Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
The king did not want more talk about the hilsa-fish because he fed up of listening only about hilsa-fish.
Complete the following word ladder with the help of the clues given below.
Now write the story in your own words. Give it a title.
Now ask your partner questions about each picture.
(i) Where is the stag?
(ii) What is he doing?
(iii) Does he like his antlers (horns)?
(iv) Does he like his legs?
(v) Why is the stag running?
(vi) Is he able to hide in the bushes?
(vii) Where are the hunters now?
(viii) Are they closing in on the stag?
(ix) Is the stag free?
(x) What does the stag say about his horns and his legs?
(i) How much did you pay for that hilsa? The woman asked the man how much he had paid for that hilsa.
(ii) Why is your face half-shaven? Gopal’s wife asked him
(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty. Gopal told the king
(iv) I want to see the king. Gopal told the guards
(v) Bring the man to me at once. The king ordered the guard
Look at the pictures and read the text aloud.
Find out the meaning of the following words by looking them up in the dictionary. Then use them in sentences of your own.
challenge mystic comical
courtier smearing
How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?
What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.
What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
What did Nishad give Mr Nath? Why?
Why did the king want to know answers to three questions?
What is the secret that Meena shares with Mridu inthe backyard
What was the author’s opinion about Mr Gessler as a bootmaker?
Why did the neighbours kill the dog?
What is “strange” about Mr Nath’s Sundays?
Messengers were sent throughout the kingdom
(i) to fetch wise men.
(ii) to find answers to the questions.
(iii) to look for the wise hermit.
(iv) to announce a reward for those who could answer the questions.
Mark your choice.
How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?
Why did the author visit the shop so infrequently?
Mark the right item.
(i) The old farmer and his wife loved the dog
(a) because it helped them in their day-to-day work.
(b) as if it was their own baby.
(c) as they were kind to all living beings.
(ii) When the old couple became rich, they
(a) gave the dog better food.
(b) invited their greedy neighbours to a feast.
(c) lived comfortably and were generous towards their poor neighbours.
(iii) The greedy couple borrowed the mill and the mortar to make
(a) rice pastry and bean sauce.
(b) magic ash to win rewards.
(c) a pile of gold.
Each of the following words contains the sound ‘sh’(as in shine) in the beginning or in the middle or at theend. First speak out all the words clearly. Then arrangethe words in three groups in the table on page 80.
sheep. trash. marsh. fashionanxious.
shriek. shore. fishportion. ashes.
sure. nationshoe. pushing polish
moustache
“A sharp V-shaped line had formed between her eyebrows.” What does it suggest to you about Rukku Manni’s mood?
(i) Who was the bearded man?
(ii) Why did he ask for the king’s forgiveness?
The music master is making lovely music. Read aloudthe sentence in the text that expresses this idea.
Why did the daimio reward the farmer but punish his neighbour for the same act?
Why did the author visit the shop so infrequently?
How did the king and the hermit help the wounded man?
Speak to five adults in your neighbourhood. Ask them the following questions (in any language they are comfortable in). Then come back and share your findings with the class.
(i) Do they buy their provisions packed in plastic packets at a big store, or loose, from a smaller store near their house?
(ii) Where do they buy their footwear? Do they buy branded footwear, or footwear made locally? What reasons do they have for their preference?
(iii) Do they buy ready-made clothes, or buy cloth and get their clothes stitched by a tailor? Which do they think is better?
Read the following conversation.
Ravi: What are you doing?
Mridu: I’m reading a book.
Ravi: Who wrote it?
Mridu: Ruskin Bond.
Ravi: Where did you find it?
Mridu: In the library.
Notice that ‘what’, ‘who’, ‘where’, are question words. Questions that require information begin with question words. Some other question words are ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘where’, ‘which’ and ‘how’. Remember that
Read the following paragraph and frame questions on the italicised phrases. Anil is in school. I am in school too. Anil is sitting in the left row. He is reading a book. Anil’s friend is sitting in the second row. He is sharpening his pencil. The teacher is writing on the blackboard. Children are writing in their copybooks. Some children are looking out of the window.
Had the beggar come to Rukku Manni’s house for thefirst time? Give reasons for your answer.