1. Answer the following questions.

1. Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?

Answer: The King wants no more talk about the Hilsa-fish because in his kingdom everybody is talking about the Hilsa-fish which made him irritated.

2. What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?

Answer: The King asked Gopal to prove his cleverness through a challenge that he must purchase a huge Hilsa-fish and try as much as possible that people didn’t talk anything about the Hilsa-fish.

3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?

Answer: The three things Gopal did before he went to buy his hilsa-fish were:

• He shaved his half-face.
• He applied ash on his body.
• He dressed up rags.

4. How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?

Answer: Gopal reached the palace to meet the king but he was not allowed to enter the palace because of his ridiculous look. He started to sing and dance loudly which caught the king’s attention. And the king ordered to get the man inside the palace, this is how Gopal got inside the palace.

5. Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.

Answer: No one seemed to be interested in talking about the Hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought because of his half-shaved face, ash on the body, rugs instead of clothes, hilarious look caught the peoples attention which made them think what has happened to him.

6. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.

(i) The king lost his temper easily. _______________
ANS: True
(ii) Gopal was a madman. _______________
ANS: False
(iii) Gopal was a clever man. _______________
ANS: True
(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. _______________
ANS: False
(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. _______________
ANS: False

1. Notice how in a comic book, there are no speech marks when characters talk. Instead what they say is put in a speech ‘bubble’. However, if we wish to repeat or ‘report’ what they say, we must put it into reported speech.
Change the following sentences in the story to reported speech. The first one has been done for you.

(i) How much did you pay for that hilsa?
ANS: 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 ___________________________
Answer: Gopal’s wife asked him why his face was half-shaven.

(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
Gopal told the king ___________________________
Answer: Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.

(iv) I want to see the king.
Gopal told the guards ___________________________
Answer: Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the king.

(v) Bring the man to me at once.
The king ordered the guard ___________________________
Answer: The king ordered the guard to bring the man to him at once.

2. 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

ANSWER:
Challenge – Ravi challenged his sister to play cricket with him.
Mystic – My neighbour is interested in mystic ceremonies.
Comical – He looks comical in that pink costume.
Courtier – My father was the best courtier of his time.
Smearing – Smearing clothes on the ground will make them dirty.

1. Look at the pictures and read the text aloud.
Answer: Do it yourself.

2. Now ask your partner questions about each picture.
(i) Where is the stag?
ANS: The stag was by the side of the pond.
(ii) What is he doing?
ANS: He was watching his reflection in the water of the pond
(iii) Does he like his antlers (horns)?
ANS: Yes, he liked his antlers.
(iv) Does he like his legs?
ANS: No, he does not like his legs.
(v) Why is the stag running?
ANS: The stag is running because the hunter is chasing it.
(vi) Is he able to hide in the bushes?
ANS: No, he is not able to hide in the bushes because his horns got stuck in the bushes.
(vii) Where are the hunters now?
ANS: The hunters are behind the stag.
(viii) Are they closing in on the stag?
ANS: Yes, they were getting closer to the stag.
(ix) Is the stag free?
ANS: Yes, the stag is free.
(x) What does the stag say about his horns and his legs?
ANS: The stag says that he was proud of his horns which could have caused his death and was ashamed of his legs which shaved his life.

3. Now write the story in your own words. Give it a title.
Answer: TITLE—THE HORNS AND THE LEGS.
Once upon a time, there was a stag. He went to drink water from the pond and saw his reflection in the water. He felt proud of his beautiful horns but at the same time felt ashamed of his thin and ugly legs. Soon the hunter arrived and the stag started to run for his life while running his horns got stuck in the bushes but somehow he managed to escape.
After getting out of the danger, he started to think that the horns he was proud of, would have killed him today while his thin legs which he was ashamed of, had saved his life.

4. Complete the following word ladder with the help of the clues given below.

Clues

1. Mother will be very __________ if you don’t go to school.

2. As soon as he caught ___________ of the teacher Mohan started writing.

3. How do you like my ___________ kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?

4. My youngest sister is now a ____________ old.

5. Standing on the ____________ he saw children playing on the road.

6. Don’t make such a _____________. Nothing will happen.

7. Don’t cross the ___________ till the green light comes on.

Answers:

1. Mother will be very cross if you don’t go to school.

2. As soon as he caught sight of the teacher Mohan started writing.

3. How do you like my tiny kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?

4. My youngest sister is now a year old.

5. Standing on the roof, he saw children playing on the road.

6. Don’t make such a fuss. Nothing will happen.

7. Don’t cross the street till the green light comes on.