NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English (Honeydew) Chapter 1 The Ant and the Cricket; The Best Christmas Present 9 in the World

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 8TH

aglase .co

Class : 8th
Subject : English-1
Chapter : 1
Chapter Name : The Best Christmas Present in the World

Q1 What did the author nd in a junk shop?

Answer. The author found a nineteenth century roll-top desk in the junk shop. It was made of oak. It
was in a very bad condition. The roll-top was broken into several pieces. One of the legs was clumsily
mended and there were scorch marks down one side. The author bought it in order to restore it.

Page : 10 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q2 What did he nd in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?

Answer. The author found a small black tin box in the secret drawer. There was a paper sellotaped to
its top. It said, 'Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time
comes.' Most likely, it was put there by Mrs. Jim Macpherson, who was Jim's wife. Her name and
address were on the envelope inside the box.

Page : 10 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q1 Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?

Answer. Jim Macpherson had written the letter to his wife Mrs. Macpherson on during December
1914. It was written during the First World War.

Page : 14 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q2 Why was the letter written — what was the wonderful thing that had happened?

Answer. Jim wrote the letter to tell his wife about a wonderful thing that had happened on Christmas
day. The British and the Germans were engaged in a war, yet on this day, both the troops met in no
man's land. It was a thing of wonder because right in the middle of a war, the warring soldiers were
making peace.

Page : 14 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q3 What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?

Answer. Hans Wolf was from Dusseldorf. He played the cello in the orchestra. Jim Macpherson was a
school teacher from Dorset.

Page : 14 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q4 Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?

Answer. No, Hans Wolf had never been to Dorset. He had learned all about England from school and
from reading books in English.

Page : 14 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q5 Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?

Answer. No, it is most likely that Jim Macpherson did not come back from the war. The notepaper
sellotaped to the tin box mentioned the letter contained in the box to be the "last letter" from Jim.
This was perhaps the last that Connie heard from Jim. While celebrating Christmas in no man's land,
the British and German soldiers played a game of football. Hans told Jim that he hoped the war would
also be resolved by a football match. To this Jim replied that he wasn't very good at football, but
would be sure of winning if they played cricket. The match was won by the Germans. This perhaps
indicates that the Germans might have also won the actual battle between the two troops.

Page : 14 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q1 Why did the author go to Bridport?

Answer. The author went to Bridport because that was the address where Mrs. Macpherson lived. He
wanted to give that letter back to her.

Page : 15 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q2 How old was Mrs Macpherson now? Where was she?

Answer. Mrs. Macpherson was a hundred and one years old. She was in a nursing home in Burlington
House.

Page : 15 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q1 Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?

Answer. Connie Macpherson thought that her visitor was her husband, Jim.

Page : 16 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q2 Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?

Answer. The sentence which shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity is, 'l explained
about the desk, about how I had found it, but I don't think she was listening.'

Page : 15 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q1 For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer. Connie must have kept Jim's letter for a long time. This is because she told the narrator how
she read it quite often every day so that she could feel that Jim was near her.

Page : 16 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q2 Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when?

Answer. The desk must have been sold when the house in which Connie Macpherson lived had caught
re. She was taken to a nursing home. All the burnt up things must have been sold by the neighbours
after that.

Page : 16 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q3 Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving con icts? Do you
agree?

Answer. Jim and Hans thought that games or sports are good ways of resolving con icts because
nobody dies in matches. No children are orphaned and no wives become widows. Due to these
reasons, games are good ways for resolving con icts. Wars only lead to death and devastation.

Page : 16 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q4 Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other? Find
evidence from the story to support your answer.

Answer. The soldiers of the two armies were like each other. Both the troops celebrated Christmas
with each other. They shared each other's food. All of them were smoking, laughing, talking, drinking
and eating. They even talked about the books they liked. They agreed about everything. They also
played a game of football for which both Hans and Jim cheered, clapped hands and stamped feet.
They also exchanged carols at night. Moreover, they had the same view that wars only brought death
and destruction, and they hoped that each would be alive to see his family. All these instances show
that the soldiers of the two armies were similar to each other.

Page : 16 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q5 Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and nd
things in common at Christmas.

Answer. The British and the German troops celebrated Christmas with each other. They enjoyed each
other's food. All of them were smoking, laughing, talking, drinking and eating. Hans Wolf and Jim
Macpherson shared the cake Connie had baked. They talked about Bathsheba, Gabriel Oak, Sergeant
Troy and Dorset. They even talked about the books they liked. They agreed about everything. Both
the troops played a game of football for which both Hans and Jim cheered, clapped hands and
stamped feet. They also exchanged carols at night. In this way, they celebrated Christmas together,
nding a lot in common between them.

Page : 16 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q6 What is Connie’s Christmas present? Why is it “the best Christmas present in the world”?

Answer. When the narrator came to see Connie and gave her the box, she mistook him for her
husband Jim. She thought that Jim had come home for Christmas. This was Connie's Christmas
present. It was the best Christmas present in the world for her because Jim had written in the letter
that he would come home on Christmas. She had read that letter several times everyday to feel that
he was near her. Now that he was nally there with her, she was extremely happy.

Page : 16 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q7 Do you think the title of this story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other title(s)?

Answer. Yes, the title of the story is suitable for it. The spirit of Christmas is the theme that prevails
throughout the story. It was on a Christmas day, in the middle of a raging war, that two warring
troops made peace. The moment of peace that the soldiers shared with each other was the best
Christmas present for them. Again, it was on a Christmas day that the narrator went to see Mrs
Macpherson. He went to return her husband's letter to her. The letter was precious to her, but even
more precious was her delusion that the narrator was her husband Jim, who she believed had
returned as promised on a Christmas day. This was the best Christmas present in the world for her.

Page : 15 , Block Name : Working With The Text

Q1 Look at these sentences from the story.
I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport... The man said it was made in the early nineteenth century…
This one was in a bad condition…
The italicised verbs are in the past tense. They tell us what happened in the past, before now.
(i) Read the passage below and underline the verbs in the past tense.
A man got on the train and sat down. The compartment was empty except for one lady. She took her
gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24 hours and then freed
him.
Now look at these sentences.
The veneer had lifted almost everywhere. Both re and water had taken their toll on this desk.
Notice the verb forms had lifted, had taken (their toll).
The author found and bought the desk in the past.The desk was damaged before the author found it
and bought it.Fire and water had damaged the desk before the author found it
and bought it.
We use verb forms like had damaged for an event in the ‘earlier past’. If there are two events in the
past, we use the ‘had…’ form for the event that occurred rst in the past.
We also use the past perfect tense to show that something was wished for, or expected before a
particular time in the past. For example, I had always wanted one…
Discuss with your partner the difference in meaning in the
sentences below.
When I reached the station, the train left.
When I reached the station, the train had left.
(ii) Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
My little sister is very naughty. When she __________ (come) back from school yesterday, she had
__________ (tear) her dress.We __________ (ask) her how it had __________ (happen). She __________(say) she

__________ __________ (have, quarrel) with a boy. She__________ __________ (have, beat) him in a race and
he ____________________ (have, try) to push her. She __________ __________ (have,tell) the teacher and so he
__________ __________ (have, chase) her, and she __________ __________ (have, fall) down and __________
__________ (have, tear) her dress.
(iii) Underline the verbs and arrange them in two columns, Past and Earlier past.
(a) My friends set out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home, because I had seen
them already.
(b) When they arrived at the station, their train had left. They came back home, but by that time I had
gone out to see a movie!
(c) So they sat outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them.
(d) By the time I returned, they had fallen asleep!

Answer. (i) A man got on the train and sat down. The compartment was empty except for one lady.
She took her gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24 hours and
then freed him.
(ii) My little sister is very naughty. When she came (come) back from school yesterday, she had torn
(tear) her dress. We asked (ask) her how it had happened (happen). She said (say) she had quarrelled
(have, quarrel) with a boy. She had beaten (have, beat) him in a race and he had tried (have, try) to
push her. She had told (have, tell) the teacher and so he had chased (have, chase) her, and she had
fallen (have, fall) down and had torn (have, tear) her dress.
(iii) (a) My friends set out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home, because I had seen
them already.
(b) When they arrived at the station, their train had left. They came back home, but by that time I had
gone out to see a movie!
(c) So they sat outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them.
(d) By the time I returned, they had fallen asleep!

Page : 17 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q2 Dictionary work
By the end of the journey, we had run out of drinking water.
Look at the verb run out of in this sentence. It is a phrasal verb: it has two parts, a verb and a
preposition or an adverb. Phrasal verbs often have meanings that are different from the meanings of
their parts.
Find these phrasal verbs in the story.
burn out light up look on run out keep out
Write down the sentences in which they occur. Consult a dictionary and write down the meaning that
you think matches the meaning of the phrasal verb in the sentence.

Answer. (i) burn out
House number 12 turned out to be nothing but a burned-out shell, the roof gaping, the windows
boarded-up.
(ii) light up
That was the moment her eyes lit up with recognition and her face became suffused with a sudden
glow of happiness.
(iii) look on
Hans Wolf and I looked on and cheered, clapping our hands and stamping our feet, to keep out the
cold as much as anything.
(iv) run out
The time came, and all too soon, when the game was nished, the schnapps and the rum and the
sausage had long since run out, and we knew it was all over.
(v) keep out
Hans Wolf and I looked on and cheered, clapping our hands and stamping our feet, to keep out the
cold as much as anything.

Page : 17 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q3 Noun phrase
Read the following sentence.

I took out a small black tin box.
The phrase in italics is a noun phrase.
It has the noun — box — as the head word, and three adjectives preceding it.
Notice the order in which the adjectives occur — size (small), colour (black) and material (tin) of
which it is made.
We rarely use more than four adjectives before a noun and there is no rigid order in which they are
used, though there is a preferred order of modi ers/adjectives in a noun phrase, as given below.

Answer.

Page : 17 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q4 Noun phrase
Read the following sentence.
I took out a small black tin box.
The phrase in italics is a noun phrase.
It has the noun — box — as the head word, and three adjectives preceding it.
Notice the order in which the adjectives occur — size (small), colour (black) and material (tin) of
which it is made.
We rarely use more than four adjectives before a noun and there is no rigid order in which they are
used, though there is a preferred order of modi ers/adjectives in a noun phrase, as given below.

Answer. Noun phrase Read the following sentences. I took out a small black tin box.

The phrase in italics is a noun phrase.
It has the noun box as the head word, and three adjectives preceding it.
Notice the order in which the adjectives occur-size (small) colour (lack) and material of which it is
made (tin).
We rarely use more than four adjectives before a noun and there is no rigid order in which they are
used, though there is a preferred order of modi ers/adjectives in a noun phrase, as given below :

Page : 19 , Block Name : Working With The Text

Q1 In groups discuss whether wars are a good way to end con icts between countries. Then present
your arguments to the whole class.

Answer. DIY

Page : 19 , Block Name : Speaking

Q2 What kind of presents do you like and why? What are the things you keep in mind when you buy
presents for others? Discuss with your partner.
(For example, you might buy a book because it can be read and reread over a period of time.)

Answer. If I have to select gifts for myself. I would go for books and sports kit. Books are one's best
friends. They can be read and reread and spread knowledge and information. Books are fun to read.
Books can be of various kinds. They can be comic books, story books, literature books, poetry books,
etc. There are many varieties of books one can select a lot of them depending upon the taste. They
never get old or outdated. Moreover, the knowledge gained by them is never lost, or forgotten.
Besides books, sports kit is also one of my best presents as sports keeps me physically t and healthy.
And as there is a saying •a healthy body has a healthy mind" If you are physically strong you can nd
any problem. if I have to select a gift for my friend I would purchase a football. He is fond of football
and is a very good football player too.

Page : 19 , Block Name : Speaking

Q1 Imagine that you are Jim. You have returned to your town after the war. In your diary record how
you feel about the changes you see and the events that occur in your town. You could begin like this
25 December, 1919
It’s Christmas today, but the town looks…..
Or
Suppose you are the visitor. You are in a dilemma. You don't know whether to disclose your identity
and disappoint the old lady or let her believe that her dear Jim has come back. Write a letter to a
friend highlighting your anxiety, fears and feelings.

Answer. I am Jim. This incident happened when I returned to my town for the Christmas in the year
1919. The First World war ended but I could see the consequences in my town. Many of the citizens of
the town are dead. It seems that I'm in a burial ground. There is no happiness at all. It went away with
the people who are dead. I went to the church where I could see different people. Some people were
crying for their dearest ones who are dead. Some people were questioning God, why the war
happened and why he had taken their loved ones away from them. Some people were praising God for
giving life. Some people were asking God for better future of our country. Some people were asking
God for the best Government. I prayed for his protection of the country and the citizens. After the
church service, I went to some people's house who are looking for some console. I talked and
consoled them. I traveled my entire town to estimate the damage which was caused by the war. After
estimation, I submitted the report to the mayor of the town. Finally, I returned home and spent time
with my parents.

Page : 19 , Block Name : Writing

Q2 Given below is the outline of a story. Construct the story using the outline.
A young, newly married doctor _______________ freedom ghter_______________ exiled to the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands by the British _______________ infamous Cellular Jail _______________ prisoners
tortured _______________ revolt by inmates _______________ doctor hanged _______________ wife waits for
his return _______________becomes old_______________ continues to wait with hope and faith.

Answer. There was a young, newly married doctor who lived in a small town. He practised medicine in
the town and was very happy. But one day few British soldiers came to his house and caught him
calling him a freedom ghter. They exiled him to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the infamous
Cellular Jail. The wife kept asking the authorities about the status of her husband but all in vain. She
could not make them believe that her husband was a simple doctor and not a freedom ghter. There
in the jail, the prisoners were tortured and beaten up brutally by the Britishers. One day the inmates
revolted. The authorities caught hold of them and hanged them. The doctor was also among them.
The wife kept waiting for justice and for her husband to return. She grew old and still even after
independence waits with hope and faith. She is 103 years old.

Page : 19 , Block Name : Writing