iii) and (iv) are the correct statements. Q.4: Mention two things that are (i) clear from the height (ii) not clear from the height Ans: (i) The earth is round and that it has more sea than land are clear from the height. (ii) Why men hate each other and build walls across the cities to kill each other is not clear. HTTP://CBSEKEY.COM Stanzas Q.1: ‘The logic of geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ten thousand feet’. a. Where was the poet? b. Which place did he look upon from there? c. What lesson of geography did the poet learn from the sky? Ans: a. The poet was at a height of about ten thousand feet. b. He looked upon the country from there. c. He learnt the logic of geography It was clearly seen that the people settled at places where lan...

Important Terms Mineral: Mineral is a natural chemical compound, uniform in compositions and structure and is a constituent of rocks and ores. Mining: Mining is the process of extracting minerals from rocks buried under the earth surface. There are two types of mining - Open cast mining and Shaft mining. Open cast mining: The process of taking out minerals from rocks buried under the surface of the earth at shallow depths by removing the over-burden (surface layer) is known as Open cast mining. Open cast mines of coal can be seen in Raniganj (West Bengal) and Singrauli (MP). Shaft mining: The process of taking out minerals from great depths through deep bores called shafts is known as Shaft mining. In Jharia - Dhanbad belt (Jharkhand) we find coal mining is being done through this process. Quarrying: Process of digging out of minerals from shallow depths under the surface is known as Quarrying. For examples, Limestone, Quartzite etc are taken out through this process. Drilling: Deep bo...