NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 8 Jalebis are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 8 Jalebis.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 8 Jalebis
TEXTUAL EXERCISES
COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 65)
1. Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to school ?
2. (i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him ?
(ii) Do you think they were misguiding him ?
3. Why didn’t he take the coins’ advice ? Give two or three reasons.
4. (i) What did the oldest coin tell him ?
(ii) Did he follow his advice ? If not, why not ?
5. He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then ?
Answers
1. The teacher who collected the fees was on leave. So he didn’t have to pay school fees on that day. The name of the teacher was Master Ghulam Mohammed.
2. (i) One rupiya asked him what he was thinking about. He should taste fresh, hot jalebis.
They are meant to be eaten. Those who have money in their pocket can eat them.
(ii) Yes, they were misguiding him. This is because the money was meant for his school fees and fund.
3. He didn’t take the coins’ advice. The money was for the school fee. Then, he was afraid of his teacher. If he got angry, he would keep him standing on the bench. Moreover, he considered even looking at something in the bazaar a sin.
4. (i) The oldest coin told him (they were trying to tell him) something for his own good. He asked him if he didn’t feel like eating those hot jalebis. If he spent the money that day, he would get the scholarship the next day.
(ii) He didn’t follow his advice. He thought that what he was saying was not right. Though his mouth watered at the thought (sight) of jalebis, he controlled himself. The reason was that he was not a common sort of boy. He was among the most promising students in the class. He had even won a scholarship of four rupees a month. Besides this, he came from a well-to-do family. So he enjoyed great prestige.
5. When he reached home, he sat on the bed. The coins began to speak. He went inside to have lunch, they began to shriek. He was thoroughly fed up and ran towards the bazaar. He quickly told the halwai to give him a whole rupee worth of jalebis.
COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 68)
1. (i) Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought ?
(ii) What did he do with the remaining jalebis ?
2. “The fear was killing me.” What was the fear ?
3. “Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” What do you understand by that ? Do you agree ?
4. How did he plan to pay the fees 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 ?
Answers
1. (i) He bought a heap of jalebis with one rupee. He ate manyjalebis. His stomach was so
full that he couldn’t eat any more jalebi.
(ii) The boys from the neighbourhood had assembled in thegali. He started distributing the jalebis among them.
2. It was a problem to digest all the jalebis that he had eaten. There was a burp at every breath. There was danger of the burp bringing out a jalebi or two. This fear was killing him.
3. It means that children’s stomachs work efficiently like machines. They can easily digest even if they overeat. But I don’t agree with this view. If a child overeats, he will suffer from indigestion. However, Munna might have a different experience.
4. He thought that he would get the previous month’s scholarship the next day. So he will
be able to pay his fees with that amount. ,
5. When it is time to pay the fees, he takes his bag and leaves the school. He disobeys the elders by crossing the railway track and eating sweets. They had warned him never to do so.
COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 72)
1. What was the consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money ?
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 ?
3. He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game ?
4. Did he get four rupees by playing the game ? What did he get to see under the rock ?
5. If God had granted his wish that day, what harm would it have caused him in later life ?
Answers
1. The consequence was his absence in the school for the first time in his life. He thought of the fees and then of Master Ghulam Mohammed’s cane.
2. He tells God that he is a very good boy. He tries to please God by saying that he has memorized the entire namaaz. He even knows the last ten surats of the Quran by heart. He can recite the entire ayat-al-kursi. He admits that he made a mistake. He spent the money because he expected the scholarship. Had it not been so, he would have never bought the jalebis. He argues his case well, but in vain.
3. The game was that he would go to the signal. God should put four rupees under a big rock. He would touch the signal and come back. It would be great fun to find four rupees under the rock. He goes towards the signal.
4. He didn’t get four rupees by playing this game. When he lifted the rock, he saw a hairy
worm instead of rupees.
5. If God had granted his wish that day, he would not know the value of work. He would have depended on God for his life’s needs. In fact, man would not learn anything himself as, for example, making jalebis. He would have been like birds.
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.
Answers
- The following sentences in the text show that the boy is tempted to eat jalebis :
- Jalebis are meant to be eaten and only those with money in their pocket can eat them.
- But then, these jalebis are no common sort ofjalebis either. They’re crisp, fresh and full of syrup.
- My mouth watered.
- I rushed out of the house barefoot and ran towards the bazaar.
- The following sentences in the text show that he is feeling guilty :
- My head started to spin. I felt as if I was standing on my head and could not get on to my feet again even if I tried.
- 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 under a tree, at first I felt like crying.
- The following sentences in the text show that he was justifying a wrong deed :
- I didn’t eat them all by myself, and I fed them to a whole lot of children.
- Allah miyan ! I’m a very good boy. I have memorized the entire namaaz. I even know the last ten surats of the Quran by heart. I can recite the entire ayat-al-kursi for you just now.
2. Discuss the following points.
- Is the boy intelligent ? If so, what is the evidence of it ?
- Does his outlook on the jalebis episode change after class VIII ? Does he see that episode in a new light ?
- Why are coins made to ‘talk’ in this story ? What purpose does it serve ?
Answer:
- The boy was intelligent. It is shown by the fact that he had won a scholarship. He was among the most promising students.
- His outlook on the jalebis episode changes after class VIII. He sees the episode in a new light. He prayed to God to give him four rupees for his fees. But now he has come to realize his foolishness. If God gives all for the asking, man will be no better than birds. He will learn nothing in his life as he will get everything without effort.
- The coins are made to ‘talk’ in this story because they reflect a mental conflict. His mind is divided between eating jalebis and paying his fees. He is tempted to eat jalebis because of the coins in his pocket. But the other side of his personality hesitates to do so.
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