NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 1

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 1 The Best Christmas Present in the World

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 1 The Best Christmas Present in the World

Comprehension Check (Page 10)

Questions: 1

What did the author find in a junk shop?

Answers:

The author found a roll-top desk in a junk shop.

Questions: 2

What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think put it in there?

Answers:

The author found a small tin box in the secret drawer. I think the owner of the roll-top desk had put it in there.

Comprehension Check (Page 14)

Questions:1

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

Answers:

John Macpherson had written the letter on 26 December 1914, to his wife Connie.

Questions:2

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

Answers:

The letter was written to describe an amazing event. In fact, both sides of the enemy forces—the British and the Germans—celebrated Christmas together.

Questions:3

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

Answers:

Before joining the army, Hans played the cello in the orchestra and Jim was a teacher.

Questions:4

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

Answers:

No, Hans had never been to Dorset. He said this because he had read in his school about Dorset.

Questions:5

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

Answers:

No, Jim Macpherson never came back home from the war. Perhaps therefore his wife Connie kept all his letters.

Comprehension Check (Page 15)

Questions:1

Why did the author go to Bridport?

Answers:

The author went to Bridport to meet Mrs Jim Macpherson and to return Jim’s letter.

Questions:2

How old was Mrs Macpherson now? Where was she?

Answers:

Macpherson was 101 years old now. She was in the Burlington House Nursing Home that was located on Dorchester Road, on the other side of town.

Comprehension Check (Page 16)

Questions:1

Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?

Answers:

Connie thought that the visitor was her own husband, Jim Macpherson.

Questions:2

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

Answers:

That sentence is, “I explained about the desk, about how I had found it, but I don’t think she was listening.”

Working with the Text (Page 16)

Question 1:

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

Answer:

Connie kept Jim’s letter for a long period of time because She told the narrator how she used to read the letter daily.

Question 2:

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

Answer:

Mrs Jim McPherson’s desk was sold after a fire at her house

Question 3:

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

Answer:

Because both of them believed that no one has to lose his life in matches. So, playing matches is a good way to end conflicts. Whereas war only leads to death, strife and destruction.

Yes, I agree with both Jim and Hans because no lives are lost that way. And anyone’s life is a precious thing near me.

Question 4:

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 both armies are similar to each other, we can understand it from the following points.

Both armies celebrated Christmas together.

They spent their time eating, laughing, drinking and talking with each other.

Both armies played a friendly football match.

Both armies didn’t like war.

Question 5:

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

Answer:

They were enemies during the war. But after all, they were human and therefore, they had the same feelings. they fully celebrated Christmas. They also used to play games among themselves. Both armies hated wars. Both armies wanted to go back home and meet their families.

Question 6:

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

Answer:

When Connie sees the narrator on Christmas Day, she thinks the narrator is her husband, Jim McPherson. He thought so because of his old age. So, for her, the return of her husband was the best Christmas gift.

Question 7:

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

Answer:
I think the title of the story is fitting as it was on this day that Connie received her best Christmas present ever. In fact, she was very old and had mistaken the narrator for her husband.

Another title of the story could be ‘Best Christmas gift for wife’.

Working with Language (Page 17)

Question 1:

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 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 verb 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.

Answer:

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 fire 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 used the ‘had’ form for the event that occurred first 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.

Answer:
My little sister is very naughty. When she came back from school yesterday, she had torn her dress. We asked her how it had happened. She said she had quar­relled with a boy. She had beaten him in a race and he had tried to push her. She had told the teacher and so he had chased her and she had fallen down and had torn her dress.

(iii) Underline the verbs and arrange them in two columns,
Past and Earlier

(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:

Question 2:

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.

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:

1. Burn out – Destroyed by fire
  “House number 12 turned out to be nothing but a burned-out
   shell.”

2. Light up – brightened
That was the moment her eyes lit up with recognition and
her face.

3. Look on – considered somebody to be somebody.
Hans Wolf and I looked on and cheered, clapping our hands.

4. Run out – become used up, finished
The time came, and all too soon when the game was finished, the schnapps and the run and the sausage had long since run out, and we knew it was all over.

5. keep out – to avoid
Hans Wolf and I looked on and cheered clapping our hands and stamping our feet, to keep out the cold as much as
anything. 

Question 3:

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 headword, 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 modifiers/adjectives in a noun phrase, as given below.

Question 4:

The table below contains a list of nouns and some adjectives. Use as many adjectives as you can to describe each noun. You might come up with some funny descriptions!

 Answer:

1. elephant—enormous, striped, wild

2. face—cheerful, round, chubby

3. building—circular, large, multicoloured

4. water—blue, cold.

Speaking (Page 19)

Question 1:

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

Answer:

War cannot be a solution to any issue in any way. War wreaks havoc. This is against humanity. There are many ways other than war to settle a dispute between two countries. Through whom we can solve our disputes. That’s why in my view it is good for humanity and countries to avoid war as far as possible.

Question 2:

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 re-read over a period of time.)

Answer:

I like both receiving and giving gifts. I like gifts which are related to our daily needs. That’s why when I buy a gift for someone, I take full care of his/her needs and preferences. The exchange of gifts is a good way to remove mutual enmity because it increases love among themselves.

Writing (Page 20) 

 Question 1:

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:
25 December 1919
It’s Christmas today, but the town looks very much different from what I had imagined. It has been ravaged by war. Buildings are in ruins and there is graveyard silence.

My own house burnt when it was hit by a bombardment. The events of war have taken a toll on civilians as well as soldiers. I hate the fighting instinct in us and curse the warmakers (mongers). Can’t we live in peace like brothers?

OR

Answer:
12-A, Block 4,
Dorset
August 10, 2009, Dear Smith,
I am in a dilemma. It seems to be insolvable. I, therefore, seek your help in making a decision.

You know I purchased an old desk. Inside it I got a box containing an old letter. It was written by Jim, a British soldier, to his wife. I decided to deliver that letter to Mrs Jim at Bridport.

I reached her house. She was 101 years old. When I gave her the letter, her eyes lit up. She thought I was her long-lost husband Jim, who had come home to keep his promise.

She was excited and she kissed me. She didn’t listen to what I tried to tell her about my identity. I don’t know whether or not I should tell who I am. I only walked away from her quickly.

Question 2:

Given below is the outline of a story. Construct the story using the outline.
(A young, newly married doctor ____ freedom fighter ____ exited 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:
It was the year 1930. India was a British colony. But English education enlightened a section of people. They started fighting for freedom. A young, newly-married doctor was implicated in a conspiracy case. He was sent to Black Waters (Kalapani) It was a group of Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Many freedom fighters and revolutionaries were sent there for life. They were put in cellular Jail for a few years. They were subjected to torture. The doctor was hanged. But his wife kept waiting for the return of her husband. She grew old. However, her hope and faith did not fade.

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